Category Archives: In the Mix

Here will be JFL (non-league) and CUP tournaments

In the Mix, Previews

J1 Preview Sat. Sept.15th – 19:00 Yokohama F. Marinos vs Urawa Reds at Nissan Stadium

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Yokohama F.Marinos only reporting long term injury victim Amano.
Urawa Reds – apart from MF Naoki Yamada who is out for the season, no other injuries reported this week.

Since 2003 we have seen 10 wins each, and five draws – even all the way!

Yokohama F.Marinos had a long run unbeaten and rose up the table before biting the dust against Cerezo Osaka away and then losing another up against FC Tokyo. The Marinos bubble burst and many fans are hoping it will mean that Manabu Saito will get more time on the field after returning from London 2012. Shunsuke Nakamura has not shown too much of his super skills this season, perhaps he should make way for Saito? Marinos have conceded only 26 goals this season BUT have scored only 30, with Marquinos, Ono and Oguro misfiring often.
Up against Urawa Reds, who will be looking for a win to make up for the disappointment of a draw in the Saitama Derby last time out, will be a tough ask for Marinos.

Reds seem to be gearing up for a tilt at the top in the final games and since the top two are playing each other this week, a win for Reds is imperative. They won’t let this opportunity pass will they?

EXPECT a WIN for URAWA REDS!

In the Mix

天皇杯全日本選手権の２回戦があり、Ｊ１で２位の広島サンフレッチェがＦＣ今治に敗れるなど、Ｊ１チーム敗退の波乱があった。

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天皇杯全日本選手権の２回戦があり、Ｊ１で２位の広島サンフレッチェがＦＣ今治に敗れるなど、Ｊ１チーム敗退の波乱があった。Ｊ１勢は他に、ＦＣ東京（横河武蔵野にホームで０-１）神戸（佐川滋賀に１-２）、甲府（長野パルセイロにＰＫ戦の末）が敗れた。ベガルタ仙台は同地域のソニー仙台を１-０で退け、３回戦に進出。３回戦の全試合は10月10日に各地で開催される。

天皇杯は、シードチームを含め、日程が予め決められているため、３回戦では、長野パルセイロと横河武蔵野が札幌で、ＦＣ今治と町田ゼルビアが広島で、ＪＦＬチーム同士が凌ぎ合う奇妙な組み合わせとなる。また、ヴィッセル神戸のホームスタジアムでは、ジェフ千葉と佐川滋賀が対戦する。４回戦（12月15日開催）以降の試合会場は未定。ファンのため、試合はなるべく地元で開催されるよう、ＪＦＡの配慮を期待したい。

３回戦の組み合わせ

柏レイソル vs. 湘南ベルマーレ　（柏ス）
ＡＣ長野パルセイロ vs. 横河武蔵野　（厚別ス）
ジュビロ磐田 vs. 京都サンガ　（ヤマハ・ス）
佐川滋賀 vs. ジェフユナイテッド市原　（ホームズ・ス）
ベガルタ仙台 vs. ロアッソ熊本　（ユアテク・ス）
大宮アルディージャ vs. アビスパ福岡　（熊谷陸上競技場）
横浜Ｆマリノス vs. 横浜ＦＣ　（日産ス）
セレッソ大阪 vs. モンテビオ山形　（キンチョウ・ス）
ファジアーノ岡山 vs. 名古屋グランパス　（富山競技場）
カマタマーレ讃岐 vs. 浦和レッズ　（佐賀）
ＦＣ今治 vs. 町田ゼルビア　（広島ビッグアーチ）
清水エスパルス vs. 東京ヴェルディ　（日本平ス）
ガンバ大阪 vs. 水戸ホーリーホック　（万博記念競技場）
アルビレックス新潟 vs. 福島ユナイテッド　（東北電力ス）
鹿島アントラーズ vs. ガイナーレ鳥取　（鹿島ス）
川崎フロンターレ vs. 徳島ヴォルティス　（等々力ス）

カップ戦独特の波乱が期待できる天皇杯を是非お楽しみください。福島ユナイテッド、佐川滋賀、長野パルセイロ、横河武蔵野らの奮起に期待！

In the Mix, Reports

Emperor's Cup 2nd Round Results

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The weekend saw Round 2 of The 92nd Emperor’s Cup (see other story) and there were some shocks in store for some J1 clubs, not least for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who were beaten by FC Imabari! In fact both of the top two teams had a fight on their hands, but Vegalta Sendai managed to beat neighbours Sony Sendai by a solitary goal, earning a 3rd round home game against Roasso Kumamoto on October 10th – when all Round 3 games will be played.

Other “big” names to fall to lower opposition were FC Tokyo (lost at home 1-0 to Yokogawa Musashino), Vissel Kobe (went down 2-1 to Sagawa Shiga) and, less of a surprise, Consadole went out on PKs to Nagano Parceiro. On Sunday Sagan Tosu were added to that list, beaten by Kamatamare Sanuki!

