| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Yoichi Doi | Goalkeeper | FC Tokyo |
| Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi | Goalkeeper | Jubilo Iwata |
| Seigo Narazaki | Goalkeeper | Nagoya Grampus Eight |
| Alex | Defender | Urawa Reds |
| Akira Kaji | Defender | Gamba Osaka |
| Yuichi Komano | Defender | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
| Tsuneyasu Miyamoto | Defender | Gamba Osaka |
| Koji Nakata | Defender | FC Basel (Switzerland) |
| Yuji Nakazawa | Defender | Yokohama F-Marinos |
| Makoto Tanaka | Defender | Jubilo Iwata |
| Keisuke Tsuboi | Defender | Urawa Reds |
| Yasuhito Endo | Midfielder | Gamba Osaka |
| Takashi Fukunishi | Midfielder | Jubilo Iwata |
| Junichi Inamoto | Midfielder | West Bromwich Albion (England) |
| Mitsuo Ogasawara | Midfielder | Kashima Antlers |
| Shinji Ono | Midfielder | Urawa Reds |
| Shunsuke Nakamura | Midfielder | Celtic (Scotland) |
| Hidetoshi Nakata | Midfielder | Bolton Wanderers (England) |
| Seiichiro Maki | Forward | JEF United Chiba |
| Masashi Oguro | Forward | Grenoble (France) |
| Naohiro Takahara | Forward | Hamburg (Germany) |
| Keiji Tamada | Forward | Nagoya Grampus Eight |
| Atsushi Yanagisawa | Forward | Kashima Antlers |
| Head Coach: | Zico | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Brazilian coach Zico has tinkered with a 3-5-2 setup, but is expected to employ a 4-4-2 formation in Germany. Japan's attack is predicated on efficient, technical play in the midfield, using short, one-touch passes and quick ball movement to control possession before distributing the ball to the forwards. Japan also makes use of its speed down the wings. Tsuneyasu Miyamoto and Yuji Nakazawa hold things together in the middle of defence while the outside fullbacks, Akira Kaji on the right and Alex on the left, make overlapping runs down the flanks. They'll be expected to make deep runs and supply the forwards with crosses. Shunsuke Nakamura is the main creator in midfield, usually playing in front of the other three midfielders and just behind the two strikers, Atsushi Yanagisawa and Naohiro Takahara. Also, look for Nakamura to push forward, giving Japan a three-pronged attack. If they're down a goal late, Zico will likely switch to a 3-5-2 formation.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi - (D) Akira Kaji, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Yuji Nakazawa, Alex - (M) Takashi Fukunishi, Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono, Shunsuke Nakamura - (F) Atsushi Yanagisawa, Naohiro Takahara
Strengths:
Speed and fitness - Japan is the most technically gifted team in Asia.
They use a short passing game and their natural speed to keep their opponents
chasing the ball. Most teams can't keep up with Japan, and they capitalize
on that with their fitness and quickness down the flanks to burn opposing
defenders. Teams that can't run with Japan will be in danger.
Confidence - Japan was the first team, other than the host Germans,
to officially qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Japan went 6-0 in the second
stage of Asian qualifying (outscoring their opponents 16-1) and won five of
their six contests in the final round to finish ahead of Iran in their group
and advance to their third consecutive World Cup.
Coaching - Brazilian legend Zico took over the team after the 2002
World Cup and was successful in building a winning squad. Under his guidance,
Japan won the 2004 Asian Cup title - its third in the last four tournaments
- and performed admirably at the 2005 Confederations Cup where it defeated
European champions Greece and earned a 2-2 draw with Brazil.
Weaknesses:
Questions in midfield - Zico can call upon several midfielders who play
with some of the biggest teams in European club soccer. The problem, however,
is that not all of them see regular first-team action. So what does Zico do?
Does he rely on these players or go with midfielders who are starters for
their modest teams in Japan's domestic league?
Scoring - Another problem area is Zico doesn't have a reliable goal-scoring
pair he can play up front together. Japan's top two strikers - Atsushi Yanagisawa
and Naohiro Takahara - have plenty of guile and craft, but can't seem to score
with any kind of regularity. Masashi Ogurbo is the only forward Japan that
can put away scoring chances, but he's not as experienced as the other two
forwards.
Tough group - With Brazil a lock to win Group E, Japan's chances of
advancing to the second round are not as good as they would be if they were
in another group. Croatia has much more depth and talented players than Japan,
and will be tough to overcome. Australia has improved over the years and is
hungry for success. The battle for second place will be a challenging one.
