Matsumoto Yamaga were relegated last season. Here’s what they’ll be wearing in J2. Green home, white away, red and blue are the ‘keepers’ gear!

Graphic for Shimizu S-Pulse home shirt for their J2 season in 2016.

And S-Pulse neighbours Jubilo Iwata, who have switched places with them in J1 for 2016.

Vissel Kobe home and away, with a special close-up on their home shirt, too.

Kawasaki Frontale 2016 20th Anniversary “Gremio” shirt!

Kawasaki Frontale Home, away, “cup” shirts

V-Varen Nagasaki home (orange) and away

Yokohama F•Marinos home (blue), away (pink) and three cool GK shirts

Albirex Niigata home (orange) and away

Ventforet Kofu home (blue) and away

Kashiwa Reysol home (yellow) and blue GK shirt

Urawa Reds

Thespakusatsu Gunma home (blue away (white) and two GK shirts

FC Tokyo home / away authentic version

Nagoya Grampus home and away

Kashima Antlers home (red) and away

Fujieda MYFC home

Nara Club (JFL), home, away, GK

Montedio Yamagata away

Mito HollyHock home (blue) and away

Zweigen Kanazawa home

Machida Zelvia 1-7 Urawa Reds
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Gamba Osaka 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale
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Kashiwa Reysol 2-1 Ventforet Kofu (After Extra Time)
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Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Matsumoto Yamaga
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Tokushima Vortis 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
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FC Tokyo 2-0 Mito HollyHock
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Sagan Tosu 4-3 Montedio Yamagata
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What a day we had in J1 on Sunday. Goals, surprises, plenty of end to end stuff… and so, without further (Freddie?) Adu, let’s get on with it!

Shall we look at the games in order of excitement? That’s of course, in the eye of the beholder! For a fan who loves defensive contents a 0-0 draw, with plenty of goalkeeper action and parking of vehicles in goalmouths is exciting. That fan probably does not enjoy a 4-4 draw! But we’ll start with goals, goals, goals!!

Vegalta Sendai 4-4 Urawa Reds

Sitting atop J1, Urawa Reds travelled to Vegalta Sendai, conceded four goals to a team flirting with the relegation area, and still came back with a point!

21 year old Kim Min Tae opened the scoring early on in his debut game for Vegalta, with a smart shot across the keeper. When Muto (no, not THAT Muto) shot straight into the keeper’s arms in the 36th minute, wasting a chance for Reds to draw level, it was still “only” 1-0!

Abe eventually equalised for Reds with a speculative shot from distance after a corner was cleared. His shot took two deflections to beat new Samurai Blue (training camp) selectee Rokutan and the game went in 1-1 at half time. It is doubtful that any of the crowd knew what they were in for in the second period! Ten minutes after the break Koroki headed home at the far post after Abe half licked on a corner and the fun began!

Sekone reacted fastest to a save from a Tadanari Lee attempt and Reds went 3-1 up minutes later. Not long after this goal Vegalta were closing the gap to a single goal again with Okuno getting his first J1 goal! On the 65th minute Ugajin tried to clear a corner but only succeeded in flicking it on for the unmarked Watanabe to head home from close range, 3-3!

With just over ten minutes on the clock Ryang showed poise in the box and his feint nullified Moriwaki’s defensive lunge before he curled it past Nishikawa in the Reds goal for Vegalta to re-take the lead! The home crowd went nuts and the bench was in ecstasy! Not for long. What seemed like seconds later, Koroki scored his second, mis-kicking hit past the keeper after Muto had beaten his defender by mis-controlling the ball as he tried to pull it back! They all count, though, and the match ended in a 4-4 goalfest!

FC Tokyo 0-1 Kashima Antlers

42,000 fans gathered in Ajinomoto Stadium for this one as a resurgent Kashima Antlers brought thousands of fans to take on FC Tokyo, riding high on the crest of a Muto (yes, THAT Muto)-inspired wave.

