Don’t call it a comeback, we’ve been here for years.
Actually, we’ve been really busy with, well everything. But, much like J-League this coming weekend, Aishiteru Tokyo is back and much like FCT will do our best in the “Post-W” struggle.
To start with, let’s get the big news out of the way.
Yuto Nagatomo, FCT and Japan’s star side back, has signed a one-year loan deal with newly-promoted Serie A side A.C. Cesena. He will be the 9th Japanese player to ply his trade in Italy, and the first defender.
He will apparently be back in Japan to greet fans following Saturday’s Vissel Kobe game, which should make the resumption of J-League play in Tokyo all the more memorable.
Best of luck to you, Yuto. Kick some Italian ass and be ready to lead Japan in four years in Brazil.
I’ve been a bit busy with shooting shows (to the extent that I didn’t actually make it to Saturday’s match >_<) and have to catch up on posting the templated match reports, but for now here’s a guest report from regular commenter Y.N.W.A.:
I’d like to begin my first match report on the site by saying dokool certainly knows which games to miss! A lovely, though blustery, evening was not matched by the action on the pitch, as Tokyo carried on their customary sluggish start to the season with a disjointed performance.
The cruel defeat away to the Red Cubic Zirconias the previous weekend (may I just say, at the hands of an incompetent referee and a blind linesman) saw Jofuku react by making four changes to the starting XI, bringing in Hiramatsu for the suspended Morishige in the centre of defence, Kim at left back for his debut in place of the harshly dropped Mukuhara (this saw Nagatomo switch to right back), Ishikawa for Hokuto on the right wing and Akamine for Tatsuya up front supporting Hirayama. Unfortunately Kajiyama had picked up a knock and didn’t even make the bench, and his continued absence from the first XI meant the Tokunaga – Hanyu partnership continued in central midfield. More on that later
Moniwa got a good reception on his return to Aji Sta, both ends of the stadium doing the “Mo-ni-WA” chant before the game, but Sota and Aka were hoping to expose him as part of Osaka’s back three.
The signs were mixed in a fairly even first half, Tokyo had the better early chances with Hirayama forcing a good save after a mazy run after about 6 minutes, but Cerezo were keeping the ball well, with their Brazilian midfielder, Martinez, spraying the passes around and showing off a neat collection of flicks.
Tokyo were unable to retain possession for any length of time up against Cerezo’s five-man midfield and were forced to play on the counter, but when they were able to nick the ball chances did come, notably when Ishikawa embarked on a 50 metre run but saw his shot parried away, with Akamine taking one touch too many when the rebound from Nao’s effort found its way to him, Cerezo’s South Korean keeper, Kim, saving well again.
There were some nervy moments for the Gasmen though as Cerezo’s numerical advantage in midfield began to tell and they finished the half strongly, Nagatomo cleared off the line after Gonda flapped, and in stoppage time a dangerous ball was whipped across the six yard box but thankfully for Tokyo, with Gonda stranded, no Osaka player arrived in time to get a touch on it.
The second half began in mostly the same vein, with the Gasmen unable to gain control of midfield, despite the best efforts, it should be said, of Hanyu, who linked play fairly well in his best showing of the new season. Tokunaga, despite a few nice moments, was let down time and again by poor passing and Matsushita offered little down the left, and he was replaced by Otake 13 minutes into the half. Cerezo looked more dangerous in the second half, and in Kagawa they had the most creative player on the pitch. There were sighs of relief from the home end on more than a few occasions as Osaka’s poor finishing let Tokyo off the hook.
Ishikawa had put in a decent shift, looking threatening but struggling to really impose himself on the game, and Jofuku took the opportunity to hand Ricardinho his debut with 21 minutes remaining. He got right into the thick of it, too, the little Brazilian, playing on the left wing, tracking back to win the ball and going on some nice runs, but his delivery looked a little rusty, as was to be expected. Akamine had done little in the second half and with Tatsuya ready to come on with 10 minutes left I’d assumed it would be him going off, but with Hanyu seemingly contractually obliged to be subbed every game it was indeed number 22 heading for an early bath, which meant Otake had to go into central midfield next to Tokunaga.
There were half chances at either end in the final stages, but truth be told, Tokyo didn’t deserve anything out of the game, and considering the amount of possession Cerezo had, a point was a decent return for an underwhelming performance. Obviously no Tokyo player covered themselves in glory, but Nagatomo had a good game back in his natural position, Hiramatsu was steady enough next to the almost-always excellent Konno, Hanyu showed some good signs and Ricardinho’s cameo was mostly positive.
