Japan coach Zico indicated Thursday he will call up midfielder Shinji Ono, who just returned to J. League first-division club Urawa Reds from Dutch club Feyenoord, for a weeklong training camp in Miyazaki beginning Sunday.
"Ono has been a member for years, so I want to continue calling him up," Zico said, upon his return from vacation in Brazil. Ono had not been included in the 22-man squad of Japan-based players announced in late December for the Feb. 10 friendly away to the United States. No overseas-based players are in the squad.
"This is a very important year. We'd like to carefully make preparations to produce good results in this summer's World Cup finals," Zico said.
The squad is scheduled to leave Japan on Feb. 5 to play the friendly in San Francisco.
Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi said the same day that players from the national team, who will play a friendly in Germany against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Feb. 28, belonging to Urawa and Gamba Osaka, will take part in Xerox Super Cup at national Stadium on Feb. 25.