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Japan Team Page

Squad

Coach: Yasushi Yoshida

Roster:

Goalkeepers: Akihiro Hayashi, Kazushige Kirihata, Yohei Takeda

Defenders: Yohei Fukumoto, Shinji Kagawa, Tomoaki Makino, Kosuke Ota, Atsuto Uchida, Masaki Yanagawa, Michihiro Yasuda

Midfielders: Jun Aoyama, Seiya Fujita, Ryuichi Hirashige, Yosuke Kashiwagi, Masato Morishige, Atomu Tanaka, Tsukasa Umesaki

Forwards: Mike Havenaar, Kazuhisa Kawahara, Yasuhito Morishima, Kota Oki

Scouting Report

Strengths: The majority of the players for Japan are starters for their clubs in the Japanese league, which means they play regularly and have a great deal of experience. Defence is another strong point – led by captain Yohei Fukumoto, the Japanese conceded only seven goals in the Asian qualifiers. Japan has performed admirably at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, advancing to the knockout stages at five of the last six tournaments

Weaknesses: Japan doesn't have a proven goal-scorer up front – the midfielders account for most of the team's goals – and the team lacks impact players who can instantly influence the course of the game. Coach Yasushi Yoshida has been criticized for being too rigid in his tactics and not straying from his favoured 4-4-2 formation. Confidence may also be an issue after Japan was upset by North Korea in the final of last year's Asian Youth Championship.

Player to watch:

Midfielder Yosuke Kashiwagi has shown a deft scoring touch for Japan. He scored the equalizing goal in the 34th minute during the Asian Youth Championship final in a losing effort to North Korea. He's not just a goal-scorer, either – Kashiwagi also acts as a playmaker for his country, setting up teammates with scoring opportunities.

Prognosis: Japan has reached the quarter-finals in three of the last six tournaments, but it's hard to see them reaching the final eight in Canada. The Japanese don't have any game-breakers on their team or a goal scorer who can put the squad on his shoulders. A well-organized defence is Japan's biggest asset, but at the end of the day you need to put the ball into the net, and the Asian powerhouse will struggle to do that. Japan will have a hard time of it in the first round against teams the calibre of Nigeria, Scotland and Costa Rica, and will likely battle it out for second place. At the very least, Japan will advance to the round of 16 as one of the four third-place teams, but that's likely as far as they'll progress.

ROAD TO THE U-20 WORLD CUP

2007 qualification route: Japan secured a trip to Canada by finishing second overall at the 2006 Asian Youth Championship in India. Japan lost on penalty kicks to North Korea in the tournament final.

Qualifying record: 8 games played, 5 wins, 2 losses, 0 draws

Goals for: 19 Goals against: 7

Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Kazuhisa Kawahara and Yasuhito Morishima (4)

Qualifying results:

First group stage in Kumamoto, Japan - (Group N)

Nov. 23, 2005 – Taiwan 0, Japan 5

Nov. 27, 2005 – Japan 1, North Korea 0

Finals (second group stage) in Bangalore, India - (Group C)

Oct. 29, 2006 – Japan 2, North Korea 0

Oct. 31, 2006 – Tajikistan 0, Japan 4

Nov. 2, 2006 – Japan 1, Iran 2

Quarter-finals in Bangalore, India

Nov. 6, 2006 – Japan 2, Saudi Arabia 1

Semifinals in Kolkata, India

Nov. 9, 2006 – South Korea 2, Japan 2 (Japan wins 3-2 in penalty kick shootout)

Final in Kolkata, India

Nov. 12, 2006 – North Korea 1, Japan 1 (North Korea wins 5-3 in penalty kick shootout)

U-20 World Cup 1st round matches (all times local)

July 1 vs. Scotland in Victoria (Royal Athletic Park) at 14:15

July 4 vs. Costa Rica in Victoria (Royal Athletic Park) at 17:00

July 7 vs. Nigeria in Victoria (Royal Athletic Park) at 17:00

U-20 WORLD CUP HISTORY

Japan's best finish came in 1999 when it lost 4-0 to Spain in the tournament final. Japan hosted the tournament in 1979, but did not make another appearance until 1995. Since then, it has qualified for every FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Number of previous U-20 World Cup Appearances: 7

All-time record: 31 games played, 12 wins, 6 draws, 13 losses

Goals for: 40 Goals against: 40

Biggest victory: 6-2 vs. Costa Rica in 1997

Biggest defeat: 0-4 vs. Spain in 1999, 1-5 vs. Brazil in 2003

Hosted the U-20 World Cup: 1979

1977 – Did not qualify

1979 – First round

1981 to 1993 – Did not qualify

1995 – Quarter-finals

1997 – Quarter-finals

1999 – Runner-up