OSAKA -- Two Japanese football players participating in the American Bowl have taken a big step toward making their dreams come true.
Masafumi Kawaguchi and Akihito Amaya -- appearing in Sunday's NFL Osaka 2002 game with the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins, respectively -- will continue training with their teams in North America, National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced Saturday at the Osaka Dome.
"We have two outstanding Japanese players playing in the game and yesterday the two coaches (San Francisco's Steve Mariucci and Washington's Steve Spurrier) asked me if they could have special permission to have these two players stay with the teams and return to the training camp back in the States," Tagliabue said in a news conference.