Happy Kwanzichrismukkah to all of you readers out there, whoever you may be.
Couple brief bits of news:
-Reserve forward Kouhei Shimoda has been selected to Japan’s U-20 squad for a “International Goodwill Tournament” to be held in Qatar this January. Can’t seem to find any details on what the tournament’s about, but hey, good on you Kouhei!
-Midfielder Yinka Adedeji, who has played for Nigeria’s U-20 team and served as a backup player to the Beijing Olympics, began a 4-day practice tryout with FC Tokyo on the 24th. He is currently attached to Nigerian second-division squad Shooting Stars S.C. Should FCT choose to sign him, the young striker (born in 1985 or 1989 depending on the data I’ve found) could prove to be a good replacement for Emerson, who will not be resigned for the 2009 season. His presence could also inspire other J.League squads to take a closer look at African players, who are a rare signed on Japanese pitches. The Yomiuri Shinbun reported his display of a good passing sense in a squad mini-game.
In Emperor’s Cup news, Gamba Osaka stumbled to a 2-1 upset victory against heavily favored Nagoya Grampus. Though the team came out strong in the first half with two goals (one scored by former FCT striker Lucas), they struggled to hold back Nagoya in the second half as they were obviously worn out from their Club World Cup matches held just three days earlier. Gamba will face a well-rested Yokohama F. Marinos squad on Monday at Kokuritsu, just after FC Tokyo and Kashiwa Reysol finish their duel at Ecopa Stadium. Nagoya’s loss also dashed cold water on the hopes of Oita supporters; their team no longer has an outside shot at an ACL bid.
That’s all from Tokyo! I’ve got 6 days of concerts ahead of me and will be at Countdown Japan 08-09 starting from the 28th so I sasdly won’t be able to watch either match. Here’s to an FC Tokyo victory, and hopefully a celebratory blog post on New Year’s Day!
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