Japan Vs. Cameroon

A lot of people have already given up on the Blue Samurai. With four straight losses and only one goal in that stretch, it’s understandable that the pundits have written Japan off. Japan is ranked lowest among the four group E teams and is playing some of its worst football in recent memory. Heck, even coach Okada jokingly offered to resign just a few weeks ago. But there is still hope for Japan’s supporters yet. This is the World Cup and if the opening day results proved anything, it is that once the whistle blows and the games actually mean something, FIFA rankings fly out the door and anything is possible. As we’ve been reminded time and time again by ESPN, “One game changes EVERYTHING.” For Japan a victory against Cameroon will do just that.

FIFA World Cup 2010 (Go Japan!!!)

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th and current FIFA World Cup, the premier international association football tournament. It is being held in South Africa, beginning on 11 June and scheduled to conclude on 11 July 2010. The tournament is the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations. The final is forecast to be among the most-watched events ever, possibly behind only the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Go Japan!!!!

Japan today is one of the strongest teams in Asia, having qualified for the last four World Cups. Its ascent in the last 20 years can be attributed partly to the growth of its domestic professional league, the J-League, which started play in 1992 and has groomed many of its national team players. The league's success is no small feat in a country where baseball is the national pastime.

The Blue Samuraistart their campaign against Cameroon in Bloemfontein on June 14 followed by matches against the Dutch in Durban on June 19 and Denmark in Rustenburg on June 24.