Japan makes great art on pitch
With only a few exceptions, including Canada, sadly, the teams competing in the Women’s World Cup sport nicknames, some of them creative ones.
For example, the Australians are the Matildas, a cultural nod obvious to most. But then, all the Australian national teams, men’s and women’s, have nicknames. Some are boring — Socceroos? Volleyroos? Others are more resonant, like the Boomers (men’s basketball) or the Opals, the women’s basketball team.
Japan’s women’s soccer team is known as Nadeshiko, a term Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary says refers to a delicate, pink flower meant to represent the “personification of an idealized Japanese woman.”
The 10th-ranked Matildas play Japan Nadeshiko, the defending champions who are ranked fourth, at 2 p.m. Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium in a World Cup quarter-final match.
To an outsider, there seems to be some obvious components of stereotyping with that pink flower business. But anyone who has seen Nadeshiko play at this tournament could attest to havings een the Beautiful Game at its most sublime; Japan’s speed, skill and team play an ideal any team should aspire to.
Exhibit A would be the game-winning goal in Japan’s 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, an intricate confection of four-way artistry finished off by midfielder Mizuho Sakaguchi in the 78th minute on Tuesday night at Vancouver.
To help you visualize this play, think of that Team Canada goal against Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics when Chris Pronger slid a pass seemingly right to Mario Lemieux’s stick. Except Lemieux let the puck slide through his legs to an unmarked Paul Kariya, who snapped a shot into the net behind U.S. goalie Mike Richter, who had committed to the expected shot by Lemieux.
That was one slick goal; but Sakaguchi’s was beyond category. Mana Iwabuchi started the play, passing the ball into the Netherlands’ scoring area to Yuki Ogimi. She spun round, holding the ball briefly, before sending a deft backheel pass to Aya Miyama, who had darted 10-12 metres into the zone to support her teammate.
Instead of taking a shot on goal, Iwabuchi pivoted and passed the ball back in the direction of Iwabuchi on the edge of the box. Iwabuchi feinted a shot, but let the ball through her legs, à la Lemieux. Which is when Sakaguchi stepped up and snapped a left-footed strike that curled toward the top left corner of the goal, beyond the reach of the Netherlands’ diving goalkeeper.
On a team whose vision is rooted in team play, compact structure and short, quick passes, this was not merely an idealized goal, it was perfectly executed, a work of sporting art, created in real time by four unselfish players. It was the goal of the tournament, at least so far.
“I can’t say that my goal was the best goal,” Sakaguchi said through an interpreter following practice on Thursday. “But it’s true that many players were involved in that play and (worked in combination).”
The play worked because it involved four players thinking as one, all of them trying to create a scoring opportunity, none concerned which one of them wound up with the shot at the net.
“Those are the things that we have been practising over the years,” Sakaguchi said. “It’s not something that we have been practising for that (specific play), but we do practise the combination (style) and I think the goal is the result of what we have been doing so far.”
After Sakaguchi buried that goal, Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl, who is covering the tournament, tweeted: “Video-game goal by Japan. Be afraid.”
No doubt potential opponents, including Australia, were put on alert that Japan not only can manufacture goals, but demoralizing gems, at that.
Not that the Matildas are likely to be intimidated by Japan’s speed and skill, but they will have to be alert to defend Nadeshiko.
“The spacing among the players is shorter than those distances in European (teams),” Ogimi said through an interpreter. “That’s why we can (anticipate) and determine the next play. That way, we can co-operate and unite and work as a team. In order to do that, we need to be smart enough to (anticipate) what’s going to happen next, what the (teammate) will do next.”
That compact structure apparently helps with the communication, as well as the short passing game. The Japanese are also an experienced group. Sakaguchi and Ogimi are both 27, both competing in their Third World Cup. Both were part of the Japan Nadeshiko at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Miyama, 30, is playing in her fourth World Cup and also is a two-time Olympian. Even 22-year-old Iwabuchi has plenty of international experience. She competed in both the 2011 World Cup, when Japan won the title, and the 2012 Olympics in London.
It figures. It takes years of practice to create great art, even on the soccer pitch.