Five Japanese football players made the opening day rosters of the 2007 NFL Europa season, NFL Japan announced on Sunday. The five are linebacker Rikiya Ishida, wide receivers Yuji Otaki, Michihiro Ogawa and Noriaki Kinoshita and defensive back Ryota Hori.
Ishida and Otaki will play for the Frankfurt Galaxy, Ogawa for the Cologne Centurions, Kinoshita for the Amsterdam Admirals and Hori for the Hamburg Sea Devils. Seven Japanese players were invited to training camp for the new season, which kicks off on April 14.
It will be the 12th consecutive season that a Japanese player will have the chance of performing in the league, which is considered a stepping stone for the NFL. NFL Europa rosters consist of 48 players (40 Americans and eight international players). (The Japan Times)