2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup: A Salute to Nadeshiko Japan, the Angels of Asia

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 14, 2011

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Out there in the Land of the Rising Sun, where Mount Fuji watches over his people with a calm, resolute demeanor, there is a team that plays with heavy hearts, and wings on their backs.

They have seen their countrymen and countrywomen lost in the wrath of Mother Nature, never to find them again.

Yet, in spite of the adversity and desperation that surrounds them, they find their strength that comes from within and they use it as a tribute to those that were gone.

They are Nadeshiko Japan, the Japanese women's national football team, the Angels of Asia. Led by their manager, Norio Sasaki, and their celebrated captain Homare Sawa, Japan are one step closer to fulfilling the ultimate tribute to those who have gone: a FIFA Women's World Cup.

Size does not matter for Nadeshiko Japan. They rely on speed, technique, skill and a team-oriented determination that propelled them to historic victories over the hosts Germany and European power Sweden. Japan play an exciting, free-flowing brand of football that, some may say, drips with divinity.

Forward Shinobu Ohno of L.League powerhouse INAC Kobe Leonessa, opted to keep her feet on the ground, acknowledging that Japan's job is only half-finished.

“Just being in the top four does not necessarily mean we are one of the top countries,” Ohno told FIFA.com. “We need to win a medal and be a champion in order for people in the world to believe in Japan, so still we are not satisfied with our achievements to date.

“Germany is a country that we had never beaten, but now that we have experienced that challenge, we should not be satisfied and we need to go for the top. We realise that the championship is getting closer and closer.

“We will play as a team and try and express what we have been doing for the past four years. We will play to our strengths, not give up, work as a team and try to show some individual strengths."

Indeed, Nadeshiko Japan ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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