Japan
Coach: Takeshi Okada
Takeshi Okada (born 25 August 1956 in Osaka, Japan) is a former Japanese football player and currently the Head Coach for the Japanese National Team. He also coached Japan at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.World Cup 2010 Qualifying:
Takeshi Okada's Japan became the first team to book their place after earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Shunji Okazaki grabbed the only goal of the game after nine minutes to book a fourth successive finals berth. On qualifying Head Coach Takeshi Okada said "We played very well. I think we should continue playing this style in the remaining matches."Past World Cup Performance:
Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 World Cup after failing to beat Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the Agony of Doha. The nation's first World Cup appearance was in 1998, where they lost all three matches. Japan's first two fixtures went 1-0 in favor of Argentina and Croatia, despite Japan playing well in both games. Their campaign ended with an unexpected 2-1 defeat to rank outsiders Jamaica. Four years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. Despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in their opening game, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1-0 win over Russia and a 2-0 victory against Tunisia. However, they subsequently exited the tournament during the Round of 16, after losing 1-0 to eventual third-place finishers Turkey. On June 8, 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, their third consecutive World Cup apperance by beating North Korea 2-0 in Bangkok, Thailand. However, Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16 after finishing the Group Stage without a win, losing to Australia 1-3, drawing Croatia 0-0 and then losing to Brazil 1-4. Japan are currently ranked 43rd in the World Rankings and they have been drawn in a tough looking Group E alongside the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.Japan - Key Players
Junichi Inamoto - Rennes
Shunsuke Nakamura - Espanyol FC
Shinji Ono - Bochum FC
