Brazilian-born striker Wagner Lopes played in Japan for ten year before gaining Japanese citizenship in 1997. At the Copa América two years later, he scored two goals in three matches.
Shoji Jo (here in 2010) was Lopes' partner in the Japanese offense.

The Copa América is South America's major tournament in senior men's soccer and determines the continental champion. Until 1967, the tournament was known as South American Championship. It is the oldest continental championship in the world.[1]

Japan are not members of the South American football confederation CONMEBOL. But because CONMEBOL only has ten member associations, guest nations have regularly been invited since 1993.

Japan has competed as invitee in 1999 and 2019, but were eliminated in the group stage on both occasions. In 1999, two out of three Japanese goals were scored by Wagner Lopes, who was born in South America and only naturalized two years prior.[2]

In 2019, head coach Hajime Moriyasu called up a squad consisting mostly of uncapped players under 23 years of age in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics hosted in Japan. This decision was considered as a lack of respect, a concern voiced by Venezuelan coach Rafael Dudamel among others.[3]

In their home confederation, the AFC, Japan is the most successful team with four continental titles.[4] The second of those titles was won in 2000, only one year after the disappointing results at the 1999 Copa América.

Record at the Copa América

Copa América
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
1916 - 1997Not invited
Paraguay 1999 Group stage10th301238
2004 - 2016Not invited
Brazil 2019Group stage9th302137
2021Not invited
Total2 participations16/186033615

Squads

Just like at the 1998 FIFA World Cup one year prior, the national squad only consisted of players from the J1 League. The 2019 squad consisted mostly of U23-players who would be eligible to play at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Match results

Tournament Round Opponent Score
Paraguay 1999Group stage Peru2–3
 Paraguay0–4
 Bolivia1–1
Brazil 2019Group stage Chile0–4
 Uruguay2–2
 Ecuador1–1

Goalscorers

No. Name Goals Tournaments
1 Wagner Lopes21999
Kōji Miyoshi22019
2 Atsuhiro Miura11999
Shōya Nakajima12019

See also

References

  1. ↑ Copa América. Encyclopædia Britannica. December 11, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  2. ↑ "SOCCER: NOTEBOOK -- PROJECT 2010; A 12-Year Plan for Developing The Best". The New York Times. June 2, 1998. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Japan an unwelcome guest at Copa America". The Japan Times. June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Preview - Final: Japan v Qatar". The AFC. January 31, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
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