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Soccer: Zico welcomes U.S. test but shame about the stadium+
(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10_(Kyodo) _ Japan coach Zico says the Asian champions are ready for their first game of World Cup year away to the United States on Friday. He just wishes it wasn't being played at a baseball stadium.
Japan will face the Americans in the friendly at SBC Park, the home of major league baseball team the San Francisco Giants, with the venue staging a soccer match for the first time.
One goal will be in front of the first-base dugout while the other will be in left field near where outfielder Barry Bonds plays for the Giants.
"The United States are a really strong team. This match gives us a good opportunity to test ourselves and hopefully this will be a productive game for us," said Zico after Thursday's training session.
"We are ready and just hope to finish the game with one more goal than our opponents. It's just a shame a game like this is being played at a baseball stadium," shrugged Zico.
"Still when I was a player and played in the United States the home plate was left as it was so I guess it's better than that," joked the Brazilian.
Captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto added, "It's easy to slip on this surface but there's not a lot you can do about it."
Japan welcome the return of injury-ravage duo Tatsuhiko Kubo and Shinji Ono, who are both set to start against Bruce Arena's men.
Ono, who has not played a competitive match for the national team since May last year, will play with Mitsuo Ogasawara in a supporting role behind lone striker Kubo, back in a national team shirt for the first time since September 2004.
Zico has brought only Japan-based players to the United States while Arena is also testing domestic-based players in his team's third match of the year after a 0-0 draw with Canada and a 5-0 win over Norway.
"Japan are a good side and it should be an interesting game," said Arena.
The U.S. match is the first of nine games Japan have lined up ahead of the World Cup, including friendlies against Bosnia-Herzegovina and World Cup hosts Germany.
They return to Japan to play Finland in a friendly in Shizuoka on Feb. 18 and face India four days later in an Asian Cup qualifier before playing the Bosnians in Germany on Feb. 28.
Japan open their World Cup campaign against Australia in Group F in Kaiserslautern on June 12.
They then play Croatia in Nuremburg on June 18 before facing reigning champions Brazil in their final first-round group game in Dortmund four days later.
The United States have been drawn against Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic in first-round Group E in Germany.
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