The Under 23 squad has been announced for the Ghana match next week – the MS&AD CUP 2016 will be a charity match for those affected by the Kumamoto earthquakes … the match is on Wednesday 11 May, at Best Amenity Stadium in Saga.
With about three months to go until the Rio Olympics, the fight for places intensifies while the chances to check out other possibles lessens… here’s the squad.
GKs Kushibiki (Antlers) / Sugimoto (Vortis) / Niekawa (Tosu)
DFs Yamanaka (Reysol) / Kamekawa (Avispa) / Ito (Antlers) / Nara (Frontale) / Iwanami (Vissel) / Sai van Wermeskerken (Dordrecht – Holland) / Ueda (Antlers) / Miura (S-Pulse)
MFs Oshima (Frontale) / Ito (Reysol) / Hashimoto (FC Tokyo) / Harakawa (Frontale) / Yajima (Fagiano) / Notsuda (Albirex) /Toyokawa (Fagiano) / Ideguchi (Gamba)
FWs Togashi (F•Marinos) / Kanamori (Avispa) / Asano (Sanfrecce) / Onaiwu (JEF)
Note, for example that goalkeeper Nakamura (Reysol) and CB/DMF Endo (Reds), for example, are both out giving the chance to see other players.
The Japan U23 lads are scheduled to play Paraguay, Portugal, Guinea and England in Toulon Tournament (France) May 21-27.
… and then they will play South Africa on June 29th in Matsumoto before heading off to Rio.