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WHAT: United States vs. Japan in semifinal of the 2016 IFAF Under-19 World Championship.

WHERE: Harbin, China.

WHEN: Kickoff is 1 p.m. Thursday local time (1 a.m. ET).

TOURNAMENT WEBSITE: http://www.ifaf2016u19.com/.

HISTORY: The United States defeated Japan, 43-0, in the semifinal of the 2014 tournament in Kuwait on their way to the gold medal.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The United States defeated Austria, 65-14, and Canada, 32-14; Japan defeated Australia, 42-0, after receiving a first-round bye.

ABOUT JAPAN: Although it may come as a surprise to some, Japan is a formidable nation when it comes to international American Football competition, medaling in every Under-19 IFAF World Championship tournament since the first in 2009. The Japanese American Football Association (JAFA) was formed in 1934 and currently boasts three leagues with almost 400 teams throughout the nation. The longstanding foundation in the sport facilitated Japan’s second place finish at last year’s IFAF Men’s World Championship in Canton, Ohio – an international tournament for players age 20 and older. Japan is again expected to field a strong squad that will contend for this year’s championship trophy.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Japan

• Masamichi Muroi (No. 2), QB, Nihon University. A freshman at Nihon, Japan’s starting quarterback came out firing against Australia. His first touchdown pass occurred just 71 seconds into the game. He threw a total of three touchdowns in the first half before giving way to his backup in the second half.
• Tsuyoshi Ogura (No. 3), WR, Nihon University. Also a freshman at Nihon, Ogura earned the MVP award in his team’s victory over Australia, catching two passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
• Brennan Wing Tsubasa (No. 11), WR, Waseda University. A freshman at Waseda, Wing Tsubasa is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. He made that known on the very first play against Australia, taking the opening kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown.

United States

• Zack Douglas (No. 9), LB, Millville, N.J. The senior linebacker from Millville High School is part of a deep and talented USA defense, which includes numerous playmakers and has scored three touchdowns through two games. Douglas returned a fumble recovery for a 46-yard touchdown during the USA’s victory over Austria.
• Ezekiel Ennis (No. 3), WR, Richland, N.J. The senior wide receiver from St. Augustine Prep High School turned in an amazing performance in the opener against Austria, which culminated with his winning the game MVP. Initially, the U.S. had difficulty getting its offense going until Ennis hauled in a 44-yard touchdown, which sparked a 65-14 victory. He ended the game with five catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
• Lindell Stone (No. 5), QB, Dallas, Texas. During this year’s IFAF Championship the senior quarterback from Woodberry Forest (Va.) High School has shown why he is being heavily recruited by some premier NCAA football programs. Through two games, Stone has thrown for 626 yards and 10 touchdowns.

WHAT’S NEXT: The winner of this game takes on the winner of Canada vs. Mexico at 5 p.m. Sunday (5 a.m. ET) for the gold medal. The losers of these two games play at 1 p.m. (1 a.m. ET) Sunday for the bronze medal.

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