On the minus side, while I can’t really criticize Kim for his defensive work, he didn’t get forward as much as Mukuhara likes to, and when he did his delivery was ordinary, Matsushita continues to struggle to settle, and Tokunaga just doesn’t appear suited to central midfield at all. I realise the injuries to Yonemoto and Casual have forced Jofuku to think on the fly, but square pegs don’t go in round holes and our new captain seems to lack the awareness and passing ability needed to play in the centre.
With Morishige returning against Omiya hopefully the manager will pair him with Hiramatsu in central defence and push Konno into midfield next to Hanyu. This would allow Tokunaga to return to full back with Kim dropping back to the bench.
But wrapping up the game, this was clearly a missed opportunity for the Gasmen, a home game against a promoted team should be three points in the bank for a team looking to finish top four as a minimum, but to be fair to our visitors from Kansai, they were good value for their point, and with better finishing they could easily have returned to Osaka with all three.
Five years, four months, and ten days have elapsed since FC Tokyo slayed Urawa Reds in penalty kicks to win the 2004 Nabisco Cup. In that space, Urawa has won 12 of 14 games played, with the other two matches (both at Ajinomoto Stadium) ending in scoreless draws. Indeed, it seems that some things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes, cherry blossoms blooming in the spring, and Urawa walking away from FC Tokyo with three points.
Like in 2009, Urawa will play host to Tokyo in its home opener after getting curbstomped 2-0 by reigning champions Kashima Antlers the previous week. Their offense will, again, be in disarray, and fans will, again, be wondering how Finke intends to salvage the team yet, as always, remain irrationally confident that Urawa will win all of the championships they are eligible for and a couple they probably aren’t.
Unlike last year, however, the Reds will not be facing a reeling Tokyo squad with a rookie goalkeeper that had surrendered four goals in a horrific opening day loss to Albirex Niigata a week earlier. Instead, their opponents will be riding the momentum of a breathtaking stoppage time victory and one of Japan’s most heralded back lines, with three of the four regular call-ups to the NT. Shuichi Gonda is no longer a frightened 20 year old, but instead a poised veteran who tied the J.League single-season shutout record and got a national team call-up of his own back in January. Naohiro Ishikawa, who missed last year’s Urawa match following his season-ending knee injury, is likely to be back in the lineup as a “super-sub” and is expected to contribute in a similar fashion to his picture-perfect assist in last week’s match. Hirayama, for several seasons a disappointment, may have finally awoken.
And that is why Tokyo could slay the Urawa dragon tomorrow in front of what’s sure to be a packed house at Saitama Stadium.
In various occasions throughout the last week, players including Hirayama, Nagatomo, and Gonda have made assertive statements regarding a Tokyo victory. And you know what? This year of all years, I think it might be time to belive them.
It’s generally being reported/predicted by the media that Jofuku will keep the same lineup from last week, and whether that’s the best idea or not it seems like there aren’t many better options.
The big question mark will, once again, involve Kajiyama and Ishikawa. Ishikawa is again set to come off the bench as a so-called “super sub”, but there are some rumblings about Kajiyama being ready to start. Unlike last week where the starting lineup was essentially announced on the FCT TV program “Tokyo Hotline,” it seems like Jofuku is playing his cards a little closer to his chest. There’s also a chance that Akamine could earn a start, adding to the mystery.
Or if Kajiyama can start, Gonda; Tokunaga, Morishige, Konno, Nagatomo; Nakamura, Kajiyama, Mukuhara (why not, at least he’ll play 90 minutes), Matsushita; Hirayama, Akamine/Suzuki
Hell, as long as I’m pulling names out of a hat let’s take a page from commenter Bobby Mann Ate My Leg and spin it a little: Gonda; Tokunaga, Morishige, Hiramatsu, Nagatomo; Akamine, Mukuhara, Konno, Matsushita; Hirayama, Ricardinho
I don’t imagine we’ll figure out what’s up until tomorrow, but the possibilities are certainly intriguing. I like Matsushita and want to see him get more playing time… I also want to see Nakamura come out and have a better outing than he did last week. At this point, Suzuki and Hanyu are really starting to become liabilities… Suzuki is a very servicable substitute but Hanyu’s days as a regular starter could be numbered.
