Fujieda MYFC 1-1 Zweigen Kanazawa

Barry writes  

Fujieda MYFC 1-1 Zweigen Kanazawa
Hisatomi 18 --------------------------------- Kiyohara 15

Att. 729
June 2nd, 1pm
Fujieda Citizen Ground, Fujieda

Report

With J1 on a five week break I took the opportunity to head out to Shimizu's neighbours Fujieda MYFC. Formed in 2010, MYFC have already risen from the regional leagues to the national JFL, Japan's third tier. Only one promotion from J2, and with the advent of J3, we may be seeing them fully professional within a few years.

MYFC don't currently hold J. Associate Membership, but are not far off. The biggest hurdle will be supporters. An average gate of 532 last year, they had a fair few more on Sunday including several S-Pulse fans like myself. But with Shimizu twenty minutes to the east and Iwata forty to the west, can Fujieda support another fully professional team? Time will tell, but Fujieda Blux moved to Fukuoka and became Avispa over that very issue.

Before I started taking myself over to Brighton's Goldstone Ground in the mid 90s my first taste of regular live football was the altogether more amateur Eastbourne United. Playing in the 10th tier of England football, they were lucky if the amount of paying fans matched the combined number of squad members, but it was real grass roots football, and you can't beat it. That's what came to mind at Fujieda's 3000 capacity Citizen Ground on Sunday. Superficial similarities aside, MYFC hail from entirely different circumstances to Eastbourne United, and can boast lot more local interest. It's a club built by the surrounding community, and they clearly have plenty of pride in their team.

The game was a decent one against Zweigen Kanazawa, another team with J. League ambitions.  The visitors took the lead after 15 minutes as a long ball caught the defence flat footed allowing the forward to steal in and volley home. The lead didn't last long, equalising within five minutes. Fujieda should have won it when former Brazilian international Kerlon was through one on one with the keeper in stoppage time. He took it a shade too wide and ended up firing off target, but a draw was ultimately fair.

One of the joys of lower league football is finding former top level players seeing out their swansong years, or otherwise hidden gems like above mentioned Kerlon. He represented his country at U20 level, and was signed to Inter Milan as recently as last year. However, injuries and application has seen him loaned out time and again over the years, and now he finds himself in rural Shizuoka. He definitely has the touch about him, but it will come down to fitness and desire whether we see him playing at a higher level again.

Also signed to MYFC are former S-Pulse legends Daisuke Ichikawa and Toshihide Saito. Neither saw action on Sunday, but with Fujieda at home again on the 16th, and J1 on sabbatical until July, I may well venture over again. If you want to know more about Fujieda MYFC, there's an excellent blog run by fellow Englishman Cam Melling called Following Fujieda (no longer active). You can also find him on Twitter here.

I'll leave you with a few pictures from the day. I regret not getting a shot or two of the travelling support, who were more than decent given the distance. Respect to all who plough time and effort into grass roots.

Pictures

Kick off

Jumbotron, JFL Style

 Kerlon

 Full time

  If MYFC ever make the big time, these guys can rightfully say We were here first

JSoccer Magazine Issue 8 is on the Way!

Barry writes  

THE English language Japanese Football magazine is 8 issues old on June 15th.... here's what you can expect to find inside:

Shinji Kagawa, Ryo Miyaichi, Omiya Ardija, Yokohama F•Marinos, Vissel Kobe, Yokohama FC (Kazu poster!), Kashiwa Reysol's ACL progress, Confederations Cup focus, World Cup 2002, Hidetoshi Nakata, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Futsal Special, lots of fan pictures and much more....

With special thanks to Barry for allowing me to spread the word here, I am pleased to make a very special offer for readers of this web site - sign up at http://www.jsoccer.com/signup and send an email to alan@jsoccer.com and you can have the S-Pulse-covered Issue 5 FREE on PDF! If you prefer, though, you can take ANY issue you like through this offer - check out the alternatives at http://www.jsoccer.com/store/jsoccermagazine.html

Thank you for your interest in JSoccer Magazine and Japanese Football!

