by @PedroIriondo

After a difficult roller-coaster year last time out, Reysol fans look forward to the new season, this time with Tatsuma Yoshida in charge. Yoshida, although well-familiarized with Kashiwa’s youth academy and its characteristically attacking style, will face a difficult challenge in “Year One after Nelsinho”.
Last season, the legendary Brazilian manager chose the best possible manner to say goodbye – an amazing seven-game winning streak to end the season that granted qualifi cation to the AFC Champions League play-off . Such a magnificent run, coupled with the victory over Lanus at the Suruga Cup Final saved Reysol’s season. The departures of key players such as Junya Tanaka (to Sporting Lisbon, in Portugal), and Leandro Domingues (Nagoya Grampus) did not help with consistency.
For the new season, the return of Yuki Otsu (from VVV Venlo, Holland) and the arrival of Cristiano (Ventforet Kofu) guarantee an electric attacking-midfield. Both players have a great ability to score goals, and to create chances, from which strikers Masato Kudo and Leandro should profit. Otsu, who shone at Kashiwa before moving to Europe, will be especially motivated to recover his best football. In addition, several young players have either come back from loans – Yamanaka, Taketomi, Nakagawa – or have been promoted from the youth team – Nakayama, Oshima – a sign of Yoshida’s confidence in Reysol’s academy.
Even though a new coach and several new players have arrived, Reysol is expected to skip the transition period that this may require. Kashiwa’s goal for the season should be no less than qualifying for the league play-offs and advancing to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League.
Once there, Reysol has the potential of beating any team. What will finally happen will very much depend of the inspiration of those in the front line.