Japan call up Kagawa for Venezuela friendly
Reuters - Thursday 09 August 2012, 11:59
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni
named Manchester United's pre-season signing Shinji Kagawa on
Thursday among his 23-man squad for next week's home friendly
against Venezuela.
Kagawa will be joined by CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke
Honda and Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo for the August 15
game at Sapporo Dome.
"The Venezuela game and the September 6 friendly [United
Arab Emirates] are important before the World Cup qualifier
against Iraq on September 11," Zaccheroni told reporters.
"Venezuela came fourth in last year's Copa America," the
Italian added. "South American sides are always hard to beat,
even in friendlies. It will be good preparation for us."
Japan overpowered Oman 3-0 and Jordan 6-0 at home before
being held 1-1 in Australia in June in their first three games
in the final round of Asian 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Dutch-based defender Maya Yoshida and Stuttgart's Gotoku
Sakai, currently on Olympic duty in London, have also been named
among Zaccheroni's squad.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku
Nishikawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo).
Defenders: Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa
(Kashima Antlers), Masahiko Inoha (Vissel Kobe), Hiroki Mizumoto
(Hiroshima), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa
Reds), Maya Yoshida (VVV Venlo), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart).
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura
(Kawasaki Frontale), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Hajime Hosogai
(04 Leverkusen), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Hideto Takahashi
(FC Tokyo).
Forwards: Ryoichi Maeda (Jubilo Iwata), Jungo Fujimoto
(Nagoya Grampus), Shinji Okazaki (Stuttgart), Mike Havenaar
(Vitesse), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Ryo Miyaichi
(Arsenal).