This is not just about club soccer. Managers of all four teams playing in the A3 Mazda Champions Cup stressed Friday that they will fight in the inaugural East Asian tournament with the pride while representing their countries.
"It's a club competition, but this is more than just club competition. We are representing our country," Chinese League champion Dalian Shide manager Milorad Kosanovic said ahead of the start of the weeklong competition at Tokyo's National Stadium.
In the round-robin format, the Chinese League champion Dalian Shide will meet South Korean League champion Seongnam Shide, J. League champion Jubilo Iwata and J. League Nabisco Cup winner Kashima Antlers.
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