Japan 2 - Scotland 0, Morimoto Shines

The Blue Samurai really handed it to a depleted Scotland side in an unsurprising fashion. Scotland came out with mainly untested players with several finding their first footing on the pitch for the senior national side. Japan also played the debut of a couple members: center back Daiki Iwamasa of J. League side Kashima Antlers, and of course the much anticipated first showing of Catania Calcio striker Takayuki Morimoto (below). Both played well, but Morimoto, who entered the match in the 56th minute proved to be the game changer.

Morimoto did not score either of the two goals, but one could argue that both goals could be attributed to him. The first came from an own goal from Christophe Berra who deflected a Komano cross straight into goal. Mori was in perfect position to be on the receiving end of the pass, and of the two (Berra or Mori) was going to score.

The second goal came with 2 minutes left in regulation when again Komano crossed from the left side into Morimoto. This time, the big baldy made a very quick and classy (very unusual for a Japanese striker might I add) turn on the ball and took a shot. The shot was deflected, but the positioning of the defenders and the floundering keeper made it very easy for Keisuke Honda to receive the deflection and rifle home to secure the match at 2-0.

Dude, Takeshi Okada really has that "Intimidating Samurai" look well- practiced. He needs to smile. Somebody get the guy a candy bar.

Okay Scotland was playing a B side, but that wasn't the fault of the JFA, Okada, or any of the players. So while one can remark that a win against a B side means nothing, here are a few thoughts that I had about the win, and what it means for Japan.

1. Eiji Kawashima - He made the best play of the night by stopping a one on one with a truly brilliant save by doing a "split" and using the studs of his left boot to knock the ball out of the feet of striker Steven Fletcher. Kawashima played well against Scotland, and though losing 3-0 to the Netherlands, most of the goals were of the "unsaveable"caliber, and I think he did the best he could. Until Narazaki returns from his injury, Kawashima has certainly established himself as the clear backup, and could challenge the starter if Narazaki has rust.

2. Side back depth - Yuichi Komano has looked good at every opportunity given to him. Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida are the two usual suspects on the starting eleven, but Komano has worked himself into that discussion. Nagatomo and Uchida are both good attacking players, and net regularly, but have lagged on defense at times. Komano will find chances to cross from the flank but will be reluctant to make his way into the box and crack a shot. Still, he looks more comfortable defending than the other two players. Stamina-wise, I would probably give the edge to Nagatomo, as he is probably the most fit of any on Japan's side and is running all over the pitch. Take your pick, depending on what Okada's strategy is for each match, we should see some for of combination between the three.

Yasuyuki Konno should never start.

3. Daiki Iwamasa - He makes his debut and in arguably the toughest position in international football, plays admirably. Sure, he made a few mistakes here and there, but Tulio and Nakazawa are prone to making errors. I don't think Iwamasa played well enough to unseat the twin towers, but its good to know that we have somebody capable on the bench.

4. The Shining - I have a number of nicknames for my favorite Japan player (yes, after only one national match), that include: "The Future", "The Big Bald Wolf", "Mr. Conehead", "Cueball", "The Good the Bald and the Ugly," the list goes on and you get the picture. But I think my new favorite nickname for Takayuki Morimoto is "The Shining," based on how well the light shines off his ginormous bald head and sparkling braces, but also on his supernatural ability to score goals and see dead people.

Honestly though, after only less than a 1/2 of match time, its clear that Morimoto adds a completely new element to Japan's game and should be a no-brainer starter. Coupled with the cool finishing of Shinji Okazaki, we could be in for a very exciting WC showing and beyond.

5. Please the 4-4-2 - Okada likes to play around with the 4-5-1 formation. I'm fine with that really, if you have a Luca Toni on your team that can scare the Jesus out of opposing players with his presence and mob connections. Sadly, Japan does not have a striker of that stature that can play alone up top. Also, why does Okada play a 5 midfield formation then throw in a striker as the 5th midfielder? It makes no sense. If you are going to start the match with two strikers on the pitch, let them both play in the striker position. Clearly, Japan has looked much better with a 4-4-2, and once the Shinji Morimoto - Takayuki Okazaki tag team gets going we should stop experimenting and start polishing.

6. Who should take the set pieces? - Obviously S. Naka right? I'm not so sure. With Shunsuke out, Honda took the left-footed free-kicks and didn't look so bad. Endo should definitely have teh right-footed role over Kengo Nakamura, but what if the free-kick chance falls in the center of the pitch? I'd like to see S. Naka, Honda, and Endo keep the opposing teams off balance by mixing it up a bit, and maybe throwing in a few feints here and there.

Naohiro Ishikawa gets a rare start and makes the best of it by winning the "jumping in the air and looking cool" picture of the day

Watch the match highlights here. And as always, e-mail me your opinions or write comments below. Cheers and Go Nippon.