The USWNT’s match vs. Japan drew a bigger crowd than any friendly the team has ever held
Atlanta probably won’t have to wait another eight years to see the U.S. women’s national team play a match.
The USWNT broke its attendance record for a standalone friendly on Saturday, as Mercedez-Benz Stadium welcomed 50,644 to watch a SheBelieves Cup semifinal against Japan.
That crowd exceeded a crowd of 49,504 that turned up for a 4-0 win over Portugal at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field in August 2019.
The USWNT’s last visit to Atlanta had been in 2016, when it claimed a 3-1 win at the Georgia Dome before a crowd of 15,652.
However, since then Atlanta has established itself as one of the country’s major soccer cities. Atlanta United is one of MLS’s most well-supported sides, and U.S. Soccer has begun work on a headquarters and training center in the city’s suburbs.
5️⃣0️⃣, 6️⃣4️⃣4️⃣
The largest crowd ever to watch a domestic USWNT friendly and the largest crowd for any USWNT home match since the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final.
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 6, 2024
“The energy in the stadium was unbelievable,” said USWNT coach Twila Kilgore after the match. “I think the fans had a huge part in the game today. You can feel them the entire time… I think the players deserve this sort of energy around them.”
The USWNT and San Diego Wave could have a real concern on their hands
The U.S. women’s national team and San Diego Wave could have a serious injury concern on their hands.
Naomi Girma was forced off in the first half of the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup match against Japan on Saturday, as the team’s standout defender suffered a reported thigh injury.
In the 16th minute, Girma was chasing a long ball in behind and pulled up with what appeared to be a muscle injury. The center back immediately signaled to the bench that she required treatment.
Girma was treated on the pitch, but was unable to continue and was replaced in the 18th minute by Abby Dahlkemper, her teammate for club and country.
On the TNT broadcast, sideline reporter Melissa Ortiz said Girma was being evaluated for a right thigh injury.
Following the match, U.S. coach Twila Kilgore confirmed that, telling reporters that Girma was “being evaluated for a right thigh injury, and we’ll know more shortly.”
Should Girma be forced to miss a significant amount of time, it would be a major blow for club and country. The 23-year-old was named the 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year after establishing herself as the USWNT’s most important defender. At the club level, Girma was named NWSL Defender of the Year for the second straight season.
The U.S. will get a major test in front of a huge crowd in Atlanta
The U.S. women’s national team will face two big tests in its final two matches before the Emma Hayes era begins.
Twila Kilgore will coach her final two games as an interim in the SheBelieves Cup, before returning to her previous assistant coach role under Hayes.
The USWNT will first face off against Japan in front of a huge crowd in Atlanta on Saturday, and will then face either Brazil or Canada on Tuesday in Columbus.
[afflinkbutton text=”Watch the SheBelieves Cup on Peacock” link=”https://imp.i305175.net/4PMNQM”]
Coming off a W Gold Cup title run that didn’t always see them at their best, the USWNT will look for an improved performance against seventh-ranked Japan on Saturday.
The USWNT will be able to welcome back two vital attackers, with Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario set to make their first national team appearances in one year and two years, respectively, following knee injuries.
Like the USWNT, Japan has qualified for the 2024 Olympics. The Nadeshiko have been drawn into a tough Group C alongside Spain, Brazil and Nigeria or South Africa.
The USWNT and Japan have met 39 times before, with the U.S. holding a 30W-1L-8D record. Most recently, the U.S. defeated Japan 1-0 in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Pro Soccer Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Koetsu Ichinei was the first person our group met on a trip to DaisetsuzanNational Park, and I cannot imagine a better park ambassador. The prominent photographer has spent decades hiking the Daisetsu Mountains with his heavy old Linhof Master Technica 4×5 camera. He used to camp for a month in winter, and two to three months in other seasons, capturing the year-round beauty of these mountains in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Now that he’s 84, he only camps for a week. During our group’s visit to his photo gallery — where his mountain photos fill a former school — he was preparing to take his old camera out to shoot fall foliage.
Photographer Koetsu Ichinei is the lead photographer of Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Daisetsuzan is Japan’s largest national park (875 square miles) and boasts some of the country’s wildest scenery, but it seems undiscovered by foreign tourists. In my few days touring the park, I mostly encountered domestic travelers out for a hike.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
“Daisetsuzan” means great snowy mountains. Which is apt, considering there’s a looong winter season here and a short summer. If you don’t want to freeze, July through September are good times to visit. Fall foliage usually peaks in mid-September. It starts snowing again in October. During my few days in the park, I could appreciate why Ichinei spent his whole photography career capturing its many moods.
