Ukraine's beach soccer team coach Mykola Kostyenko has announced the names of players who will participate in two friendly matches in Japan in October.

On October 1 and 2, Ukraine's beach soccer national team will play two friendlies against Japan's national team in Akashi city. The Japanese Football Association proposed to play these matches at the beginning of September .

Head coach Mykola Kostyenko has named 12 players who will join the squad that will travel to Japan.

Ukraine's beach soccer team roster

Goalkeepers: Andriy Nerus, Taras Kovalenko (NC Beachsoccer).

Field players: Oleksandr Koronychuk, Maxim Voytok, Dmytro Medvid (all — "VIT"), Dmytro Voytenko, Yaroslav Zavorotnyi, Andriy Pashko, Igor Levchenko, Timofiy Verbitskyi (all — "Alternativa"), Andriy Borsuk ("Artur Music"), Oleh Shchytyn (NC Beachsoccer).

The coach of the Ukrainian team also spoke about our opponent and the tasks that will face the team in these matches.

"Japan's national team is a finalist of the last World Cup, it belongs to the top four teams on the planet. This is a very strong collective with a bright leader — Osu Morerio. For years now, Japan's game has been built around him. He can be said to play in all matches without substitutions. Japanese players stand out for their speed, even sharpness on the field. Moreover, they have several strikers who hit 'scissors' very well. Obviously, one does not simply reach the World Cup final.

As for our tasks, first of all, we are slightly extending the season. We trained in Hydro Park for the whole last week, preparing for this trip. Secondly, we are taking young boys to Japan, continuing to look for new players to increase competition within the team. We want to give a chance to those who have already shown themselves in Kiev and Ukraine championships.

Moreover, there we will have an opportunity to train for several days. Plus, they will provide us with a conference room at the hotel, so we will work on tactics, analyze our recent matches in Italy, prepare more thoroughly for Japan. We will be in quarantine for several days there, so there will be time. Of course, we will be transported to training, so all conditions for productive work are provided," — emphasized Mykola Kostyenko. 

We remind that Ukrainians will arrive in Tokyo on September 27 and then train in the Japanese capital for two days. On September 30, our team will work at the training center of the Japan Football Association in Akashi city.