I haven’t been able to put as much time as I’d like towards updating the site over the winter break, but I’m still posting odds and ends on Twitter via @aishiterutokyo so if you’re a Twitter user feel free to follow!
It seems like the team officially starts activities on the 24th, which generally means a press conference with the new players (and hopefully a sponsor announcement, and a foreign striker, and ponies and rocket cars for all).
For now, news in brief:
Schedule News
-The team will have training camp in Miyazaki Prefecture this year rather than spending a million dollars going to Guam.
-Preseason Match: 2/27 at home vs. Albirex Niigata. Not quite as exotic as vs. Consadole Sapporo in Okinawa last year but hey.
-Season Opener: 3/6 at home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos. This will be the second time the two squads have met on opening day; the first was 10 years ago as FC Tokyo won its first J1 match 1-0 on a late goal by Tuto.
-Week 2: 3/13 away at Urawa Reds. Again. Yippee. Given how much tickets go for I should just buy up as many as I can and make a profit.
Player Transfers
In: Morishige, Matsushita, and a bunch of kids from the youth squad
Out: Asari (retired), Fujiyama (to Consadole Sapporo), Kondo (to Consadole Sapporo), Bruno (unknown), Sahara (will return to Kawasaki Frontale), Moniwa (to Cerezo Osaka)
Rumors: A few still festering but nothing’s gained any traction beyond a day or two. As of right now the squad only has three experienced forwards (Akamine, Hirayama, and Suzuki) on the roster, plus I think one or two of the youth members.
NT News
-Hirayama is the new hero of Samurai Blue after scoring a hat trick to help a team of fresh faces come from behind in Yemen earlier this month. He, along with Ishikawa, Tokunaga, Nagatomo, and Konno will be on the squad for Japan’s match against Venezuela on 2/2.
-Depending on call-ups, these 5 players may be with the NT up through March 3rd, giving Jofuku difficult circumstances under which to plan his lineup.
As the season winds down to a close, we have stuff to look forward to (or not?) next season…
First, last week’s game against Vissel Kobe. We won, 1-0. Hiramatsu scored a fantastic header off of a Suzuki free kick in the 87th minute. If that was all you saw of the game, congrats: you saw the relevant bit.
Due to several fortunate results, Tokyo is now in sole possession of 5th place heading into the last game of the season vs. Albirex Niigata. A win, plus a Hiroshima draw or loss, would put Tokyo in 4th place. Not only would there be a decent bump to the end-of-season prize we would get from being in the top 8 (5th place receives 40 million yen while 4th gets 60 mil.), but we would have a Chance In Hell of going to the ACL next season.
I’m going to repeat that. Despite everything the team has been through we could still conceivably play in Asia. IF we get 4th place, and IF Kashima, Kawasaki, or Osaka wins the Emperor’s Cup. So, to start with, go Kyoto!
The Kobe match was also a day for farewells of various sorts. For starters, it was the final home game of “The Last Legends of Tokyo Gas” -- Satoru Asari (7) and Ryuji Fujiyama (8). With a combined 31 years of service for FC Tokyo and Tokyo Gas, the two players were often immortalized in gateflags simply as 社員. They were celebrated in a pre-game tifo:
Following the game the two players made tearful speeches to the home supporters. While Asari is officially retiring and may continue on with the team as a coach, Fujiyama had previously expressed his desire to continue playing “until my body falls apart” and, in a stunning announcement in front of the home crowd, announced that he will be playing for J2 side Consadole Sapporo next season.
After the speeches, the two players made their way around the pitch:
Unfortunately, it appears that the game was also the last stand at Ajinomoto for Bruno Quadros, who will not be resigning with the squad. I’m also seeing rumors that Hideki Sahara will be returning to Kawasaki Frontale.
In even less attractive news, I give you our 2010 uniforms:
The home kits are ugly as sin and I refuse to purchase one… what were they thinking with the ‘bib’ design? To be completely honest the photo of Nagatomo makes it look worse than it actually does due to the immense number of flashes going off at once. That said it’s still a mediocre design and adidas should be ashamed.