In other news…
FC Tokyo announced the tentative signing of 16-year-old volante Shuto Kono on Friday. The young U-17 NT player is the first pro player to emerge from the JFA Academy, a school set up by the Japanese Football Association with the goal of raising Japan’s future elite class of soccer players. He was born and raised in Tokyo and has supported FCT his whole life, which makes him an ideal addition to the squad. Honestly, signing a 16-year-old probably doesn’t mean much in the short term, but there’s a possibility that Kono could be the next Yonemoto so in the long term it’s a very smart pickup for the team.
Sunday’s game is a near-sellout, with 2000 tickets set aside for match-day sales. Saitama Stadium’s capacity is about 63,000. Last year’s Urawa home opener, played in the rain, drew just over 50,000.
Speaking of rain, there’s none expected on Sunday: partly cloudy and around 11C/50F.
Sota Hirayama will contribute a monthly column to Weekly Soccer Magazine with his first article to appear in Tuesday’s edition.
FC Tokyo and derby rivals Kawasaki Frontale are set to announce details for this year’s Tamagawa Classico on Monday. In addition to the usual press conference, the Tower Records in Kawasaki will be selling the official “Tamagawa Classico Anthem” CD (featuring the track “Get The River Under Control”), claimed to be the first musical collaboration between two J.League squads. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as City Bred, Two Colors.
March 6th 2009, 2PM Kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium (Chofu, Tokyo) Attendance 29,011
GK Gonda
DF Mukuhara
DF Konno
DF Morishige
DF Nagatomo
MF Nakamura
MF Tokunaga
MF Hanyu
MF Matsushita
FW Suzuki
FW Hirayama
Starting Members
GK Ikura
DF Fujiya
DF Nakazawa
DF Ogura
DF Tanaka
MF Hyodo
MF Kanai
MF Kano
MF Yamase
FW Hasegawa
FW Watanabe
64′ Kajiyama (Hanyu)
69′ Ishikawa (Nakamura)
76′ Akamine (Suzuki)
Substitutes
61′ Sakada (Kano)
79′ Shimizu (Hasegawa)
90+2′ Bastianini (Kanai)
90+1′ Hirayama
Goals
Cautions
Ejections
Report
It was rainy, it was wet, it was a little cold, it was windy, it was miserable: why not start the season? A day removed from temperatures in the low 70s and cloudless sunny skies, FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos played in front of just over 29,000 fans who braved the elements to come to Ajinomoto Stadium and kick off J.League’s 2010 season. Tokyo had to manage with the loss of midfielder Takuji Yonemoto to a torn ACL and midfielders Kajiyama and Ishikawa still not ready to play a full 90. Yokohama was not only still waiting for Shunsuke Nakamura’s return but lost defender Naoki Matsuda to injury. Regardless of who was in the lineup, though, it was time for that old ditty to be sung at Ajinomoto for the first time in over 3 months.
Now, as far as the actual match is concerned, well, there’s a whole lot less to be impressed with. After Hirayama teasingly hit the post in the opening minutes, neither team could really establish a rhythm. Passes missed, balls falling short of their intended receiver, and generally sloppy play to suit the sloppy weather. Both teams had a couple decent scoring chances but neither threatened; If you had TiVo’d the match, I would suggest skipping ahead one hour to get to the second half.
The second half is where it got interesting. Yokohama definitely looked more threatening and created some hairy situations, but Tokyo managed to stave them off. With a poised Gonda between the posts and a back line consisting of two current NT players (Konno and Nagatomo), a star defender with NT experience (Morishige), and a more-than-able third year player (Mukuhara), this was not the same back line that gave up 4 goals to Albirex Niigata on Opening Day last year.
While Tokyo was holding defensively, the offense didn’t kick back into gear until roughly the 70th minute, when Naohiro Ishikawa tagged in for Nakamura, taking the field for the first time since his season-ending injury against Kashiwa Reysol last October to a stadium-wide ovation. Immediately, Tokyo showed signs of life, pressing the attack and getting closer to Yokohama’s goal than they had for most of the game. Akamine went in for Suzuki seven minutes later, an indication that Jofuku intended for his team to play for 3 points.
One highlight of the game was seeing Matsushita, picked up from Albirex Niigata in the offseason, and his free-kicking abilities. As anyone following Tokyo last season is well aware of, the only thing Tokyo was worse at than defending against the set play was taking advantage of their own set play. Matsushita’s skills as a player were a bit shaky, but his two free kicks were impeccable and both had the potential to result in goals. When Matsushita and Ishikawa both positioned themselves to take a free kick closer to the end of the game, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only Tokyo supporter who got goosebumps.
