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Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka look to qualify for the ACL quarter finals …
After two away wins for our Japanese teams – Kashiwa 3-2 at Suwon Samsung, Gamba 3-1 at FC Seoul… a draw, a 1-0, even a 2-1 loss and Reysol are through. A win, of course will be much better! Gamba have a two goal cushion AND three away goals. They can afford to lose 2-0, but they won’t. Enjoy the games!
AFC Champions League: Last 16 Begins!
Tuesday May 19th sees Kashiwa Reysol take on Suwon Bluewings in the 1st leg of their Asian Champions league Last 16 tie in Korea. Two years ago – in their last visit to Suwon – a brace apiece from Junya Tanaka, Masato Kudo and Ryoichi Kurisawa saw them destroy that team 6-2 in an ACL group match and the Chiba boys will be looking for a similar result this time, taking a goal or three advantage back for the home leg on May 26th.
Despite an away defeat to Becamex Binh Doung in their final group match in this tournament, having already qualified, Reysol had opted to give time to squad players and are not concerned about coming into the knockout stages on a loss.
Reysol have been struggling for consistency in the league this season – currently sitting 13th and looking to have no hope of gaining any ground to a play-off spot in the 1st Stage. Theories abound that they are putting it all into the ACL to qualify for the quarter finals before concentrating on the 2nd Stage!
Suwon are returning to the knockout stage for the first time since 2011 when they were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winners Al Sadd. While Suwon took care of a hapless Urawa Reds in ACL group play this year, Reysol have lost just once in nine ACL matches against Korean opposition. They must be confident!
In the other Tuesday night match in the Eastern half of the ACL draw Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will entertain Beijing Guoan.
In the West, also on Tuesday, it’s 2011 winners Al Sadd against domestic league champions Lekhwiya, who successfully defended their title under Danish coach Michael Laudrup, facing off in an all-Qatari tie, while Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal face Iran’s Persepolis at the Azadi Stadium.
On Wednesday night, May 20th, it’s Gamba Osaka’s turn to represent Japan when they travel to FC Seoul. The last time these teams met was a big day for Takashi Usami who made his professional debut for Gamba – six years ago this very day – May 20th, 2009 – making club history as their youngest ever player at the age of 17 years and 14 days. And.. he scored, too! Here’s hoping for similar success in this one.
Seoul, who will be without suspended Spanish defender Osmar Barba, reached the knockout stages as Group H runners-up after Mauricio Molina’s last-gasp winner to ensure passage at the expense of beaten opponents Kashima Antlers two weeks ago in Ibaraki, Japan.
The other match in the East sees two-time Asian champions Seongnam FC of Korea Republic and 2013 AFC Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande from China set to face off in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie on Wednesday with both sides looking to lay a foundation for another tilt at continental honours.
Seongnam – known as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma when they won the AFC Champions League in 2010 – will entertain Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou at Tancheon Sports Complex after finishing second in Group F behind 2008 winners Gamba, after their dramatic 2-1 loss to the Japanese treble winners on the final Matchday.
Fabio Cannavaro’s Guangzhou, meanwhile, comfortably won Group H ahead of Korea’s FC Seoul to return to the knockout stage for a fourth consecutive year.
Seongnam are appearing in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League for a fifth time after losing at the same stage in 2012 to Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor.
On Wednesday, in the western side of the draw, we see an all-Emirati tie between United Arab Emirates champions Al Ain and domestic rivals Al Ahli, while Naft Tehran entertain Saudi side Al Ahli after the Iranian play-off winners continued their fine debut in the AFC Champions League with qualification for the last 16 as Group B runners-up.
Asian Champions League – Decision Time!
It’s Asian Champions League decision day(s) tonight and tomorrow, as the final group games get underway for qualification to the last 16. Looking at the whole thing, but concentrating on the Japanese teams, of course, here goes … Tuesday, tonight …
After losing to Kashima Antlers a fortnight ago at Parramatta Stadium, Western Sydney Wanderers go into their final showdown with Group H victors Guangzhou Evergrande five points behind the 2013 champions from China and a point adrift of Kashima and FC Seoul, who currently share second place.
So, WSW need a win, but also need the match in Japan between Kashima and FC Seoul to be a draw to guarantee progress to the Round of 16. Japan-watchers should note that Western Sydney will be without Yusuke Tanaka due to suspension.
If there is a winner between Kashima and FC Seoul, and, of course we are hoping, no, EXPECTING it to be Antlers, they would take the runners-up place in Group H and eliminate their opponent as well as Western Sydney.
