Tag Archives: Alex Brosque

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.25th – 18:00 Shimizu S-Pulse vs Urawa Reds at Ecopa

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Shimizu S-Pulse – LB Lee and CB Jong-a-Pin are suspended, while DF Yoshida is undergoing fitness tests.
Urawa Reds – all players seem to be fit for selection except Naoki Yamada who is out for the season.

Head to Head – ten wins each and four draws over the last decade – very even. Reds won the encounter earlier this year, but you have to go back to 2008 for Reds’ last League win before that!

Shimizu S-Pulse have begun a revival, as predicted here and this game is a major test of their credentials. A win for S-Pulse will put them within one point of Urawa Reds, while a win for Reds will dent Shimizu’s confidence and send them 7 points adrift of their opponents. Both teams have had problems scoring this season, though S-Pulse have finally started finding the net in the last few weeks and new signing, Korean Olympic forward Kim Hyun Sung will be looking to score his first for the team, while Omae and Takagi are hitting goals again, ably supported by Alex Brosque. So, while the forwards may be on song, the team will be without at least two of their regular defence and so may consider curtailing the attacking tendencies to concentrate on keeping it tight at the back – or maybe not! Coach Afshin Ghotbi is a swashbuckling type and while his players are confident he may just hope to score more goals than Reds!
As noted, Urawa Reds are not scoring many goals, so may not trouble the depleted S-Pulse defence as mush as they should… Ugajin has been scoring from midfield recently, and Haraguchi is gaining confidence up front. If the likes of Tanaka, Popo and Despotovic can give help from the bench Reds may hit the net today.

I am going to stick my neck out and go for a highscoring WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.18th – 19:00 Sagan Tosu vs Shimizu S-Pulse at Best Amenity

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Sagan Tosu – MF Okamoto is suspended. DF Kitani out for at least another month.
Shimizu S-Pulse – FW Franca has moved on loan to Verdy allowing the signing of FW Kim Hyun-Sung on loan. DF/MF Muramatsu is back from the Olympics.

Only one previous meeting between these two teams, the 1-1 draw earlier this season.

Shimizu S-Pulse are BACK! After beating top team Sanfrecce two games back, they took out Nagoya in the Nabisco Cup in a 4-3 thriller that saw them go thought on away goals on a last gasp Takagi winner. Then they proceeded to beat Nagoya in the league, also, last weekend and upped their goals total with Brosque, Omae and Takagi all getting in among the goals again – have S-Pulse turned the corner? Certainly, if the diminutive front pair of Omae and Takagi can continue their revival, with the likes of Alex Brosque in support S-Pulse will continue their rise up J1.

Jymmy Franca has been released to Tokyo Verdy on loan, freeing up a foreigner spot and S-Pulse have not delayed, bringing in FW Kim Hyun-Sung on loan until the end of the season. He’s a big man to push the likes of Takahara to bigger things or to supplement the likes of Omae and Takagi.

Sagan Tosu have quietly gone about their business of consolidating their place in j1 in their first ever season in the top flight and currently sit in 6th spot, just two wins off the top. A loss today would bring S-Pulse level with them, such is the close nature of the J1 table this season as we go into the home stretch, but Tosu have an excellent home record and despite the critics predicting the bubble will burst sooner rather than later, they are still winning points and fans with their play.

They have won three of their last four – beating Kashima, Kawasaki and Tokyo – all teams in close proximity, thereby keeping themsleves above their opponents. It’s the same with this game – a win they pull away from S-Pulse, a loss, and they’re level.
While Sagan have an enviable home record I feel that the timely changes and the adrenalin of recent results will mean that we can EXPECT a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE.

Previews

PREVIEW – Vegalta Sendai v. Shimizu S-Pulse – May 6th

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Vegalta Sendai – FW Akamine still expected to be unavailable through injury.

Shimizu S-Pulse – MF Alex Brosque and FW Jymmy Franca are available after suspension.

