Cayman Togashi was born in New York, but his family left for Yokohama, Japan, when he was 4 years old. He said Wednesday he dreamed of returning to the U.S.
Atlanta United helped fulfill that dream by signing the striker in January.
“I always wanted to come to MLS when I was playing soccer in Japan,” he said through the help of an interpreter. “So it was no doubt when I had a chance to come over here.”
Togashi, 31, is enjoying the experience so far. He likes free refills on coffees at the shops, which is something one doesn’t often get in Japan. He said the width of the interstates are taking some getting used to.
The adjustment to MLS and Atlanta United compared with the J1 League is going well. Togashi, who scored 47 goals in 274 appearances for six clubs in Japan, said the training sessions are more intense than in Japan. Because he’s a striker, Togashi said he wants to score goals, but he’s determined to defend.
“I think it’s important every session to show my personality and character, and then also, communication is important,” he said.
The communication is going well. Togashi said he understands and is becoming more comfortable speaking English. He said manager Ronny Deila is asking him to do similar things as his previous manager, so there’s a level of comfort there, too.
Deila said after Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Chattanooga that he thought Togashi’s understanding of the game showed. His teammates agree.
“I think he’s good striker with good finishing, and he is a fast, fast player,” midfielder Bartosz Slisz said. “So it’s also good to have two strikers like Jamal (Thiare) and Cayman.”
Training. Centerback Derrick Williams and fullback Pedro Amador returned to parts of Atlanta United’s training Wednesday. Neither played in the friendly against Chattanooga. The team also included Atlanta United 2 signings Ryan Carmichael and Moises Tablante.
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