FC Seoul have defender Kim Jin-kyu out due to suspension.
In Group G Suwon Samsung have already qualified for the Round of 16, the other entrant into the knockout stages from Group G will be either China’s Beijing Guoan or Brisbane Roar of Australia. Beijing need just a point from the meeting with Suwon in Korea Republic to secure progress due to their three point advantage, although they are missing Lang Zheng, Ha Dae-sung and Yu Dabao to suspension. Their roughhouse tactics finally coming back to haunt them?
Brisbane need to defeat the already eliminated Urawa Reds AND hope that Beijing slip up against Suwon. It has been reported that Reds have sent a much depleted squad to Australia, something that might not go down too well with Beijing if results go against them, although the pathetic showing of Reds in the ACL this season can only mean that any decent display is an improvement and, as is often the case, sending players who actually have a place in future matches to play for – players with something to prove, players with the motivation to show that they should be preferred over the failures of past matches – may well work for Reds (and Beijing) in the end!
In Group D, Al Ahli of the UAE must beat already eliminated Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran in Dubai and hope group winners Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia overcome Nasaf with the Uzbek side currently holding two point advantage.
In Group C, Al Hilal and 2011 winners Al Sadd will face off at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium to determine the winner of the group C, although both sides have already qualified for the knockout stages. A draw would be enough for Qatar’s Al Sadd having earlier beaten the 2014 finalists 1-0 at home, while Al Hilal must win without their suspended striker Nassir Al Shamrani.
On Wednesday nine teams will be fighting for five remaining places in the qualifying stages!
Iran’s Persepolis and Naft Tehran, Qatar’s Lekhwiya, Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor, China’s Shandong Luneng, Thailand’s Buriram United, Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors and our own Gamba Osaka will be looking for the right results to qualify.
Persepolis currently occupy second spot in Group A and sit just a point behind table-topping Lekhwiya despite losing 3-0 to the Qatar champions a fortnight ago, but Al Nassr are only a point behind ensuring a grandstand finish on the final Matchday.
And Saudi Arabian champions Al Nassr must at least draw against a Lekhwiya side who still need to avoid defeat to ensure their own qualification, while also hoping Persepolis fail to win in Tehran to stand any chance of making their first appearance in the Round of 16 since 2011.
Elsewhere, although Al Ain have already secured their passage to the last 16, the newly-crowned Emirati champions will face second placed Naft at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium looking to secure top spot and home advantage in the second leg of their last 16 tie later this month. However, with Pakhtakor just two points behind Naft in third, a victory for the Uzbek club over already-eliminated Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia could see them leapfrog Naft and take the remaining ticket to the knockout stages if the Iranians were to lose in Al Ain.
In Group E, with Kashiwa Reysol already assured of a place in the last 16, Jeonbuk and Shandong see a winner-take-all showdown in Jeonju to decide who will join Reysol in the draw for the next round.
Jeonbuk will be without suspended midfielder Lee Ho and defender Cho Sung-hwan for the visit of the Chinese Super League side, who have midfielder Zhang Chi suspended.
Unbeaten Reysol will wrap up their group stage campaign with a visit to Binh Duong and will be expecting a win to take them confidently into the qualifying stages unbeaten.
And so to Group F, with both Gamba and Buriram remaining in the hunt for the remaining place in the last 16 alongside Korea’s Seongnam FC. Seongnam secured their place in the last 16 two weeks ago, but they will look to clinch the group at Gamba, who must match Buriram’s result against already-eliminated Guangzhou R&F of China to advance with the pair currently level on points but with the Japanese side winning any tie on points with head-to-head advantage.
There is even the possibility of Seongnam, Gamba and Buriram finishing level on points at the top of the table, although then the Korean side are ensured of progress in at least second place due to their head-to-head record against both Gamba and Buriram.
(Pictures, and some text, courtesy of World Sport Group)
Asian Champions League Continues Tonight and Tomorrow!
Here we go!! Asian Champions League matchday 5, with everything to play for in three cases, and a mathematical chance of not being finished off, in the case of Urawa Reds?
On Tuesday (tonight, as I write), 2007 champions Urawa Reds are in dire straits at the bottom of Group G, with one point from four matches. Nothing short of a win at home to Suwon Samsung of Korea will give them ANY chance of progressing.
Suwon will be missing key defender Oh Beom Seok, who is suspended, while a familiar face to Japanese fans – Chong Tese – will be in the forward line for the Koreans.
