On the 5th, a press conference was held at Ohara Training Ground Director (SD) Satoshi Horinouchi Masashi, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 (FCWC), which will kick off in the United States on Sunday, June 15th.

Satoshi Horinouchi SD
(How do you feel about the players and the team atmosphere heading into the FCWC?)
"After the match Yokohama FC, we had three days off. The players were refreshed and ready for today's training, as were the manager, coaches, and other staff. So, we are heading to America today, but I believe we will be able to do so after a good break."

(What are your impressions of CA River Plate, Inter Milan and CF Monterrey, who will face you in the FCWC group stage, and what strategies have you discussed with manager Maciej Skorza?)
"I can't say anything specific, and there is still some time left, so we will have to work out the details from here, but our first opponent, River Plate, is an offensive team, but they are also a well-organized team. They are a team with a long history, so I feel they will be a tough opponent, especially since it will be our first match.

As for Inter, there is no need for me to say anything about them as they are one of the top teams in the world, and although the result in the (UEFA Champions League) final was unfortunate (losing 0-5 to Paris Saint-Germain), I believe they will approach the tournament with renewed motivation.

I think Monterrey is a well-balanced team, and because they are close to the United States, I think they might have more excitement than the other two teams. Of course, I think all the teams are strong opponents that we can't let our guard down against."

(I think you will be heading to the US with a great result, having come from behind to beat Yokohama FC in your last Trial before the FCWC, but how do you feel about currently being third in the J1 League?)
"Looking at our provisional third place Pos alone, it seems like we are high up in the league, but as you all know, the number of Trial has changed, and as Coach (Maciej) also said, we basically won't move up from here (until the end of the FCWC), so one thing is that this is not Pos we were aiming for.

Regarding this season, in the beginning, we were unable to win Trial and increase our winning points, and we had ups and downs in Trial, but through those five consecutive wins, the team is gradually moving in a better direction. After that, we had wins, losses, and draws, but I think we are gradually improving as a team.

(From here, through the FCWC and into the second half of the league, while the players and coaches are working hard, I think it is the training department that needs to give it that extra push. How are they preparing for that?)
"That's right. I think my job is very important, and looking back at last year, we had a lot of players who were injured or left during the summer transfer window, so I want to avoid making the same mistakes and prepare well throughout the year so that I can take the team to the next level."

(Today, the addition of Hiiro Komori was announced, and she immediately joined the team. However, as a special measure this year, players can be acquired up until June 10th. This is the first time for everyone, so I'm sure it has been difficult, but what kind of preparations have you made for this period, and what is the current situation?)
"As you just said, this was the first time we had used this special window, but if we think of it simply as a short window, we made the same preparations as usual. However, because the registration period was so short, we had prepared the timeline and process in advance. However, since the window opens on June 1, and considering the contract periods of overseas players, just like in Japan, my honest impression this time is that it's not going to be easy."

(There may be clubs that focus only on the FCWC and strengthen their squads, so in that sense, what kind of discussions were held within the club regarding how to approach this period?)
"We were exploring that possibility, but came to the conclusion that it would be difficult in reality."

(Is it because there is Trial soon after joining the team?)
"That's right. In terms of whether players can quickly adapt to Urawa Reds and Maciej Skorza 's style of football, including the preparation period, there are some things that are unique to Japan, so I felt that it might be difficult for foreign players."

(Looking at the surface facts of the Reds over the past few years, I think there have been a string of seasons where players who joined in the summer have had difficulty contributing to the team in the second half of the season. Taking this into consideration, what do you want to prioritize and aim for in this summer's transfer window?)
"First of all, we need to think about the current squad and see where we need to strengthen it. As you said, if we are going to sign someone, we need to bring in a player who can play in Trial and perform well."

(Will discussions with Coach Maciej regarding this matter begin in earnest now that the FCWC is over?)
"I'm always talking to the manager, both on and off the pitch, and I think we communicate very well."

(How did you come to acquire Komori, and why did you acquire a striker at this time?)
"As for the background, although it may overlap with what I said earlier, we always have several players on our list for each position, and Komori was one of the players we had been pursuing for several years. I think it was a matter of timing, but he was with JEF United Ichihara Chiba until last year, and at the beginning of this year he went to Sint-Truiden (VV) in Belgium, and we had heard that he would be coming back to Japan once again, so it felt like the right timing. Also, at this time, a striker is needed because he scores goals, and although we currently have some good strikers, we wanted to create new competition."

(Is it a coincidence that Motoki Nagakura Miki left the team at the same time?)
"There's not much I can say about that at the moment, but as I said before, it's about timing, and considering the players who left last summer, I think we've made good preparations."

(For example, what kind of support does FCWC have, such as bringing along a chef or using a chartered plane?)
"The chef has already gone. It's a very powerful man that everyone knows (Chef Nishi Yoshiteru). As for the flight, the J.League has arranged a chartered plane for the outbound trip, so I think we'll be able to make really good preparations. I'm really grateful."

