TOKYO -- Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has named Milan's Keisuke Honda and Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa to a 23-man squad for next week's World Cup warm-up against New Zealand.
Honda and Kagawa were among 11 Europe-based players named for the match against New Zealand; Japan's first as they prepares for their fifth-straight World Cup appearance.
"New Zealand are a physical team so this will be a good challenge," Zaccheroni said. "I want to check on various things we have been working on for the last three years."
Defender Yuto Nagatomo of Inter Milan and forward Shinji Okazaki of German side Mainz were also named.
Japan face New Zealand on March 5 at Tokyo's National Stadium in the last match at the venue before it is demolished and rebuilt for the 2020 Olympics.
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The reigning Asian champions are drawn in Group C for this summer's World Cup to face Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast.
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart)
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Hajime Hosogai (Hertha Berlin), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremberg), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Masato Kudo (Kashiwa Reysol), Yuya Osako (1860 Munich)
Soccer Hot News
A-League Wrap: Heart crush Victory in derby, Central Coast end losing streak
Melbourne Heart’s remarkable revival continued with a comprehensive 4-0 derby win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
John van’t Schip’s side appeared doomed to finish bottom of the division after drawn five and lost nine of their opening 14 games of the season, but have spectacularly reversed their fortunes recently by taking 19 points from their last seven outings.
This weekend’s demolition of their local rivals at AAMI Park marks their fifth-straight top-flight win and moves them up to eighth in the table.
Orlando Engelaar – who struck the winner in last Sunday’s 1-0 victory over league leaders Brisbane Roar – and Mate Dugandzic got Heart off to a flying start on Saturday by putting them 2-0 up inside 15 minutes.
Victory defender Nick Ansell was given his marching orders shortly before the break after being adjudged to have denied David Williams a clear goalscoring opportunity.
However, it took Heart until the last 10 minutes of the game to make their numerical advantage pay, as first in-form striker Williams bagged his sixth goal in his last five appearances, before captain Harry Kewell rounded matters off four minutes from time.
In Saturday’s other A-League fixture, Central Coast Mariners ended a four-game losing streak in the league by beating Sydney FC 2-1 in Gosford.
Seung-Yong Kim broke the deadlock for the hosts after 26 minutes, before former Hull City midfielder Richard Garcia equalised just after the hour mark.
Central Coast striker Mitchell Duke had the final say, though, netting the winner 15 minutes from time to lift his side above Victory into fourth place.
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