However, with the clock hitting 90 minutes and 3 minutes of additional time, it seemed like both teams were just about resigned to taking home one point.
Then Akamine dished the ball off to Ishikawa and the race was on.
Go on, watch it again. In fact here’s a different angle
After the goal… no, wait, fuck it, I’m going to enjoy this. Here’s Ishikawa’s little hurdle again in slow motion so you can see him absolutely own Yokohama’s Shohei Ogura. This is the soccer equivalent of when a player dunks over a defender, teabagging him in the process. You just can’t get over it.
Finally, here’s a slightly different angle. Put this next to the first angle and wear some funny glasses and you can watch Yokohama’s back line get served in 3D.
Okay, I’m finished now. After that it was simply holding off a halfhearted attack by Yokohama and waiting for the ref to blow the final whistle.
After the game, 7 of us including two regular commenters to this blog walked down to Chofu where we found… that Kenny’s Irish Pub wasn’t open because of a private party (on game day! The nerve!) But we did find an izakaya and held what was basically the first official meeting of TOKYO DAMACY 1999! Everyone had a blast and I hope we have many more similar meetings in the future.
On to Urawa!
Quotes
“We may not have played so well, but the defense focused when it needed to and helped win the game.” -- Ryuhei Tokunaga
“We didn’t possess the ball for long enough to play how we want to play and that’s something we’ll consider going into next week.” -- Toshihiro Matsushita
“After last year’s opener [1-4 defeat to Albirex Niigata] I just wanted to get out of the locker room and go home as quickly as possible, but this year I want to sit down with other players and talk about the game. I feel like I’ve matured in a lot of ways since last year.” -- Shuichi Gonda
“While [Ishikawa and Hirayama's goal-scoring play] was important, I’m more satisfied with how the team didn’t fall apart even when we couldn’t get a solid attack started. As far as the goal is concerned, Kajiyama and Ishikawa were only on for a short period of time but they did their job well. After that, it was just a matter of Hirayama getting into position to take the shot. I want to see Hirayama’s accuracy increase, but more importantly I want him to put his body where it’s needed to create plays, and he was able to accomplish that today.” -- Hiroshi Jofuku
This is certainly not the news Tokyo fans were expecting to hear…
After a hard collision in front of a goal during an intra-team practice game, midfielder Takuji Yonemoto had to be carried off the field by trainers. He was examined today and based on the report on FC Tokyo’s website, his injuries very much mirror those that Ishikawa sustained last season (namely, a partial ACL tear on his left knee and meniscus damage).
The difference, however, is that that the two character that form the word “partial” were not present in the team’s announcement for Yonemoto’s test result, leading us to believe that the dreaded “2nd Year Jinx” has hit last year’s Nabisco Cup MVP in the worst of ways.
At worst, this could mean that Yonemoto will have to sit out the 2010 season, which would be a devastating blow to the team and to the young star. While Kajiyama has finally rejoined the team in his practice regimen, he still may not yet be battle-ready and thus Tokyo may be without the pillars of its formation for the beginning of the season.
Formation-wise it’s now pretty likely that Matsushita will start, and depending on how ready Kim is, Jofuku could choose to start him at CB and move Konno back to his old position of volante. Hiramatsu could play a factor too… the next week will be a tough one for Jofuku, but despite the severity of the potential loss I still don’t think it’s as bad as last year’s GK situation.
There will be many cranes folded tonight in the capital city. More to come when I have it.
With J.League less than 2 weeks away, I figure it’s about time to make public (or at least official) what I hope to be this site’s big initiative for the 2010 season.
On Sunday evening, I attended a meeting at EL LOCO in Tokyo. This meeting didn’t produce any answers (nor was that its intention), but was instead meant to ask an important question:
Where do Tokyo’s supporters go from here?
With the 3rd-highest attendance in J1 (nearly 26,000 per game in 2009, trailing Niigata and Urawa), top-tier finishes in the last two years, and a recent championship that was one of the fastest sellouts in recent memory. Yet, when 26,000 attend each Tokyo home game, over 20,000 seats are still empty in the cavernous Ajinomoto Stadium.
The unfortunate reality is that a capital team in a capital city has to compete with… a lot of other things in the capital. In Tokyo’s case there are are two professional baseball teams, hundreds of livehouses, clubs, and bars (any one of them running an event on a particular night), movie theaters, and some minor-league pissant soccer club that wears green uniforms. There are any number of reasons as to why those 20,000 seats are empty, the question is what can be done to fill them.
