Franco Mastantuono will take center stage as "River Plate" faces "Urawa Red Diamonds" in their Club World Cup opener at Seattle's Lumen Field. The 17-year-old Argentine sensation, who has already secured a move to Real Madrid, enters the match as his team's most productive player with four goals and four assists this season.
"Despite all the attention around Mastantuono, we remain focused on our first match in this tournament," Marcelo Gallardo assured fans as his team prepared at Seattle Sounders' training facility.
This Group E encounter marks the first-ever meeting between the Argentine and Japanese giants in official competition. "River Plate" qualified for the expanded tournament format as South America's highest-ranked team over CONMEBOL's four-year rating period, while "Urawa Red Diamonds" earned their spot by winning the 2022 Asian Champions League.
The Argentines have a perfect record against Japanese opposition in Club World Cup history. They defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 in 2015 and thrashed Kashima Antlers 4-0 in 2018 without conceding a single goal.
Ryoma Watanabe carries the offensive hopes for the Japanese side. The attacking midfielder currently leads "Urawa" in scoring this season but enters the tournament during a rough patch for his club—just two wins from their last seven domestic matches.
Interestingly, "Urawa" boasts significant Brazilian influence with Mattheus Savio providing creative spark (4 assists and 41 chances created in the J-League) and defender Danilo Boza anchoring the backline. Swedish midfielder Samuel Gustafson, with his Italian league experience, orchestrates play from the center.
For "River Plate," all eyes will follow Mastantuono, who recently became Argentina's youngest-ever national team debutant at 17 years and 296 days. The youngster has taken more shots than any teammate this season and continues to validate Real Madrid's decision to secure his services.
Can the South American powerhouse maintain their dominance over Japanese teams, or will "Urawa" spring a surprise? The match kicks off at 22:00 local time with both teams eager to start their Club World Cup campaign with three points.
