Sagamihara is located in northwestern Kanagawa prefecture near the borders with Tokyo, Yamanashi and Shizuoka. Although it is a very populous small city with easy access to Tokyo and Yokohama, there is very little to distinguish it apart from some sprawling military bases (both US and Japanese) and a large population of foreigners. Located so close to other large teams including FC Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy, Yokohama Marinos, Kawasaki Frontale, Shonan Bellmare, FC Yokohama and Machida Zelvia, Sagamihara was always an unlikely place for a new football team to take root, but that is exactly what happened.
The story of Sagamihara's meteoric rise to J.League membership is remarkable in and of itself, but even more remarkable is the fact that this improbable little club is now poised to step up another rank. Though much of the team's success is based on the organizational skills and connections of team GM, Shigeyoshi Mochizuki, it is starting to make a name for itself as a real potential contender.
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