I’ve been supporting Tokyo for nearly 3 years now and recently received my fourth SOCIO pin in the mail; the team is responsible for a lot of friendships I have made and incredible experiences I have had since I came to Japan. I made this site on a dare from users over at The Rising Sun, it’s now taken on a mission to spread news of FC Tokyo to English-speaking fans both in the city and around the world. Supporting the team has been a life-altering experience and I’ve always encouraged my friends and colleagues to join me behind the goal. I believe that while we have yet to take part in international competition, Tokyo has the potential to be a world-class club team and more supporters outside of Japan should be paying attention to what we’re up to.
To that end, beginning near the end of last season I started considering how I could start to do this on a greater scale. The obvious answer was, much like the S-Pulse UK Ultras or the now-defunct (?) MOIST, to start a supporter’s group aimed towards non-Japanese supporters, especially those who might not consider supporting a Japanese team when they have a team back home cheer for.
But of course, that would be way too exclusive; and would defeat the purpose of a supporter’s group: to have fun, to make friends, and to share in victory and defeat together. So, in the spirit of Tokyo’s international community, obviously an international supporter’s group was called for.
Therefore, afterconsulting with several friends and supporters on both sides of the pacific, my previously-stated goal of having an internationally-oriented supporter’s group will move forward under the name TOKYO DAMACY 1999. I’ve applied for and received penya status from the club; we’re #74.
For now, the goal is to start gathering regularly at the stadium or after matches and then hopefully move towards more proactive support (away trips, making flags/banners, you name it).
I’ve written up FAQs in both English and Japanese, those can be found here (or on the TOKYO DAMACY 1999 tab now included in the top navigation):
My idea for what I hope this penya to become is included in these FAQs, so hopefully once you read it you’ll understand the possibility of what we can accomplish (and will want to join in on the fun!)
To start with, our first official gathering will take place on March 6th, after the Yokohama match. The location will probably be Kenny’s Irish Pub in Chofu, just because it’s so close to the stadium and will probably have enough room for all of us (whether we’re 5 or 15). If you’re interested in attending, leave a comment or drop me an email at tokyodamacy1999@aishiteru-tokyo.com. Exact details (including times and directions) will be posted here in the near future.
I’m not quite sure how big this will become, but I know how big it can become and how big supporters I’ve talked to believe it will become. I hope to meet their expectations.
In addition to the various rookies, Tokyo has brought in 3 experienced players and one rookie with international experience to fill out its squad for 2010.
Masato Morishige
Age: 22
Position: Center Back
Previous Club: Oita Trinita
A physical center back with strong heading ability and fast feed passes, Morishige was one of the few true prizes available during Oita’s post-demotion sell-off. Pursued by several teams, he was eventually acquired by Tokyo and is expected by fans and media to have a regular starting lineup spot (mostly occupied last season by Bruno Quadros). His physicality comes with risks as his rough play sometimes results in cards.
Possibly the surprise signing of the offseason, Matsushita is an all-purpose midfielder who brings not only 8 years of playing experience with him but a host of tools that Tokyo lacked in 2009: namely, superior crossing and placekick abilities. He debuted as a rookie with Gamba Osaka following his high school graduation, playing in his first pro match that summer. He made 14 appearances in the team’s 2005 championship season, but spent the first half of 2006 on the bench as the manager favored new signings. Following a 1.5-year rental to Albirex Niigata, he joined the Swans on a full transfer in 2008 and appeared in all 34 games in 2009. He’s a threat both offensively and defensively and will likely start the season in the place of the injured Kajiyama.
Ricardinho
Age: 21
Position: Striker
Previous Club: ABC FC (Brazil)
Because no team is complete without a Brazilian forward to provide speed, agility, and an excuse to hold Brazil Day events, the only question following Cabore’s midseason departure wasn’t whether Tokyo would sign another Brazilian, but who and when. Rumors surfaced of Ricardinho’s acquisition in December after word leaked on a Brazilian news site, and Japanese press eventually picked up the story as the team and player headed toward an agreement. Ricardinho is not just fast, but he’s young and eager to adjust to Japanese soccer. He also speaks English and has used it to communicate with his new teammates (particularly NT veteran Nagatomo). Ricardinho played for Brazil’s U-16 through 20 teams, and spent two years with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer before 2009′s loan to ABC FC.
