This World Cup there is an award that goes to Best Young Player. Fifa has come out with a list of those qualified players (under 20 years of age) they believe have the chance at getting this award at the end of the tournament this summer.
What came as a surprise to many Japanese of course, is that Sota Hirayama will be added to the list as a possible contender. >>Click to see BYPA site
Of course, that means he has to get ON the national team bench first... and from the way Zico has responded to nudging from the press about the possibility, we should not hold our breath. Not that Zico has anything against Hirayama. Zico is extremely pleased with the way Hirayama has been performing this season and is following his performances. But he is also very careful about the way in which he calls up new players -- and especially players who have recently caught a wave and are on the upswing. Timing of the callup, the balance of the player's strengths and weaknesses when set among all the other players. It was the same philosophy that kept him from calling up Masashi Oguro in 2004 when Oguro had his most successful year. I think he wants to make sure he gets an idea of the consistency of the player's basic performance. His other concern is also of not tossing players in and out like disposable tissues.
Though people are split on their feelings about whether Hirayama deserves to get a call up now or not, this little bit of media attention is exactly what the award publicity people were hoping for. They admit that though Hirayama is the only player in their list of award winner possibles who has yet to make it to the A squad, they feel he has what it takes to play in the World Cup. They say that they hope by shining the light on him, it will re-energize his motivation and perhaps lead to him getting called up.
If he does, Hirayama would be an easy one to spot -- standing 190 cm tall in a team that averages in the 170s. He is certainly one player that would be strategically easy to predict. The NT is in dire need of goal-getters now, but Zico may feel he is still too green and is careful about psycholocially damaging Hirayama if he is used before he is ready.
In each of the past two World Cups that Japan has played in, a bomb was dropped during the announcement of the WC squad. In France 98, Kazu Miura was dropped. In Japan/Korea 02, Shunsuke Nakamura was dropped. Maybe in Germany 06, we will see a surprise inclusion, not exclusion... and maybe it will be the young Sota.
Hirayama just this week got selected into the weekly Best Eleven as determined by Telegraf and Weekly Football International -- a first.
What came as a surprise to many Japanese of course, is that Sota Hirayama will be added to the list as a possible contender. >>Click to see BYPA site
Of course, that means he has to get ON the national team bench first... and from the way Zico has responded to nudging from the press about the possibility, we should not hold our breath. Not that Zico has anything against Hirayama. Zico is extremely pleased with the way Hirayama has been performing this season and is following his performances. But he is also very careful about the way in which he calls up new players -- and especially players who have recently caught a wave and are on the upswing. Timing of the callup, the balance of the player's strengths and weaknesses when set among all the other players. It was the same philosophy that kept him from calling up Masashi Oguro in 2004 when Oguro had his most successful year. I think he wants to make sure he gets an idea of the consistency of the player's basic performance. His other concern is also of not tossing players in and out like disposable tissues.
Though people are split on their feelings about whether Hirayama deserves to get a call up now or not, this little bit of media attention is exactly what the award publicity people were hoping for. They admit that though Hirayama is the only player in their list of award winner possibles who has yet to make it to the A squad, they feel he has what it takes to play in the World Cup. They say that they hope by shining the light on him, it will re-energize his motivation and perhaps lead to him getting called up.
If he does, Hirayama would be an easy one to spot -- standing 190 cm tall in a team that averages in the 170s. He is certainly one player that would be strategically easy to predict. The NT is in dire need of goal-getters now, but Zico may feel he is still too green and is careful about psycholocially damaging Hirayama if he is used before he is ready.
In each of the past two World Cups that Japan has played in, a bomb was dropped during the announcement of the WC squad. In France 98, Kazu Miura was dropped. In Japan/Korea 02, Shunsuke Nakamura was dropped. Maybe in Germany 06, we will see a surprise inclusion, not exclusion... and maybe it will be the young Sota.
Hirayama just this week got selected into the weekly Best Eleven as determined by Telegraf and Weekly Football International -- a first.
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I see you have heard old Pompey's grandfather was an uneducated Kennebunk man, and pressed it gently.
None knew her- quitted her, than with the Mohican chief of your mother I'll allow; but he now expressed his satisfaction at the gentle hope that the men thought of burying myself; and spirits may see the colours.
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