Reds lost the away “leg” of this match 2-1 and will be hoping for a positive result this time.
Also on Tuesday, Kashima Antlers face Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia. After a victory over China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in their last match, Antlers are also in a must-win situation.
Western Sydney are the reigning ACL champions but have not shown championship form this season – at home, or in the ACL – if the Australians lose this one, they could be eliminated, depending on results elsewhere, and they will be missing suspended defender Antony Golec.
On the other hand, Antlers Samurai Blue defender Shoji Gen is also be suspended, but with an unbeaten run of four matches in J1.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kashiwa Reysol are at home against yet another Korean club, Group D leaders, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Reysol need only a draw to clinch a spot in the Last 16.
Finally, in Group F, Gamba Osaka travel to Guangzhou R&F having won their last match away at Buriram FC in Thailand to keep qualification hopes alive. That result put them only three points off the top two, but nothing less than a victory will be what the former champions from Osaka will be looking for.
Gamba will have Patric back from suspension and Takashi Usami is on a hot streak, helping his team’s to four straight wins.
AFC Asian Champions league is BACK. Matchday 4 Make or Break for Japanese Teams.
Gamba Osaka are in Thailand looking for a win on Tuesday night (April 7th) against Buriram FC after conceding a classy free kick to give the Thai team a point in the corresponding “home leg” two weeks ago (pictured below – Horoki Fujihara, newly-minted Samurai Blue)..
Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande face Kashima Antlers in the AFC Champions League on the same night, with the former winners looking to cement their place in the knockout stage, while the J.League side are under pressure to claim their first points of the campaign in Group H.
Following their action-packed encounter last month in southern China as Guangzhou edged a seven-goal thriller to maintain their 100% record, the 2013 champions are currently five points clear of defending champions Western Sydney Wanderers of Australia and 2013 runners-up FC Seoul.
Kashima, though, are a further four points off the pace after also losing to Western Sydney and FC Seoul and Toninho Cerezo’s side are in danger of missing out on securing a place in the last 16 for the first time since 2011.
“Although we lost the game, we were able to give a good match and play beautiful football. This is the charm of the sport: even if you don’t win you can give good matches,” said Cerezo following the 4-3 defeat in China a fortnight ago. Our pictures show Mu Kanazaki (above) and Gaku Shibasaki (below).
“I didn’t see any big differences between my players and the Guangzhou players. We just couldn’t convert our chances into goals so we may need some good strikers.”
Also in Group H, Western Sydney entertain FC Seoul after the pair shared a goalless draw in Korea Republic a fortnight ago.
In Group F, bottom side Gamba Osaka will take on undefeated leaders Buriram United of Thailand, with the Japanese champions needing to secure maximum points to claw back some of the six point margin that separates the two sides.
Having only scored once in their three group matches this season, former champions Gamba are further hampered by the suspension of Brazilian forward Patric (pictured above), a pivotal member of their treble-winning side in 2014.
On Wednesday night Kashiwa Reysol (above, Daisuke Suzuki in action) are away at Shandong Luneng, who they beat 201 two weeks ago, sitting atop the group with seven points – alongside Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors – while Urawa Reds (pictures below) – with no points to their name in Group G – entertain Beijing Guoan, who sit prettily on top of the group with maximum points after three matches.
Some teams may well have decided their fate by the end of this round. Or had their fate decided for them. Watch this space!
Images courtesy of World Sport Group
J2 Preview 2015
Round-Up by @sushi_football
This year’s J2 is not following the two stage lead of J1, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything of interest in Japan’s second tier. In fact, it is shaping up to be quite the opposite with
big names, big games, fallen giants and young upstarts all competing in what could be a highly competitive league.
Title Challengers
Most talk of J2 title contenders starts with Cerezo Osaka. The club from the pink half of Osaka somehow produced an absolute disaster of a 2014 season despite having a squad loaded (on paper at least) with talent, and ended up being comprehensively relegated. This year, captain Hotaru Yamaguchi, coming back from a serious injury, will look to lead Cerezo back to J1 at the first time of asking, and they certainly have the firepower to do it. Diego Forlan will remain at the club, as will fellow big name forward Cacau. As if they needed any more star power, the club brought in Keiji Tamada after his release from Nagoya Grampus. Cerezo did lose Takumi Minamino and Kai Hirano (to Austria and Thailand respectively) but this team should have more than enough quality to be considered favourites.
