Former Japan captain Maya Yoshida on Tuesday vowed to return to the national team fold as he voiced his excitement at joining LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
The 34-year-old, who played in three straight World Cups and captained the Samurai Blue in 2022 in Qatar, left German side Schalke at the end of last season after they were relegated from the Bundesliga's top tier.
"My immediate target is to make the playoffs and perform well throughout the rest of the season to head to the Asian Cup (with Japan in Qatar in January)," Yoshida, who has not been called up by the national team manager Hajime Moriyasu since the World Cup late last year, told a press conference in Carson, near Los Angeles.
The former Nagoya Grampus, VVV-Venlo, Southampton and Sampdoria center-back stated the decision to leave Europe "was not easy," but the offer came in at the right time "from a good club with high-quality players" including Mexican forward Javier Hernandez and Brazilian winger Douglas Costa.
"At my age, if I leave Europe it's difficult to come back. So I have to make sure it's the right project, right club to be (at)," said Yoshida, who will wear the No. 4 shirt for his new side after signing an 18-month deal.
"I have done many things in Europe, in Japan, (at) international level in football so I needed to have something new to burn my passion."
Joining MLS is consistent with what he has always done in his career, added Yoshida, who always sought paths that enrich his life.
"Taking on a challenge that no one has done before has been the policy in my career," he said. "When I went from Japan to the Netherlands, and to England, people said Japanese center-backs can't succeed but I found value in taking on that exact challenge."
"Trailblazing is one of my motivations and I hope to do that again in the United States...I believe this choice will give different kinds of breadth to my life ahead."
With southern California home to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Anaheim-based Angels and basketball player Rui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Lakers, Yoshida said he was eager to make the most of becoming the area's latest high-profile Japanese resident.
"I want to put in good performances and hope to make Japanese people proud and energized," said Yoshida, who later threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Angels' MLB game at Angel Stadium.
"Ohtani and Hachimura are definitely...doing that, and I hope to do the same."
Yoshida also had words of advice for Nadeshiko Japan, who have been winning plaudits for their performance so far at the Women's World Cup with a quarterfinal against Sweden approaching on Friday in New Zealand.
"I've never been to the last eight and I'm sure there's fatigue, but I also believe the cohesion within the team has become stronger," he said.
"From here on, it'll be about the squad's comprehensive quality. Contributions from those yet to play or those coming off the bench will help give the team momentum."
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