Lion City Sailors sign five Japanese players in bid to reach AFC Women’s Champions League group stage

SINGAPORE – Despite heavy defeats by India’s Odisha FC (4-1) and Jordan’s Etihad Club (5-0) in their maiden Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League campaign in 2024-25, the Lion City Sailors gained crucial insight into the requirements to be competitive at the continental level.

With those lessons in mind, they have strengthened their squad for the 2025-26 AWCL by signing five Japanese players – Ami Takeuchi, Miyu Inayama, Eri Kitagawa, Sakurako Ohashi and Riari Kitaoka – as they aim to advance from the preliminary round to the group stage for the first time.

The three-time Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions will kick off their campaign in Melaka on Aug 25 against Etihad, before taking on home side Kelana United (Aug 28) and Kyrgyzstan’s Sdyushor SI-Asiagoal (Aug 31). All matches will be played at the Hang Jebat Stadium.

Sailors coach Daniel Ong said that following a review of their previous campaign, they felt that with the right additions, the club could put on an improved showing.

Through their contacts, they identified the Japanese quintet, who will feature only in the continental competition and not the domestic WPL, as the ones who can beef up their squad.

Ong added: “Japan are one of the top-ranked nations in women’s football, so we knew we’ll be able to find top-class players.

“It’s not just the technical ability, but also their hunger and desire on and off the pitch that makes me feel they’ll be a good fit for the team.”

There is no limit to the number of imports that each club can register, but only a maximum of six can be fielded on match day.

In their last campaign, the Sailors had three imports – Japan’s Miray Altun, France’s Priscille le Helloco and Filipino-American Sara Hayduchok – who all featured in the WPL.

The preliminary stage of the 2025-26 AWCL will feature a record 19 teams across five groups, with only the group winners and the best-placed runners-up joining six other sides – including holders Wuhan Jiangda, last season’s finalists Melbourne City and Japanese champions Tokyo Verdy Beleza – in the group stage.

The Sailors can expect stiff competition again. Etihad enjoyed an unbeaten 2024 season, winning all 15 of their league games to secure their second consecutive title, as well as a historic first cup victory.

Kelana clinched their first league title in 2024, while Sdyushor, who have dominated domestically, secured a fourth consecutive league crown last season for their ninth league title.

Among the Sailors’ new signings is midfielder Takeuchi, who brings valuable AWCL experience, having featured for Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies in 2024-25. She scored in their 17-0 group-stage win over Odisha.

Takeuchi, who rose through the club’s youth ranks and made four appearances in Japan’s top-tier professional Women’s Empowerment (WE) League across two seasons, is excited to face new challenges abroad.

The 19-year-old, who left Urawa in June, said: “I’ve experienced playing football in Japan, and I’ve also had experience playing against the teams from Europe, but it’s totally different when you play against teams from South-east Asia.”

Like Takeuchi, both Inayama and Kitagawa, who have also played in the WE League, were eager to seize opportunities to play abroad.

Midfielder Inayama made 19 appearances for JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies in 2024-25, while forward Kitagawa featured for Omiya Ardija Ventus over 20 times in the league, scoring once.

Defender Ohashi and midfielder Kitaoka both joined from Toyo University, with a shared goal of scoring and creating opportunities to help the Sailors progress in the competition.

Reflecting on her time with the Sailors, Kitagawa, 24, said: “LCS have players with speed so if they can make use of those players, there’ll be more chances to be creative and LCS keep possession of the ball much longer than opponents, so they can be more creative and can build more chances to score goals.”

The new signings have been in Singapore for over a week, having arrived for a familiarisation training camp before the AWCL.

Despite the language barrier, they noted that their teammates have been helpful, with communication through simple English.

Inayama added: “The hospitality is great, and the atmosphere during training is positive. I feel very comfortable and I’m really enjoying training with LCS.”

Though most of the new signings were not familiar with Singapore football or the Sailors before joining, Takeuchi had been following the team since 2024 when the men’s team faced Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the AFC Champions League Two quarter-finals last season.

She has kept herself updated with the developments at the Sailors through social media since, and is hoping to contribute towards making history with the women’s team.

Ong praised the new signings for their understanding of the game, highlighting their ability to control the tempo, maintain stability and move well both with and without possession.

Their impact has already been evident, particularly on the younger players in the squad, who have witnessed the difference in level and are eager to learn and improve.

He said: “Since I took over the team, I’ve always emphasised on a positive and healthy working environment for the team where players always want to improve and learn from each other, so I am confident that our players will take these positives and try to learn as much as we can from them.”