New Year, New Beginning

A very hearty 明けおめ to everyone out in the interwebs.

Unfortunately, an Emperor’s Cup final was not in the cards for FC Tokyo, as though dominating the pitch for most of the game they were unable to score a second goal and fell in the last minute; representative of the finishing problems that have plagued the team all season.  Thus, there will be no ACL matches at Ajinomoto in 2009, with the final slot going to 2008 ACL champions Gamba Osaka.

So now that the season’s officially over, let’s review, shall we?

J.League Division 1

Following the disappointing 2007 campaign, many fans wondered how the team would fare in their 10th anniversary season.  With new uniforms, a new manager, and several new faces, FC Tokyo proved itself to be a new team and gave the supporters an exciting, sometimes frustrating, but always entertaining season.

With eventual ROTY candidate and National Team selectee Yuto Nagatomo shoring up the defense along with Sahara, Asahi, Konno, and Tokunaga, the squad managed to shore up the porous defense that was a major problem in 2007.  FCT’s goal differential had a net change of 13 between 2007 and 2008, going from -9 to +4.  Of course, much of this was also due to some big saves by goalkeeper Shiota, who has adapted well to his role as FCT’s field general.

On offense, departing froward Lucas was replaced with Cabore, 2007′s leading scorer in Korean top division K.League.  Cabore teamed up with Akamine throughout the season and was the team’s second-highest scorer with 13 goals; Akamine lead the team with 18 and was a league leader among Japanese strikers.  Offseason acquisition Naotake Hanyu was an important addition to the Tokyo midfield, and rookie Yohei Otake lit up the field as an often-called subsitute with his small frame and explosive speed.  Yet, scoring seemed to be the one thing Tokyo didn’t significantly improve on; FCT scored only one more goal in ’08 than they did in ’07.  This, however, was enough to get FCT in a 3-way tie for 3rd place on the scoring list, compared to 10th in 2007.  Another disappointment was Sota Hirayama, who continued to underperform throughout the year although he did make his way back onto the starting roster as the season wound to a close.

The season was replete with some exhilarating highs (the first Tokyo Derby in 3 years ‘at’ Verdy, the home game against Kawasaki, the stunning upset victory against Kashima) and some depressing lows (notably the 3-1 loss at Yokohama, the rain-soaked 0-1 loss to Kashiwa, and the 1-2 collapse against Verdy).  Most of the games that ended with a draw or a one-point loss could have been radically altered if FCT had converted on one or more scoring opportunities.  Although the team is making strides in shoring up its offense, without more goals Tokyo won’t be able to stand their ground against high-scoring squads like Kashima and Kawasaki.  Many of the disappointing results were results that could have – indeed, in some cases, should have – been different.  The team’s inability to finish strong in some games cost them several results that might have given them an ACL bid, or even a legitimate crack at the championship.

Though rising from 12th to 6th place is nothing to scoff at, part of the enchantment was that nobody really thought that they would pull it off when the season started.  Expectations are sure to be much higher in 2008.

Record: 16 wins, 7 draws, 11 losses
Ranking: 6th out of 18

Yamazaki Nabisco Cup

The J.League Reserve Players Cup provided some excitement in 2008 mainly due to FCT being placed in the same group as Tokyo Verdy.  This, of course, led to two more Tokyo Derby matches, both won by FC Tokyo and the latter of which featured a Hirayama hat trick.  Shimizu continued to baffle and was the only team that FCT lost to in the group stage.

In the quarterfinals, FCT fell to the turtles at Oita Trinita with 0-1 and 1-1 results in the home-and-away series.  This marks the second year in a row that FCT has been eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Record (Group B): 3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss
Ranking:  Lost in Quarterfinals to Oita Trinita (eventual champions)

Emperor’s Cup

FC Tokyo made the best of their last chance to reach the ACL with an exciting campaign all the way to the semifinals.  They won against Vegalta Sendai, Albirex Niigata, and Shimizu S-Pulse before their eventual loss to Kashiwa at Ecopa in Shizuoka.  The defense in the semifinal was certainly affected by Hiroyuki Moniwa recieving a one-match suspension following recieving his second yellow card of the tournament in the quarterfinal match, but the team’s inability to score a second goal is what ultimately cost them the match.

Ranking:  Lost in Semifinals to Kashiwa Reysol

As we get closer to the 2009 season (only 64 days away!) I’ll do a Season Preview post, but for now I shall engrave in stone my prediction for 2009: Top 3 and an ACL 2010 bid.  You heard it here first.