The match was eventually evicted on Shoma Doi’s lone 34th minute strike after he capitalized on a half-cleared attack and turned to shoot as defenders ball-watched (as our defense-loving fan might say. His shot was weak but it caught Shuichi Gonda in the home goal unawares and crept in at the post as the despairing keeper dived in vain.

Chances for either team were few and far between with Keigo Higashi shooting straight at the Antlers keeper in he 54th minute and Takasaki doing the same for the away team later in the half. ??? Morishige then hit the bar with a header from corner in the 75th minute, before Gaku Shibasaki shot against the woodwork at the other end moments later, but FC Tokyo went down as Antlers continue their rise.

Sagan Tosu 1-1 Matsumoto Yamaga

Obi a had the ball in the net from a poised header in the 16th minute but was called offside, then the same player hit the bar – a header from a corner – from a yard out minutes later. Sagan had the chance to take a lead n at the break just before the half time whistle but Naoyuki Fujita slipped the ball over the keeper, but also over the bar from close range after controlling a. difficult pass well.

Yamaga finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute through Yuki Okubo’s stooping close range header after a Hayuma Tanaka cross had been knocked on by Iida. The first j1 goal for Okubo.

It was an 18-year-old – Kamada, scoring his first professional goal – who salvaged a point for the home team as the game entered additional time. The youngster volleyed home a clearance from 25 yards out, although his shot bounced twice before it went in, somehow eluding all of the defenders and wrong-footing the keeper.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-1 Gamba Osaka

With both sides challenging for the top spot in what is beginning to look like a four horse race for the 1st Stage, this could well have been a six-pointer, and the spoils went to injury-riddled Gamba Osaka on a lone Lins goal. With Koki Yonekura and Oh Jae Suk out at right back, and Nishino unavailable at centre back, Daiki Niwa was drafted in at right back, with Kim Jungya in at centre back.

Sanfrecce began the match with Kosei Shibasaki glancing a cross onto the bar within the first minute, although Gamba keeper Masaaki Higashiguchi had it covered. The Gamba keeper then tipped a Notsuda strike away and followed that by denying Shimizu as his near post.

Just before the break Higashiguchi was in action again as Aoyama got on the end of a bouncing ball to shoot from distance. Gamba began the second period well and Kotaro Omori shot over, after being fed by Takashi Usami, as he advanced into the area.

Gamba finally took the lead through Lins, who headed home Keisuke Iwashita’s volleyed cross after an Endo free kick was only headed into the path of the Gamba centre back by a defender. Hiroki Fujiharu then hit a post as Gamba looked to settle the match. Omori was denied by the strong hand of Hayashi in the home goal as he looked ready to add a goal in additional time! but that Lins strike was enough for Gamba to head home with maximum points.

Nagoya Grampus 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale

With Tanaka suspended, and Honda, Taguchi and Danilson added to the long-term injury of Leandro Domingues, Grampus manager Akira Nishino was rounding up bodies for this one! On the other hand Frontale were missing the not un-influential duo of Yu Kobayashi and Kengo Nakamura to injuries… fair enough, then!

Highlight of the match COULD have been Yoshito Okubo’s shot from his own half after breaking down a Nagoya attack and seeing Seigo Narazaki off his line as he advanced to the half way mark! Okubo’s shot was wide, but well worth a go! As the half came to a close center forward Kengo Kawamata crossed from the left wing for centre half Tulio to head just wide. Total football!?

Just as it looked to be going in scoreless at the break, Okubo finished from close range after Elsinho blasted in a low cross and Frontale took the lead. Within a minute of the restart both Okubo and Renato had slipped shots just past the post as they looked to add to their team’s lead.

Neither team really troubled the opposing goalkeeper in the second half! Okubo’s shot the 78th minute – after a four on three break by Frontale – was deflected, but Narazaki held on to the second attempt after palming it out from under the bar, and the game ended with just the Okubo goal separating the teams.

