Junichi Inamoto of Fulham, Shinji Ono of Feyenoord, Shunsuke Nakamura of Reggina and Hidetoshi Nakata of Parma are expected to form Japan's midfield against Jamaica in next week's friendly after new Japan coach Zico unveiled the European-based Japanese players as possible starters on Monday in Tokyo.
For Japan's first post-World Cup game and Zico's debut as national coach, the Brazil legend formed his squad of 22 around 16 players from the recent World Cup squad and announced the team would play in a 4-4-2 formation.
Six players have been added including Jubilo Iwata striker Naohiro Takahara, who missed the quadrennial tournament due to illness, midfielder Hiroshi Nanami and defender Makoto Tanaka.
Surprise selections were Kashima Antlers right-back Akira Narahashi and Urawa Reds right-wing Nobuhisa Yamada. Narahashi joins the team for the first time since the 1998 World Cup while Yamada was last called up by ex-Japan coach Philippe Troussier in June, 1999.
Seven players from the World Cup squad were omitted. Midfielder Hiroaki Morishima and his Cerezo teammate Akinori Nishizawa and Shimizu S-Pulse players -- Kazuyuki Toda, Daisuke Ichikawa and injured Ryuzo Morioka -- all missed the cut.
His current starting team includes Nagoya Grampus Eight goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki, defenders Yutaka Akita and Narahashi of the Antlers, Naoki Matsuda of the Yokohama F. Marinos, Toshihiro Hattori of Jubilo and strikers Takayuki Suzuki of Belgian club Genk and Takahara.
Zico said of the four midfielders he named, "I'd like to utilize their characteristics as much as possible and I know they can communicate well with each other. I would like to give them some freedom to play, not fixing their roles in either defense or offense."
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Tokyo's National Stadium.