Akio Tani, who contributed to the fewest goals conceded in the J1 League in the 2024 season, will he become a regular for the Japanese national team?

Aiming to become a regular for the national team

Tani was promoted to the top team from Gamba Osaka's youth development organization. After gaining experience at Shonan Bellmare and Belgian second division club FCV Dendel EH, he has been playing for Machida since 2024, demonstrating his overwhelming saving ability to the fullest.

He has played for the Japanese national team in the Asian Cup and the World Cup for various age groups. He shut out the Brazilian national team during the U-19 tour of Brazil, and will be the starting goalkeeper for the Tokyo Olympic team in 2021. However, despite his impressive track record, he has struggled to establish himself as a regular player after his debut for the senior national team.

However, his performance at Machida was recognized and he was called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asia second qualifying round members. He made the national team for the first time in about a year, and from here he will aim to become a regular regular. Let's take a look back at some of his performances at Machida that led to his national team call-up.

Solid defense celebrates manager Kuroda's birthday

On May 26th, the game was played at Saitama Stadium against Urawa Reds (hereafter Urawa). The score was still 0-0, and in the 37th minute of the first half, Tani jumped high to the right to deflect the ball fired by Urawa's Ito Atsuki. It was a powerful shot that seemed to penetrate the gap between several teammates, but Tani must have caught it firmly. Immediately after deflecting it, he lay on the ground without changing his position to check the direction of the ball. His figure conveyed the determination of the goalkeeper to never allow the first goal. Machida won the game 1-2.

Also, on this day, which was also the birthday of the manager, Tsuyoshi Kuroda, the manager sent off the players by saying, "I want to win at all costs." Tani must have been more enthusiastic than usual. After the match, about 2,000 Machida supporters rushed to the stadium and sang a happy birthday to celebrate the victory.

Accurate decisions lead to a clean sheet

On August 17th, they played against Jubilo Iwata (hereafter Iwata) at their home stadium, Machida GION Stadium. As if to break the bad streak of not winning in three games, Yuta Nakayama, who had only been announced as a member just three days before, scored his first goal in his first start. With the lead, Machida gained momentum and completely dominated the opponent.

However, in the 24th minute of the first half, a set piece from Iwata threatened Machida's goal. Matsumoto Masaya headed a corner kick from Iwata's Hirakawa Rei, and the ball flew over the heads of the teammates in the goal area and headed towards the goal. Tani failed to catch it, but he managed to hold on to the ball as it slipped out of his glove and prevented a goal.

In the second half, with a three-point lead, Iwata had some periods of control, but the back line, led by Tani, held firm. Shota Fujio scored an additional point with a penalty kick, and the game ended with a 4-0 victory. Tani's precise saves helped Iwata keep a clean sheet.

The fact that Machida finished the 2024 season with the fewest goals conceded in J1 shows how much Tani's performance has supported the team. It may not be long before he becomes a regular starter for the Japanese national team.

Reference: DAZN [From J to the national team] Akio Tani - Most shutouts in J1, Machida's guardian angel -

*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication.