March 30 Friendly: Japan v Ecuador

The world is holding its collective breath in anticipation of this battle between two World Cup teams that have virtually no connection to one another, but that do usually play entertaining football. The game will be played at much venerated Oita Big Eye Stadium in Japan with both teams having an…um…eye towards Germany. Neither side will be at full strength or even 57.5% strength, which should give both coaches the opportunity to take a look at some younger players fighting for World Cup roster spots. We will not be doing a LiveBlog of this contest, but be sure to take a gander at our preview, as well as the post match reactions on our highly esteemed Japan and Ecuador blogs.

Game Details
Oita Big Eye Stadium, Oita, Japan
11:20 GMT

FIFA World Rankings
Japan – 18
Ecuador – 38

Where to watch online
Haven’t tracked down a video steam, but you might want to check here to see if a listing is added at the last minute. If you know of a place to watch it, please leave a comment.
LiveBlog: Sorry, we ain’t waking up for this one.

Three Things You Should Know About Ecuador
Minders, ‘Keepers: Most Ecuafans believe that Cristian Mora, LDU Quito’s young goalkeeper, will start for La Tri this summer in Germany. After his nice international debut last year against Italy, Mora has been Coach Luis Suarez’s favorite. For the past two months, the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) hosted a poll asking who should wear the No. 1 jersey this summer. Mora was leading the poll until the very end, when because of his recent club form he was overtaken by Jose Francisco Cevallas of Barcelona and Edwin Villafuerte of Deportivo Quito. Nevertheless, barring injury, Mora is Suarez’s—and therefore Ecuador’s—man between the sticks. Look for him against Japan.

El Jefe Suarez: Coach Luis Fernando Suarez took over the Ecuadorian selection from fellow Colombian Hernan Dario Gomez in late summer 2004 after the team’s terrible showing in the Copa America. The charismatic Suarez, who won the Copa Libertadores as a player in 1989, quickly got the team in order and beat Brazil 1-0 in Quito that November. Not a bad start.

So that’s why they call it Ecuador: See, it sits on the equator, that beloved imaginary line that bisects this old crazy world into North and South. Sure, there are other countries that bestride the equator, but it’s first-come, first-serve, losers. Ecuador Blog Trent has a picture of himself straddling the equator near Quito, but in it he’s wearing a fanny pack/bum bag/scrote cozy, and he says that if you think he’s uploading that onto the Web, think again. Little does he know that we will include it on our upcoming “Men of World Cup Blog” calendar. Check your local retail location soon.

Three Things You Should Know About Japan
Brazilian Saint: You might be able to guess this, but Alessandro dos Santos is not a native born Japanese player. The Brazilian became a Japanese citizen in 2001 ahead of the last World Cup. Alex, as he is warmly known, moved to Japan in his teenage years and worked his way through the J-league ranks. He is the first foreign-born player to play for Japan.

Lotta Nakata: In addition to the well known Hidetoshi Nakata, who plays for Bolton in England, Japan has another Nakata. His name is Koji and he is sometimes called, “The Other Nakata.” Despite this accurate, yet less than flattering nickname, Koji is a decent player who spends his working days playing for FC Basel in Switzerland.

Call him Zico for short: Brazilian coach Zico has been in charge of Japan’s team since 2002. His full name is Arthur Antunes Coimbra, but none of his friends call him Art.

Our Predictions
Ecuador Blog Trent: Both Japan and Ecuador will be missing too many keys players for a confident prediction, but with the home field advantage in Oita, I’ll say Japan 1-0 Ecuador.
Japan Blog ShiLou: Respectfully declines to predict.
WCB Blog Bob: Despite the absence of many key players, I am betting my life’s savings on a Japan 2-1 win.

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