Ichiro, Matsui, Matsuzaka?

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Not this time. Japan hasn't called back any of its Major League stars for the Asian Games, and its collection of college and amateur industrial league players, though determined and talented,will be hard-pressed to get past Taiwan and defending champions South Korea.

"They will be bringing professionals with them, so it's going to be tough," Japan team manager Tazuru Kakino said of the competition after practice on Tuesday at the Al-Rayyam diamond. "But we can't just roll over and give up."

Japan drubbed South Korea 6-0 at the semifinals of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in March, when it brought together the best it had from both its own professional leagues and from the U.S. Majors. Japan went on to defeat Cuba in the final.

The South Korean team here will be pretty much the same. But the Japanese players will be a much humbler lot.

None of Japan's professional players will be on the roster, although four were picked in Japan's professional draft last week, catcher Daisuke Tanaka, outfielder Hisayoshi Chono and pitchers Satoshi Komatsu and Kentaro Takahashi.

Kakino said the revenge-seeking South Koreans, who won on their home turf of Busan in 2002 and are looking for their third-straight Asian Games gold, will be the team to beat.

The team will feature pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, who at 19 is the Korea Baseball Organization's rookie of the year and most valuable player of 2006.

He added that Taiwan, the silver medalists in Busan, will also be a big factor.

Earlier this month, a Taiwan squad beat both Japan and South Korea in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, finishing third after Cuba and the Netherlands. Japan was fourth, and the South Korean team managed only seventh out of a field of eight.

"If we can get our game together and show them what our amateurs can do, we can give them a good competition," Kakino said. "But we are a young team."

There are six teams participating in the games' baseball competition,Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea. On Friday, South Korea and Taiwan meet each other in their opening game, and then on Saturday, it's Japan and South Korea.

The medal winners are decided based on the results of the 15 round-robin games.

Japan took bronze at the Asian Games in 2002.