Homare Sawa aims for surprise World Cup roster spot with Japan

Where is the great former captain of Japan's women's national soccer team, Homare Sawa? Will she play for Japan in the 2015 Women's World Cup?

The Japanese players and head coach and communications staff have all heard the question many times and answered with customary care, but there are no guarantees -- even for the woman whose tying goal in overtime against the United States led to Japan's miraculous World Cup championship in 2011.

"It's not easy to have the word 'champions' on your back and try and do it again," said fellow midfielder Mizuho Sakaguchi when asked about Sawa at the Algarve Cup in March. 

"Age is not important. It is very difficult to answer, but I have learned a lot about the game from her," Sakaguchi said.

The look in Sakaguchi's eyes was of hope, doubt and more hope: Maybe, just maybe, the stars will line up and Sawa will be chosen.

But at this stage, and at 36 years old, not even Sawa's tournament-high five goals in the historic win in Germany four years ago seem to be enough. Not even her part in helping Japan heal from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the northern coast just months before the 2011 World Cup seem to be enough.

A year ago, when Japan commenced World Cup qualifying in the Asian Cup, Sawa was on the team. Her intentions were clear.

"I have a strong will to get one of the spots in the World Cup. I joined in this camp with a motivation to win this Asian Cup because I have not experienced the top of Asia yet. Young members are literally young but they are all excellent players with skills, so I expect myself to absorb various things from them throughout this team experience," she said at the time.

Again, earlier this year, when asked what she wants to do after retirement, the former FIFA player of the year was steadfast.

"I'm still playing so, honestly, I think it is quite difficult to say definitively at this stage what my next step will be. I have been involved in football for a long time, so I would like to contribute to the development of football. A little further down the track, Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics, so I would also like to help ensure that this event in my home nation is a success," she said.

By now, though, Sawa is an afterthought for the Japan national team. Even with her heroics emblazoned in the minds and memories the world over, Sawa has been pretty well thwarted in her attempt to secure a roster spot on Norio Sasaki's side. 

After a short-lived retirement in 2012, Sawa looked to come back to the Japan women's national team in 2014, in time to be part of the roster as it goes to Canada to try to defend their title. But after an injury in December, from which Sawa has said to have recovered from, she was left off the roster for Japan's trip to the 2015 Algarve Cup. Yet she does not talk about wanting to retire, further fueling speculation, if not hope, that she will be in Canada, in some capacity, even if to be a bench player, to carry the flame of 2011 along to 2015.

But sentimentality is in a footrace with speed, fitness, youth. Sasaki has said these things will be of premium importance, since Canada is a big country and the weather will be hot and humid.

Japan has moved to integrate more youth into their roster, just as the U.S. and Germany, Sweden and Norway and many other of the top women's national teams have tried to do. The oldest player for Japan is 33-year-old midfielder Kozue Ando. Several other veterans from 2011 are also in their late 20s and early 30s, like goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori, midfielder Sakaguchi and defender Yukari Kinga. 

But leading offensive threats, like 30-year-old Aya Miyama, who has taken over as captain from Sawa, are the new leaders. In Portugal, a newcomer to the squad was 21-year-old Kumi Yokoyama, a scoring threat who won a silver medal playing in the 2010 U-17 World Cup. 

Sasaki clearly hopes youngester Yokoyama is part of the new regime of stars for Japan: The spritely and smart striker received one of the ten 2010 FIFA Puskas Awards nominations for her winning goal in the semifinals against North Korea (which made the headlines and was compared to Diego Maradona's second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup).

For Japan, who may indeed be without Sawa, a symbol of greatness and resurrection, the future may already be here.

"In 2011, I was watching the match on TV and it was fascinating to see our players at such top level," Yokoyama said, adding: "What those players did in 2011 changed the environment for women's football. Now it's our generation that needs to do this in order to pass along what Sawa and the others in 2011 accomplished. We have to do our jobs now."

In May, Sasaki will gather the Nadeshiko Japan together for a last training session and two friendlies against New Zealand and Italy before flying to Canada. It is unlikely that Sawa will be on that flight. But if she is, the world will be glad that perhaps some sentimentality was part of the selection process for the defending World Cup champions.

The world is not quite ready to say goodbye to Homare Sawa.