Omiya Ardija should provide some stiff competition at the sharp end of the J2 table this year. After finally succumbing to relegation, after years of threatening it, the Squirrels have done well to retain Serbian forward Dragan Mrdja (nine goals in 18 games last year) and Akihiro Ienaga. Those two should give J2 defences plenty of problems and, even with the loss of Slovenian striker Zlatan, should be good enough to challenge.
Play-Off Hopefuls
Consadole Sapporo have been busy this off -season with the club making some eye catching signings. Most notable is the signing of veteran midfielder Junichi Inamoto from Kawasaki Frontale, but two new players that could have a significant impact are Nildo and Nazarit. Nildo impressed for Tokyo Verdy last year, while Nazarit banged in 17 goals for FC Gifu. With Shinji Ono providing the chances, and with Ken Tokura as their spearhead, Consadole look set to provide a tough test for anyone that comes their way and are my dark horses for promotion.
Both JEF United and Jubilo Iwata were in the play-off s last year, and look like they won’t be far away this year. JEF have lost the experience of Satoshi Yamaguchi and Kempes, but have brought in veteran forward Takayuki Suzuki to offset some of that. Paulinho, a Brazilian midfi elder who excelled last time he was in J2 should prove a good signing. Takayuki Morimoto started to show signs of becoming a very good forward last year and coach Takashi Sekizuka will look to him to take on the goalscoring burden.
Jubilo, under Hiroshi Nanami, flattered to deceive last year and have lost talisman Ryoichi Maeda to Yokohama F•Marinos for the coming
campaign. But they still have Daisuke Matsui and they’ll hope that Yasuhito Morishima, brought in from Kawasaki, can score enough goals to keep them competitive.
Kyoto Sanga managed to sign Masashi Oguro, last year’s top scorer in J2 with 26 goals, on a permanent basis and that means they’ll always be difficult to play against. Underrated Brazilian Daniel Lovinho has arrived from Thespakusatsu Gunma and those two players should form a decent partnership.
There, or Thereabouts
Fagiano Okayama, in their first season under the stewardship of Tetsu Nagasawa, have bolstered their defence with the big name acquisitions of former internationals Akira Kaji and Daiki Iwamasa.
However, they’ll be weaker for the loss of Kota Ueda, who has returned to parent club Omiya Ardija.
Another team who might push for the playoffs is Oita Trinita, who will again be well-drilled by coach Kazuaki Tasaka, although goals could still be hard to come by.
Mid-Table Mediocrity
Tokushima Vortis will hope to avoid shell shock resulting from their disastrous season in J1.
After their stellar 2014, I’m seeing a return to the mean for Giravanz Kitakyushu. Tomoki Ikemoto will be incredibly hard to replace, although coach Koichi Hashiratani always seems to have a shrewd plan up his sleeve.
FC Gifu are a difficult team to read. The defence should be better than last year with the additions of Yuki Fuji (Kitakyushu) & Kazumichi Takagi (Oita), but the departure of Colombian forward Nazarit leaves a huge void in terms of goals. Whatever happens, it will be entertaining under the management of the flamboyant Ruy Ramos.
Avispa Fukuoka will be an interesting case this year. New manager Masami Ihara has, seemingly, the nucleus of a decent squad – but they seem to have always have had this, and it will be up to
ex-Japanese international Ihara to succeed where Marijan Pusnik failed: motivating a talented group of individuals.
Yokohama FC are also under new management, with Slovenian Milos Rus at the helm. I don’t really see anything better from them this year, and given a few injuries they could potentially struggle – as they did for a while in 2014. But don’t worry, “King” Kazuyoshi Miura is still in the squad – at the tender
age of 48.
Roasso Kumamoto fans will have been downbeat at losing young forward Takashi Sawada to Shimizu S-Pulse, but they can be heartened by the arrival of the vastly under-appreciated Ryuichi
Hirashige from Gunma as his replacement. He, along with Satoshi Tokiwa who has arrived from Tokyo Verdy, should help Roasso become more dangerous this year.
V-Varen Nagasaki will look to Stipe Plazibat and Koichi Sato to spark them after a rather moribund 2014.
Looking Over Their Shoulders
No one quite knows what kind of shape Tokyo Verdy will turn up in this year, but what is for sure is that they’ll be weaker with the loss of Naoki Maeda and Niall Killoran as the pair have left for newly promoted Matsumoto Yamaga.
Mito HollyHock will look to Tsuyoshi Miyaichi, brother of Arsenal’s Ryo Miyaichi, to spark them into life this year.
