Japan opens its FIFA World Cup campaign against Germany on Wednesday with hopes typically high and expectations typically low. In its final warm-up match, Japan lost 2-1 to World Cup minnow Canada in Dubai. The match did not set the pulses racing. If Germany was hoping to learn something about…
Japan had no European-based players in their squad when they made their World Cup debut in 1998. Now they have more from German clubs alone than from their domestic J-League.