[WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN] Japan coach Takeshi Okada selected four Europe-based players for his 23-man World Cup roster, including Keisuke Honda, who helped Russia’s CSKA Moscow reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

Japan Roster:
Goalkeepers: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus)
Defenders: Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yasuyuki Konno (Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (Tokyo), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers).
Midfielders: Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg, Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble, France), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos),
Forwards: Takayuki Morimoto (Catania, Italy), Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Kishi Yano (Albirex Niigata)