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DC United’s Hosei Kijima Is Learning to Think Less and Play More
- Story by
- DC United’s Hosei Kijima Is Learning to Think Less and Play More
DC United's Hosei Kijima Is Learning to Think Less and Play More
DC United's Hosei Kijima sits down with us to discuss his tactics obsession, and why letting it go has helped his game.
Kei Nishikori retired from professional tennis this month, ending a legendary 19-year career that saw him reach world No. 4 and win a bronze medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. As the only man to contest a major singles final while representing an Asian country, Nishikori served as a role model for a generation of Japanese tennis players like Naomi Osaka and Rei Sakamoto. His influence extended beyond the world of tennis as well, and he was a major source of inspiration for Japanese footballer Hosei Kijima.
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Kijima grew up attending an international school in Yokohama and playing soccer for a local club. But he always knew that he needed to leave his comfort zone in order to reach his athletic potential. It's why Kijima decided to take a page out of Nishikori's book in 2014, the same year that the tennis star would defeat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to the U.S. Open Final.
Kijima followed Nishikori's footsteps, moving from Japan all the way to Bradenton, Florida to enroll at the renowned boarding school IMG Academy. While most IMG students join at 14 years old, Nishikori included, Kijima was just 12.
"Moving to the U.S. at such a young age really forced me to adapt to different environments and a new culture and new country," Kijima said in an exclusive Urban Pitch interview. "I think it also helped me in the future in terms of adapting to adversity. Resilience in times of adversity is really important, and moving to the U.S. helped me do that."
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Kijima's immaturity showed early on, as he received 27 detentions his first year for skipping classes and training sessions, prompting his parents to fly out to Florida in order to knock some sense into him. It paid off, with Kijima locking into the professional mindset and going the extra mile in order to reach his ceiling.
Every day, he'd wake up at 3 a.m. and get an early start on the day, be that practicing his individual skills or watching soccer matches and studying the tactics of managers like Roberto De Zerbi, Fernando Diniz, Marcelo Bielsa , and Ange Postecoglou. His sacrifice was not in vain, as he'd earn an athletic scholarship to Wake Forest University, the only college to offer him a full ride.
Kijima emerged as a starter and then the captain of the Demon Deacons, scoring nine goals and 10 assists in 63 appearances, and after four years in North Carolina, St. Louis CITY SC selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.
He enjoyed an impressive start to life for St. Louis, coming off the bench in the 86th minute against Houston Dynamo in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and scoring the game-winner on his debut. Kijima recorded two goals and an assist in 21 appearances with St. Louis before being acquired by San Diego FC in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft, only to be immediately traded to DC United for $400,000 in general allocation money.
It's been an up and down stretch for Kijima and DC United in general, with the club finishing at very bottom of the Supporters' Shield standings last season. However, United have slightly turned things around in 2026, and currently find themselves in the midst of the MLS Cup Playoff hunt, three points out of the final Wild Card spot with six games remaining.
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If the club wants to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019, it cannot afford any more slip-ups, and Kijima, who started United's last two matches after seeing a significant dip in playing time, could very well be a major part in the late season push.
We sat down with Kijima for a Q&A discussion, touching on his career journey, tactical acumen, and how thinking less has led to more success on the pitch.
Urban Pitch: You grew up idolizing Kei Nishikori, but are there any footballing icons you modeled your game after?
Hosei Kijima: It changed a lot, but I don't really have one single player. I played multiple positions, so I had to try to model my game out of many different players and take good things out of each player. I always watched Pep Guardiolola's Barcelona on TV and YouTube. All of those players like Xavi Hernández , Lionel Messi , Andrés Iniesta , David Villa , Pedro Rodríguez, Bojan Krkić, those players influenced my game a lot.
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Are there any aspects of your game that you feel you developed in Japan, and vice versa, are there any aspects that you feel are distinctly American?
