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Nakata to spearhead Japan's bid for Sydney Olympic football gold
TOKYO, Aug 27 (AFP) - AS Roma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata will spearhead the "strongest-ever" Japanese national football team for the Sydney Olympic Games, the Japan Football Association announced Sunday. Nakata, the key player to have brought Japan to their first appearance in the World Cup finals in 1998, will be back in Japan Tuesday after playing a pre-season match against Palermo Sunday. The two-time Asian Player of the Year will join Kashima Antlers forwards Tomoyuki Hirase, who scored 17 goals in the Olympic qualifying rounds, Atsushi Yanagisawa, and Yokohama Marinos midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura. Nakamura surprised Slovakia, one of the three countries Japan will take on in the preliminary Group D in Sydney with Brazil and South Africa, by firing an exquisit goal on a free kick in the Kirin Cup in June here. Other prominent players include Naohiro Takahara of Jubilo Iwata, Junichi Inamoto of Gamba Osaka, and Tomokazu Myojin of Kashiwa Reysol. Goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki of Nagoya Grampus Eight was chosen for three over-23 players alongside defender Ryuzo Morioka of Shimizu S-Pulse and Yokohama midfielder Atsuhiro Miura. However, Shinji Ono of Urawa Red Diamonds, who injured his leg during the Olympic first qualifying round a year ago, failed to be named as he was still struggling to get back on form. The team will start a training camp in Shizuoka in central Japan Tuesday and play preparation games against Kuwait and Morocco on September 2 and 5 before leaving for Sydney on September 9.
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