Tochigi SC started and finished the 2014 season well, but there was a long period of blandness in the middle. Money is still tight in Utsunomiya, and while they should have enough to stay clear of any relegation dramas, the squad looks pretty thin. The
loss of Yusuke Kondo and “Jumbo” Okubo leaves Tochigi a bit thin up front, and they’ll have to rely (again) upon Koji Hirose to help see them through.
In For a Long, Hard Season…
Kamatamare Sanuki survived by the skin of their teeth by winning a two-legged play-off with J3 runners-up AC Nagano Parceiro, but their squad still looks like bottom-of-the-table fodder.
Zweigen Kanazawa will have to adjust quickly to life in J2, but they do have goals in their team – and they’ll have to hope that their defence, which was excellent in J3 last year, holds up to the greater scrutiny and pressure at a higher level.
Ehime FC have had a torrid off-season with investigations into financial irregularities threatening their place in J2. They might find it tough going since talented midfield pair Riki Harakawa and Yuki Horigome have left – although the signing of forward Yuji Senuma will help them.
One team I fear for this year is Thespakusatsu Gunma. They’ve lost Daniel Lovinho and Ryuichi Hirashige and they’ll find those two, and their goals, very difficult to replace on their budget.
It’s good to remember that J2 is always a marathon, as opposed to a sprint (despite what Shonan Bellmare tried last year!) and it has always been highly entertaining and competitive. Hopefully
2015 proves no different.
Here’s a closer look at some of the teams through the eyes of experts, fans, and expert fans! Do you agree with the assessments? Tweet @JSoccerMagazine or the individual writers with your comments.
Consadole Sapporo
by @PedroIriondo
Since 2012 relegation Consadole Sapporo has always been considered a serious contender for promotion, if not directly, at least via play-offs. However the most northern J.League club has not recently been able to live up to these expectations. Last season, Consadole’s performance was once again irregular and in the first half of the season, after a series of draws and defeats, the team found themselves in the middle of the table. At this point, the club decided to replace Keichi Zaizen with Croatian manager Ivica Barbaric (ex-Ehime FC). Barbaric, who will stay on the staff for the upcoming season, managed to improve Consadole’s performance but still not enough to reach a play-off position.
The main problem in 2014 was that Consadole failed to make Sapporo Dome a fortress, winning only nine out of 21 home games, not scoring enough goals in the process. Missing Uchimura’s goals (only three scored in 2014) the attack lacked bite and it was already late in the season when Ken Tokura (eight goals) found his rhythm. Tokura’s beautiful goal (J2 goal of the season) against Shonan Bellmare may remain as the most remarkable moment of the season for Consadole’s fans.
In 2015, he will have the added pressure of wearing Consadole`s number 9 shirt. Still, with J1 as a target, the club has made a decent job of strengthening the squad. The versatile Junichi Inamoto will join Shinji Ono in Sapporo’s midfield (although Ono has garnered an injury just as the season is about to begin), and, to reinforce the front line, Consadole has also signed Colombian striker Cristian Nazarit and Indonesian international Irfan Bachdim.While the former had a decent 2014 campaign with Gifu (10 goals), the latter still needs to demonstrate his skills in Japan. Consadole may, though, struggle to cover the gap left by centreback Tatsuki Nara’s move to FC Tokyo.
Due to recent disappointments, it is difficult to know what to expect from Consadole for the coming season. The target of promotion is a must but it will be harder than ever with the addition of Cerezo Osaka and Omiya Ardija to the existing
competition. Without a big improvement Consadole may well be condemned to a mid-table finish but if the experienced players like Ono and Inamoto manage to gel with key men such as Nazarit or
Tokura, anything is possible.
Hokkaido misses J1 and the team has a debt to its fans.
JEF United
by @J2KantoBites
As usual, JEF go into a new season hoping to cast aside last year’s disappointments, and finally achieve the goal of promotion back to J1. After joining the team midway through 2014 following Jun Suzuki’s sacking, current boss Takashi Sekizuka has retooled his squad during the close season. In a much-needed change, the team has a more youthful look, especially in defence. Old-timers Satoshi
Yamaguchi and Akira Takeuchi have left, and several youngsters have been promoted from JEF’s junior ranks.There have also been some eye-catching moves in midfield, where veterans Akihiro Hyodo
and Kei Yamaguchi have been shipped out. Incoming are Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, formerly of Tochigi SC and Kawasaki Frontale, and club legend Koki Mizuno, who famously left JEF to join Celtic in
2008. This season should also see some of the club’s highly-rated young midfielders, particularly Yamato Machida and Haruya Ide, step up to become regular starters. There is an interesting blend of youth and experience in the centre of the pitch for JEF in 2015, which should make the team fascinating to watch.
