The new head of Taiwan’s national soccer team yesterday said he would demand that players improve their game and boost their skills through each tournament.
Kazuo Kuroda told a news conference that his agenda would begin with games in Hong Kong from Sunday as he outlined preparation and planning strategies.
The Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) yesterday officially announced Kuroda’s appointment to a one-year role with the national team, replacing countryman Toshiaki Imai, who was dismissed last month.
Photo: Jason Pan, Taipei Times
Kuroda has been in Taiwan since 2012 taking care of youth development as part of a deal with the Japanese Football Association.
“Kuroda has helped to develop Taiwan’s youth soccer program and we have seen good results,” CTFA general-secretary Chen Wei-jen said. “He has a wealth of soccer knowledge and experience. He is highly respected by all coaches and players. Everyone looks up to him.”
Kuroda said that the governing body for soccer in the nation had made several approaches for him to take the helm of the national squad, but he had turned them all down.
“Later on, I thought it over after sensing the strong desire expressed by the CTFA,” he said “I also received lots of help from many Taiwanese, so to express my gratitude, I agreed to take the job.”
He said it was important that the CTFA continue the youth develop programs he set up without interruption so grassroots soccer would improve.
Kuroda said he plans to “built up a Taiwan national squad, in which players can showcase their talents.”
“I want them to be united as a team and they should interact and move around as a unit of 11,” he said.
The veteran Japanese coach said he would like to see players put on performances while having fun, allowing spectators to enjoy attractive soccer.”
However, “if the opposition is strong, it can be difficult to achieve that goal,” he added.
Kuroda is to lead the team to Hong Kong today for Round 2 of qualification for next year’s East Asian Cup.
Taiwan’s first opponents are powerhouses North Korea on Sunday at the Mong Kok Stadium.
They face the hosts on Wednesday next week before playing Guam on Saturday.
The women’s national team is also playing Round 2 qualifiers.
Women’s team coach Masayuki Nagira said they went to Japan last month, playing seven matches against local teams.
He said they tried different formations and gained valuable experience in his homeland.
“I wanted to build up the players’ physical conditioning to minimize mistakes that have allowed oppositions to score late in games and steal wins,” Nagira said. “The team are in good shape, but they are not 100 percent yet. Still, we expect good results from this tournament.”
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