It's a great question. Not in particular, but I will say that in Japan, it's a lot more robotic in terms of youth soccer. It's not really about the soccer these days; it's more about the discipline and the respect you have for people, objects, things, places. Playing in MLS, I've been so disciplined. But almost freeing myself of that helps me to not overthink and to continue to play at a higher level and make my own decisions.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
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You've spoken before about waking up at 3 a.m. to train and study football. Where does that intensity come from, and have you ever had to learn when not to push yourself?
Maybe it's a little bit of an inferiority complex, but I'd say that I had a lot of catching up to do in terms of my level of play. I knew that I was maybe not as proficient, technically, or physically, or even mentally as other players who make it pro, especially at a younger age, so I had to put in the hours of work. I was definitely influenced by Kobe Bryant a lot.
Actually, I had done things like that before. My training schedule was like that before. I only discovered Kobe after, so it almost helped me contextualize it in a way where the way he spoke about it is similar to how I think and how I train. I went to stop training to prevent overtraining. I did get injured a few times, but I think that's almost like natural learning: let the environment help me learn my body to tell myself when to stop.
What was it like being traded to DC United, and overall, what have you made of the team's progress across your first two seasons?
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I was excited to join DC because it was a new opportunity. I was sad to leave St. Louis, but I was excited for what was ahead. As a team, I think each player knows what they have to do in every situation, and I think we've made it a lot simpler. I think René [Weiler] has simplified the game for us a lot.
There are certain principles that are non-negotiable, and I think we follow those. I think there's a big improvement defensively, conceding fewer goals, and also scoring a lot more goals with Tai [Baribo], Louis [Munteneau], and other players. But we've made a significant improvement from where we were last year.
Two of those new arrivals who have helped DC improve are Kimito Nono and Keisuke Kurokawa. What has it been like having two new Japanese teammates, and do you feel like that's helped you stay in touch with your roots? Have you helped translate for them on the pitch?
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I wouldn't say I'm their translator, but I do help. I go back to Japan once a year to see my mom, so there's no disconnect there. It's good to have highly experienced Japanese players on the same team. I've actually absorbed certain practices from the J1 League and a lot of mindset things.
Your former coach Bradley Carnell said that you'd be in the coach's room all day if St. Louis allowed you to. Do you think you could be a coach in the future?
Yeah, I will be a coach. I think it's a way for me to stay in the game. I think it's so important to always be involved in the sport that I love. One of my goals is to actually climb the football ladder. Eventually I want to go from becoming an assistant to becoming a sporting director, and maybe even an owner one day. I like to say I'm never leaving this game. Maybe as a player I might leave, but I'll definitely be back in a different role.
How does that manifest itself on the pitch? Are you giving tactical advice to your teammates, or are you leaving that for René?
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That's the coach's job. That is definitely not my job. I will say I'll try to communicate the things we want to do as much as possible, although that's something I need to work on, communicating with my teammates more. But yeah, I'm just focused on performing my best and bringing to the table what maybe other players can't.
You're definitely sounding like a guy who's studied relationist coaches like De Zerbi, Bielsa, and Diniz. How much does that help you, not just in terms of being a football savant, but also being a footballer?
I think it helps me continue to enjoy the game, but that's really about it. I actually have been avoiding looking at tactics and certain new innovations simply because it actually makes me think too much when I'm performing. I think that's a big step I took: not watching as much film actually helped me to detach myself from dragging mistakes, thinking about what's next, or overthinking. I think I've taken a big step this year in terms of thinking less and playing more on instinct. But tactics can come after my career ends as a player, and my coaching career begins.
Lastly, you've still got a long way before you reach your apex form, but are there any things in particular you need to improve in order to fulfill your ceiling?
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Maybe not in the coming years, because who knows what position I'll be playing then, but right now as a left winger, it's to produce and help the team to score goals. And not just on the attacking side, but defensively. I need to help the team to diffuse dangerous situations, and being able to do both, I think it's such an important characteristic you can have as a footballer.
