<figure id="attachment_474508" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-474508" style="width: 2175px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ad2cba15"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/a795780dd64d71b4739ac0fc34117b3e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-474508" class="wp-caption-text">As promised to Mr. Iwamoto, Coach Moriyasu took the field against Brazil in his best form. After the loss, he maintained his usual composed and resolute demeanor in front of his dejected players.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> The Reason He’s Paying Out of Pocket to Watch Every World Cup Match in Person</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “To be honest, I thought we could win. At the end of the first half, I even called a Japanese acquaintance from NRG Stadium (in Houston, U.S.) and said, ‘If we score a second goal, it’s all over.’</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> But in the second half, before we knew it, we were being pushed back further and further. I don’t think the Japanese national team in recent years has ever been forced to drop back that far as a whole.</span><span class="strongInContent"> Japan barely had a single shot on goal in the second half, right? I was watching, thinking it was only a matter of time before they conceded a goal. There were some good moments, but their limitations were also evident. That’s my take on the match against Brazil.”</span></p>
<p> Former Japan national team midfielder Teruo Iwamoto (54) watched all four matches of Moriyasu’s Japan team at the CONCACAF World Cup on site.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Brazil changed their approach in the second half. They used diagonal passes and kept sending crosses into Japan’s penalty area. Japan struggles when the ball is played into the box like that.</span><span class="strongInContent"> The equalizing goal came from a diagonal cross after they pushed deep down the flank.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Come to think of it, we also lost in a comeback defeat to Belgium at the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to a play that started on the wing, didn’t we?</span><span class="strongInContent"> So, in a sense, it once again exposed Japan’s persistent weakness. There’s no doubt Japan is improving, but the barrier to the world’s top teams is still very high.”</span></p>
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<p> Mr. Iwamoto witnessed the thickness of that barrier firsthand from the stands this time, just as he did at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. And he wasn’t there for work. He has consistently paid out of his own pocket to watch World Cup matches in person.</p>
<p> Why does he go to such lengths to attend the World Cup?One major reason is the presence of Head Coach Hajime Moriyasu (57). The two first met in 1994. They deepened their friendship from the very day Iwamoto, then 21, was first selected for the Japanese national team, and later became teammates at Kyoto Purple Sanga (now Kyoto Sanga) and Vegalta Sendai.</p>
<p> Affectionately, Iwamoto calls Coach Moriyasu—who is four years his senior—“Poichi-san.”</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Of course, there are things you can’t understand unless you see them in person, and it’s a learning experience. But the real reason I’m going to the World Cup is to cheer on Poichi-san.”</span></p>
<p> The last time they met before the World Cup was on May 22, just before the final domestic training camp, and Iwamoto laughs, “He was his usual Poichi-san self.”</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Even when I say something presumptuous like, ‘I bet we’ll beat the Netherlands and Tunisia and draw with Sweden,’ he just responds, ‘Two wins and one draw, huh? That’d be nice’ (laughs).</span><span class="strongInContent"> We usually meet about once a month and talk for two or three hours, and most of it is about soccer. We sometimes talk about the national team, but he never leaks any inside information. He’s very strict about that.”</span></p>
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<p> I made a point of not contacting him during the tournament. However, there was one memorable exchange.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Poichi was in top form for the matches against the Netherlands and Tunisia, but against Sweden, he wore a jacket and struggled in the final stretch.</span><span class="strongInContent"> So, in a column for a soccer magazine, I wrote something like, ‘I hope he takes off his jacket and plays against Brazil.’</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Then I got a LINE message from him himself,</span><span class="strongInContent"> saying, ‘I’ll take off my jacket and play in tomorrow’s match against Brazil.’ And sure enough, he was in his vest for the Brazil game. No matter how famous he gets, he hasn’t changed a bit. His hairstyle’s always the same, too. Not a single gray hair in sight (laughs).”</span></p>
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<p> The July 16 issue of *FRIDAY (July 31)* and the paid edition *FRIDAY GOLD* feature detailed reports on Coach Moriyasu’s determination and candid thoughts about leading the Japanese national team, as shared with Mr. Iwamoto; surprising remarks he made during a period when he was facing criticism; and insights into the next head coach.</p>
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<p> Click here to view the full article and multiple photos↓</p>
<div data-friday-gold-link-url="https://friday.gold/article/428075" data-friday-gold-link-title="Teruo Iwamoto, a Close Friend of Coach Hajime Moriyasu, Reveals the “LINE Message Sent Before the Brazil Match”" data-friday-gold-link-excerpt=" For the sake of a friend with whom he still talks every month, he spent a fortune to fly to the North and Central America World Cup… “Honestly, I thought we could win. At the end of the first half, I messaged a Japanese acquaintance at NRG Stadium (Houston, USA), saying, ‘If we score a second goal, it’s all over.’”" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-wide="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/07/km_0629_273-15130229012151.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=256,height=144/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=ldDm5V~Z82YrsaDup8qiVWS1kBJCEog-WU-E1FSVDE-roTqjahblpb~0sQMsp-IGgXPhrr7X0gs6ADLHRuwGjALOK2hRVV1HxNzhXCVLe61dHXku-7GYnTlWxsl7RD8kDPkAOio-ZQ3HG7KzN2wUCmLe6M0AETRntX7qGuTJEZQnnH~l7HM8JHZwG6l~4cSxlUtJ-ThssXcGyjGcKYoxwa~o9jj0egs5~5tEDYK63Axu89FjNfXAb9M5w3kNUiezCYTX~vkv8QCN9fIn~f~qnJWV2aqSp4cA4QcSVdoAgcLQwdzoTMmLCaTo2AowksOrQDLQScjkaz3qdUUKDWIPrg__" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-square="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/07/km_0629_273-15130229012151.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=105,height=105/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=gzRzolSdZf6W5ttJFgIEDLsRRsqwtHHUuSEdpDPWAd3Ry1JAtLknqmdey6qy5GGVRBqtlNm1hQZT0eSoxGJZgo1b~7PdQyoAFpPYtNpJiWH2508-763HCv5u61Fln4y01MmJcLxlL9topyZXs0b9eAh4aq37cmu9tFTWERTF0uwmAdKQ20K0PLTIwvpb5Fhj3qlU3EtbWvtHS0KFgZALHzVerQOZW2GfZD~LEfqfLEFFtQKb885lJ1lppFALmstUBiG5cQUzgndVIjOEk93654EZP9fqRUErN0AN-7-X~CGNclde0ojnICPTMliUvuF4fyG9mS6J7TLvRk~5noSZdw__"></div>
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<p> From the July 31, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*</p>


 Masao Kurihara

 JMPA

 “To be honest, I thought we could win the Brazil game…” says Teruo Iwamoto, who was once selected for the Japanese national team alongside Hajime Moriyasu and was also his teammate. He traveled to the World Cup at his own expense “to cheer on ‘Coach Moriyasu.’”

 For a Friend, He Spent a Fortune to Fly to the North, Central, and South America World Cup…

We Still Talk About It Every Month… The Contents of the “LINE Message Sent Before the Brazil Match” from Manager Hajime Moriyasu’s Close Friend, Teruo Iwamoto

We Still Talk About It Every Month… The Contents of the “LINE Message Sent Before the Brazil Match” from Manager Hajime Moriyasu’s Close Friend, Teruo Iwamoto

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