We’ll Take On Any Opponent
Miyuka Momono Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies
I Want to Play
Focused Strongly on Results
The third season of the WE League, Japan’s first professional women’s football league, began this November.
What kind of performance should we expect from the Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies, who have achieved their debut in the WE League?
For the fifth installment in our series of interviews with players shouldering grand expectations, we are joined by the chance-creating dribbler Miyuka Momono.
- Please tell us about your playstyle and defining characteristics.
- My playstyle is defined by dribbling at speed. When dribbling, I focus on shifting timing and using a mix of quick and slow movements to slip into my opponent’s space.
- For the WE League Cup which opened in August, you were often involved in aggressive plays, as a winger. What is your role in the team?
- Creating chances with dribbling and slipping past the opponent’s line to score goals.
- Which player do you see as an example when it comes to improving your dribbling?
- Kaoru Mitoma. Because he’s a player who can both carry the ball forward while dribbling and score goals.
- From what you’ve said, I understand that you aim to convert your dribbling into goals or assists, but do you put emphasis on numbers?
- Yes. I was unable to make contributions via goals and assists during the WE League Cup, so I am strongly focused on leaving results in upcoming league matches.
- Is there anything you are trying during practice to improve making goals and assists?
- During training, I want to focus on just making challenges. After attempting a dribble, I proactively make sure to always attempt a shot.
Making a Whirlwind from Year One
- In the WE League Cup, the team finished second in the group with three wins, one draw and one loss. As a team and as a player, what lessons and tasks did you take away from this tournament?
- As a team, we were successful pressing from the front, so I think it became our Cerezo-style defense. As a player, I felt like I was able to put my greatest weapon, dribbling, to efficient use. However, I felt like I still needed to be more proactive in making challenges.
- What do you think the tasks ahead of the team are?
- What I feel the team needs to pursue ahead of the league games are ball control and increasing the amount of unbalancing patterns for goals and their quality.
- Having played in 5 games in the WE League Cup, was there anything you felt was different from the Nadeshiko League, including environment?
- In terms of differences to the Nadeshiko League, I felt that there were a lot more spectators. It wasn’t just the home team, there were many more away supporters, as well. It feels much more like a professional league in that sense.
- Were you overjoyed with your first home victory since joining the WE League in the match against the Mynavi Sendai Ladies?
- Very much so. We lost the second-round home opener, so that match was one were the entire team was striving for victory. More than anything, it felt like a relief. (Laughs)
- What do the Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies mean to you?
- The Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies are a warm presence to me, like a family. It is a club that has nurtured my growth since junior high school, and including the coaches and staff, they have tenderly listened to my worries and given me advice. They can be strict during practice, but there have been times where I have spent more time with them than my family. I really enjoy it here. I love the team! (Laughs)
- What are the expectations you have for the future of the Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies?
- I want the team to always been in the upper league standings, I want us to win the cup, be in the running for the league championship, and to be a team that always makes results.
- On an individual level, what kind of player would you like to become?
- When playing in league matches, I want to be the kind of player that makes challenges without flinching before any opponent, and whose opponents fear going up against. My dream and goal since I was small has always been to inspire those who watch me take charge and fight and to give people courage through my play. I want to do my best to improve my game toward reaching that goal.
- Since entering the WE League, do you feel an increase in your feelings about giving fans dreams and hopes and in your professionalism?
- I do. Now that the number of professional female football teams has increased in Kansai, it is easy for kids to aim to become professional footballers where they may have not had those kinds of chances before. I want to play in a way that makes young boys and girls want to be a footballer like me.
- Please give us your final words regarding your first WE League.
- I want to make whirlwinds on our first year, aiming for victory using Cerezo’s characteristic aggressive play. And on a personal level, I want to contribute to the team, making as many goals and assists as possible. Thank you in advance for your support.