Two of the more surprising departures are in the forward positions. After 38 goals in two seasons at Fukuda Denshi Arena, Brazilian target man Kempes has moved on. Furthermore, one of his regular understudies, Shohei Otsuka, has joined J2 rivals Giravanz Kitakyushu. Incoming is Slovenian striker Nejc Pecnik, a somewhat nomadic player who counts Sparta Prague, Krylia Sovetov, Sheffield Wednesday and Red Star Belgrade among his former clubs. It will be fascinating to see how Pecnik adapts to live in the Japanese second tier, and whether he can take game time away from Takayuki Morimoto and Ado Onaiwu.
JEF finished third last season, but they were a full 15 points adrift of the top two. Fans will expect, and demand, improvement this year.
Tokyo Verdy
by @Verdy_eng
With all the reported problems behind the scenes and the team struggling on the pitch, there’s nothing new in Tokyo Verdy’s world at the moment, The team finished 20th in J2 last season, but I am hoping for a mid-table finish in the coming campaign.
That would be considered a good season in my view.
Verdy start the 2015 J2 season against relegated Cerezo Osaka at Ajinomoto Stadium on the 8th March, and it will be very interesting to see how they show against the obvious J2 favourites.
The club has made a few signings over the close season. Players like Alan Pinheiro – on loan from Esporte Clube Vitória (Brazil – Campeonato Baiano Serie B) – Bruno (from SZ FC, China), Weslley
(from SC Sagamihara), Abuda (from Operário Ferroviário Esporte Clube – Campeonato Paranaense in Brazil), as well as promoting two players from the youth system – Masaomi Nakano and Kento Misao.
Verdy have also signed Ko Kyung-Joon from South China AA in Hong Kong and he will be wearing shirt number 37. I wish all the very best to the players who have left Tokyo Verdy and wish them all the success in the world, while hoping that manager Koichi Togashi and this season’s squad will make 2015 way better then 2014 ever was! Let’s hope that the Verdy fans will support the
team no matter what happens in 2015!
Avispa Fukuoka
by @perogies_gyoza
Avispa Fukuoka, who finished 16th in J2 last season, are going back to the past in their quest for promotion. Their midfield duo of Jun Suzuki and Tetsuya Sueyoshi will be reunited. Suzuki has
played a few games for Tokyo Verdy but Sueyoshi has warmed the bench for Sagan Tosu, Avispa’s biggest rival, since he left. The two were last paired in 2012, and both are local boys. Welcome home!
One returnee who does look like an improvement in the squad is full back Hokuto Nakamura. A Nagasaki native who has been playing for FC Tokyo and Omiya Ardija, a lot of hopes are pinned on Nakamura as he returns to J2. He was one of the reasons Avispa won promotion in the 2006 season and may well be able to provide leadership in another promotion run, if he can remain off the injured list.
There are two new players who are generating a lot of excitement in the pre-season. Mizuki Hamada from Urawa looks like a centre-back who can run, which Avispa has been lacking. Forward
Takayuki Nakahara has come from Vegalta Sendai, which hopefully means more goals for Avispa, as he pushes the remaining forwards, including Noriyoshi Sakai – Gotoku’s younger brother – and fan favourite Hisashi Jogo, to do more to earn the forward position.
The biggest gamble taken by Avispa this year is appointing former Japan National Team member Masami Ihara as manager. This is Ihara’s first management position although he has coached in J1 at
Kashiwa Reysol. Does he have what it takes to deal with Avispa’s continual issues and will he have the support of the organization? We can only hope.
Avispa’s main problems in recent years have been twofold – one is that they were hemorrhaging cash after their disastrous return to J1 in 2011 when they dumped almost all the players that actually
got them to J1. A new financial backer and a large infusion of cash seems to have helped with this as they aren’t threatened with losing their J1 license as in previous years, and they have been able to bring in a couple of new “J1” players.
