Confederations Cup
Zico Japan semi-redeemed itself with a convincing 2-2 tie against ultimate Confederations Cup champion Brazil, and a 1-0 victory over lackluster European champion Greece. Though Japan bowed out of the tournament after the first round - tied with Brazil on points, but losing out on goal difference - it was the first good news in months for the oft-adrift squad.
Following the Brazil match, the Brazilian press even argued that a poor call saved Brazil from a face-saving loss. Early in the match, Akira Kaji had a goal disallowed when referee Mourad Daami raised the off-side flag. Replays showed the call to be wrong, and the O Estado de Sao Paulo's headline the next day read "Referee's Hand Saves Brazil." Columnist Renato Mauricio Prado went further: "I was ashamed because not even with the scandalous help from the referee was the Brazilian team able to defeat Japan."
Zico in his playing days in JapanNew blood for the East Asian Championships, July 31-August 7
Coach Zico has called up three new players into the national team for the upcoming East Asian Championships. Takuya Tanaka (Urawa Reds), Shinji Murai (Jubilo Iwata), and Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo) will all pull on Japan's blue strip for the first time. Tanaka and Konno were key members of the 2004 Athens Olympic squad.
Among the many complaints about Zico--spending most of his time in Brazil on holiday, no clear strategy, hiring much of his extended family as "technical advisors," over-reliance on Europe-based players--perhaps the most stinging was that he has yet to call up young talent. Finally.
Ukraine & Latvia Friendlies
Japan has arranged friendlies away to Latvia on October 8 and Ukraine on October 12 later this year.
Honduras & "top European nation" Friendlies
The Japan Football Federation announced on July 22 that Japan would face Honduras and a "top European nation" at home this fall. Honduras, which is currently ranked 39th in the world, will play Japan on September 7th at Miyagi Stadium, in Sendai; the second match, against an as yet undisclosed opponent, will be held at the National Stadium in Tokyo on November 16th. The latter match will be Japan's final friendly of 2005. At that point, eyes will turn towards the World Cup draw in Germany.
Coach Zico said that he is taking both matches very seriously, and that he will call up his Europe-based players to take part.
It is now being estimated that next year's World Cup soccer finals in Germany will add more than 250 billion yen ($2.23 billion) to Japan's gross domestic product. This will happen as a result of increased domestic spending thanks to Japan's qualification.
According to the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, Japan will witness huge outlays for high-definition, large-screen TVs, soccer-related publications, late-night electricity bills, and other activities will bump up GDP in 2006 by 0.05% over the current year.
The 9th RoboCup International Competitions will be held in Osaka, Japan, from July 13th-19th. Teams from 35 countries will take part in the tournament that bills itself as an "international and education initiative." There are several categories of play: a simulation league, small-size robot league, middle-size robot league, four-legged robot league, a humanoid league, and more.
Soccerphile's C. Ogawa will be covering the action live and filing reports on Soccerphile's Robocup Blog.
Yoshito Okubo, Real Mallorca
Japan striker Yoshito Okubo has had his loan-deal extended for one year. The Spanish club allegedly was seeking a full transfer from Cerezo Osaka for about 2 million Euros, but backed off when it reconsidered its financial constraints.
Shunsuke Nakamura: Signs with Celtic
Shunsuke's Italian club Reggina accounced on July 25th that it had reached agreement with Celtic for the transfer of Nakamura. No other details were forthcoming about the move to the Scottish club.
Mitsuo Ogasawara: Lazio-bound? Lecce?
Kashima Antlers star midfielder and arguably the best player in the J.League, Ogasawara is rumored to be headed for Lazio in Italy's Serie A. The tiny and talented pass-master has yet to make a formal announcement.
In late July, Italian club Lecce sent a formal offer for Ogasawara to Kashima. Ogasawara is eager to test his skills in Italy, but his J.League club is refusing to let the 26-year-old leave until the end of the current season in late November.
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Nagoya Grampus Fans |
After a six week-long break, the J.League got under way on Saturday July 2nd. Kashima Antlers leads the pack, but Gamba Osaka is coming on.
Ozzie Ardiles Fired
FC Tokyo's coach Osvaldo Ardiles was given the pink slip in late July after more than a month of bad results. The former Tottenham Hotspurs and Argentina star was hired in June 2003, and led FC Tokyo to the 2004 Emperor's Cup title. However, the once great Verdy are now close to the bottom of the J1 table. In one recent match, Verdy lost 6-0 to former rival Jubilo.
Marinos: Ahn Jung Hwan, Leaving; Yuji Nakazawa, Staying; Javier Saviola...
Defending J.League champion Yokohama Marinos will part ways with South Korea striker Ahn Jung Hwan. The 29-year-old forward's contract has expired, and he has signed with French First Division side Metz.
In some good news for the port city team, defender Yuji Nakazawa has decided to renew his contract and stay in Japan. Though reportedly considering offers from many European clubs, the tall talented fullback will stay on in Japan at Yokohama with an eye on keeping his spot in the national team lineup.
The Marinos are also reportedly pursuing Argentine forward Javier Saviola. According to the Hochi Shinbun, Yokohama failed to sign Zinedine Zidane, and are now trying to sign the 1.68 meter striker. If the deal comes through, Saviola would join Brazil forward Magrao who joined the club a week ago.
Emerson Going to Al-Saad
Urawa Reds striker Emerson has signed with Qatar's Al-Saad after refusing to return to his J.League club. The former J.League Player of the Year returned to Brazil in June--and never rejoined his Saitama club. He signed with the Gulf club for a reported $8-10 million.
Rehak back as Manger at Vissel Kobe
Former coach Pavel Rehak is back after Emerson Leao failed to turn around the cellar-dweller. The 41-year-old Czech has had previous stints in the J.League, including briefly at Kobe.
Leading Goal Scorers
| Name | Goals | Shots | PK | Games |
ARAUJO, Gamba Osaka |
17 | 78 | 0/0 | 18 |
| Masashi Ogura, Gamba Osaka | 12 | 81 | 0/0 | 18 |
| Washington, Tokyo Verdy 1969 | 12 | 60 | 3/4 | 18 |
| Seiichiro Maki, JEF United | 8 | 28 | 0/0 | 18 |
| Clebel, Kashiwa Reysol | 8 | 60 | 1/1 | 16 |
| Cho, Shimizu S-Pulse | 8 | 42 | 1/1 | 16 |
| Maeda, Jubilo Iwata | 8 | 33 | 0/0 | 15 |
| Yuki Abe, JEF United | 7 | 43 | 2/2 | 15 |
| Lucas, FC Tokyo | 7 | 41 | 1/2 | 17 |
| Christian, Omiya Ardija | 6 | 23 | 0/0 | 11 |
| Juninho, Kawasaki Frontale | 7 | 52 | 1/2 | 15 |
| Bobby Cullen, Jubilo Iwata | 6 | 29 | 0/0 | 15 |
J2: Kyoto Purple Sanga Racing Away from Pack
After 22 matches, Kyoto Purple Sanga, now in its second year in the second division, has 54 points on 17 wins, three draws, and just two defeats. Two teams are tied for second with 33 points. The Sanga faithful are wary from previous experience but are already beginning to conjecture about life in J1 next season.
European club champion will not be coming to Japan this summer. Scheduled to face Shimizu S-Pulse on July 27th and 30th, Liverpool had to cancel the trip - and forego a lot of revenue - because it may conflict with its Champions League title defense.
Barca 3 Marinos 3
Barcelona was held to a 3-3 tie by J.League champions Yokohama Marinos in June. Barca was playing without superstar Ronaldinho.
The Galacticos were soundly trounced by home side Verdy 3-0 in a July 25th friendly. Exhausted from a schedule that saw the Spain league powerhouse arrive on Sunday after four other pre-season friendlies, Real looked limp. Roberto Carlos was yellow-carded for diving, and David Beckham nearly came to blows with former Japan international Kazuyuki Toda. The wild-haired Toda clearly came to play--and win--and was a tad too aggressive for some of the Real elite. Verdy, which recently sacked coach Ozzie Ardiles and is in second-from-last place in J1, saw goals from Daigo Kobayashi, Washington, and Takuya Yamada. For the Merengues, only Zinedane Zidane looked sharp.
Following on the heels of Real Madrid's thrashing at the hands of underperforming FC Tokyo, Manchester United became the latest big name team on tour in Japan to lose to a local side. Though outplayed by J1 leader Kashima, Manchester appeared to take the July 28 game seriously. In spite of this, Masashi Motoyama scored twice and led the Antlers over Man United.
Other International Friendlies
Kawasaki Frontale 1 Bolton 1
Cerezo Osaka 0 Fiorentina 3
FC Tokyo 0 Bayern Munich 4
Albirex Niigata 2 Dalian 2
