Japan' s national football team dubbed the "Samurai Blue" departed for Florida Thursday in their final preparations before their first World Cup match against the Cote d'Ivoire on June 14.

Manager Alberto Zaccheroni said he expects his team to give nothing less than 100 percent on June 14, but following a mediocre 1-0 victory on Tuesday over a gritty Cyprus team at a friendly here in Saitama, Zaccheroni refused to make any predictions regarding the Samurai Blue' s clashes in Group C.

The group, which pundits describe as fairly even, will also see Zaccheroni' s men face up against Greece on June 19 and finally Colombia on June 24.

Prior to their World Cup fixtures, the national team will have further friendlies against Costa Rica on June 2 and Zambia on June 6 in Tampa, before flying to Brazil for the real showdowns.

Hopes among Japanese fans are high being that Japan reached the last 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and had no trouble with the Asian qualifying rounds, finishing four points ahead of Australia at the top of their final-round group, to secure their fifth successive World Cup appearance.

But Japan, ranked 47th in the world by FIFA, will have to find their passing flair going forward and be sharper in front of goal, Zaccheroni said, for them to equal or beat their 2010 placing. Endi

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