Wildlife in Daisetsuzan
Before setting out on the Daisetsu Kogen Onsen Numa-meguri Hiking Trail, you’re required to watch a bear preparedness video. My group sat in the Brown Bear Information Center, absorbing the mixed message. Everybody was curious about seeing a bear (why else would they hike the notoriously bear-infested trail?), yet the video preached avoidance. This heightened the drama. We looked at a map of the designated areas along the trail where visitors are allowed to eat. These sectioned-off spaces reduce the chances of attracting bears. Also, you can’t cook anything or even make coffee on the trail.
A scene from the instructional video shows defensive techniques. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Besides brown bears (aka grizzlies), Daisetsuzan is home to Ezo red foxes, Yezo sika deer, Hokkaido squirrels, and Yezo stoats, which are weasel relatives. I had mixed feelings about bear sightings but would have loved to see Blakiston’s fish owl, the world’s largest living owl, which can have a six-foot wingspan. However, we saw only squirrels.
The hike was rooty and rocky, so you had to watch your step, but it wasn’t too steep. The leaves turned late this year, so in mid-September, we saw the first yellows and reds. We also saw sulfurous vapors pour out of fumaroles. These volcanic mountains are still very active.
Visitors can explore fumeroles at Daisetsuzan. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Further along, we crossed swampy areas full of skunk cabbage, flowing streams, and ferns that reminded me of my Pacific Northwest home. We stopped to rest by picturesque ponds.
Onsen hotels
You can stay in several onsen hotels in Daisetsuzan National Park. These hot springs resorts feature bathing pools and the chance to swan around the property in a yukata, or bathing kimono.
We stayed at Hotel Taisetsu, a huge and luxurious lodging in a dramatic gorge. It had three different onsens to soak in, including the glorious rooftop bath with a mountain view. Hotel Taisetsu made us a lavish, multi-course dinner and was kind enough to accommodate my vegan ways. They also have a bakery café with espresso and good pour-over coffee, which is not always easy to find in Hokkaido.
Photo courtesy of Taisetsu Kamuimintara DMO
If you go
If you’re visiting from another country, you’ll probably fly into Tokyo and then take a domestic flight to Asahikawa, the nearest airport. Unless you speak Japanese, you might need some help getting around. Our English-speaking guides at AdventureLab Taisetsu Hokkaido were excellent.
Disclaimer: While this article was not sponsored, Outdoors Wire did visit Lake Shikaribetsu on a press trip in conjunction with the Adventure Travel World Summit. As always, Outdoors Wire operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
MLB legend Ichiro Suzuki cranked a home run more than 400 feet and straight into a high school while speaking to students in Japan.
In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki was asked how many home runs he could hit if he tried to swing for just power. The two-time batting champion, who averaged about 10 home runs per year through that point in the MLB, answered with a shocking figure:
“If I’m allowed to hit .220, I could probably hit 40.”
He never tried because from 2007-19 he only eclipsed the 10 home run mark once. On occasion, during batting practice, fans would see a show of Ichiro cranking the ball over the wall, but it never happened in games. That estimation of quadrupling his average must have been an exaggeration.
Or was it?
At the age of 50, Ichiro hit a home run that smashed through a high school window in Japan. According to MLB.com, the dinger traveled 426 feet, and Ichiro had a wholesome reaction. Video below:
Ichiro was running through basic drills with the students at Asahikawa Higashi High School in Hokkaido, Japan, when he went yard. According to MLB.com, he hit about 63 pitches and twice cleared a 26-foot-high netting around the building.
Ichiro led the league in total hits seven times and holds two of the top-10 single-season records for hits — including No. 1 overall with 262 in 2004 — but even in his prime, fans didn’t get to experience this. A 26-foot high wall wasn’t enough to stop his ball from traveling well over 400 feet.
You might have seen the famous photos of snow monkeys relaxing in a Japanese hot spring. Indeed, onsens, or hot spring baths, are extremely popular in Japan. But when you visit an onsen, no, you won’t be bathing with monkeys.
Bathing in hot springs is a sacred tradition in Japan. The volcanic archipelago has approximately 25,000 hot springs sources and about 3,000 onsen establishments. It’s a way of purifying the body and the soul. So approach an onsen visit respectfully; don’t expect a hot tub party.
On a recent trip to Hokkaido, I bumbled through my first onsen experiences, looking to locals for clues. While avoiding staring, of course. Here are some tips to make your onsen visits a little smoother.
“I had to really look back and ask myself what’s wrong? What’s the reason behind finishing 2nd or 5th versus a win?”
Collin Morikawa came to Japan this week with the simple goal of ending his winless drought in the country where his father’s parents grew up and cruised to a six-stroke victory with a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Sunday to win the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship.
