KOBE -- He couldn't bring back the goals that Japan's senior soccer team has struggled to score in the past few years, but in Wednesday night's 0-0 draw with China, manager Philippe Troussier did bring back some credibility to the much maligned "A" team; he also brought back some excitement; and he even brought back Kazu.
Critics will continue to question some of his decisions and whether or not he is the right man for the job, but Wednesday's game against a powerful but transitional China team is an indication that the final part of Troussier's credentials could be in the pipeline. China's own credentials cannot be called into question. Apart from some laughable results against some joke teams in the Asian Cup qualifiers, before Wednesday, China had scored successive wins over Thailand, Iran, Yugoslavia, New Zealand and Uruguay, all without conceding a goal. As a result of his failure to qualify for the Olympics, English coach Bob Houghton was sacked and the experienced and much traveled Bora Milutinovic was able to inherit a squad with plenty of potential.
In contrast, Japan's 1999 record was dismal: seven games, four goals, no wins, four draws, three losses. And let's remember, the team often played worse than the record suggests.