Appearances: 3 appearances (Last appearance in 2006)
Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 45
Captain: Yuji Nakazawa (Center back)
Leading Scorer in Qualifying: 4 players tied with 3 goals.
Yuji Nakazawa
Yasuhito Endo (Defensive midfielder)
Shunsuke Nakamura (Midfielder/Winger)
Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Sweeper)
Key Injuries: No significant injuries to note.
Key retirements since 2006:
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Center back)
Hidetoshi Nakata (Midfielder)
Naohiro Takahara (Striker)
Alex (Midfielder)
Akira Kaji (Right back)
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Goalkeeper)
Team Overview:
Samurai Blue have had a recent run of success in getting to the World Cup. After failing to qualify for the first 15 tournaments, Japan has now qualified to participate in four straight World Cups and enters this year with lofty hopes of reaching the semifinals.
In goal will be Seigo Narazaki, the new keeper now that Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi has retired. The 34-year-old is very experienced, as he played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well.
The defense for Samurai Blue is a very versatile group. The anchor is captain Yuji Nakazawa, a tough defender who is an excellent aerial player. He is one of three players in Japanese history to reach 100 caps and scored 17 goals from his center back position. He has found a solid partner in Marcus Tulio Tanaka, a Brazilian born player who moved to Japan when he was 15 years old. Tanaka plays the sweeper position, which is a center back who brings the ball up often. The position was developed and played most famously by Franz Beckenbauer. The two will be flanked by Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida.
The midfield for Japan is the most steady section of their team. Leading the group is national hero Shunsuke Nakamura, one of their best attackers on the team. He is also the best free kick taker on the team and expect him to be the main distributor when Samurai Blue takes the field. An up-and-comer in the group Kengo Nakamura (unrelated to Shunsuke). His style of play is similar to Shunsuke with the passing ability but he has a more powerful shot. The two Nakamuras have the ability to make or break the fortunes for Japan.
Rounding out the foursome is Makoto Hasebe and defensive midfielder Yasuhito Endo. Endo is a box-to-box player and is the reigning Asian Footballer of the Year. Another player that can make a huge difference for the team will be Keisuke Honda. The 23-year-old is having an excellent year with CSKA Moscow and will be an integral part of the team, whether he starts or comes off the bench.
The forwards for Japan have been an erratic group for the past four years and will be so once again this year. Over the past two years, coach Takeshi Okada has started over 21 strikers in an attempt to find the right combination, but he may have finally found his man. He could use one or two strikers like Yoshito Okubo and Sota Hirayama but there is probably only one that he can count on. That would be youngster Shinji Ozaki.
Player to Watch: Shinji Ozaki
Ozaki is definitely the player to watch in for Japan. In his 24 international games, he has already become one of the most prolific scorers in Japanese history with his 16 goals. 15 of those international goals were scored in 2009 and he was named the World's Top Goalscorer for that year by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. He's always around the ball when there is a goalscoring opportunity and has a powerful shot.
Prediction: Knocked out in the group stages.
The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but here is a small list of players in the running to make the team.
Match Schedule
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