NARITA, Chiba Pref. -- Japan manager Philippe Troussier decided to form an Olympic-focused team for Sunday's Kirin Cup match against Slovakia in Sendai, the Frenchman announced Thursday at a Narita hotel.
Less than two hours after returning from Morocco, Troussier named 17 players from the 26-member team that had just completed the King Hassan II Cup in Casablanca. The team for the Sunday's game includes midfielders Atsuhiro Miura, Shunsuke Nakamura and defender Naoki Matsuda of the Yokohama F. Marinos as well as forward Akinori Nishizawa and midfielder Hiroaki Morishima of Cerezo Osaka.
But forward Shoji Jo and midfielders Hidetoshi Nakata and Hiroshi Nanami were left out "to give them a rest after their hard season and before the start of the new season in Europe," said Troussier.