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5 Yuichi Komano
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| Position: DF
| | Born:25-Jul-1981
| | Height/Weight:171/71
| | Birthplace:Wakayama |
| Previous Teams:Ono JFC, Kainan No.3 Jr.HS, Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Jubilo Iwata |
| Matches (J1/J2):168/23 | Goals: 9/0 |
| First Appearance: 31-Mar-2001 Sanfrecce Hiroshima - vs - Consadole Sapporo (at Hiroshima "Big Arch") |
| First Goal : 19-May-2001 Sanfrecce Hiroshima - vs - Tokyo Verdy (at Hiroshima Stadium) |
| Year | Team | Appearances | Goals |
|---|
| 2000 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 24 | 1 |
| 2002 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 27 | 1 |
| 2003 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 23 | 0 |
| 2004 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 18 | 1 |
| 2005 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 34 | 2 |
| 2006 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 31 | 2 |
| 2007 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 34 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 191 | 9 |
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Yuichi Komano offers an interesting paradox for national team fans analyzing the squad that Zico named for Germany. As the youngest player on the team, and the player with the fewest NT appearances (well, actually keeper Yoichi Doi has fewer caps, but he has been called up and served as an unused reserve at least 40 times, so his case is exceptional), you would think that Komano could provide an interesting story for sports journalists looking for a "new angle" in covering the Japanese national team. Yet his presence has been virtually ignored by the mainstream press. Perhaps this is due to his very quiet and stoic character, or the fact that he is not particularly flashy or talkative. But based on the handful of interviews we have seen, it is clear that Komano is a very keen student of the game, as well as a talented player. Examining the reasons why he has been "lost in the shuffle" can be as intriguing and eye-opening as watching him work the right sideline for his club, Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
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To begin, we should let readers know that if we had the chance to decide the NT starting lineup at the 2006 World Cup, Komano would unquestionably have been starting on the right side, rather than Akira Kaji. Not only does he have an excellent understanding of the game and a phenomenal level of stamina, but he is a better defender, as well as more dangerous and accurate with his crosses. Kaji has a clear height advantage and a bit more speed and dribbling flair, but in our view Komano comes out on top in every other category of skill and capability. On the six occasions that he has started for Japan, he has demonstrated conclusively that his abilities -- particularly on the defensive end -- are of clear international quality. As we noted in our discussion of Kaji, it is apparent that Zico prefers him due to his flexilbility and his vastly greater experience in playing together with the other members of the national team. But strictly on the basis of skill, we think that even Zico understands how talented Komano is.
The 24-year-old came up through the vaunted Sanfrecce Hiroshima youth system, and has been playing for the national team since the U-17 level. His skills are very much in the "traditional" mold of a wing back in a 4-4-2. He has solid defensive abilities and good positional sense, an elusive ability to slip into open space on the wing, pinpoint precision with his crosses from either foot, and above all, the sort of unyeilding stamina that used to be a hallmark of Japanese wingbacks, from Satomi Tsunami and Takumi Horiike in the 1980s to Naoki Soma and Akira Narahashi in the 1990s. Komano can run from end line to end line without stopping, for a full 90 minutes, with not even the slightest change of expression on his bulldog-tough face. |
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Naturally, it is hard for a player in a relatively defensive role to attract much interest when playing for a mediocre club like Sanfrecce. But this is only a partial explanation for why the press has not shown much interest in Komano. We think that his character -- soft spoken, stoic and almost emotionless -- also makes it easy for the press to overlook him. He certainly is not the sort of flashy, good-looking poster boy that attracts hordes of adoring young female fans, and his contributions on the pitch are almost always in the form of assists and defensive plays. But it is no accident that he became the only representative of his "generation" selected for the World Cup squad. Zico knew that when it comes to getting the job done, Komano could step in and make the sort of solid, hard-working contribution that helps to win matches. W
As things worked out, Komano very nearly did make a name for himself in Germany. Midway through the second half, with Japan leading 1-0 against Australia, Komano was taken down in the penalty box on a play that Sepp Blatter himself singled out as the most obvious example of a "missed call" at the 2006 World Cup. If a PK had been awarded, as it should have been, history might have been quite different.
But we suspect that Komano, if given the choice, would be just as happy to remain out of the limelight. He has never shown much interest in courting attention, and always looks uncomfortable in post-match interviews. He is a player who likes to just get on with business, and let his play on the football pitch speak for itself. Hopefully he will have a lot more to "say" in 2007, and beyond.
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National Team Data & History |
 | NT Caps: 27 |
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| NT Goals: 0 |
Tournaments:
World Youth Championships (1999)
Athens Olympics (2004)
Confederations Cup (2005)
World Cup Germany (2006) |
| | Date | Vs. | Score | Location | Status | Min. | G |
|---|
| 8-03-2005 | China | 2-2 | Daejon, Korea | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 8-07-2005 | Korea | 1-0 | Daejon, Korea | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-08-2005 | Latvia | 2-2 | Riga, Latvia | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-12-2005 | Ukraine | 0-1 | Ukraine | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 11-12-2005 | Angola | 1-0 | Natl Stadium, Tokyo | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-3-2006 | Germany | 2-2 | Kaiserslautern, Germany | Sub | 50 | 0 |
| 6-6-2006 | Malta | 1-0 | Frankenstadion, Germany | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-11-2006 | Australia | 1-3 | Kaiserslautern, Germany | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 8-9-2006 | Trinidad&Tobago | 2-0 | Tokyo, National Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 8-18-2006 | Yemen | 2-0 | Niigata Stadium | Start | 45 | 0 |
| 9-6-2006 | Yemen | 1-0 | Sanaa, Yemen | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-11-2006 | India | 3-0 | Katarnaka, India | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 11-15-2006 | Saudi Arabia | 3-0 | Sapporo Dome | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 3-24-2007 | Peru | 2-0 | Yokohama Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-01-2007 | Montenegro | 2-0 | Shizuoka Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 6-05-2007 | Colombia | 0-0 | Saitama Stadium | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 7-13-2007 | UAE | 3-1 | Hanoi, Vietnam | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 7-16-2007 | Vietnam | 4-1 | Hanoi, Vietnam | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 7-21-2007 | Australia | 1-1 | Hanoi, Vietnam | Start | 120 | 0 |
| 7-25-2007 | Saudi Arabia | 2-3 | Bangkok, Thailand | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 7-28-2007 | South Korea | 0-0 | Bangkok, Thailand | Start | 120 | 0 |
| 8-22-2007 | Cameroon | 2-0 | Oita "Big Eye" Std | Start | 45 | 0 |
| 9-07-2007 | Switzerland | 4-3 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 9-11-2007 | Austria | 0-0 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 10-17-2007 | Egypt | 4-1 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka | Start | 90 | 0 |
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| 1-26-2007 | Chile | 0-0 | Natl Stadium, Tokyo | Start | 90 | 0 |
| 1-30-2007 | Bosnia | 3-0 | Natl Stadium, Tokyo | Start | 90 | 0 |
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