Players to watch:
Shunsuke Nakamura - Nakamura, voted the MVP of the 2004 Asian Cup, is
renowned for his near-perfect long passes and his prowess from dead-ball situations.
The playmaker's other strength is his versatility as he can play either in
midfield, just behind the main strikers, or as a winger.
Yuji Nakazawa - The heartbeat of the Japanese defence. Nakazawa is
a veteran centre fullback who holds the back line together with his calm and
intelligent play. Speedy, good in the air and a flawless tackler, Nakazawa
is also a goal-scoring threat from dead ball situations.
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi - A reliable goalkeeper with over 80 appearances
for the national team. Kawaguchi was Japan's starting goalkeeper at the 1998
World Cup but lost his top spot four years ago before recently winning it
back with some strong performances in the recent qualifiers.
Key injuries/squad omissions: Coach Zico turned a few heads when he named Seiichiro Maki to the roster, selecting the fringe striker over Tatsuhiko Kubo. Maki has only played nine games for Japan and didn't appear in a single 2006 World Cup qualifying game. Zico also selected Atsushi Yanagisawa, even though the striker is still recovering from a broken metatarsal.
Prognosis: This is tough to call. Japan has made great strides since first qualifying for the World Cup in 1998. After a disappointing first-round exit in France, it rebounded four years later on home soil and advanced to the round of 16. Since then, the Japanese have won the 2004 Asian Cup and put in an inspired performance at the 2005 Confederations Cup. Japan has re-established itself as the king of Asian soccer, but is that enough to see it progress through a tough group that includes Brazil, Croatia and Australia? Probably not. You have to admire Japan's quick and frenetic style of play, but they don't have a legitimate goal scorer. And that will hurt Japan, especially in a group where the fight for second place could come down to goal difference. They'll put up a good fight, and maybe beat out Australia for third place, but expect to see Japan picking up the rear in Group F.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #18
1st round matches:
June 12 vs. Australia in Kaiserslautern
June 18 vs. Croatia in Nuremburg
June 22 vs. Brazil in Dortmund
2006 qualification route: Japan finished in first place (18 points)
in Asia's Group 3 ahead of Oman (10 points) in the first round of qualifying.
It finished first (15 points) in Group B in the final round ahead of Iran
(13 points).
Qualifying record: 12 games played, 11 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 25 Goals against: 5
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Takayuki Suzuki, Masashi Oguro, Mitsuo
Ogasawara (3)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Feb. 18, 2004 - Japan 1, Oman 0
March 31, 2004 - Singapore 1, Japan 2
June 9, 2004 - Japan 7, India 0
Sept. 8, 2004 - India 0, Japan 4
Oct. 13, 2004 - Oman 0, Japan 1
Nov. 17, 2004 - Japan 1, Singapore 0
Feb. 9, 2005 - Japan 2, North Korea 1
March 25, 2005 - Iran 2, Japan 1
March 30, 2005 - Japan 1, Bahrain 0
June 3, 2005 - Bahrain 0, Japan 1
June 8, 2005 - North Korea 0, Japan 2
Aug. 17, 2005 - Japan 2, Iran 1
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1912
Team nickname: the blues
All-time caps leader: Masami Ihara (123)
All-time leading scorer: Kunishige Kamamoto (73 goals)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 2
All-time record: 7 games played, 2 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses
Goals for: 6 Goals against: 7
World Cup History:
1930 to1950 - Did not enter
1954 - Did not qualify
1958 - Did not enter
1962 - Did not qualify
1966 - Did not enter
1970 to 1994 - Did not qualify
1998 - First round
2002 - Second Round
Biggest victory: 2-0 vs. Tunisia in 2002
Biggest defeat: 2-1 vs. Jamaica in 1998
Overall top scorer: Junichi Inamoto (2 goals)
Most appearances: Hidetoshi Nakata (7 games)
Hosted the World Cup: 2002
Past Achievements:
Asian Cup Champions: 1992, 2000, 2004
Olympic Bronze Medal: 1968
Greatest Players:
Kunishige Kamamoto: Kamamoto helped Japan win the bronze medal at the
1968 Olympics in Mexico, finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven
goals. He scored a record 73 goals in 75 international matches for Japan.
Masami Ihara: An influential defender and national team captain for more than a decade, including when Japan played in its first World Cup in 1998. Played in a record 123 games during his career for Japan and was voted Asian player of the year in 1995.