Tony Popovic’s Australia are out to defy history and build momentum against the Samurai Blue.
Both teams are lining up in the tunnel, preparing to walk out for the national anthems. The stadium is full and the home supporters clearly just as ready to go as the team they came to watch.This is from AAP on Popovic’s connection with Moriyasu. Judging by their embrace just now there’s still a lot of affection there.
“Popa, I understand that he calls me captain, but at the same time he called me Poichi too. That’s my nickname. After leaving Hiroshima as coach, when I didn’t have any jobs, Mr Popovic was head coach for the Western Sydney Wanderers. “Moriyasu-san is obviously a fantastic coach and you can see how well he’s doing with the national team and how well they’re playing and having a wonderful campaign,” Popovic said. “He came to visit between jobs for him, and that probably explains a lot about what type of person he is.
That’s despite Australia last beating the Samurai Blue in 2009 - and never in Japan. “Data doesn’t make us win tomorrow’s match,” Moriyasu said. “Data tells us that we probably have an advantage. We don’t have photos available to show you yet, but the squad have made it up the tunnel for what promises to be their most rushed warm-up in recent memory. Feels incredibly unfair, and Moriyasu has clearly recognised that and attempted to rectify it, but here we are.
Twenty-five years in, they are ahead of schedule: they have 60 professional clubs across three tiers of football, connected through promotion and relegation, underpinned by a thriving high school and university system in full alignment, largely unchallenged by any sports aside from baseball, which remains Japan’s undisputed number one sport.
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