New Nadeshiko Japan coach Nils Nielsen targets World Cup glory

New coach Nils Nielsen declared Wednesday that Japan can win the Women’s World Cup for a second time and vowed to restore the 2011 champion to its former glory.

The 53-year-old Dane becomes Japan’s first foreign-born women’s coach and succeeds Futoshi Ikeda, who left at the end of his contract in August.

Nielsen led Denmark to the 2017 European Championship final and takes over a Japan team that has not reached a World Cup or Olympic semifinal since 2015.