Saturday Sept.8th, 13.00 kick offs:

Cerezo Osaka 4-0 Nara Club at Kincho/Nagai 2nd
Gamba Osaka 3-0 Kansai Univ. at Bampaku
Kashima Antlers 7-1 Tsukuba Univ. at Kashima
Kashiwa Reysol 3-0 Kashiwa Reysol U18 at Kashiwa
Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 Tokuyama Univ. at Todoroki
Vissel Kobe 1-2 Sagawa Shiga FC at Himeji
Ventforet Kofu 0-0 Fukushima United FC (Fukushima won 4-3 on PKs AET) at Chugin/Kose
Roasso Kumamoto 4-3 FC Gifu (AET) at Kumamoto
Consadole Sapporo 1-1 AC Nagano Parceiro (Nagano won 5-3 on PKs AET) at Atsubetsu
Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Sony Sendai FC at Yurtec/Sendai
Shimizu S-Pulse 5-0 Arterivo Wakayama at Nihondaira
Shonan Bellmare 1-0 Ehime FC at Hiratsuka
Tochigi SC 0-1 Yokohama FC (AET) at Tochigi Green
Tokushima Vortis 5-1 Fagiano Okayama Next at Naruto
Tokyo Verdy 3-0 HOYO Oita at Nishigaoka
Urawa Reds 2-1 Volca Kagoshima at Komaba
Montedio Yamagata 3-0 Tonan Maebashi at Yamagata
Yokohama F.Marinos 4-2 Y.S.C.C. at Mitsuzawa

15.00 kick offs:
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-2 FC Imabari at Fukuyama
Matsumoto Yamaga FC 1-3 Kyoto Sanga FC at Matsumoto
Nagoya Grampus 2-0 FC Kariyaat Fukui

Sunday September 9th, all 13.00 kick offs:

JEF Utd Ichihara Chiba 1-0 V-Varen Nagasaki at Chiba
FC Tokyo 0-1 Yokogawa Musashino FC at Ajinomoto
Avispa Fukuoka 4-2 Fukuoka Univ. at Hakatanomori
Jubilo Iwata 7-0 FC Suzuka Rampole at Yamaha
Machida Zelvia 1-1 Giravanz Kitakyushu (Zelvia won 5-4 on PKs AET) at Komazawa
Albirex Niigata 2-1 Saurcos Fukui (AET) at Niigata Athletic
Oita Trinita 2-2 Mito Hollyhock (Mito won 5-3 on PKs AET) at Oita
Fagiano Okayama 2-0 Kataller Toyama at Okayama
Omiya Ardija 2-0 Blaublitz Akita at Kumagaya Athletic
Sagan Tosu 0-1 Kamatamare Sanuki at Tosu
Gainare Tottori 2-1 Thespa Kusatsu at Tottori

If you’d got your cash on one of those giant-killing acts at the likes of partycasino.com you’d be rolling in the money now – I hear someone had 20p on Kamatamare over Sagan Tosu :-) The magic of football!

(Image from WikiMedia)

In the Mix, Reports

F.C. Tokyo 2 vs. Shimizu S-Pulse 1 – from the pen of Afshin Ghotbi

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Nabisco Cup Semi Final, 1st Leg, September 5, 2012, Ajinomoto Stadium

Proud of Our Orange Soldiers…

I am proud of our integrity, sportsmanship and honesty. Not once, but many times this season we have experienced unjust decisions and unsporting behavior. We have always kept close to our heart the true spirit of competition, and never sacrificed our integrity for the thrill of a victory. Winning games at any cost is against the spirit of the beautiful game, and it sends the wrong message on behalf of our sport to the entire globe. Children are watching with open eyes, copying every action and reaction of their heroes. We have a responsibility to set the right example, and I hope we remind ourselves of this fact every time we step across the line.

We started the game well with an attacking attitude seeking victory and away goals. Takagi suffered a hamstring injury in the early minutes of the game, and we were forced to use our first substitute after 14 minutes. We came close several times, before a well executed free-kick earned us the first goal of the match. The goal was tagged as an own goal, but Lee Ki Je’s service to a soaring Kim Hyun Sung, who headed the ball back to the middle of goal, was met by our own Hiraoka and Tokuunaga of F.C. Tokyo. We almost doubled the lead soon after on efforts from Nabeta and Kim Hyun Sung, as they both came close.

F.C. Tokyo broke through in the 35th minute as Ishikawa sprinted behind our defense. I had no doubt he was offside, as I had a perfect view from the technical area. Ishikawa ran free behind our defense and cleverly served the ball to the top of the penalty box and found the onrushing Kajiyama, free and open. His first touch blast beat Yamamoto just under the cross bar. Half time came with the scores level, and we felt we were the better side and could get the valuable away victory. F.C. Tokyo out played us in the opening minutes of the second half, but several reaction saves from Yamamoto inspired us to raise our concentration. We started to control the game, and the Kim Hyun Sung and Genki Omae had the best chances to give us the lead. At the other end, Yuichi Maruyama took a dive in the 79th minute – by kicking his own leg – deceiving the referee Mr. Yoshida into pointing to the spot, as well as yellow carding Kawai and eliminating him from the 2nd leg game. The experienced Lucas made no mistake from the spot and gave F.C. Tokyo the lead. Our players were too frustrated and cheated to stage a comeback in the final 10 minutes.

