Football: Japan to welcome Canada for Oct. friendly in Niigata

Japan will host Canada in an international friendly match on Oct. 13 at Niigata's Denka Big Swan Stadium, the Japan Football Association said Tuesday. The Samurai Blue, 20th in the FIFA rankings, will meet 43rd-ranked Canada for the first time since losing 2-1 in November in the United Arab Emirates, just ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. "My impression is Canada are not just extremely organized and well-balanced as a team, but they also have high individual ability," Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said. "We will prepare as well as possible to win this time in front of our home fans." Japan had ...