On the 16th local time, head coach Maciej Skorza attended the official press conference the day before the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group Stage MD1 Trial at Lumen Field (Seattle). He spoke about his enthusiasm for the first match and answered questions from reporters.

(This will be Maciej 's second time leading Urawa to the FIFA Club World Cup, and the format of the tournament has been greatly expanded. What are your ambitions and thoughts about the tournament?)
"This is our second big undertaking - we played in Jeddah two years ago - and first and foremost we are very excited to be taking part in this tournament which brings together clubs from all over the world.
Rather than aiming for a specific Pos in this tournament, our goal is to show good quality as a team. We want to show that we have team spirit and play as an organized team. Also, I think it is very important that we adapt quickly to the characteristics of our opponents.
We know that we are not a strong team, but we believe that anything is possible. In the last tournament, we played against Club Leon, a team ranked higher than us, in the first match, and it was a good experience for us. We will continue to believe in ourselves tomorrow, play a good Trial, and hope to achieve a good result.

(There was an interview with Sekine, and he said that he wanted to focus on the first match and prepare for it, but the more preparation and countermeasures you do, the more important it is to overcome the gap between your initial preparation and the image of the opponent on the pitch. What do you think about that?)
"That was my request to the team. I told the players to focus only on tomorrow's Trial. I don't want the players to think about other opponents. Right now, we should only focus on tomorrow's opponent, and I haven't had any discussions with the team about who we'll face next.
I think this one-step-at-a-time approach is a good way to go. First of all, I need to focus on the first match and do the best job I can. Then I can think about the next step.
As for tomorrow's Trial, I am very interested in whether our strategy will work or not, and whether we can play the kind of football we want to play against an offensive team.
Of course, I believe we can. We may not have as much possession of the ball as our opponents, but I still think we have our chances.
River Plate is a team that leans towards a very offensive style, and they sometimes play risky and unique plays. I hope that we will be able to exploit those weaknesses.”

(The J-League season is still in progress, but do you have any advantages over other teams whose seasons have already ended?)
"I don't think it's any advantage. The most difficult thing for me is that two teams in our group (Inter Milan and CF Monterrey) changed their managers before the tournament. That's why we're paying close attention to this Trial. I'm very interested to see what ideas the new manager has. However, the most important thing for us is to maintain our good Trial in the J-League. We struggled at the beginning of the season, but then we had a good run of form for about two months through April and May. Our most recent match against Yokohama was also a good Trial with very high intensity. Our target is to keep that form. So, although there are a few days between these two Trial, I hope that it doesn't affect our condition.
By the way, River Plate is in a similar situation. So I think the chances are even."

(I think set pieces are very important in the first match of a big tournament. What are your thoughts on set piece defense and attack?)
“I agree with you, the first game is really important and we are very aware how much the result of this Trial will affect the next Trial and our situation within the group.
That's why our first priority is to organize our defense well. Of course, it's a big challenge to stop players like Mastantuono. They are very technical players and we don't often face them in the J.League.
However, I am confident in the solidity of our defense. I believe in our defensive ability as a team. In tomorrow's Trial, we need to defend well as a team. There will be times during Trial when we are pushed back into our own half, but it will be important to keep possession of the ball and exploit the space behind the opponent's last line.
Also, set pieces are one of our strengths. We've been working hard on that, so hopefully we can create some chances in tomorrow's Trial."

(Tomorrow's Trial kicks off a little earlier. How will that affect you?)
"I've been preparing for this schedule since the first day I arrived in the U.S., and to be honest, it hasn't been easy.
Sometimes we had to encourage the players to go to bed earlier than usual, but now after a few days everything is fine and we are ready to go. We have been training very early to get our bodies used to Trial time.
So I don't think there will be any problem with the condition at the start of Trial, and the conditions are the same for both teams. All we need to do is get off to a good start."

(What time do you go to bed, how long do you practice, what time do you wake up in the morning, and how do you organize your daily schedule?)
"Our proposal (schedule), for example today, is to go to bed around 9 o'clock and wake up at 6. Breakfast is between 6 and 8 o'clock and of course it is obligatory for all players.
After that, we usually have a team meeting around 9:00 and move to the training ground at 9:30. At 10:00, we start activation (preparing the body before Trial). After training, we go back to the hotel for recovery and lunch, and then dinner from 18:00. In the evening, I have individual meetings with the players and encourage them to go to bed early. However, different players adapt in different ways. Some players get used to it right away, while others take a little time. This is natural.
So far, things are going very well and we haven't had any issues."

(Mastantuono is also attracting attention from the Argentine media. What are the key points in shutting him down?)
"The first thing you have to think about is how much space you can limit against the whole Argentina team. They love dribbling and one-on-ones, they play very fast with one and two touches, and they're very active in the final third.
So it's very important to keep compact in all zones on the pitch. High pressing, pressing in the midfield, and defense in the last line, especially control in the penalty area, are key. Not only Mastantuono, but also the number 8, who comes into the box from the second line with great timing, so we need to be careful of him.
I can't go into any more detail than that, but basically our intention is not to give the opponent too much space."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]