The second issue is that the players seemed as if they had stopped
caring about halfway through last season. Last June it looked like they could go straight to the play-offs as keeper Ryuichi Kamiyama, the best keeper in J2 for the second season in a row, kept a clean sheet for the whole month. But when summer was over it seemed Avispa were done as well. This happened in previous years but we could chalk that up to players wondering if they would get paid for the last few months of the season after Avispa ran out of cash in the autumn, but in 2014 they were financially
solvent so the lack of passion for playing was all internal. Will Ihara be able to keep the team’s will alive all season long?
The return of forward Daisuke Sakata and U-21 National Team member Takeshi Kanamori, along with shot stopper extraordinaire Kamiyama give me hope for 2015. Along with the new players they should be able to build a strong defence and an aggressive front line. But with the same old issue in midfield I am not sure how far they will go.
The team’s goal for this year is a return to J1, but I think that is a few years off. I would settle for a run in the play-offs, but I think a more realistic finish is 10th place.
Yokohama FC
by @J2KantoBites
It has been a relatively low-key winter break at Mitsuzawa. By far the biggest change has been the departure of manager Motohiro Yamaguchi, who was removed despite leading the team on a fourteen-match unbeaten run in the middle of the 2014 season. However, Yokohama frequency lacked pace and dynamism outside of this impressive unbeaten streak. The man charged with rejuvenating the side is slightly-obscure Slovenian Milos Rus. The 52-year-old has spent his entire managerial career in Europe, bar one season on the coaching staff at Brummel Sendai (the JFL precursor to Vegalta) in 1997. Yokohama’s hopes of a successful campaign could hinge on how quickly Rus can get to grips with his new challenge in J2.
A lack of goals will be one potential issue for the new coach to address, with only four recognised strikers in the squad for 2015. In the current climate, Yokohama’s key player may prove to be Tetsuya ‘Jumbo’ Okubo. After falling out with Yamaguchi in 2013, Okubo spent last season in exile at J2 rivals Tochigi SC, but starts the new campaign with a clean slate. Supporters will be hoping that Okubo can replicate, and improve upon, his performances at Mitsuzawa in 2012 and 2013, where he scored 24 goals in 69 appearances.
Elsewhere, Brazilian defender Douglas has moved on. He was a first-team regular in 2014, so it remains to be seen who takes his place under the new regime. Park Tae-Hong, who has returned to
Japan after a year at Yokohama FC’s satellite team in Hong Kong, seems a likely candidate. In midfield, the squad is bolstered by the returns of Masaaki Ideguchi and Takahiro Nakazato.
After missing out on the play-offs by nine points last season, Rus will be aiming to lead the team to a top-six finish this term.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2015 Preview
After Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s first J1 Championship three years back, they were picked apart by Urawa Reds, and then won another Championship. They won J1 again… and were picked apart by Reds again. Finally, the losses told and Gamba Osaka took over the J1 reigns last season but, just to be consistent, Reds have picked up Naoki Ishihara for 2015, as Sanfrecce continue to hemorrhage players.
2015 begins with talisman left (wing) back Hwang Seok-Ho (scorer of some very important goals last season) jumping ship to Kashima Antlers and Yojiro Takahagi leaving for Western Sydney Wanderers.
The biggest transfer news of the new campaign is possibly that Tsukasa Shiotani is still with the club and, with Hiroki Mizumoto, Kazuhiko Chiba will look to keep it “tight at the back”.
With the aging – and rarely seeing-a-full-90-minutes – Hisato Sato as the main fulcrum up front, accompanied by (dare I say it, or perhaps give it inverted commas?) “Japan international” Yusuke Minagawa looking for goals, Sanfrecce are looking short up front. Tokushima Vortis have sent over Douglas, but there’ll need to be a huge improvement from him to make Sanfrecce a top team.
In midfield, Kyoto Sanga have been raided and Kohei Kudo has joined the team, but the squad is definitely looking a little shallow. Toshihiro Aoyama, Shiotani and Sato may feel the pressure of keeping this team on course… manager Hajime Moriyasu
is a tactical genius in this writer’s opinion, and Sanfrecce
will in no way be struggling in the relegation zone (famous last words?), but anything better than a mid-table finish may be a stretch.
Sanfrecce do have the Number One (as voted pre-season) mascot on their side, though – at least until Urawa Reds move in and sign him too!
Vissel Kobe 2015 Preview
by @joebroadfoot
I am a great believer in momentum. Over the years I have seen teams plummet down the divisions because they couldn’t reverse their decline. I hope this will not be the case for Vissel Kobe, as four straight defeats in their last J1 outings indicate tough times ahead. However, a new broom can sweep clean, which must be why Vissel appointed Nelsinho as their new boss.
