Japan coach Zico on Monday recalled strikers Atsushi Yanagisawa and Tatsuhiko Kubo and picked defender Yuji Nakazawa for the first time since taking over the national team as he named a 23-man squad for the Aug. 20 friendly against Nigeria.
Japan Under-22 player Naohiro Ishikawa fights for the ball with
two members of the Egyptian Under-22s during their match at the International Football
Olympic Teams Championship.
Along with newly signed Sampdoria striker Yanagisawa, the 50-year-old Brazilian called up the bulk of his overseas players, including Italian-based midfielders Hidetoshi Nakata and Shunsuke Nakamura and Hamburg SV striker Naohiro Takahara, for the match at Tokyo's National Stadium.
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