The Japan Football Association on Friday confirmed Futoshi Ikeda as Nadeshiko Japan¡¯s new head coach, placing their trust in him to take the standout results he¡¯s achieved at the underage level and apply them to a senior team that has struggled against international peers in recent years.
Ikeda will inherit a Nadeshiko team far removed from its famed triumph at the 2011 Women¡¯s World Cup in Germany, where Norio Sasaki¡¯s squad shocked the United States in a penalty shootout to become world champions.
¡°Japan became No. 1 in the world in 2011, and I want to build a team that can reclaim that position,¡± Ikeda said. ¡°We have to raise our standard, aim to become the best in the world and become a team that everyone supports.¡±
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