The results of the fan vote for the J.League All-Star DAZN Cup have been announced, and from the J2・J3 WEST-B group, Sagan Tosu’s goalkeeper Ryota Izumori and midfielder Kenta Nishizawa have been selected for the fan-voted starting eleven.
Upon being chosen, Izumori expressed, “I’m really happy and truly honored. I need to make sure I don’t waste this valuable experience and use it to benefit my future career.” Nishizawa added, “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can from such a talented group of players and enjoying this opportunity.”
Izumori, the guardian of Sagan Tosu’s goal, received the highest number of votes within the J2・J3 WEST-B group. Nishizawa praised his teammate, saying, “He always puts in consistent performances, and the fact that we can play freely up front is thanks to his solid defending behind us. We’re really grateful.” In return, Izumori noted, “You can’t talk about current Sagan Tosu without Kenta. He’s the captain and the core of our attack.” The mutual respect between the two is clear.
Another player selected from the J2・J3 WEST-B group is Hiroshi Kiyotake of Oita Trinita, and Nishizawa is looking forward to playing alongside him. “I’ve faced him many times, and he’s incredibly skillful and intelligent. I want to learn from how he thinks about the game and what he focuses on,” Nishizawa said. Izumori, meanwhile, is excited to reunite with Daigo Takahashi. “We went to different high schools, but Daigo and I are close friends and still talk often, so I’m really looking forward to it,” he shared. Izumori and Takahashi are both from the same high school year (Izumori from Kagoshima Josai High School, Takahashi from Kamimura Gakuen High School). Nishizawa, who was teammates with Takahashi at Shimizu S-Pulse, added, “I saw him recently, and he hasn’t changed at all (laughs). But I think his game has improved a lot from his experiences, so I’m excited to team up with him on the pitch.”
The J2・J3 WEST-B group consists of three J2 clubs and seven J3 clubs, giving it the highest proportion of J3 teams among the four groups. Aiming for an “underdog victory” in this one-day tournament, Nishizawa declared, “We’ll give it our all to win three straight!”