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Fond memories of Japan

June 1, 2009 02:23 PM | Posted by   Jason de Vos  

By virtue of winning the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Canadian men's national team qualified to play in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in Japan. It was at the time, and remains to this day, Canada's greatest achievement in men's football.

That we didn't win a game at the Confederations Cup, let alone score a goal, is beside the point.

It was a remarkable experience, and one from which I have very fond memories. The competition, the stadiums, the facilities and the country of Japan in general all left an impression on me, to such an extent that I entertained the idea of moving there to continue my playing career.

I had, at the time, just signed a contract to play for Wigan Athletic in England, so that idea was quickly cast aside. Still, I discussed with our coach, Holger Osieck – who had a previous spell coaching in the J-League - the possibility of moving there at some point in the future. He was adamant that I would love Japan, not only for the football, but also for the culture.

Of the three games that Canada played in Japan, a 3-0 loss to the hosts, a 0-0 draw with Brazil, and a 2-0 loss to Cameroon, it was the game against the Brazilians that stands out in my memory.

I remember being somewhat disappointed at the time that the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo were not in attendance. The "Three R's", as they were called, were at the peaks of their careers, and they would collectively lead Brazil to World Cup glory just one year later.

It was by no means Brazil's "A" team at the Confederations Cup, but they were still able to field the likes of Dida in goal, Lucio, Ze Maria and Edmilson in defence and Washington and Sonny Anderson in attack. Our match was, for lack of a better term, a "footballing education."

I don't actually recall us having a shot on goal, and we spent the majority of the match defending against wave after wave of Brazilian brilliance. Craig Forrest was once again exceptional in goal, and we managed to hang on for a draw. Brazil were somewhat nonplussed by it all, but we felt like we'd won the World Cup!

I also recall just how superb the facilities were in Japan. The training pitches that we used were better than anything we had been accustomed to on our travels. It was certainly a welcome surprise for us to train on pitches that were so immaculately kept that they looked like they had been cut with a pair of scissors.

The stadiums themselves were also phenomenal. The Confederations Cup is a trial run for the country hosting the World Cup the following year, so it would follow that the stadiums being used for such an event would be of the highest calibre. As such, our opening game against Japan in Niigata in front of 39,000 supporters was quite the experience.

The game was played in Niigata Stadium, known as the "Big Swan." The stadium takes its nickname from the mascot of the local team, Albirex Niigata, but we were one of the first occupants, as it only opened in March of 2001. It was a beautiful stadium, and it left us all wishing for a similar facility to play in back in Canada.

Much has been said over the years about how polite people are in Japan, and I must admit, my experience there certainly supports that claim. Despite the fact that we were playing the hosts, the Japanese supporters were equally as enthusiastic about our play during the game as they were the play of their countrymen. Maybe they wouldn't have been so polite if the 3-0 score line were reversed!

Perhaps one of the reasons the people in Japan are so pleasant is the reliability of public transport. I had my first experience with a bullet train in Japan, and I honestly believe you could set your watch by those things. I'm not talking down to the minute either – those trains are accurate to the second. If your train is scheduled to leave at 1:00, you'd better not be there at 1:00:01, because you'll be waiting for the next train.

As you might imagine, the Confederations Cup was an enjoyable experience for me, despite our mixed results. It was an opportunity to play against some of the finest players in the world, in stadiums that would host the World Cup just one year later.

I've said many times that my fondest memory of my national team career was winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, but representing Canada at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 has to be a close second.

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