LOS ANGELES - The Las Vegas Raiders signed Japanese kicker Kansei Matsuzawa to their 16-member practice squad, the U.S. National Football League club said Monday.
The University of Hawaii product missed being the first Japanese to make the 53-man roster of an NFL team when the list was unveiled a day earlier. Being a member of the practice squad, however, will leave a chance open that he could appear in a regular-season game.
Matsuzawa, 27, signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in April following an impressive college season with Hawaii in 2025, during which he put together a long streak of field goals and earned the nickname "Tokyo Toe."
He took up American football after playing soccer for Makuhari Sogo High School in Chiba Prefecture, which borders Tokyo.