Alan Gibson, editor

S-Pulse 2-0 Vegalta Sendai

Barry writes  

S-Pulse 2-0 Vegalta Sendai
Kawai 49
Takagi 87

Att 12642
IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka City
May 25th, 2pm

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Yoshida (51)
DF Hiraoka
DF Sugiyama
DF Lee

MF Muramatsu
MF Takeuchi
MF Musaka

FW Ishige
FW Kawai
FW Ito

Subs Used

Senuma (81) on for Ito (62)
Takagi on for Musaka (79)
Miura on for Ishige (91)

Pictures

The teams line up

 The home end was on top form

 The view from the posh seats

 Second half kick off

 Birthday boy Toshiyuki mobbed after his goal

Report

Some days it's an absolute pleasure to be an S-Pulse fan, and yesterday was one of them. The result, the fact it came from a team with an average age of just 22, and that I was lucky enough to watch from the VIP room, combined to make it a day to remember. Roy Keane would have loved it. Sushi, sashimi, noodles, sandwiches (none prawn, sadly), roast beef, all on a help yourself basis, and set off with a free bar. It was my first time watching from within air conditioned opulence, and I could definitely get used to it.

Missing both Jong a Pin and Bare, it was again something of a juggling act, but we responded perfectly.  Sugiyama dropped back to defence again which of course has a knock on effect. Débutante Musaka, who took to midfield, asserted himself well and everyone can be proud to have sent a decent Sendai team home pointless. Hats off to Kushibiki, who has done a good job in goal in the league cup and displayed safe hands throughout.

Both goals demonstrated different strong aspects of our play, the first with lightening passing in a tight spot breaking open space for a cross which Kawai met. The second was a speedy counter, and credit where its due to the linesman. It was a tight call, but the run was timed perfectly. I've lost count the number of times I've seen them wrongly called offside, but the judgement was spot on, and Takagi, with his old strike mate Genki Omae watching in the stands, grabbed his first goal of the season by calmly slotting home through the keeper's legs.

We now enter the mid season break, the J. League starting back up again on July 6th. We sit 9th, but we can do better, and we know it. After the recess, we'll be able to start a full strength team in our first game away to Nagoya. They're having a rough old time of it right now, so we can go into it with every confidence. 

Videos

Highlights
 


Kachiloko, with special guest Genki Omae. It was great to see him.

S-Pulse 1-2 Yokohama F. Marinos (Nabisco Cup Group Stage)

Barry writes  

S-Pulse 1-2 Yokohama F. Marinos
Ishige 74 -------------------- Marquinhos 44
---------------------------------- Fujita 68

Att 6782
IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka City
May 22nd, 7pm

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Fujita
DF Hiraoka
DF Sugiyama
DF Lee

MF Muramatsu
MF Kawai
MF Takeuchi
MF Musaka
MF Ishige

FW Bare

Subs Used

Musaka on for Ito (HT)
Miura on for Takeuchi (70)
Senuma on for Kawai (87)

Report

As we were already out of the competition it was a good chance to start a few young faces. Fujita in defence impressed especially with tireless work rate and was everywhere in the first half.

We lost 2-1, which was a decent result against a full strength Yokohama with everything to play for.

FC Tokyo 2-0 S-Pulse

Barry writes  

FC Tokyo 2-0 S-Pulse
Takahashi 53
Lucas 61

Att. 24003
Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
May 18th 2013

Line Up

GK Hayashi

DF Yoshida
DF Hiraoka
DF Muramatsu
DF Lee Ki-Ji (93)

MF Sugiyama
MF Takeuchi
MF Kawai

FW Ishige
FW Bare (77)
FW Sho

Subs Used

Murata on for Ishige (62)
Senuma on for Ito (74)
Shirasaki on for Kawai (85)

Report

Should have at least ended in a draw this one, and but for two pieces of wretched luck it would have done.

Videos

Highlights.