(SD Horinouchi has participated in the FCWC before, both as a player and as part of the training team, but this year's tournament has been upgraded. Is there anything that you feel has increased in number or that is amazing?)
"As everyone knows, the prize money has increased by one, two, or maybe even three times, and I think you won't really get a sense of the scale of the event until you go, but I think the number of teams and the teams participating have all been upgraded, so I'm excited to think that I'll be able to have an experience I've never had before."

What goals have you set as a club?
"I don't think there is any team that doesn't aim to win when participating in a tournament, and that goes for Urawa Reds as well. But from a more realistic perspective, I think the first thing we need to do is get through the group stage. What's more, I think it's important to get a point in our first match against River Plate in order to reach our big goal."

(What kind of tournament do you want to have?)
"The other day, we had a meeting of the training managers from J1 to J3, and many people there told us they were rooting for us. As a J.League club, this is a great opportunity to show that Japanese clubs can compete on the world stage, and it's also a great opportunity for the players to show off. However, we mustn't forget that, as Coach Maciej always says, we are "one team," and we must never forget the feeling that we must put the team first."

(A large number of fans and supporters will be going to the US. What do you expect from them? And how do you want the players to motivate the fans and supporters?)
"I know that a lot of Reds supporters come because it happens every time (laughs). Their enthusiasm is really inspiring, as seen after the recent match Yokohama FC, and looking back at past history, so we feel like we will fight together with them to the end. Whether you can come to the match or unfortunately can't, we want to fight together as one team."

(They have been keeping themselves in good condition with such a busy schedule, but was the team made with the intention of participating in major tournaments this season, including the appointment of Seigo Ikeda as high performance coordinator?)
"Until last year, I thought that the Reds' medical staff, physical staff, nutritionists, etc. were top class, although it may be presumptuous of me to say so. But if I had to say, from my position as someone working on strengthening the team, or in other words, as someone on the management side, I felt that I wasn't able to speak to them at the same level of detail, because it is a highly specialised field.

Among them, Seigo-san is well versed in every field, and he has excellent communication skills, but he also communicates well with specialists in each field and gives that back to the team, which gives me the impression that what was already amazing has become even more powerful."

(I don't think the dramatic reduction in injuries is just down to luck.)
"We are actually analyzing the situation, but there are so many factors that it is difficult to generalize. However, as you said, when we look at the current situation at other clubs where there are more injuries to a greater or lesser extent, I think it is the result of everyone's efforts, including our medical team, physical team, and nutrition team. And of course, the same goes for the manager and coaches who organize the training."

(Whether it's the AFC Champions League or the FCWC, why are clubs, players, fans and supporters all so excited?)
"That's probably because it's Urawa. I'm from Urawa, and in a way I think this is natural, but on the other hand, there was a time when I left Urawa, so when I look at it from the outside, I think it can be summed up in one word: 'It's Urawa.'"

(The prize money for this FCWC is incomparably larger than previous tournaments, but how are you discussing within your club about how to use it for strengthening your team?)
"As far as how we use it as a club, I think that's more of a club-wide issue than just me."

(As an SD, do you envision this as allowing more spending on strengthening than before?)
"I think we have had thorough discussions with the CEO and other executives about that."

How did you choose the base camp location?
"FIFA will provide us with a list of candidates, and we will select from the first, second and third choices. If there are any overlaps at the end, we will hold a lottery, but we have been able to choose from the options provided by FIFA."

(Did you get the first choice?)
"We got the first choice."

(I imagine there were various considerations regarding not only the venue, but also the timing of your arrival in the US. This time, Trial is about 10 days away, and it must have been difficult to find an opponent for a training match. Why did you choose this date?)
"In terms of the players' condition, I had thorough discussions with the medical team, the physical team, and coach Maciej, and since we've had a string of consecutive games up until this point in the league, we worked backwards from Trial to determine how much rest we should take and how many days before the match we should play, and came up with this schedule."

(National teams usually play two training Trial before going to the World Cup, but what was your thinking behind the match-making for the Reds this time?)
"It's a secret (laughs)."

(I have heard that there are difficulties with the June transfer window, especially for European players, who have contracts until the end of June and incur penalty fees. Have there been any cases where players who wanted to try were told that the penalty fee was this much at this point in time and had to give up?)
"I won't go into specifics, but generally speaking, the summer window is when top athletes, especially European athletes, are most active, so I think they probably have a strong desire to go to the best spot when the summer window opens. When that happens, I think there will be both advantages and disadvantages to moving ahead on June 1st."

(Some J-League teams are taking advantage of this period.)
"We are strengthening our team and dealing with injuries as I have been saying, but we also have many excellent players in our current roster, so we would like to continue supporting them through this tournament and to help them further improve."