Yokohama F•Marinos 1-0 Albirex Niigata

With F•Marinos missing players all over the park – Kurihara from defence, Nakamura from, well, everywhere, and Ito and Rafinha up front were the listed injuries today – the team will be happy with the grinding out of three points here against Albirex Niigata. Albirex themselves, meanwhile, were missing their new goalscorer Rafael Silva and had been struggling for goals, especially without him on the field. Was a 1-0 scoreline ever in doubt?

For Yokohama, Tomisawa hit the bar with a Van Basten-esque volley from a right angle in the 6th minute, while Leo Silva did the same for Niigata with a 25-yarder in the 20th minute. The woodwork got a battering in the second period too, as Yamada hit the post nine minutes into the half before Mikado finally broke the deadlock, converting a Nakamachi pass to the right channel. 1-0, and that’s how it stayed.

Vissel Kobe 1-2 Shimizu S-Pulse

Kazuma Watanabe earned himself a yellow card after less than 15 seconds, then Kaito Yamamoto mis-kicked a clearance moments later as Vissel Kobe began this game nervously, but it was Shimizu S-Pulse who ended the game with the jitters – with a red card and a free kick that almost leveled the game – but it was the away team who took three very vital points in the end.

Yet more injuries had added to manager Nelsinho’s selection problems for this visit of relegation-threatened Shimizu, with Takahito Soma yet another casualty in the wide player department. Shuffling his pack, Nelsinho put Shohei Takahashi on the left wing, while Shunki Takahashi was preferred over Ryo Okui on the right.

It was Australian import Mitchell Duke who opened the scoring for S-Pulse in the 14th minute, taking a touch to set himself up for a right foot shot from the corner of the area.

Vissel were back in the game in the 29th minute when Shunki Takahashi broke down the right and fed Watanabe. The former FC Tokyo striker advanced into the area and shot low and hard. Rikiihiro Sugiyama in the away goal got down to save but the ball was inadvertently bundled home by Mitsunari Musaka as he tried to clear it.

Moments after the goal Daisuke Ishizu saw his shot drift last a post with the keeper unsighted as Vissel started to stamp their authority on their home game but it remained 1-1 at the break.

Okui replaced Takahiro Masukawa as the teams came out for the second period, with Shohei Takahashi dropping into the three back formation and the substitute taking the left wing back position. Okui soon began to make his mark on the game, getting involved in a few moves down the left in the opening exchanges, although it was a move from the right in the 57th minute that saw Keijiro Ogawa shoot across the goalkeeper and inches past the post. Two minutes later it was Yamamoto to the rescue at the other end of the field, after Shohei Takahashi was robbed of possession deep in his own half and the ball was slipped to Peter Utaka who saw his shot saved well by the Vissel keeper.

S-Pulse went ahead for good in the match when Omae was adjudged to have been fouled by Shohei Takahashi. The sneaky number 10 then moved the ball back a few yards to get the distance to help get the ball over the wall. And get the ball over the wall he did, his curling shot leaving Yamamoto helpless and giving his team the lead with 20 minutes to go.

Ogawa could then have had the equaliser with six minutes to go, as he got on he end of an excellent Ishizu cross from the left wing, but the diminutive striker failed to connect properly from point blank range and the ball dropped past the post. As time ran out Jakovic saw his second yellow for kicking the ball away after the whistle for a foul and, from that free kick Watanabe’s fine effort was clawed out by the keeper, with Ogawa following up but getting under his header from close range. The ball went over the bar and the final whistle sounded seconds later.

A vital win was greeted with elation and relief by the S-Pulse squad, and the fans and afterwards goalscorer Duke noted that he was very happy to get his goal, but it was the win that mattered.

Kashiwa Reysol 0-3 Montedio Yamagata

Both keepers were called into action, and had not been found wanting, before Romero Franck opened the scoring for Montedio with a strike from the edge of the area meeting an Ishikawa corner with a nice half volley through the crowd.