S-Pulse 0-1 Shonan Bellmare (Nabisco Cup Group Stage)

Barry writes  

S-Pulse 0-1 Shonan Bellmare
--------------------------------- Otsuki 8

Att. 6261
Nihondaira Stadium, Shizuoka City
May 15th 2013, 7pm

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Yoshida (25)
DF Hiroi
DF Lee Ki-Je

MF Sugiyama
MF Muramatsu
MF Takaki
MF Takeuchi

FW Kawai
FW Ito
FW Senuma

Subs Used

Bare on for Takaki (HT)
Ishige on for Kawai (61)
Murata on for Senuma (77)

Report

Our Nabisco Cup dream came to an end with defeat to Shonan. Shonan themselves were already eliminated, so the result leaves the qualification between Kawasaki and Iwata. Yokohama are already through to the quarter finals.

Well, onwards and upwards! League game on Saturday away at FC Tokyo. Remember last year? Rarely a dull game at the Ajinomoto between us two. I won't be there sadly, but will be watching and live tweeting my usual highly impartial ranting and raving.

Videos

Highlights

Ventforet Kofu 0-2 S-Pulse

Barry writes  

Ventforet Kofu 0-2 S-Pulse
----------------------------------------------------- Lee Ki-Je 59
----------------------------------------------------- Bare 83

Att. 7754
Chou Bank Stadium, Kofu City
May 12th 2013, Kick off 5pm

Line Up

GK Hayashi

DF Yoshida
DF Hiraoka (72)
DF Lee Ki-Je

MF Muramatsu
MF Sugiyama
MF Takeuchi
MF Kawai

FW Bare
FW Ishige
FW Takagi

Subs Used 

Ito on for Takagi (35)
Hiroi on for Ishige (73)
Takaki on for Takeuchi (93)

Report

OK, we'll get the moan out of the way first: Chuo Bank Stadium is an awful place to watch football. Kofu's nice, the local food is top quality and the area around the ground is as scenic as it gets, but the stadium itself is a nightmare. Miles from the pitch, no roof, and not even any cover behind the stands. I mention this because it rained. All day.

Right, enough whinging. That was a cracking away day topped off with a hard fought victory against a decent Kofu side. It was a game of having to adapt. From the outset we were still without Jong a Pin, and we also had to contend with an early substitution for Takagi. His hamstring was giving him issues so Ito took over just half an hour into the game. Then on 72 minutes Ortigoza threw himself over under zero contact from Hiraoka, and Yasuhiro saw a straight red. The Kofu forward was through on goal, but the ball was getting away from him. He knew it, he took the dive, and the ref was fooled. Very harsh on Hiraoka who is the last player to take someone down that cynically.  


It was a tough game in the wet conditions, with the home team hitting the woodwork at one stage. My recollection isn't the greatest, in main to the poor view. The running track meant not a great deal beyond the halfway line was discernible with any accuracy. Fortunately for the travelling masses, both our goals came down our end, the first in the unlikely form of a Lee Ki-Je thunderbolt. Pressing up on the left, he picked up the ball and instead of going wide was allowed space to cut inside. Approaching the box he saw his chance and crashed it home.

The red for Hiraoka came with twenty minutes still to go so we were set for a long final quarter. It was looking like going as you'd expect with the wind firmly in Kofu's sails, but a lightening counter attack won the game. All credit has to go to Yoshida who, in not only preventing a corner, pushed it high upfield to Sho Ito was was right on top of it. Remaining on his feet after a clumsy challenge, the ref played a good advantage, which allowed Sho to lay a perfectly weighted ball off to Bare. Our view couldn't have been better as the Brazilian bore down on the keeper before placing it home with all the calmness in the world.


The two goal cushion left Kofu deflated and ensured a comfortable conclusion to the game, even one man down. The win continues our excellent form on the road and is a good response to the two defeats last weekend. After the kachiloko, in which the last two hours standing in the rain was forgotten, we left the free car parking (nice one, Kofu!) and headed for celebratory houtou. Houtou is some of the best warm-you-up food in Japan / Asia / the world, and if you're ever in the area you simply have to try it. 

The games keep coming thick and fast this month, and next is Shonan in the league cup. Shonan are already eliminated with two group stage games still remaining, whereas and a win for us would leave us one game from qualification for the quarter finals. Wednesday, 7pm at Nihondaira. See you there!


Pictures

 Alright, darlin. What you doing after the game?

We didn't have far off 40% of the gate, I'd guess

 The view was awful

 Lining up

 A happy ending

Videos

Highlights.


Extended highlights: