The first team to make it to the 2014 World Cup (aside from Brazil who qualified automatically as hosts -a perk they didn’t really need) was Japan. To date, they’ve been the dominate team in Asia, which sounds a little silly as Asia is an awfully big place and Japan is a pretty small island, but their record speaks for itself. They’ve won four Asian Federation Cup, more than any other team in the federation, and those four victories have been recent, all since 1992 and within the span of six tournaments.
Their regional success, however, is usually qualified by the fact that their region, gargantuan as it is, hasn’t historically produced strong national teams, or many international stars (the other recent winners of the AFC are Iraq and Saudi Arabia). The first Japanese player to draw worldwide attention was Hidetoshi Nakata, who won the scudetto (the Italian first division championship) with Roma in 2001. The window of time the rest of the world has been paid attention has been short, but Japan, as well as their arch-rivals and 2002 World Cup co-hosts South Korea, are beginning to be taken more seriously. Last year in the Confederations Cup (kind of a dress rehearsal for the World Cup), Japan made an impression despite being a short campaign: they were unlucky against both Italy and Mexico, but well beat by Brazil. They’re a well-organized outfit, very hardworking, and they’ve got a touch of flair, too.
Key Players
Shinji Kagawa: Kagawa is perhaps Japan’s brightest attacking prospect, but has had the misfortune of playing for a team (Manchester United) that hasn’t seemed to know how to play him. The midfielder has subsequently spent much of the past two years on the bench, much to the disappointment of soccer aesthetes everywhere. He made his name playing for Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won two Bundesliga titles. Kagawa is a player who speeds up play, thrives in quick transitions, thinks on the run, and has an eye for goal.
Keisuke Honda: Another attacking midfielder, Honda can also play as a second striker, and has an excellent rate of return: he’s scored 20 goals in 52 appearances for Japan. He’s in his first season as a player for AC Milan after several years at Russian giant CSKA Moscow. It’s been a disappointing, tumultuous season for Milan, and Honda will likely be looking to the World Cup to re-energize his career.
Yasuhito Endo: Endo, 34 years old with 141 international caps, is a beloved senior player. He’s respected for having played his professional career exclusively in Japan, mostly for Gamba Osaka, despite having the quality to have left for more glamorous foreign leagues. Endo is the sort of leader successful national teams need: intelligent, dedicated, and passionate about playing for his country.
Storyline:
The Asian teams like Japan are going to have to prove themselves on the world stage, then prove themselves again, and again. In some ways similar to the US’s team, in that they’re strong enough to pose problems for everyone they play against, but they don’t have the historical heft that makes other sides fear them. This lack of respect can sometimes be a powerful motivator, and an opponent’s arrogance can be taken advantage of, but the inverse is true as well: the Japanese can’t see itself as the rest of the world sees it. That is, a spunky up-and-comer destined to be swatted aside when the competition gets serious. The tournament is also an opportunity for individual players like Kagawa and Honda to showcase what their clubs, who insist on playing them out of position, are missing. It’s an opportunity to be taken seriously on their own idiosyncratic but glorious merit.
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