Two rare instances in American and Brazilian soccer. Two players with Asian roots playing for the MLS and Brazilian league. They are Mark Chung and Sandro Hiroshi. Ive seen both play and interestingly enough they both seem to be at a similiar skill level and are two good players. Sandro was with Sao Paulo for a few years and now is with Flamengo. From the names I imagine Hiroshi is of Japanese descent (but Brazilian born) while Chung is of Chinese. Hisoshi seems much younger though. Mark is listed as DOB 1970, while Sandro 1979. Brazilian Sandro Hiroshi: American Mark Chung:
My father's name is Hiroshi. He's not a very good soccer player though. That is all. Actually, what I meant to say was that I'm surprised there aren't more ethnic Japanese playing in Brazil or Peru with the number of immigrants that went there.
Tsjeu La-Ling. Now, that's a name you folks should know about. Apart from Dutch football followers, I wonder if anyone knows of him ?
There have been plenty of Japanese players in Peru and Brazil but none good enough for the national team. Actually Bolivia has had two on it's national team. TAkeo and Jiguchi though they weren't regular starters.
In Peru we have had Jose Pereda who played for Boca Juniors he is half japanese and have played some matches for the NT. Right now there is a young central defender at Alianza Lima named Ernesto Arakaki of japanese descent who has already made his debut for the peruvian NT and will maybe play more NT matches in the future I guess.
Talent level, friends. But it shouldn't be too surprising to see Asian players in Brazil - especially Japanese players. The countries are "close" when it comes to football... and they adopt the other's culture in some instances.
I know of the following East Asians who had been capped by non-AFC teams. "Full" = senior national team Gordon Chin : Canada Youth National Team Chinese Kyle Yamada: Canada U-18 Japanese Nathan Li: Canada U-16 ??? William Sunsing: Costa Rico Full, Under-23 Half-Chinese Ricky Cheng Costa Rico Under-16 Chinese Michael Chopra England Under-16 Indian Vikash Dhorasoo France Full Giovanni Van Bronckhorst Holland Full Indonesian Pierre Issa South Africa Full Lebanese Stefan Ishizaki* Sweden Under-20 Japanese Arash Bajat * Sweden Under-18 Iranian Nozomu Yamauchi USA Under-16 Japanese David Chun USA Under-16 ??? Ryan Futagaki USA Under-20, Under-23 Japanese Alex Yi USA Under-17, Under-20 Korean Alecko Eskandarian USA Under-20, Under-17 Iranian Mark Chung USA Full Chinese Imad Baba USA U-23, U-20, U-17 Palestinian Steve Shak USA U-23 Chinese Chris Brown USA U-23, U-20 Half-Iranian John Maessner USA Full Half-Japanese Tom Mahan Ramasut Wales U-21, U-16 Half-Thai Hai Ngoc Tran Norway U-??? Vietnamese
Uh, for all you MLS fans, has everyone forgotten, a player named Tamashiro for Miami? Chung was born in Toronto, but moved stateside when he was young, IIRC. But he's Jamaican Chinese. Oh, La-Ling played for the great Ajax teams of the 60s or was it 70s?
Nick Rimando is supposed to be Filipino-Hispanic mix. Jerry Tamashiro!!! yes, I remember him. Sandro Hiroshi, he is not one of the players who lied about his age when he played for Brazil youth national team a few years ago???? I recalled one of the gulity party is named "Hiroshi". May be that skipshady's dad.
La Ling played for Ajax during the mid to late seventies, but after the 'great' Ajax team ofthe early 70's had dissipated. Therefore, partly because of that, he was never widely known outside of the NL. But he is still regarded as one of the best (wingers) ever to have worn the Ajax no. 7 shirt.
That's the one. And yes, my father, a Japanese national in his late 50s, forged a passport so he could pass as a Brazilian teenager. Also on a personal note, I played a pick up game with Noz Yamauchi. Very quick and skilled with the ball but probably too small to play big time - I wonder if/where he's playing now.
For what it's worth, I believe Maessner is retired from playing soccer. Last I heard, he was working on his coaching licenses.
I read somewhere, it might have been on the World Baseball Federation (or something) website, that most of the Japanese immigrants in Brazil play baseball, and in fact, nearly every player registered in the Brazilian baseball federation (or whatever) is Japanese or of Japanese descent.
Interesting. Did not know that. I'm guessing the Brazilian equivalent of Jim Rome is of Japanese descent.
I did recall several Japanese from brazil did play for the Japanese NT in the sixties. I am not too familiar with the topics.