Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter -

Following a solid start to the Ivica Osim era on Wednesday night, it will

be interesting to see who the Bosnian manager will keep and drop for Japan's Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen next week.

The odds of the Japanese, two-time defending champions of the continent, losing to Yemen, ranked 125th in the world, are very slim whoever Osim picks.

But we will get a better glimpse of Osim's Japan at full strength next Wednesday in Niigata, where the coach will have the creme of the crop at his disposal.

For the 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in a friendly at Tokyo's National Stadium, Osim, because of a scheduling conflict, could not choose players from Gamba Osaka, JEF United Chiba and Kashima Antlers, who produced a bulk of Zico's squad at the World Cup.

Osim made do by selecting seven players from one club, Urawa Reds, and six of them were in the starting lineup.

For all the quality at Urawa, it is unlikely that the former JEF boss will choose as many as he did from Reds once again.

The shoo-ins for the Yemen game would have to be another goalkeeper, likely JEF's Tomonori Tateishi or Antlers' Hitoshi Sogahata, who made the 2002 World Cup team.

In the outfield, midfielder Yuki Abe and

forward Seiichiro Maki, also of JEF, are sure bets, while Naotake Hanyu and Satoru Yamagishi could also grace the roster from Chiba.

Gamba's Akira Kaji, who was a staple on the right side under Zico and played relatively well in Germany, also appears to be a lock as well as Urawa's Alessandro Santos, the star of Japan's first post-World Cup contest.

Santos scored both goals in the first half, coming alive playing in his natural role as an attacking midfielder on the left wing.

The two-time World Cup star buried a gorgeous free kick on 17 minutes and five minutes later, daftly lobbed over Trinidad keeper Jan Michael Williams after a great run down the middle of the park.

However, the likes of ex-captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Kashima playmaker Mitsuo Ogasawara, Jubilo Iwata's Takashi Fukunishi and Reds superstar Shinji Ono, who were always assured of a place with Zico, look questionable to crack Osim's side.

After the victory, which came before a sellout crowd of 47,482 at the National Stadium, Osim did note one selection criteria: running.

"The game of football is played for 90 minutes, and we had some players who could not run for the entire 90 minutes," he said. "This is not a problem exclusive to the national team, but prevalent throughout the J.League.

"This can be easily addressed, but it is something we must think hard about."

Osim's comments suggest he will take substance over style, in the mold of Japan's 2002 World Cup coach, Phlippe Troussier.

Style had been an element central to the makeup of Zico's squad. Yet style, as we all know, knocked Japan out of the World Cup in the group phase with seven goals allowed.

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7 added to Japan Hall


Former national coaches Kenzo Yokoyama and Takaji Mori were among seven inducted into the Japan Soccer Hall of Fame, the Japan Football Association announced Thursday.

The five others were Teruki Miyamoto, Masashi Watanabe, Aritatsu Ogi, Gendo Tsuboi and Tairei Uchino.

Five of the inductees played at the 1964 adn 1968 Olympics in Tokyo and Mexico, respectively.

An induction ceremony will be held Sept. 10. The induction will be decided annually in July starting next year, the JFA said.