Two wins and eight goals might not sound like a false start to Japan's October three-match series, but Wednesday's friendly against Togo will be the first and last chance manager Takeshi Okada has to really let go of the hand brake.
Circumstances have conspired to leave the national team's triple-header against Hong Kong, Scotland and the West Africans scrambling for relevance. The typhoon that put last Thursday's Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong in doubt did not help, but it was the withdrawal of 10 players from Scotland's squad that really threw a wrench in Okada's plans.
The manager had intended to spare his best players the near formality of securing a win against Hong Kong in favor of a more valuable test against the Scots two days later. But when George Burley arrived in Yokohama with a skeleton crew, Okada took evasive action.