soccer

No room for Kagawa as Japan names provisional Olympic soccer team

9 Comments
By Dave Phillips

Shinji Kagawa’s versatility across attacking midfield and goal-scoring prowess will not be on display at the London 2012 Men’s Olympic soccer tournament, as he was omitted Thursday from Takashi Sekizuka’s 35-strong provisional squad for the competition as expected.

The senior international, who still qualifies as an Under-23 player, can now focus wholly on completing his transfer to the English Premier League side Manchester United and the forthcoming pre-season, as they attempt to wrest back a title so dramatically won by their neighbors Manchester City on the final day of the 2011/12 campaign.

There is also no place in the Blue Samurai squad for the second of Japan’s two internationally acclaimed players, with the Under-23 national team head coach opting to bolster his options in goal and defense rather than seeking to exploit the playmaking talents of Keisuke Honda as one of his three over-age players. Akihiro Hayashi, whose presence and performances between the posts have helped a goal-shy Shimizu S-Pulse to fourth position in the J-League and the joint best defensive record in the division, is one of four goalkeepers named in the squad, the S-Pa stopper’s selection made on the basis that neither Shunsuke Ando or Takuya Masuda are regular choices for their clubs, and ensuring that first-choice Shuichi Gonda benefits from the added competition.

While it had been anticipated that Sekizuka would add two defenders to his party, FC Tokyo right-back Yuhei Tokunaga’s inclusion came as a surprise.

Explaining the decision, JFA Technical Director Hiromi Hara cited Tokunaga’s utility in being able to play anywhere along the back line and in defensive midfield, together with his familiarity in front of Gonda for the Gas as reasons why he was a preferred choice.

Maya Yoshida, the VVV-Venlo center-back whose absence at the heart of defense was felt in Tuesday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia which ended 1-1, completes the over-age selection. While Yoshida is expected to recover from the knee injury he suffered in the 6-0 victory over Jordan in time for the tournament, Hara added that the provisional list was required to be submitted to FIFA prior to the Jordan match taking place.

Elsewhere in the list, there are places for a number of Japan’s overseas players, as Arsenal teenager Ryo Miyaichi, Stuttgart defender Gotoku Sakai and Hoffenheim creative midfielder Takashi Usami, one of the few players to have sparkled in their otherwise drab preparations in France, make the cut. Hiroshi Kiyotake, who will join the growing influx of young Japanese talent in the Bundesliga at FC Nuremberg following the Olympic Games, is one of 11 midfielders hoping to be on the plane to London.

Sekizuka will whittle his list down to a final squad of 18 players and four reserves prior to Japan’s send-off at the National Stadium on July 11, the Under-23 side featuring in a double-header as they take on New Zealand, while the Nadeshiko women's team meets Australia.

The men’s team begins its quest for an Olympic medal on July 26 in what should prove their most difficult match of Group D, facing 2011 European Under-21 champions Spain, before further contests with Morocco and Honduras on July 29 and Aug 1 respectively.

The full preliminary squad is as follows ( * denotes over-age player):

Name Club Goalkeepers: Akihiro Hayashi * Shimizu S-Pulse Shuichi Gonda FC Tokyo Takuya Masuda Sanfrecce Hiroshima Shunsuke Ando Kawasaki Frontale

Defenders: Yuhei Tokunaga FC Tokyo Maya Yoshida VVV-Venlo Yuki Saneto Kawasaki Frontale Yusuke Higa Yokohama F-Marinos Kazuki Oiwa JEF United Chiba Kazuya Yamamura Kashima Antlers Daisuke Suzuki Albirex Niigata Yutaka Yoshida Shimizu S-Pulse Hiroki Sakai Kashiwa Reysol Mizuki Hamada Urawa Red Diamonds Gotoku Sakai VfB Stuttgart

Midfielders: Kosuke Yamamoto Júbilo Iwata Hiroshi Kiyotake Cerezo Osaka Taisuke Muramatsu Shimizu S-Pulse Kota Mizunuma Sagan Tosu Keigo Higashi Omiya Ardija Hotaru Yamaguchi Cerezo Osaka Takuji Yonemoto FC Tokyo Akimi Barada Kashiwa Reysol Takahiro Ogihara Cerezo Osaka Takashi Usami 1899 Hoffenheim Yoshiaki Takagi FC Utrecht

Forwards: Kensuke Nagai Nagoya Grampus Ryohei Yamazaki Júbilo Iwata Yuki Otsu Borussia Mönchengladbach Manabu Saito Yokohama F-Marinos Yuya Osako Kashima Antlers Hiroshi Ibusuki Sevilla Atlético Genki Haraguchi Urawa Red Diamonds Kenyu Sugimoto Tokyo Verdy Ryo Miyaichi Arsenal

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

9 Comments
Login to comment

Wow no one from Sendai in the squad, bummer.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You'd have Sir Alex to that for that......

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good. Just means Kagawa will be well rested when the season starts.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

USNinJapan2Jun. 15, 2012 - 09:25AM JST

Good. Just means Kagawa will be well rested when the season starts.

Going by the previous form of Japanese players in the Premier, he'll be well rested during the season as well.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Dog

United's second choice in place of Hazard (according to you and who would surely have been an integral part of United midfield) is going to spend most of his time on the bench. Yeah, that make sense. I'll wager that we'll be seeing Kagawa in the starting XI soon after the start of the season and that he'll end up with more playing time than Hazard will at Chelsea in '12-'13. I know you have a very high opinion of Hazard but regardless of United's initial interest in him I would take Kagawa over Hazard any day of the week and twice on Sunday just for the fact that he has comparable stats from playing in a tougher/better league. Comparing Kagawa to previous Japanese players who have (unsuccessfully) spent time in the EPL also isn't smart if you've watched his performance these past two years in the Bundesliga.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

IOC should just stop ducking around and make a deal with FIFA just like they made a deal with NBA and NHL. People want to see their favorite players play football on main stage, not some U23 juniors! Time to get their heads out where the sun don't shine and give the people what they want... i thnk that would add to revenue a lot too.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So he forgoes a chance to represent his country for a team he hasn't even signed with yet?? Unreal.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

tmarie

He is already representing his country where it matters, on the national team in World Cup qualfication. Nisegaijin is right in his assessment that Olympic soccer is a joke and I wouldn't blame any player (esp. one who's already playing on the national team) for skipping the games in favor of making a strong start to his much more important league season.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

IOC should just stop ducking around and make a deal with FIFA just like they made a deal with NBA and NHL. People want to see their favorite players play football on main stage, not some U23 juniors!

FIFA wouldn't allow it, and FIFA has the leverage. FIFA could do without soccer in the Olympics than the IOC could do without soccer. FIFA wants to keep the World Cup as the premiere event that crowns unquestionably the true soccer champion.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites