Miki Yamane and Maya Yoshida set to be the LA Galaxy's Japanese defensive duo in 2024
Yamane and Yoshida spoke to the media as they prepare for the 2024 MLS regular season. For Yamane, this will be his first season as a professional soccer player outside of his home country.
Miki Yamane, 30, becomes the latest Japanese athlete to call Los Angeles home. The LA Galaxy’s new right back arrived in LA a couple of days ago and was on the training pitch on Thursday just before his introductory press confrence.
As the 2023 MLS regular season came to an end - one that saw the LA Galaxy concede a league-high 67 goals- general manager Will Kuntz told reporters he had conversations with veteran defender Maya Yoshida about how to improve the backline. Yoshida then recommended Yamane as a player worth watching, prompting him to be on the list of players the LA Galaxy’s scouting department would look at.
The Galaxy liked what they saw in the Japanese defender and soon Kuntz flew to Japan alongside Yoshida to watch Yamane play in The Emperor's Cup in early December. Yamane and Kawasaki Frontale won the Cup after a penalty shootout and according to Kuntz, a deal to join the Galaxy on a three-year deal was struck shortly thereafter.
Yamane, a native of Yokohama, Japan, had spent his entire career in his homeland becoming one of the top footballers at his position. He was named to the J1 League Best XI in three consecutive seasons (2020, 2021, 2022) and won two J1 League titles and Emperor’s Cup titles with Kawasaki Frontale.
“I really wanted to prove myself in a new challenging environment and especially with a different language, different soccer style, different culture,” said Yamane about moving stateside at this stage of his career via a translator. “I wanted to put myself out there to improve as a soccer player and as a person.”
When talking to the media, Yoshida mentioned that following Yamane’s win in the Emporer’s Cup, he thought this was good timing for him to step forward in his career. Yoshida would then describe Yamane’s move to the LA Galaxy as a “good situation for him.”
The two Japanese defenders were previously teammates at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Yoshida captained the side and was featured in Netflix’s Captains of the World Docuseries (Yoshida told me he’s yet to watch the series) as Japan made it to the Round of 16. With 126 appearances for Japan, Yoshida has the respect and admiration of his fellow compatriot footballers.
“It’s really an honor to play with a Japanese National Team legend like Maya but I want to bring my own value to the team and focus on how to be a strength for the Galaxy,” said Yamane.
The Yamane adds to the notable Japanese athletes in the city of LA. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto recently joined forces on the LA Dodgers, Rui Hachimura is a key role player for the LA Lakers, and Jun Endō is part of Angel City FC and the Japanese Women's National Team’s midfield.
Yoshida mentioned he recently went to watch Hachimura and the Lakers during his offseason in LA. “I always get encouraged from these kinds of athletes from other sports. So I hope we can be like that for the other Japanese people,” said Yoshida. “In LA, we have a big Japanese community or Asian community so there's a great opportunity for the club as well.”
The gameplan for Yamane
The LA Galaxy needed a right back after they didn’t trigger Calegari’s option to make his loan permanent and prospect Mauricio Cuevas is still not at an MLS starting level. Yamane was the Galaxy’s first major signing this offseason and filled a big hole on the roster.
“He's played and been highly successful. His reading defensively is good. He's smart. He anticipates. He understands the defending side,” said Head Coach Greg Vanney about Yamane. He also added praise to what the Japanese full back can do in the attack.
“With the ball, you can do a lot of different things with him. He's technically super clean, he can invert, he can play on the outside,” noted Vanney. “I think the versatility is something that we're looking forward to in terms of the way he plays so I think he can help us on the ball and without the ball”.
Read: Miki Yamane Scout Report
Yamane’s ability to get forward and heavily involved in the attack is something that LA didn’t get to much of last season. Calagari would stay back often and even Vanney told reporters that wasn’t one of his strengths.
Vanney acknowledged Yamane’s ability to effectively get on the endline and whip in crosses but doesn’t want him to become the “primary attacker” when the ball is played wide. Vanney made it clear that the club’s next right winger will play a major role in determining how Yamane will be used in 2024.