| | | | | GAME
PLAN | | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
| By
Fred Varcoe
Soccer: 2004 Olympic Qualifiers
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| Sota Hirayama |
You have to think that Japan national team
soccer coach Zico is looking over his shoulder at the Japanese
Olympic team. After a dismal opening World Cup qualifier against
Oman on February 18 (a very lucky 1-0 win), the fans let Zico
know what they thought of his squad. Three days later, the
Olympic team dazzled the home crowd at Nagai Stadium in Osaka
with a convincing 2-0 win over South Korea before departing
for the United Arab Emirates for the first round of Olympic
qualifiers.
After three games in the UAE, Japan's Olympic hopefuls
are back on home soil for the three "return"
matches against Bahrain (March 14, Saitama Stadium), Lebanon
(March 16, Tokyo's National Stadium), and the UAE (March
18, National Stadium). Zico will be looking to keep a close
watch for a number of reasons. First, unlike his predecessor,
Philippe Troussier, Zico opted not to involve himself with
the Olympic or youth teams, so any glory they achieve rubs
off on their managers, not him. Second, Olympic coach Masakuni
Yamamoto, Troussier's former No. 2, learned well from
his French master and has molded a well-balanced team with
lots of flair and an excellent defense. Zico, on the other
hand, tried to impose a completely new regime on the senior
team that doesn't appear to be doing the job. So he
must be thinking of Yamamoto as a possible successor if the
Brazilian can't turn things around. Third, Zico must
be looking at the Olympic team itself and thinking, "Why
haven't I got players like that?" Well, he does
have some of them, but the two managers and the JFA have to
juggle the Olympic and senior players around to fulfill their
many commitments in this year's Olympic qualifiers,
World Cup qualifiers, the Asian Cup and the Olympic Games
(August 11-29, pending qualification).
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| Marcos Tulio Tanaka |
Zico has a bit of breathing space at the
moment, but if Yamamoto's boys really turn it on in
the Olympic qualifiers, the Brazilian boss is going to look
just a little bit green with envy. The Olympic players have
got everything the senior players lack. OK, they don't
have bona fide superstars like Hidetoshi Nakata and Shunsuke
Nakamura, but they do have junior versions in players like
Daisuke Matsui, Tatsuya Tanaka and Naohiro Ishikawa, who have
stacks of attacking skill and aren't goal-shy like
their senior colleagues. At the back, the Olympic team is
just as strong as the top team, although some of the players
do lack experience. But with FC Tokyo's excellent Teruyuki
Moniwa and Brazilian-Japanese prospect Marcus Tulio Tanaka
of the Urawa Reds holding the fort in defense, the Under-23s
have a very solid foundation (and, talking of prospects, check
out Waseda University student Yuhei Tokunaga, also of FC Tokyo).
But the story of the year so far has been the inclusion of
18-year-old high school star Sota Hirayama. The 190cm striker
from Kunimi High School has the Japanese press going predictably
overboard in their praise for a player who's basically
done nothing. The signs are that the boy's got skill
and strength, but obviously he's going to have to learn
how to apply these elements on the pitch. Japan is hoping
he grows up fast (just how long can he put off dying his hair
and getting an earring?), and if the "mature"
youngsters around him are anything to go by, he's probably
in good company. Providing he doesn't get the kiss
of death (a call-up to Zico's senior team), he's
got a chance of becoming Japan's next star.
What ever happened to Atsushi Yanagisawa?
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