Matsumoto Yamaga v Urawa Reds 19.00
Yokohama F•Marinos v Montedio Yamagata 19.00
Kashiwa Reysol v Sagan Tosu 19.00
Kawasaki Frontake v FC Tokyo 18.30
Albirex Niigata v Kashima Antlers 19.00
Vegalta Sendai v Sanfrecce Hiroshima 18.00
Shimizu S-Pulse v Vissel Kobe 19.00
Gamba Osaka v Ventforet Kofu 19.00
Shonan Bellmare v Nagoya Grampus 18.00
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!!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
They thought it might be all over … not at all. Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers played themselves back into contention to progress from the group stage of the Asian Champions League, while Kashiwa Reysol will probably be wondering how they didn’t win in an eight-goal thriller. Urawa Reds were held to a 1-1 draw and are all but mathematically out of the competition now.
Yasushi Endo (above) helped Antlers to the last-gasp away win to raise hopes of qualification!
Lins (below, right) finished with aplomb to give Gamba hope, while Koki Yonekura (above) supplied the one-touch volley cross to set up Keitaro Omori for Gamba’s winner.
Leandro was instrumental in Reysol’s goal-fest and could have won it for the away team near the end.
Tomoaki Makino (below) grabbed Reds’ goal but it was not enough for the win.
Pictures courtesy of World Sport Group
Below: all the results from Matchday 4 in the ACL Group stage.
Graphic from the-afc.com
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
Urawa Reds joined Gamba Osaka in slipping to a second straight loss in their 2015 AFC Champions League campaign. The 2007 champions went down to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Brisbane Roar at Saitama Stadium. The “embarrassing” tag is not to belittle Roar’s achievement, but more to highlight how little Reds offered throughout the match. They were deservedly booed off at the end of the half and given a much worse sending off by their suffering fans at the end of the tie.
Reds were down within two minutes when Thomas Broich took the ball off a dallying Yosuke Kashiwagi deep in the Reds’ half. Broich slipped the ball to his right to Brandon Borrello, who still had much to do, but Reds’ keeper Shusaku Nishikawa seemed to leave a gaping hole at his near post and Borrello blasted home with aplomb.
Urawa could barely string two passes together and were deservedly booed off at the break. Changes were made for the second period – Naoki Ishihara replacing the ineffective Zlatan and Tsukasa Umesaki taking the place of Kenichi Kaga, and Reds started to dictate play a little more but Shinzo Koroki shot straight at the keeper when an opening came minutes into the second half.
Just as there seemed to be a possibility of Urawa getting something out of this match Daisuke Nasu was guilty of giving the ball away with a terrible pass and took his man down from behind, earning a straight red card for his trouble. Reds went down to ten men, with Yuki Abe moving into centre back, yet, even then Tadanari Lee could have have earned an undeserved point for the home team with a header in the final minutes.
Picture: World Sport Group
by Ray Gunawan
Let’s start of by saying that the last time Urawa Reds came runners-up to Gamba Osaka the following year we went one better! So how will we go in 2015?
Before we answer that, we need to first picture how the team might look after the off-season moves (assuming manager Mihailo Petrović sticks with the 3-6-1 formation).
Everything should remain the same at the back with Shusaku Nishikawa in goal and the offensive-minded defensive trio of Ryota Moriwaki, Daisuke Nasu and Tomoaki Makino forming the back three. Hopefully they will be able to play more efficient
defensively to go along with their goalscoring exploits (they need to learn how to hold on for the win).
Tomoya Ugajin and Tadaaki Hirakawa are the incumbent wing backs; but I wouldn’t be surprised if Wataru Hashimoto takes one of their places out wide. Yuki Abe is locked into one of the defensive midfield positions; Keita Suzuki played alongside Abe for most of last year, but for some reason I can see Takuya Aoki slotting in there on a more regular basis and playing a bigger role. Yosuke Kashiwagi should once again be the “number 10″, with Tsukasa Umesaki alongside him. Naoki Ishihara (pictured), Yuki Muto and Shuto Kojima should also be able to challenge for a spot in the midfield.
Finally, upfront, the addition of Zlatan Ljubijankic pushing Shinzo Koroki and Tadanari Lee for places should make a formidable striking rotation, with Lee being my first choice of the three.
Toshiyuki Takagi (pictured) is also a useful addition to the attacking half of the side. There aren’t any drastic changes in the starting XI but we weren’t that far off from winning it all
last year. What we do need is depth, considering that we are participating in the Asian Champions League also, so that will take its toll on the players.
My expectations are mixed for this year; my heart says, yes, we were so close to winning the J.League last year that we should be able to go one better. My head on the other hand knows that a majority of J.League teams don’t do so well when they are involved in the ACL. I’ll go for top three in J1 and at least the round of 16 in the ACL…
We Are Reds!
Yokohama FC FULIE MARU
Gamba Osaka GAMBA BOY
Here’s a few of the magazines that arrived and are being prepared to go out … get yours via the links on these pages, or just directly send $13.80 including worldwide shipping (or $11.80 for shipping within Japan) to Paypal or Skrill – alan@jsoccer.com !
And why the cover? Of a player that hardly kicked a ball this year due to injury? A player who is not a star by any means? A player who is actually wearing the 20134 season shirt?
Well … why not!!? What a great picture it is! Of a true professional who will – next season – hit an age that is the same as the number he is wearing … and he plays for the team that is our main (or, hey, COVER) story… and, if, and that’s IF he announces retirement – – a fitting tribute indeedf
Yukio Tsuchiya – sterling service to Ventforet Kofu, Tokyo Verdy, Omiya Ardija, Kashiwa Reysol and Vissel Kobe.
Thank you !
