Only 3 overseas players in Japan squad.
Ivan Osim who's name translate in Japanese to Regret! Japan has named only three overseas players in the Japanese squad for the Kirin Cup.
The Japanese team is almost completely changed form the one which played Australia in the World Cup last June.
Only two or three players who played against Australia are expected to start in the first eleven.l
Players like 27 year old Shinji Ono Ex-Feyenoord) are considered too old too slow as Osim puts a huge emphasis on youth and pace as Japan build for the 2010 World Cup.
Japan will play Montenegro on June 1 in Shizuoka and Colombia on June 5 in Saitama.
Japan squad is:
Goalkeepers: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus Eight), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale)
Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F. Marinos), Koji Nakata (FC Basel/SWI), Keisuke Tsuboi (Urawa Reds), Yuichi Komano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Yuki Mizumoto (JEF United Chiba), Naoaki Aoyama (Shimizu S-Pulse)
Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic/SCO), Hideo Hashimoto (Gamba Osaka), Naotake Hanyu (JEF United Chiba), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Keita Suzuki (Urawa Reds), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Satoru Yamagishi (JEF United Chiba), Jungo Fujimoto (Shimizu S-Pulse), Koki Mizuno (JEF United Chiba), Keisuke Honda (Nagoya Grampus Eight), Akihiro Ienaga (Gamba Osaka).
Forwards: Naohiro Takahara (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Ryuji Bando (Gamba Osaka), Seiichiro Maki (JEF United Chiba), Hisato Sato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata).
Nice to see a couple of Urawa Reds players in their. I would expect Australia to beat this side comfortably if Kewell Viduka and Cahill are all available.
What do you think? Can Japan win the Asian Cup for a third straight time?