I could grow to like the away kit, though.
In other bulletpoint-worthy news…
-We’re after a bunch of players, and none of it’s worth reporting on until we actually sign someone.
-The team has withdrawn from its annual Guam Camp due to the costs involved (roughly $1 million) and will instead train in Miyazaki Prefecture this winter.
-World Cup draws announced! Japan in the pot with Holland, Denmark, and Cameroon. I say we have a fair shot.
Now, to get another hour or so of sleep before I go to El Loco for the match…
In a season where fans have begun to express concern at the nearly regular showings of diving, complaining, and otherwise poor sportsmanship in the Japanese game, the soccer-kami sat up on their mountain, cracked open a tall can of Sapporo, and declared with a booming voice “on this day, at Kokuritsu, there shall be a good clean 90 minutes of championship-caliber soccer.”
And by Gods, they got it.
This year’s 3rd edition of the Tamagawa Classico played out on the national stage, in front of a sold-out crowd of over 44,000 at Tokyo’s National Stadium with many more watching nationwide on TV. Supporters for both teams were as ready for combat as the players, with fans lining up throughout the frigid and sometimes rainy night. We got to the campout at 5am and enjoyed some chatting with fellow supporters as well as delicious dolphin stew. When the gates finally opened, Tokyo supporters streamed through the turnstiles to hunt for seats, quickly filling the home end of the stadium. Kawasaki fans soon joined them, and both team’s supporters would complete gorgeous choreography displays suitable for such a grand arena. But after all of the flag-waving, balloon blowing, and toilet paper throwing, the match finally began, and of course that’s what you’re here to read about, right?
Well, fuck that, let’s watch those tifos:
The game started with both teams attempting to gain control, and was pretty even in the first 15 minutes. Kawasaki pressed with a couple close shots (including a close-range bullet from Juninho that flew over the crossbar for reasons that defied us at the time), but Tokyo despite their sloppy defensive play somehow fought back and showed that they would not be pushed around. Then, 22 minutes in, Tokyo pressed with a counterattack that saw the ball fall in front of 18-year old Takuji Yonemoto, who had been awarded the J.League New Hero Award (given to an under-23 player for outstanding contribution to his team in the Nabisco Cup) the night before. 30 yards out and with players swarming around him, Yone did what comes natural to a young player with more balls than brains and shot a curving bullet that everyone expected to fly safely into the hands of Kawasaki’s keeper.
Until it went in and the home end erupted in cheers.
Yonemoto’s goal was a fitting sequel to that daisy cutter against Shimizu in the semi-finals, and it threw Kawasaki back on their heels while giving Tokyo the confidence needed to solidify its defense and push on offense. This continued till the whistle to end the first half, which passed by in what seemed like a moment.
15 minutes later, both teams came out for the second half seemingly ready to outdo their first-half performance. Kawasaki pushed hard, committing more men to the attack only to be denied each time as either Gonda or a swarm of Tokyo players practically threw themselves on top of the ball in an attempt to stop the Frontale attack. The fans in the away end, sensing an opportunity to get back into the game, sang at an even greater volume than before.
Suddenly, a Kengo Nagamura free kick lead to a Tokyo counter with Suzuki and Hirayama screaming down the pitch. As Kawasaki’s defenders caught up with them, Suzuki flipped the ball that Sota, whose last appearance on the national stage at Kokuritsu was as a high schooler, was waiting for.
The only thought that came to mind was “finally.” Anyone who’s watched Hirayama play this season knows that he’s had a desire verging on obsessive to score on a header (going so far as to shave his head for aerodynamic purposes), and yet in each game and in each practice shot it appears that once the ball comes into contact with his glittering dome the rebound is almost magnetically attracted to the “anywhere but the goal” area. Well, this day was different and Tokyo took a commanding 2-0 lead with but half an hour left in the match.