Kim Young-Kwon
Age: 19
Position: Center Back
Previous Club: Jeonju University
Long-awaited by supporters, Kim’s signing was delayed as a result of the team wanting to make sure he recovered from injuries sustained in the fall. He’s okay, however, and he promises to be a potential force in Tokyo’s backfield. He’s tall, he’s got pinpoint long passing abilities, and came to Tokyo with a ridiculous bowl haircut the likes of which I haven’t seen since Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. If Konno gets named to the World Cup squad, expect Kim to start in his place in the May-June Nabisco Cup fixtures.
Transferred last summer to Espanola from Celtic in a major deal that saw Japan’s most visible player in Europe step foot onto the continent, Nakamura has been unable to break through with the team after 6 months of league play in part due to a language barrier, inability to get fit, and various injuries. With the World Cup about five months away, Nakamura’s main objective is to get back onto the field and prove his worth to Okada. This is especially true as strong “leader”-type players like Kashima’s Ogasasawa have begun making appearances on the NT in Nakamura’s absence.
According to Sponichi Annex, should this transfer go through Espanola would likely cancel a planned summer tour of Japan that would have netted nearly half a million Euros ($700,000) in revenue. As a result, the team would likely seek to recover some of that lost revenue in what would be a relatively high transfer fee.
Yokohama F. Marinos (the team Nakamura grew up playing with and what was thought to be his destination after Celtic) is in the lead to acquire the left-footed midfielder, but Kashima, Urawa, Gamba Osaka, and FC Tokyo are also named in the press as potential candidates.
Among fans, the general sentiment seems to be negative, with most criticism focusing on Nakamura’s fitness and strength especially compared with Kajiyama (maybe I just have blinders on but I think we could do with less Kajiyama, yet I digress) and others in Tokyo’s lineup. Another point on which I tend to agree on is that if Tokyo has the money to blow on a 3-month romp with an aging star arguably passing his prime, that money should instead be spent on a striker.
All involved parties apparently hope that the deal will go through in time for Nakamura to take the field on J.League’s Opening Day. Yet given that our first match is against Yokohama, it does appear likely that one way or the other Nakamura will step foot on Ajinomoto Stadium’s pitch.
In NT news, Sota Hirayama is likely to start for Japan in tonight’s match versus Hong Kong. Japan has played 180 scoreless minutes, with Saturday’s game against China ending in a shower of boos for the NT. Calls have been growing for Hirayama to start rather than appear as a mid-game substitution, and with Shimizu’s Okazaki likely out of the match with a knee injury it appears that #20 may take the field at 7PM. Meanwhile, former NT coach Philippe Troussier has criticized Hirayama for “trying too hard to control the game,” claiming that “[Hirayama] would be more effective with a simpler way of attacking.” Troussier, who let the NT from 1998 through the ’02 World Cup, further stated that Hirayama “…has potential, but isn’t at the top level yet.”
@pucchi_c It’s already out there in Japanese, my goal is make it English. FYI I’ll be starting a recuiting drive soon for more writers [aishiterutokyo]
By the way, the penya application was approved. Formal announcement tonight? ところでペーニャの登録が完了！今晩中は正式発表。 [aishiterutokyo]
also, Sunday's Emperors Cup 2nd Round match will be between the winner of Komazawa University and Verdy Youth. The latter would be fun, no?September 1, 2010 2:19
1-1 was your final, incidentally. Apparently away goals don't count in the Cup so Tokyo only has to win at Shimizu next Wednesday.September 1, 2010 2:19
Nagatomo selected to Goal.com's Serie A Team of the Week: http://bit.ly/claJgXAugust 31, 2010 8:56
And 0-0 is your final! A well-deserved point for Cesena and a good start to Nagatomo's Italian career. To bed with me! 夜通し組お疲れ様でした！おやすみなさいwAugust 28, 2010 8:40
Aishiteru-Tokyo.com was launched in April of 2008 when dokool decided to troll the Rising Sun Forums and was instead invited by other English-language J.League bloggers to start his own.
About the Writers
dokool lives in Tokyo, Japan, where he spends his nights at punk shows and his weekends at FCT matches (and more punk shows. He can be found at most home games (and reasonably accessible away games) in the LA12 cheering section, often snapping away with his DSLR.
Lantis, a friend of dokool's from the New England otaku scene, joined the site in early 2009 as an assistant writer (maintenance posts, compiling news from official sources, setting up templates, and poking dokool with a sharp stick until he writes his match reports).
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