The next morning, the headlines were everywhere.
"JFA IN CRISIS: Hiro's Injury Splits Japan's World Cup Hopes" — Sports Nippon
"Will Hiro Make It? Japan's Golden Boy Faces Race Against Time" — Nikkan Sports
"The Replacement Question: Who Steps Up If Hiro Can't?" — Football Digest Japan
On television, the debate had already turned heated.
Three panelists sat behind a curved desk in a bright studio, a graphic of Hiro's face hovering on the screen behind them, and the first of them leaned toward his microphone with the air of a man who had been waiting all morning to say his piece.
"You can't plan around an injured player. It's irresponsible. Japan needs to prepare for the possibility that Hiro won't be there."
"And who do you suggest replaces him?" the second panelist shot back. "There is no one. Hiro is irreplaceable."
"Then we change the system and adapt. That is what good teams do."