It was the Montedio keeper to the rescue again in the 28th minute, touching a low Leandro shot onto a post. Diego doubled the away team’s lead before half time as Reysol went in shell-shocked at the break. It was to get worse for the team in yellow as Diego – of all people – scored his second and Yamagata’s third with 16 minutes to left as Montedio pulled off the shock of the day.

Ventforet Kofu 0-1 Shonan Bellmare

Returning legend Bare was on the bench for Ventforet Kofu as they looked to find the solution to their goalscoring problems. This game showed why the Brazilian target man was needed. Morita and Adriano never looked like scoring while Shonan Bellmare managed to beat Kota Ogi in the home goal with a bullet of a strike by Otsuka in the 50th minute to take home three points.

Bare made a late appearance and almost grabbed a point for the home team with a near post header from a corner that forced a fine save, but he was not to be the hero on this particular day.

And so, these results see Urawa Reds on top of J1 with 24 points, over FC Tokyo a point behind them and Gamba Osaka a further point behind – 22 points – in third position. Sanfrecce are level with Gamba in fourth place on goal difference. The chasing pack are led by Frontale and F•Marinos, both five points behind Sanfrecce. Reds and Gamba have a. game in hand due to their ACL commitments.

With 11 games gone in the first stage – not that stages matter at the bottom, it’s a combined table for relegation – Ventforet are anchored to the bottom on six points, while wins for S-Pulse (10 points, 16th place) and Montedio (12 points, 13th place) have given them some breathing space. Albirex drop to second-from-bottom on ten points, while Vegalta’s hard-earned point against Reds sees them also on ten points, in 15th spot.

During the summer of 2012 Takashi Inui moved to Eintracht Frankfurt after a fantastic season at Vfl Bochum (30 apps, 7 goals). Bochum – experienced with J.League players (Shinji Ono 2007 to 2010, Chong Tese 2010 to 2012) – reacted quickly, signing Yusuke Tasaka. As with many other teams in the region, Bochum offers Japanese stars the chance to play at a traditional German club with a large fan-base while living close to Dusseldorf’s large Japanese community.
Tasaka started his career in Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s youth team and then spent six years at Kawasaki Frontale before moving to Europe. ‘Tasa’, as he is called in Germany, is a brilliant dribbler and arguably the most skilled and creative player in Bochum’s squad. As a result of his quality to assist and score, Tasaka bears the responsibility of wearing the number 10 on his back.

When Tasaka joined Bochum his dream was to lead the team to the 1.Bundesliga. The project looked promising. Since 1971, Bochum had been relegated eight times to the 2.Bundesliga but had always managed an instant return to the top flight. Two seasons after Tasaka’s arrival things look very different. Bochum has had three coaches in that time and last season the team struggled until the last game to avoid the relegation to the 3.Bundesliga.

Luckily for Tasaka, his situation has changed for the better since the arrival of the legendary trainer Peter Neuerer. From the very beginning of his tenure, Neuerer demonstrated full confidence in the Japanese player. While trying to avoid relegation last year, he defined Tasaka as his ‘secret weapon’ who ‘fights like a Samurai’ and ‘does not know how good he is’.

Tasaka’s quality did not go unnoticed and the German media linked him with 1.Bundesliga teams like Eintracht Braunschweig and Freiburg. In both cases Neurer rapidly announced that his player was not for sale. However, after such a troublesome season, the 29-year old attacking-midfielder considered the option of returning to the J.League.
In previous seasons, Tasaka was often shifted to the right wing where he had difficulties in displaying his skills. Some disappointing performances on this position earned him his first criticism from German fans. Neuerer has now brought him back to the centre of Bochum’s attack where he performs at his best. Since then, Tasaka has scored two goals and assisted for another in the first six games, and his team remains unbeaten.

