Ogasawara named among Japan reserves
Japan offered snubbed midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara a crumb of comfort on Wednesday by naming him among seven standby players for the World Cup
Japan offered snubbed midfielder
Mitsuo Ogasawara a crumb of comfort on Wednesday by naming him among seven standby players for the World Cup.
Coach Takeshi Okada had left the J-League player of the year out of his final 23-man squad earlier this week amid reports of a bust-up between the pair.
Ogasawara, who took part at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup tournaments, is unlikely to see Okada's offer as an olive branch after a typically blunt response to his initial omission.
"No, I was taking a nap," he said when asked if he had watched Monday's squad announcement on television.
German-bound midfielder
Shinji Kagawa was also named among Japan's seven reserves for the tournament in South Africa, which kicks off on June 11.
Europe-based trio Keisuke Honda,
Makoto Hasebe and
Daisuke Matsui formed the basis of Okada's squad along with experienced campaigners
Shunsuke Nakamura and Junichi Inamoto.
Japan, who have never won a World Cup game on foreign soil, face Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E.
Japan reserve list
Defenders -
Yuhei Tokunaga (FC Tokyo),
Tomoaki Makino (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Midfielders -
Mitsuo Ogasawara (Kashima Antlers),
Shinji Kagawa (Cerezo Osaka),
Naohiro Ishikawa (FC Tokyo)
Forwards -
Tatsuya Tanaka (Urawa Reds),
Ryoichi Maeda (Jubilo Iwata)
Posted date 15-05-2010 - Posted by
GFDb.com