The 64-year-old Brazilian has a wealth of experience at this level, although it has to be remembered that when he took over Kashiwa Reysol they got relegated shortly afterwards; Vissel fans will hope lightning doesn’t strike twice. Having said that, in Nelsinho’s second season, Reysol won promotion back to the top fl ight and followed that by lifting the J1 title. Quite a rollercoaster ride!
How fitting it is that Vissel’s first game of the season is against Nelsinho’s old employers at the Noevir Stadium. In fact, the fixture list has been almost kind to Vissel with three home games in the month of March and just one away trip to Kawasaki Frontale (who finished sixth and beat Vissel in the final game of last season).
So what can possibly go wrong? Nelsinho should know all about his former charges, so you’d expect Vissel to get off to a flyer against Reysol. Points may be dropped at Kawasaki Frontale, but a home win against an out-of-form FC Tokyo would put that right.
Finally in March, the likely new whipping boys of J1, Montedio Yamagata, should be dispatched easily enough in the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Imagine how optimistic Vissel fans will be with three wins out of four in March!
Obviously, a lot depends on how well the new signings bed in. Nelsinho has brought in Kazuma Watanabe from FC Tokyo to bolster the attack. Although the 28-year-old scored 17 goals in 2013, double figures tend to be an exception rather than the norm for him and last season he finished with a paltry three league goals. Nevertheless, his signing will allow the new manager to rest 38-year-old top goalscorer Marquinhos more often. Not only that, there needed to be an injection of new blood upfront, given the barren run of Pedro Junior, who hasn’t scored since September 2014.
Despite the comparative lack of goals at the end of last season, Vissel’s main problem was conceding them at the other end. To rectify that issue, Kobe start this season with two new names at the back: Michihiro Yasuda comes in from Sagan Tosu with Shohei Takahashi signing from relegated Omiya Ardija. The former is a 27-yearold left (wing) back who had the honour of being the first Japanese player to play at Vitesse Arnhem, while the latter is a versatile defender who may have huge boots to fill with centre-back Hiroyuki Komoto moving in the opposite direction to Ardija.
Clearly though, something had to be done about Vissel’s leaking defence: to concede a half century of goals is relegation form. Indeed, only three teams in J1 let in more. Nelsinho will hope his changes plug the holes in what could otherwise be a sinking ship. The Brazilian manager may have his work cut out, which is why I’m predicting a season of consolidation and another mid-table
finish for Vissel.
Matsumoto Yamaga 2015 Preview
2015 will be Matsumoto Yamaga’s first in the top tier of Japanese football. The club’s story is a footballing fairytale. Just five years ago, they were about to start their first season in what was then Japan’s third tier, the Japan Football League. Before
the 2004 season, Yamaga had only ever played in the Regional Leagues.
The off-season has seen 15 players join the club, but it is one or two of the outgoings that may have the biggest impact on Yamaga’s season.
Composed 21-year-old centre-back Tomoya Inukai has returned to his parent club Shimizu S-Pulse after a season and a half on loan at the club. He formed an excellent partnership with club captain Masaki Iida last season. The most notable out is at the other
end of the pitch. Takayuki Funayama’s 19 goals fired Yamaga to promotion. but he has since departed for Kawasaki Frontale. Replacing Funayama’s goals is likely to be the key to Yamaga’s survival chances.
Of the several incomings, Brazilian Obina looks to be the stand-out candidate to step up and fill Funayama’s boots. The Brazilian was signed from América in his homeland, where he scored 13 goals in 32 Serie B appearances last season. Elsewhere,
Tatsuya Sakai has joined on loan from fellow J1 side Sagan Tosu. The central defender fell out of favour in the second half of last season after an error-strung debut for the Samurai Blue. If he can form a similar partnership with Iida as Inukai did in the last campaign, then Yamaga are at least likely to be hard to beat.
The treble signing of defender Keita Goto, midfielder Takayoshi Ishihara and striker Tomoyuki Arata from Fagiano Okayama, and the capture of front man Tomoki Ikemoto from Giravanz Kitakyushu adds clear strength in depth that will be needed over a long two stage campaign.
After several seasons of climbing the Japanese football ladder, Matsumoto Yamaga would be delighted with a season of consolidation and survival in their first J1 campaign. While they may be one of the favourites for the drop, a squad that has a good mix of youth and experience, combined with their amazing fans – especially on the road, there is every chance the Yamaga footballing fairytale can continue into 2015.