This season the 2.Bundesliga will be harder to get out of than ever before. It seems that the rich and almighty RB Leipzig will likely secure a place in the top three. For the other two places Bochum will have to fight with strong candidates such as Kaiserslautern, Nurnberg and Greuther Fürth.

It will not be easy but Yusuke Tasaka can finally dream again of playing in the German top flight. For now, Japanese football fans should keep an eye on him.

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Cerezo Osaka 1-3 Kawasaki Frontale
Vissel Kobe 1-1 Gamba Osaka
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-0 Urawa Reds
Yokohama F•Marinos 1-2 Kashiwa Reysol

2nd Leg: Sunday Sept.7

18.00 Urawa Reds v Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Saitama
18.00 Gamba Osaka v Kobe at Banpaku
19.00 Kashiwa Reysol v Yokohama F•Marinos at Kashiwa
19.00 Kawasaki Frontale v Cerezo Osaka at Todoroki

1st Leg: Wednesday Sept.3

19.00 Cerezo Osaka v Kawasaki Frontale at Yanmar Nagai
19.00 Vissel Kobe v Gamba Osaka at Universiade
19.00 Sanfrecce Hiroshima v Urawa Reds at Edion
19.30 Yokohama F•Marinos v Kashiwa Reysol at Mitsuzawa

2nd Leg: Sunday Sept.7

18.00 Urawa Reds v Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Saitama
18.00 Gamba Osaka v Kobe at Banpaku
19.00 Kashiwa Reysol v Yokohama F•Marinos at Kashiwa
19.00 Kawasaki Frontale v Cerezo Osaka at Todoroki

and some of the ads…

Head to Head – 5 wins for Kawasaki, 3 for Cerezo and 2 draws in 10 games since 2005, but Cerezo have not won since early 2006.

Match Preview – Cerezo Osaka are in trouble – not as much trouble as the two teams who will be trying their best to overhaul them of course – but, after bringing in Levir Culpi to save their J1 status, presuming they were safe after three 3-2 wins in-a-row, offering the Brazilian a contract to manage them next season, they have gone five matches with just two points to show from them and they can still drop to J2 with wins from Gamba and Vissel and a loss today for the pink half of Osaka! Last week they were destroyed by Sanfrecce, who clinched the Championship with their 4-1 win. They’ll be without three midfielders and under pressure in front of a nervous crowd.

Kawasaki Frontale have had an inconsistent season of ups and downs. A good start, and then good and bad spells from coach Kazama’s team have frustrated fans and team alike but they are now on a good spell to end the season – three wins in a row and ten goals in their last four games – and are hoping to finish the season on a high. A win for Frontale could, depending on results around them, see them finish in the top 6, a great incentive to finish off the season in style! EXPECT a WIN for KAWASAKI FRONTALE!

Head to Head
10 wins for Albirex, 8 for Frontale and just one draw over a decade of meetings.

Match Preview
Albirex Niigata dug out a vital away win at S-Pulse last time out and therefore kept in contention for safety, leveling up on points with Gamba Osaka, although 9 goals behind on goal difference, which could be vital on that final day. The defining fact from their season has been that they have scored only 24 goals in 31 games so far – that’s just two goals more than relegated Sapporo or, to out it another way, only four goals more than Sanfrecce’s Hisato Sato. But for the fact that their defence has conceded just one more goal than top team Sanfrecce they would have been relegated long ago. Although Albirex rarely score, Frontale do let a lot of goals in so Albirex need to find the net if they are to win this!

Kawasaki Frontale’s win over Urawa Reds last game out saw them reach 43 points and safety, if not mathematically, virtually! A single point from three games will be enough to make 100% sure of Frontale’s safety, and they would like to see that sooner rather than later, I am sure. An away draw with Vissel, and then that home win over Reds sees them in reasonable form and scoring goals – if Renato continues his sudden return to form Albirex will find themselves in deeper trouble by the end of the day here. EXPECT a WIN for KAWASAKI FRONTALE!