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- World Cup Watch ... 31 days to go
New Zealand plump for a wildcard in their squad and Landon Donovan insists the US can beat England - but nobody can dance with footballs like the Brazilians
New Zealand's Shane Smeltz, with the Waitemata Harbour behind him, will lead the All White's attack in South Africa.
New Zealand
Aaron Clapham was the sought-a View more »- World Cup 2010: Japan to play Venezuela in warm-up
Japan will take on Venezuela at home on Feb 2 in a warm-up for next year's World Cup.
Preparation: Japan still looking for warm-up opponents The friendly at Kyushu Oil Dome will be the first meeting between the two countries at senior level.
The JFA have struggled to line up top-quality opposition before ne View more »- Shunsuke Nakamura: Japan star player at World Cup 2010
Don't underestimate: Shunsuke Nakamura, though slight in build, can be devastating on the wing
Caps: 93Goals: 24World Cup appearances: 3 (2006)World Cup 2010 qualification: 11 appearances/3 goals
Club: Espanyol, SpainAge: 31Position: Midfielder
Nakamura, a slippery winger, tended to be deployed by Celtic on the r View more »- Japan team at World Cup 2010
Despite their improvement and reaching a fourth finals, Japan could still find themselves over-powered at World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Get in: Japan's team, including Shinji Okazaki (left), Yuki Abe (centre) and Shunsuke Nakamura, were first to qualify for World Cup 2010
Japan's World Cup record: 1998 1st rd, 2 View more »- World Cup 2010 draw: Group E reaction
Wary: Holland coach Bert van Marwijk said his side's group was 'dangerous' How Holland qualified for World Cup 2010: European Group 9 winners.
Manager: Bert van MarwijkCaptain: Giovanni van BronckhorstPremier League players: John Heitinga (Everton), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Ryan Babel View more »- Okazaki, Japan's lethal weapon
- By any standards, Shinji Okazaki's rise to prominence has been meteoric. He debuted just 18 months ago and since then the 23-year-old has already accrued 16 goals at a strike rate of better than a goal every other game. Last calendar year proved memorable for Okazaki who scored 15 times for Samurai Blue, including fir View more »
- Japan Looking Forward To Tough Korea And China Tests
- With Japan travelling to Europe and Africa in recent months looking for tough tests ahead of the 2010 World Cup, a chance for some competitive games at home is just what coach Takeshi Okada ordered. Next month sees the biennial East Asian Championships and for the first time since 2003, they will be hosted in Tokyo. View more »