With a 2-goal cushion, Jofuku opted to reinforce defensively by bringing in Nagatomo (who started on the bench b/c of his shoulder) and Dashi Hiramatsu. This defensive posturing allowed Kawasaki to press the attack in a series of crosses, volleys, and corner kicks, each of which ended in a spectacularly heart-stopping moment as Tokyo’s supporters struggled to see where the ball was. According to the official statistics Kawasaki took 17 shots in the game, but from where we were standing it seemed like they took 20 in the second half alone. Crossbars were hit, Gonda was flying everywhere, and I recalled the highlights I’ve seen of Tokyo’s stunning effort against Urawa 5 years ago with each player exerting everything they had to stop the ball. Yonemoto was everywhere at once, stealing balls from Juninho and Tese and showing why he was the New Hero. Hiramatsu gave Frontale a free kick minutes after coming on after a hard tackle to stop a Kawasaki drive. And so it continued, punctuated only by a swift counterattack that should have been a 3rd goal as both Nagatomo and Suzuki failed to find an open net. Jofuku completed the defensive alignment by subbing out Suzuki for Hideki Sahara, but by then the wind had left the Frontale sails. Kawasaki pushed, Tokyo didn’t break, and after a surprising 4 minutes of extra time the referee sounded the final whistle, bringing an end to 90 minutes of dive-free, hard-fought soccer and giving Tokyo its first championship in 5 years. And the soccer-kami smiled.
The MVP award was, unsurprisingly, awarded to Takuji Yonemoto, making him the youngest player to win the Cup MVP; he gets one million yen (US$11,000) and bragging rights for the rest of his life.
Many more photos and video to come in a separate post, including the post-game victory rally at Ajinomoto Stadium. For now a hearty congratulations to my fellow supporters and a tip of the hat to Kawasaki’s supporters and players. It seems that the post-game conduct of Frontale’s players has sparked a bit of controversy, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that they played a fantastic match. Tokyo just played more fantastically, and are deservedly your 2009 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Champions.
-In the hopes that he can possibly return before the end of the season, Naohiro Ishikawa has been recieving rehabilitation treatment at the team’s Kodaira training facility. The star midfielder has received countless letters of support including many from non-Tokyo supporters. Nao is scheduled to have a followup checkup on the 28th and the team will release details of his injury that day.
-Tokyo veteran Ryuji Fujiyama, who has been with the team for 16 years (extending back to the Tokyo Gas era), will be released following the 2009 season. The team has apparently offered Fujiyama a coaching position, but, in his words, “I intend to keep playing until my body falls apart.”
-Yuto Nagatomo rejoined the team in practice this week and is expected to start against Shimizu on Sunday.
-In the last week Touchuu (the FC Tokyo edition of Chunichi Sports) has ran articles claiming that Tatsuya Suzuki, Naotake Hanyu, and Sota Hirayama are all ready/willing to fill the goal-scoring gap left by Ishikawa. Where were they all season…?
Ticket News:
It appears that FC Tokyo may play up to 4 consecutive sold out J.League games in the next month:
-Tomorrow’s match against Shimizu sold out as of Thursday (10/23)
-the Nabisco Cup Final has long been sold out
-The team announced earlier this week that the lower bowl of Ajinomoto has been sold out for the 11/8 matchup versus Urawa
-Visitor end tickets for the late-November tie against Chiba sold out within minutes upon going on sale Friday.
And this morning the ‘remaining’ tickets went on sale for the Nabisco Cup (pretty much all credit card-only); I nearly got a ticket but Visa fucked things up and so no SB ticket for me (which if one looks at the prices at scalper shops, I could have sold for enough profit to pay for tomorrow’s trip to Shimizu). Me? Bitter. Somewhat. In fact very. But see below.
