Impressively, the intriguing selection is crammed full of individuals who are both experienced and looking to progress on the world stage. Zaccheroni's squad features 12 players who represent clubs outside of Japan. He has three appearances for the national side under his belt, per FIFA, and ousts the vastly more experienced Hajime Hosogai, who currently plays in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin. Toshihiro Aoyama of Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be another surprise attendee to the tournament.

The stocky striker had featured only once during the Italian's four years in charge, a 45 minute outing in a 2012 friendly win over Iceland, despite playing all four matches at the last World Cup in South Africa under previous coach Takeshi Okada. Okubo's eight goals in 12 J-League appearances, per, have forced Zaccheroni into recalling the player who hasn't represented his nation in two years, noted by Reuters via Yahoo! Eurosport: The experienced 31-year-old, who previously represented Mallorca and Wolfsburg in Europe, has certainly made the final squad on merit. Perhaps the biggest surprise of Zaccheroni's squad is the recall of Kawasaki forward Yoshito Okubo.

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