Shimizu S-Pulse (P9 W6 D0 L3 GD +4) sit in a confident 2nd place after destroying a resurgent Kashima Antlers on Thursday, despite being without Brosque and Franca. Another fine goal from Takagi underlined what a strength in youth this team has under coach Afshin Ghotbi, who believes that his team can win the Championship this year. This game will be a huge test for his team as they seek to end Vegalta Sendai’s unbeaten start to the season.

Vegalta Sendai (P9 W7 D2 L0 GD +13) have confounded the critics by remaining unbeaten so far but the same thing happened last season before the team ran out of steam amid some tough challenges. With this visit of the 2nd place team being a tough test to their title credentials expect them to pull out all the stops but, unless all of their players are firing on all cylinders, this could be the end of tht unbeaten run. EXPECT a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

S-Pulse have three wins, Vegalta have one, and we have two draws. Vegalta’s only win in this fixture came back in 2003!

Previews

PREVIEW – Shimizu S-Pulse v. Kashima Antlers – May 3rd

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S-Pulse to Stop Antlers Revival!

Team News
Shimizu S-Pulse – Alex Brosque and Jymmy Franca are suspended.

Match Preview
Eight yellow cards and two reds last time out and Shimizu S-Pulse (P8 W5 D0 L3 GD +1) still managed to take maximum points from FC Tokyo. Today they will be missing Franca, no big loss, and Alex Brosque – a bigger blow to be sure. Supersubs from the nine-man win over Tokyo, Takahara and Takagi may be called on to start this time and S-Pulse will be hoping to continue their fine run against a Kashima Antlers (P8 W3 D1 L4 GD +1) who have now won three games in a row after a dire start.
The mix of youngsters and experienced players is beginning t blend well for Shimizu, although Shinji Ono still appears to be carrying an injury and will be hard-pressed to comlete a full game.
Kashima scored five against Gamba Osaka in their last game, although they had big help from a dire defence and goalkeeper, but the likes of Koroki and Osako will be brimming with confidence after getting on the scoresheet, after a bad start fr the team as a whole. Influential midfielder Endo, who outplayed his famous namesake in the Gamba midfield last game, is living up to potential shown over the las few years and will be a key player for the team as the older heads like Motoyama and even Ogasawara gradually fade away and are replaced by the new generation.
Despite being weakened through players carrying injuries, and suspensions, EXPECT a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

Head to Head
Ten wins for Kashima, four for Shimizu and eight draws over the years. Kashima won last time out but the four before that produced three of those eight draws.

Reports

Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 FC Tokyo – April 28th

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S-Pulse came out of this with the win that I had predicted, even though they made it hard for themselves. The winning goal came after the home team found themselves down to nine men, when the two substitutes – Takahara and Takagi – combined, with Takagi blasting the ball from 15 yards or so with the keeper unable to move. Up to that point referee Nishimura had stuck to the letter of the law – not always a good thing, but a professional referee with a living to make can not be criticized for adhering to the rulebook – and a succession of orange shirts went into the book for varying offences, from kicking the ball away after the whistle that Franca picked up very early on (unnecessary, deserves to be fined) to the “take one for the team” cynical foul on the half way line from Shinji Ono. Brosque’s 2nd yellow card was another moment of madness when he intentionally delayed a quick free kick right under the referee’s nose and too his early bath.

Franca’s 2nd yellow card was a little more debatable, one of those that could go ewither way, depending on the referee, the opponents reaction, the crowd, and the view of the officials. Franca went up for the ball with arm swinging, caught his opponent in the face, who went down as if he’d been shot. The officials discussed it and a card was dispatched. Those go either way, today it went against S-Pulse. Until the goal (and his red card) FRanca had surely had the best chance as he found himself though on gaol with no defender in sight, but he delayed so much that by the time he was ready to shoot, he had defenders around him, and his shot was weak.
Tokyo sensed blood when S-Pulse went down to nine men but the home defence held out and then Takahara launched the counter attack that had Afshin Ghotbi and his bench dancing a jig, and gave S-Pulse maximum points!