Following a four-day delay caused by the recent Hokkaido earthquake, Japan's men's soccer team will make their debut under new head coach Hajime Moriyasu on Tuesday against Central American visitors Costa Rica.
The Samurai Blue's first match after a World Cup is always a prime opportunity to read the tea leaves and attempt to divine what the team might look like over the next four-year cycle.
Tuesday's encounter at Panasonic Stadium in Suita, Osaka Prefecture will be no different, marking the start of what will potentially be the biggest change since Alberto Zaccheroni took over in the fall of 2010 and established a core that largely remained in place through two World Cups and four head coaches.
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