“It feels so good,” Morikawa said. “I knew I was going to get here at some point but it’s like getting your first win or major. People start asking questions and asking why. I had to really look back and ask myself what’s wrong? What’s the why? What’s the reason behind finishing second or fifth versus a win? This win means the world.”
He claimed his sixth Tour title and first since the 2021 British Open. For Morikawa to do so at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan, 25 minutes northeast of Tokyo, meant a great deal to the 26-year-old of Japanese (father’s side) and Chinese descent (mother’s side).
“I knew at the beginning of the week that the fans out here are obviously rooting for the Japanese players, but I like to count myself as a part Japanese player in that, so I felt the love,” he said.
It had been 27 months since he hoisted a trophy, just under 24 months since the former Cal Bear notched his last worldwide victory at the 2021 DP World Tour Championship. Morikawa had recorded four runner-up finishes since his last trophy – including at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July – and 14 top-10s, tied with Tommy Fleetwood for the most top-10 finishes during the last two seasons.
Speaking on the eve of the tournament during a press conference, Morikawa said, “Here’s one last chance for the season to kind of come off and finish off on a high note. I know what my goal is and I know what I want to do and accomplish this week is really just stand up and find a way to win.”
Morikawa grabbed the lead on Thursday with a 64 but struggled to 73 in strong winds on Friday. After starting 3 over through four holes on Saturday, Morikawa trailed by as many as nine strokes before rallying with birdies on five of his last six holes to shoot 66.
Two shots back heading into Sunday, Morikawa said his mindset for the final round would be to get off to a hot start and he did just that. Morikawa made birdies at the third and three of the last four holes on the front nine to shoot 30 and build a three-stroke lead at 11 under as Justin Suh, who held his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, chunked a chip at the fourth and made his second straight bogey. He stumbled to a final-round 74. Beau Hossler and Eric Cole, who played alongside Suh in the final group, faltered as well. Morikawa tacked on a birdie at No. 12, holing a 15-foot putt, and at 15 and 18 to play his final 24 holes in 12 under. No one mounted a charge as Morikawa posted a 72-hole total of 14-under 266. Cole and Hossler both made birdies at the last to shoot 70 and tied for second, a stroke better than Robby Shelton (65) and Ryo Ishikawa (67).
Collin Morikawa hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the 2023 Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Chiba, Japan. (Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
“The game felt very good,” Morikawa said. “Everything kind of clicked.”
Morikawa, who won twice in his first eight starts in the majors, had dipped from second in the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 20 during his winless drought but managed to make the Tour Championship as one of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup the last two seasons and represent the U.S. in both the Presidents and Ryder Cups. He complained that he lost his trademark fade that removed the left side of the course from play but his version of a slump still was the equivalent of what most pros would call a banner season.
For Morikawa, it was a learning experience that appears will only make him stronger in the years to come. Speaking at the Tour Championship in August about what he’s taken away from the last two seasons, he said, “I just love golf. I mean, it’s been frustrating, but I truly love it. Because when you’re in positions like this, when you’re able to put yourself in contention, whether it’s one round or two rounds or four rounds, that I just, I know I love being in these positions.”
Especially when he comes out on top as he did in impressive fashion at the Zozo Championship.
In Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, the bear population is growing faster than the human population. Hokkaido makes up 22% of the country’s land area, but its roughly five million citizens account for less than 5% of Japan’s population. That’s good news if you like to get outside and enjoy uncrowded hiking trails, rivers, and lakes. Hokkaido offers almost any landscape you could want, from flower fields in summer to incredible snowfall in winter. And after an active day, you can relax in one of the island’s 251 onsen, or hot springs areas. You might even see a bear. Get inspired for your Hokkaido adventure with this list of 10 outdoorsy activities to try.
It’s hard to sleep in when you’re staying in a hotel overlooking one of Japan’s most beautiful lakes. Especially in summer, when the sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and brings shifting colors, jumping fish, and diving osprey.
Lake Shikaribetsu is the highest-altitude lake in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Tucked up in the Daisetsuzan mountain range, it was formed by a volcanic eruption damming the Yanbetsu River approximately 30,000 years ago.
In addition to being a prime recreational area within Daisetsuzan National Park, the lake also attracts fans of “Spirited Away.” Its lake-bottom railroad tracks resemble those from the wildly popular 2001 anime movie. There was never actually a railroad going into the lake, though. Instead, the tracks help bring sightseeing boats ashore before the winter freeze.
After a standout season in the B.League, Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura further enhanced his reputation on the international stage during the FIBA World Cup. Standing at just 5-foot-8, he was the tournament’s second shortest player. However, his height didn’t stop him from being one of the brightest stars at the event.
Check some of his pictures at the World Cup below.
