For Kashiwa Reysol’s J1 soccer team forward Masahiro Hosoya (22), the first half of this season’s J-League season was not convincing. Kashiwa finished the season in 13th place out of 20 teams. He only scored one goal and made two assists in 15 games, and had few opportunities to smile after the game.

“I believe it is my responsibility that Reysol is in this position right now. I want to do whatever it takes to get results in the second half of the season and help them move up in the rankings.”

Immediately after the team lost to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 19th round on the 22nd, Hosoya’s expression was tense.

The team had been struggling since late May. On June 16th, just after Hosoya returned from the U-23 (under 23) Japan national team’s US tour in preparation for the Paris Olympics, Kashiwa was trailing 0-2 in the first half after two straight losses, and Hosoya was brought onto the pitch at the start of the second half.

“I wanted to come in and change the flow of the game. We hadn’t really been able to create many chances in front of the goal, so I wanted to be a bit more of a starting point and increase our chances.”

In the 34th minute of the second half, he lightly touched a vertical pass from midfielder Yoshiro Toshima (28) and skillfully passed the ball under the legs of an opposing player behind him, setting up a goal for defender Diego (28). This was his second assist in the league this season.

“I wasn’t aiming for the legs, but I knew Diego was there. He read me a little bit, but I’m glad it led to a goal.”

However, their efforts were not enough and they lost 1-2. Hosoya returned to the starting line-up for the following match against Hiroshima on the 22nd, but the team lost 0-1, marking their fourth consecutive loss in the league. In these four matches, the team only managed to score one point, against Gamba Osaka. In an interview after the Hiroshima match, he reflected on the results as follows:

“(What we need to improve) is finishing the game both as a team and as individuals. We created many scoring opportunities early in the first half. I think our defense with the two strikers was also good, so I wanted to continue that momentum and score a goal.”

When asked how he felt about playing against the top teams, Gamba Osaka and Hiroshima were in third and fifth place, respectively, he answered as follows:

“Honestly, I don’t think the quality of our play has changed much, but when you look at our rankings, you can see why we have the determination to win. I think we need to be more proactive in winning.”

The announcement of the Japanese team members for the Paris Olympics is coming up on July 3rd. He spoke about what he wanted to promote:

“Of course I want to score goals, but I also want to press from the front and what is expected of me here (at Kashiwa) is similar to what I did when I was with the national team. I want to give it my all and do my best.”