Wanderers tour Japan in pre-season

The NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers will continue preparations for the Hyundai A-League, Westfield FFA Cup and AFC Champions League when they head to Japan for a pre-season tour.

Leaving Australian shores tomorrow the team will arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday morning where the Red & Black will spend nine days on tour.
 
With a strong connection with Japan and an impressive fan base in the nation, the Wanderers are looking forward to visiting the country once again.

 
It will be the fifth trip to Japan for the 2014 Asian Champions following the 2013/14 pre-season and three AFC Champions League away games including a Round of 16 tie against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
 
The Wanderers have also had a number of Japanese players amongst their ranks including club legend Shinji Ono. New signing Jumpei Kusukami is the latest, bringing the tally to four along with former players Yojiro Takahagi and Yusuke Tanaka.

 
It will be the club’s third pre-season overseas as the Red & Black also travelled to Abu Dhabi in preparation for the knockout rounds of the 2014 AFC Champions League, participating in the International Petroleum Investments Company Championship.
 
Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas said that the Club’s latest visit to Japan would provide the perfect platform for another successful season.
 
“We’re looking forward to returning to Japan where we’ve always felt very welcome,” said Tsatsimas.
 
“Our tour here before the 2013/14 season provided valuable experience leading into our successful AFC Champions League campaign which ultimately saw us crowned Champions of Asia.
 
“We believe that this tour of Japan will give us the best possible preparation for this season’s Hyundai A-League and AFC Champions League seasons as well as our FFA Cup quarter-final on 21 September.”