Japanese trio bound for the A-League?

In yet another piece written by an Australian media outlet containing the perjorative terms "Asian clubs" and "cashed-up," the Sydney Morning Herald has hinted that 2007-08 A-League champions Newcastle Jets - who curiously finished the current campaign bottom of the table - could be casting their eye over three Japanese players in preparation for their upcoming AFC Champions League campaign. 

The three players in question are Taro Hasegawa, Yukihiko Sato and Masaya Nishitani, and fans of Japanese top flight clubs could be forgiven a bout of quizzical head-scratching, with all three having just been released by teams in J2. 

Of the three, 30-year-old Nishitani has the most recent top flight experience. He got on the pitch 21 times for doomed Consadole Sapporo last season, as the Hokkaido club spent an ignominious 2008 campaign glued solidly to the bottom of the J1 table. Despite joining Consadole midway through 2005 - the fact that he only got on the pitch twice at Urawa Reds wasn't enough to stop the Herald labelling him an ex-Urawa player - Nishitani has now been deemed surplus to requirements as the northern strugglers attempt to steady their ship in the Second Division.

Veteran striker Taro Hasegawa managed just 14 appearances for Yokohama FC in their 45 league games in J2 last season, and a strike rate of zero goals won't exactly have Newcastle fans holding their breath that Hasegawa can prove a ready-made replacement should Joel Griffiths decide to join his brother Ryan at Chinese club Beijing Guoan.

Yukihiko Sato arguably carries the most pedigree, having graduated from the veritable football factory that is Shimizu Commercial High School (does that school hold the world record for the highest number of professional footballers produced, or what?) and having started his career at local club Shimizu S-Pulse, he also counts spells at FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos among his many postings. Sato was at J1 outfit Kashiwa Reysol as recently as 2007 - although he joined the Chiba-based side when they were in the second tier.

One thing that stands out with all three is the fact that they have so far been unable - or perhaps unwilling - to secure employment in the Japanese Second Division. With Australia's little corner of cyberspace often working itself into a frenzy in attempts to draw favourable comparisons with other leagues, it's hard to see how the fact that three ageing, off-contract Japanese journeymen being touted as potential A-League recruits is anything other than a slap of reality.

And that's to say nothing of the fact that convincing just one of the players to move to Australia - let alone all three of them - is a tough task in itself. With Tochigi SC, Kataller Toyama and Fagiano Okayama all joining the J2 party in 2009, there's plenty of work to go around, not to mention the fact that most of the clubs in the third-tier Japan Football League operate on a semi-professional basis.

I certainly hope that Japanese players start making the trip Down Under. So far only Hiroyuki Ishida has graced Australian shores with Perth Glory, and the tricky Sagan Tosu winger is apparently on the radar of several A-League clubs. Yutaka Tahara, meanwhile, once courted by Adelaide United, looks set for a switch to the K-League. That's a shame because he's certainly the kind of player that could do some damage on the Australian scene.

I'm not so sure about Nishitani, Hasegawa or Sato though.

I hope I'm wrong, but only time will tell.