Franco Mastantuono takes center stage as "River Plate" prepares for their Club World Cup opener against "Urawa Red Diamonds" at Seattle's Lumen Field Stadium on June 17. The 17-year-old Argentine sensation, who's set to join Real Madrid in August, will lead the attack in what marks the first-ever meeting between these continental giants.
"Despite all the attention around Mastantuono, we remain focused on our opening match," assured "River Plate" manager Marcelo Gallardo while settling at the Seattle Sounders training facility.
The Argentine powerhouse enters the tournament with confidence, having already demonstrated their superiority against Japanese opposition in previous Club World Cup editions. They defeated "Sanfrecce Hiroshima" 1-0 in 2015 and demolished "Kashima Antlers" 4-0 in 2018.
Mastantuono's presence adds particular intrigue to this encounter. The teenage winger has already become the youngest debutant in Argentina national team history (17 years and 296 days) and currently leads "River Plate" in shots taken while contributing an impressive 4 goals and 4 assists.
Meanwhile, Ryoma Watanabe leads a struggling "Urawa Red Diamonds" side into battle. The Japanese outfit arrives in questionable form, having secured just two victories in their last seven domestic matches. Currently sitting fourth in the J-League table, they trail the leaders by seven points.
Watanabe, their top scorer this season, will need support from Brazilian creative force Mattheus Savio. The former "Flamengo" player has registered 4 assists and created 41 scoring opportunities in the Japanese championship this season.
Interestingly, "Urawa" boasts international experience throughout their squad. Swedish midfielder Samuel Gustafson brings his Italian football background to orchestrate play, while Brazilian defender Danilo Boza, once considered among Serie A's most promising defenders, anchors the backline.
The match kicks off at 22:00 local time. Can "River Plate" maintain their perfect record against Japanese clubs, or will "Urawa Red Diamonds" spring a surprise in this expanded Club World Cup format?
