National team captain Maya Yoshida aspires to make sporting history for Japan at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year, but to have a chance at that he must be selected and healthy enough to play in soccer's showpiece event for the third straight time.
A win in the World Cup knockout stage has proven a hurdle too high so far for the Samurai Blue, who have alternated between group-stage and round-of-16 exits in the past six tournaments since their 1998 debut in France.
"I want to get past (the round of 16) for myself and also to create Japanese sports history," Yoshida said.