The World Cup may be over, but Japan's newly converted soccer fans will still have plenty to cheer about when J. League Division One action resumes Saturday.
The return of Japan's World Cup players are expected to boost their club and eventually the league. But after their long commitment with the national team before and during the quadrennial tournament, their mental recovery from the World Cup fatigue and the reset of their focus on the regular season games will be crucial to their club's success.
Many of the J. League teams held training camps to prepare for the rest of the season while the national team was focused last month on the quadrennial event.
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