Eight of Japan's World Cup squad play in the Bundesliga but forward Ritsu Doan said Saturday that friendships are on hold when they meet Germany in their opening game in Qatar. Japan start their Group E campaign against the Germans on Wednesday and both teams are likely to come up…
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.