Japan 2016 Training Shirt

JAPAN - TRAINING SHIRT 2016

Japan, adored at home and abroad as the Samurai Blue (Aoki Samurai, the "Blue Samurai"), have been run by the Japan Football Association since it was formed back in 1921. The national side have no fixed fortress, taking their marquee matches to venues across the country, with Saitama Stadium 2002 the ground the fans love best. They stand as the powerhouse of the continent, four-time AFC Asian Cup winners in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011, and ever-present at the World Cup finals since France 1998.

In 2016 the reins were held by Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić, with the whole nation dreaming of a sixth consecutive World Cup. Japan cruised through the AFC second round as winners of Group E before climbing into the far sterner final round of 2018 qualifying. This understated training shirt was the one the Samurai Blue sweated in on the training pitch through a campaign that would ask serious questions of their character.

The third round opened with a real scare. On 1 September 2016 Japan were beaten 1-2 at home by the United Arab Emirates in front of a shocked Saitama crowd, Keisuke Honda's early goal not enough. The response was emphatic, a 2-0 win away in Thailand within days and a hard-earned home victory over Saudi Arabia in November to steady the ship.

Halilhodžić could call on stars scattered across Europe's biggest leagues. Shinji Okazaki had just won the 2015/2016 Premier League title with Leicester City, and lined up alongside Honda of AC Milan, Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund and Maya Yoshida of Southampton, the backbone that would eventually reach Russia 2018.

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