The away goal will be valuable, and down 1-2 we have everything to play for. The 2nd leg will be held on Saturday, October 13th at Outsourcing Stadium. A clean sheet victory will be enough to qualify us to the final. I hope you will join me for our quest for the Nabisco Cup.

In the Mix

Another former Cerezo Osaka youngster hits the road – this time to India!

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In our quest to keep you up to date with all aspects of Japanese Football, here’s something you might not have heard about – from http://punefc.com in India!

Pune FC, in India, have signed Japanese Daisuke Nishiguchi on a one-year loan from Moldovan club, FC Olimpia Balti Moldova.

Osaka-born Nishiguchi plays as a withdrawn striker and attacking midfielder.

The move comes after playing out a full season in Moldova. Apart from the European experience, he is another product of Cerezo Osaka, perhaps not as fabled as Kagawa or Kiyotake, or Inui and ienaga, who also passed through Cerezo, but he’s on the road and worth a follow!

Daisuke’s quick adaptation to Indian conditions – the humidity in Goa to the sultry and hot weather in New Delhi – did not pose to be a bother leading to him earning the nod.

Pune FC Coach Derrick Pereira explained, “He is a utility player, versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally. He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to Pune Football Club. We are delighted that he has joining us.”

Good luck Daisuke!

In the Mix, Nadeshiko

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012 Update – Tuesday Sept.4th

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Today’s games are in Tokyo:
16.00 – Nigeria v. USA
19.30 – Japan v. Germany

Nigeria v. USA – some stats!

The pair’s only previous meeting in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup dates back to the quarter-finals two years ago, when Nigeria edged out USA on penalties after the sides had remained deadlocked at 1-1 following extra time.

Nigeria are contesting their second consecutive semi-final in the FIFA U-20 Women’s Wold Cup, whereas this is USA’s fifth in six participations.

Among the four semi-finalists, Nigeria and USA have scored the fewest goals, netting eight and seven respectively from four matches, while the Americans have also conceded the most goals, with five.

USA are unbeaten against African opposition in FIFA women’s competitions. In eight previous encounters spanning the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the U-20 showpiece, the Americans have picked up six wins and two draws, scoring 24 goals and conceding just five.

A total of 18 players have been on the pitch for the maximum possible time of 390 minutes so far this tournament. In addition to six players each from eliminated teams Korea DPR and Mexico, the group includes three Nigerians (Josephine Chukwunonye, Gloria Ofoegbu and Desire Oparanozie) plus three Americans (Bryane Heaberlin, Mollie Pathman and Crystal Dunn).

Japan v. Germany

The teams are going head-to-head for the third time in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having already beaten each other once in the event. Germany edged a 2-1 extra-time victory in the 2002 quarter-finals, whereas Japan won by the same scoreline in the opening round of the 2008 edition.

Germany have won their last 11 games in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, conceding no goals in their last five. Meanwhile Japan are unbeaten in five, having strung together four wins and one draw.

This is the first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup match in which the reigning champions have been pitted against the host team.

This is Japan’s first semi-final in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, whereas Germany have reached the penultimate round for the fifth time in six attempts.

Good luck Young Nadeshiko!

Archives, In the Mix

JSoccer Magazine Issue 5 PDF available NOW (almost 2 weeks ahead of publication) – get it now!

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Get 500 yen to JSoccer Magazine Towers any way you can (Paypal, cash, stamps, Post office, bank, pony express) and you can get the PDF of Issue 5 now!
Shimisu S-Pulse (inc. interviews with Alex Brosque and Afshin Ghotbi), Tomoaki Makino, Yuki Otsu, Maya Yoshida, Shinji Kagawa, Hiroshi Kiyotake and the Nadeshiko Olympic team – in red – POSTER pages, why Omiya Ardija are where they are, summer transfer round-up, exclusive pictures from Tsuneyasi Miyamoto’s Testimonial, Kyoto Sanga, Machida Zelvia, J1/J2/JFL promotion and relegation explained, all the web sites you need to follow Japanese Football in English, a look at Tom Byer, the Mascots of J2, and an interview (and pics – old and new) with J.League legend Alcindo is not ALL you’ll get, but it’s a good start!

Advance order of your magazine is 980 yen (see link on this web site going up tonight, Monday Sept.3rd) and buyers of that offer before September 14th get FREE worldwide postage and FREE PDFs of Issues 1 to 4.

Advance order of the PDF gets you the magazine in digital form, at a bargain price – access to Issues 1 to 4 on PDF if you need them and the magazine in your hands – electronically – way before the printed version hits the stores. Just do it (as one of our ex-sponsors might say!).

Please mail alan@jsoccer.com with any questions or with your orders.