Note that this doesn’t include the 11/11 Emperor’s Cup Game, which takes place on a Wednesday night in Nagasaki and will attract maybe a couple dozen Tokyo supporters. Seriously, JFA, knock this neutral venue bullshit off.
-Dunno what LA12′s tifo display will be but ours (as in me and previous special reporter Andre) will be awesome. Pics this week, hopefully!
-Design tickets are in the mail! Here’s my haul:
Original Design Ticket 4x, FC Tokyo ticket lottery allotment 2x, SOCIO allotment 1x. These are all going for at least 6-7,000 yen each on the open market, but I am being a good supporter and giving them to friends at face value. Because lord knows I’m immoral in every other way so I might as well make up for it
I’m a little busy so I’ve fallen behind on postings, here’s the latest from Tokyo:
-Cabore has officially signed with Qatar club Al Arabi, with a reported transfer fee of 500 million yen (roughly $5.5 million at the current exchange rate). The club has offered a formal apology to fans for not being able to set up a proper farewell from the star forward, and he expressed his heartfelt thanks to the fans and support for the club in a message published on the team website.
-Nabisco Cup tickets went on sale on Saturday morning at 10AM and were completely sold out less than an hour later. The stage is set for a packed house at Kokuritsu on November 3rd
-Tokyo lost 1-2 to Kyoto. In addition Hirayama recieved his 4th yellow, meaning he will be out for the Gamba match. Let’s move on until I have time to compose all of my thoughts.
(this post will be stickied until the Cup Final or tickets sell out, whichever comes first. Scroll down for the latest news!)
Want to support FC Tokyo in the Nabisco Cup Final? Here’s how to get a ticket to what is sure to be one of the fiercest Cup finals in recent memory:
First, mark your calendars:
2009 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final
FCTokyo vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 (it’s a national holiday)
Tokyo National Stadium (Kokuritsu)
2:05PM Kickoff
Want to be there yourself? Here’s the ticket info:
NOTE FOR ALL TICKET PURCHASES – FC TOKYO WILL BE ON THE ‘HOME‘ SIDE OF THE STADIUM, SO DON’T FORGET TO SELECT ‘HOME‘ FOR ANY TICKETS WHEN GIVEN THE OPTION.
SOCIO Season Ticket Holders
The club is mailing out information to season ticket holders on September 7th, 2009. Fans can apply for their tickets between September 8th, 2009 at 10AM and September 23rd at 9PM.
-Fans who do not receive this information by September 11th, 2009 are encouraged to call the club at ０３－３６３５－８９８５.
-Due to the difference in seating arrangements between Kokuritsu and Ajinomoto, the club has listed the seating conversions on this page. I would hazard a guess that they are the same as a regular season match at Kokuritsu would be.
-At this time I have no clue what the pricing will be or if SOCIO members will get the “Original Design Ticket” (see below).
J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Original Design Ticket
Attendees of the semifinal matches on both sides received special ‘Nabisco Cup Calendars’ that include a special URL through which ‘original design tickets’ can be purchased through Ticket Pia.
You can get to that URL here. The site does not open until tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 9th 2009 12:00PM.
Notes:
-These tickets will only be available until September 30th or when their allotment has sold out, whichever comes first. Some sections may sell out quicker than others.
-Payment may be made by credit card, conbini payment, Pay-easy, or internet banking.
-On the first day of sales (Sept 9th), tickets are limited to 4 tickets per person.
General Sales
General ticket sales begin on September 12th at 10AM.
-Tickets will be available through all places tickets are usually sold: conbinis (am/pm, Family Mart, Sunkus, Circle-K, 7-11, Lawsons), Ticket Pia shops, online ticket vendors, phone reservations, yadda yadda.
-Ticket Pia Code (P-CODE): 814-716
-Lawson Ticket Code (L-CODE): 31227
-Prices: Free Seating 2000y, SB Zone (back stand) 3000y, SA Zone (back stand) 4000y, Family Pack (back stand) 4000y, S Zone (main stand) 4500y, SS zone (main stand) 6000y, Celebrate Seat (main stand) 8000y.
