Japan manager Philippe Troussier was in a confident mood Wednesday as he announced his senior team for an upcoming friendly international against world champion France, slated for March 24 at Saint-Dennis.
"Our team is in good condition," Troussier said in Tokyo, as he named his 22-member squad for Japan's first away game in 2001. "We'll show what our soccer is all about, which is active, dynamic and powerful."
Troussier formed his squad around the Asian Cup-winning members, which include Espanyol striker Akinori Nishizawa, Jubilo Iwata midfielder Hiroshi Nanami, Gamba Osaka midfielder Junichi Inamoto, Shimizu S-Pulse defender Ryuzo Morioka, Yokohama F. Marinos goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and Urawa Reds midfielder Shinji Ono. AS Roma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata will join the Japan senior team for the first time since last June's King Hassan II Cup in Morocco, as will Marinos forward Shoji Jo. But Cerezo Osaka's attacking midfielder Hiroaki Morishima, who played a significant role in Japan's Asian Cup success, was left out due to a knee injury suffered dur ing last Saturday's J. League game.