24 Mar 2005(Thu)

TOKYO (March 23): Defensive midfield is not an area where Japan coach Zico is short of players.

He has Ono, Inamoto and Koji Nakata from Europe, and his J.League pairing of Endo and Fukunishi.

But there's another player he might want to take a look at in the near future.

In the very near future, in fact, because if Japan don't claim this player, maybe the United States will.

The player in question is Omiya Ardija midfielder Jun Marques Davidson, who holds two passports and is still eligible to play for either country.

I saw Davidson, or Marques as his teammates call him, dominate the midfield on Saturday as Omiya beat Albirex Niigata 2-0 in the Nabisco Cup at Saitama Stadium.

Tall and powerful, his elastic legs broke up many Niigata attacks, and he strode forward purposefully from deep midfield with the ball at his feet, appearing to have all the time in the world to decide what to do next.

He also has a very good engine, and he came close to scoring a goal of his own late in the game after a long run into enemy territory.

Yes, I thought the 21-year-old Marques looked full of natural talent and quality, and the JFA would not be wasting their time by checking him out.

Jun Marques Davidson is a very interesting character.

His father is American, his mother Japanese, and they met when his mother went to the States to study to be a beautician.

He was born and raised in Tokyo, and played for Tokyo Gas Junior Youth before spending a year in England at TASIS: The American School in Surrey (Surrey being a posh county in the rich south).

After that he went to Pasadena, Calif., for three years, and came back to make his Omiya debut in 2003.

His favourite player is Arsenal's French midfielder Patrick Vieira, whom he studies on TV and tries to copy on the pitch.

"Vieira is the complete player, the perfect player," says Marques. "He is a good kind of role model for me." (Note the very American "kind of" phrase in there!)

Marques admits that he is very satisfied when his friends say he played like Vieira, and he certainly did so on Saturday.

The name Marques, by the way, was given to him by his father in tribute to his favourite basketball player: Marques Johnson, a star for UCLA before moving into the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.

With many international matches coming up in the summer, apart from the World Cup qualifiers, Zico may need some fresh blood, and Jun Marques Davidson is well worth a look.

ends