Seven Nation Army - okay, 32 nation army

With the 2010 World Cup going on in South Africa, and Japan being involved--as of this writing, it had just beaten Cameroon 1-0 in its first match of the games--it seems prudent to talk about an important event in Japanese soccer that occurred while I was there.
I'd been a hotshot half-back and coach--I once coached the Humber College Women's Indoor Soccer Team (Why women? They looked a helluva lot better than the guys did in their shorts!), and although by 1992 I was only 27 years old, I was nearly nine years removed from my last game played.
I was out of shape, lacked the aggressive killer instinct that made-up for my lack of skill, and maintained the ego to think I was still a decent football player.
After playing 40 minutes with my students at Kaneda Kita Chu Gakko (Kaneda Kita (North) Junior High School) at their soccer club activity and doing nothing except suck wind, it was obvious that my days of glory had long since passed. All that was left for me to do was to become an armchair soccer player.
Fortunately for myself and others of my ilk, Japan had just organized itself its first big-time professional soccer league, affectionately called "J-League".
Although the first year of the League in 1992 was essentially a round robin contest for the Nabisco Cup involving 10 professional teams, it merely whet the appetite of the crazed Japanese for more soccer.
When the first official J-League games began in 1993, the Japanese were rabid. Really. Frothing at the mouth, blathering on and on about all things football.

This new J-League consisted of 10 teams in 1993: Kashima Antlers, Urawa Red Diamonds (Reds), JEF (JR East Fukukawa) United Ichihara (now Chiba), Tokyo Verdy Kawasaki, Nissan F.C. Yokohama Marinos, Yokohama A.S. Flügels (folded after the 1998 season), Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus Eight (have dropped the Eight from the name), Gamba Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC.
If you check out the photos scattered about, you'll see stickers of the team logos for seven of 10 teams plus the J-League's official mascot. Looks weenie, but know that nobody does cute like the Japanese. Cute sells in Japan. And it must have worked, because the Japanese know their soccer.
A key signing for the J-League was one Gary Lineker (and HERE), a damn fine English soccer player who played for Nagoya Grampus from 1992-94 before retiring. Other famous players include Kashima Antlers signing of Brazil's Zico (and HERE), and Jef United taking Germany's Pierre Littbarski. They all lent the league instant credibility.
So what's the big deal? Well, aside from playing an exciting attacking game of soccer, Japan focused more money and effort into having its national team become more than an also-ran in qualifications leading up to the World Cup.

Although the national team won a bronze medal in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the lack of a home league killed any possible growth of the game. Thanks to the J-League, however, beginning in 1998 through 2010, Japan has qualified for the last four World Cup's.

And, while I did not pick Japan to make any noise in this year's tourney, I am happy to see myself proved wrong -- after this first match.

Somewhere saying Ganbatte kudasai (Do your best/good luck, please)!
Andrew Joseph
First half of the musical title by The White Stripes.