(Just to be sure, will someone else be joining us in the US?)
"A lot of our staff will be joining us."

(No, there's a new player.)
"I don't think that's the case, but I'd like to avoid making a definitive statement."

(You took over partway through last season, but this year you've really been working hard. But there was a period in the beginning of the season when the team didn't perform well, and then there was a period when they won five games in a row. Did you have any discussions with Coach Maciej about how you might be better off doing things a little more this way?)
"I can't say anything about the details of this, but we've been talking about it since the training camp and the start of the season, and I think we talked about it a lot in the first four Trial where we didn't win."

(There was a time when Coach Maciej spoke about how they were making do with a small number of players. What did you think when you heard that?)
"Taking that into consideration, I will have to have more discussions with Coach Maciej, and I would like to ask him about the good points of the current players and their other aspects as well."

(Does that mean you can do it if you use it?)
"Anyone can do it. We only have good players."

(There was a time when the members were fixed, but how did you decide to strengthen the team?)
"We spoke about it at the time, and there may be some overlap with 2023, but in the sense that the Club World Cup is here, and Coach Maciej took over halfway through last year, there was a strong desire to have the same members play for a long time to improve their combinations and other aspects."

(The next step was to gradually change things up, but was this at the request of SD Horinouchi as well?)
"It wasn't so much that I requested it, but rather that it would be impossible to keep fighting with the same 11 players forever, and there are also issues such as the injuries I mentioned earlier, so it was a mutual opinion we all agreed on."

(Yuki Abe is the role model coach, and he said that he hopes to be able to help Coach Maciej by providing effective support to the players who cannot play in Trial. What do you think of the efforts of the coaching staff, including Coach Nobuyasu Ikeda?)
"I think that Coach Ikeda's contributions are enormous, and other coaches besides Coach Ikeda also support players who rarely have a chance to play. As for Coach Abe, this was the first time for the club to try this, but his experience, knowledge and achievements are irreplaceable, and I think that one word from Abe Yuki is completely different from one from me (laughs), so I think that his words carry weight."

(During the FCWC send-off ceremony, captain Takahiro Sekine said that he would fight while thinking about the players who had been involved in the past. He said that he spoke to the players in the back, but how did you hear it?)
"I think it was a really good greeting, and it made me realize once again what a great captain Sekine has become. We qualified to play in the FCWC through the ACL 2022 tournament, but I think we've come this far thanks to the people who have been weaving the history of Urawa Reds even before that. We've come this far thanks to the accumulation of Urawa Reds' history, so I want to fight hard for those people as well."

(I think your participation in the U-21 league has been decided, but how is your reaction and preparation?)
"For Urawa Reds, playing opportunities for the post-youth generation was an issue. In the midst of all this, the J.League took the lead in organizing such a tournament, and our main goal was, as the J.League said, to provide a forum for the post-youth generation to show their skills. In recent years, we have been working more closely with development organizations, so we hope we can use the tournament as a place for promising players from the development organizations to stretch their legs.

Another reason is that in recent years, it has become common for overseas clubs to approach young Japanese players very quickly, and this is also the case with our neighboring club Omiya Ardija. We have to create an environment in the medium to long term where we can steadily develop good players within our own team, and that is why we have made this decision as a club.

(Currently, some teams are making good use of development-type loan transfers, and some players are doing well in their new teams. The U-21 league hasn't even started yet, but how do you evaluate these players and check them before returning them to your team?)
"I feel there are many benefits to loan transfers, so I would like to be able to use them effectively in conjunction with the U-21 League. Domestic loan transfers are different, but FIFA rules state that the maximum number of players on loan transfers is six, so I would like to respond appropriately while keeping these rules in mind."

(You will have to have players under the age of 21, but SD Horinouchi has a career in which he went to university and then became a professional. What are your thoughts on that overall?)
"That is a very important issue. University soccer in Japan is a wonderful place, and there are many players who became professionals through university, including those on the Japanese national team. There are also many such players among the Reds players. One option is to have them return to the Urawa Reds top team after graduating from university, as well as through the U-21, loan transfers and development-type programs. We also acquire players from various universities, so I think cooperation with them is also an absolutely essential element."

(I don't know about the system, but will it be possible to play in the U-21 league as a JFA/J.League special designated player while attending university?)
"Whether or not special designated players will be allowed to play in the U-21 league will be a topic of discussion as the J.League finalizes the rules, and I think it would be good if such a system could be put in place, but it won't work if there isn't some benefit to the universities as well. We need to think not just about ourselves, but about university soccer and the whole of Japanese soccer."

(I understand that the FCWC campsite was your first choice, but why did you choose it?)
"After making a comprehensive judgment based on the location, facilities, and other factors, we decided that this was the best option. Our staff actually went to see the site and looked at all the other potential locations. I didn't go there myself, but if that's what they wanted, then we went for it."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]