BECAUSE THIS MATCH WILL FEATURE TWO KANTO TEAMS WITH STRONG SUPPORT, TICKETS WILL LIKELY SELL OUT QUICKLY. WANT TO GO? DO NOT HESITATE!
Oita report will come after I’ve caught up on sleep, suffice to say there was more good than bad.
Anyway. Anyone with an interest in Japanese soccer has more than likely visited the Rising Sun News, run peerlessly by Matsu for the last several years.
The RSN covers J1, J2, the National Team, and even JFL/prefectural league teams in more detail than anywhere else. Additionally, the site’s forums have served as an intimate gathering place for fans of J.League.
Unfortunately due to the sites’ old server (located on a subsection of the now-defunct wldcup.com) slowly eating itself, Matsu has had to relocate the Rising Sun to a new location. While this is really a good thing in the long run in terms of expanding the reach of Japanese soccer bloggers (the move has already produced an alliance between RSN and JapaneseSoccer.Net and will likely expand to bring J.Bloggers such as myself and others on my blogroll into the fold), there is a small matter of letting fans of the RSN know where the site is.
So, redirect your bookmarks, blogroll links, and suchlike to http://www.the-rising-sun-news.com. And spread the word.
I haven’t had time to write up proper reports for the last couple matches; anyone who’s followed on J’s Goal probably knows what’s happened. For those who don’t, here are the last three scores:
8/16 FC Tokyo 0 – 0 Yokohama FM
8/19 Montedio Yamagata 1 – 0 FC Tokyo
8/23 Kashima Antlers 3 – 1 FC Tokyo
No, I’m not even going to bother explaining these scores yet. It’s been a trying summer, to say the least, but given that most of J.League seems to be suffering we are, inexplicably, still not out of the ACL race. Plus there’s the upcoming Nabisco Cup Semifinal next week. Hopefully Oita will provide us with an opponent we can beat up, but a lot of that is certain to ride on whether or not Ishikawa makes it back to the lineup.
In other news, Tokyo is making some late-season player moves:
Veteran Jo Kanazawa is heading to Jubilo Iwata with a complete transfer. Jo has only appeared as a substitute in a few games this season and started once or twice. Kanazawa started his J.League career with Jubilo where he was a part of their ‘dynasty’ period from 1999 through 2002.
Rookie Kazunori Yoshimoto is off to FC Gifu on a 6-month loan. He’s appeared a couple times for Tokyo over the last 3 years but hopefully this loan will give him a chance to get more playing time and improve his skills.
In news that could have an impact into next season, longtime shirt sponsor ENOS has decided to withdraw sponsorship after this season ends. ENOS, which has long been considered the ‘face of Tokyo’ since it took over the front sponsorship from the AM/PM chain of convenience stores, paid 300,000,000 yen (roughly $3 million) for the privilege.
It’s that time of year again! The bracket for the 2009 Emperor’s Cup has been published here, for the convenience of anyone reading this blog here’s the matches that matter. This year J1 teams will enter from the 2nd round along with J2 teams; the road to the Cup will take 6 games.
October 10th, 11th, or 12th – FC Tokyo vs. the winner of either the Kagawa or Tottori prefectural tournaments at Ajinomoto Stadium
October 30th or 31st – vs. Thespa Kusatsu or Sagawa Shiga FC, venue TBA
November 14th or 15th – probably vs. either Omiya Ardija or Vegalta Sendai, Kyushu Oil Dome
December 12th – likely Gamba Osaka or Kawasaki Frontale
December 29th – Semifinal
January 1st – Final
They made it to the semifinals last year, can Tokyo go all the way? We’ll find out starting in October.
In other news, we play Omiya tomorrow and Dudu (2008 K.League leading scorer) will be starting for Omiya. Much like his namesake I’m sure that our defenders will be wiping him off their cleats by the time the game ends. Vamos!
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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