2011 Women's World Cup Preview - Japan

Jun 25, 2011 - 9:52 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Japan midfielder Homare Sawa will be appearing in her fifth World Cup this summer, and she has made her intentions clear.

"I want to make it the result of my football career," Sawa said of Japan's performance at the upcoming World Cup. "I really want to win a medal."

The 32-year-old has amassed 75 goals in 166 international matches for Japan, but despite her fine play in midfield, a medal is certainly a lofty goal for a team that has yet to advance beyond the quarterfinal stage at a World Cup.

Despite being the only Asian team to qualify for all six World Cups, Japan has reached the knockout round one time, in 1995, and has won just three times in 16 matches at the tournament.

But Sawa is not the only one who is setting the bar high for Japan at the World Cup, with coach Norio Sasaki hoping for a place in the last four.

"Our goal is to reach the knockout round," Sasaki told FIFA.com. "Hopefully, we can break through the semifinal barrier that we failed to do in the Beijing Olympics, and then reach the summit."

A spot in the knockout round is certainly realistic, with Japan being drawn into Group B with England, Mexico and New Zealand, but beyond that, it might get a bit tricky.

England will be the toughest team Japan will face in the group stage, and the two sides, which played to a 2-2 draw in group play at the 2007 World Cup, will meet in the final match of the group stage this time around.

Japan finished third at the 2010 Women's Asian Cup, with four wins in five games, including victories over Korea DPR and China. And there is plenty of reason for optimism with talented forward Kozue Ando leading the way with three goals in qualifying.

Along with Sawa, Aya Miyama gives Japan quality in the midfield, and the future of the Japanese women's national team could be 18-year-old Mana Iwabuchi, who scored two goals in just her second senior national team match.

Sasaki took over as coach in 2008 and helped lead Japan to the semifinals of the 2008 Olympic tournament, a new height for Japanese women's soccer.

But he will be hard-pressed to duplicate that achievement at this summer's World Cup, no matter how much Sawa wants a medal.

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS:

-- FIFA World Cup qualifier: 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007.