Sites from America

Once in awhile, I like to introduce you to sites not specifically related to Verdy.....well, here's two that are way out there.

The first one is by my friend from Big Soccer before she decided to escape the intellectual monkeycage and branch out on her own. Forteleza Menina has just started a site about MLS squad Real Salt Lake. Why a team like RSL gets such a beautiful and intelligent woman to dedicate time documenting their glory and pitfalls is beyond me but she does it so it would be rude not to read the blog........everyday. You can find it at www.rslfm.com

The second site I'd like to introduce is a site dedicated to my team in the US, FC Dallas. Buzz Carrick is the dean of team reporters, setting a standard that in my opinion, no one has come close to matching. Buzz recently has had some articles published in ESPN so he is getting some well deserved recognition for his professionalism and hard work. 3rd degree ( a wordplay on the former name of FC Dallas...the Burn.....one of the worst names in sports history outside of the ill-fated Kawaguchi FairyZ) can be found at www.3rddegree.net

Maybe you'll get an interest in MLS.........just don't even think about becoming a Houston Dynamo fan!

Vegalta loses their fans for a year?

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6332570

Just Kidding! The title was Moron fans lose team for a year and I thought about inserting YET ANOTHER REDS joke but decided against it. Some team in Argentina called DEPORTIVO MORON lost promotion in the last game and the fans attacked their players.

I mention Vegalta because they seem to be the group most likely to attack their own......don't believe me? Ask Satoshi Tsunami or READ THIS

http://footballjapan.blog14.fc2.com/blog-entry-296.html

Then there was this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4xOZvBXOXA

Now, that being said, I don't think what Vegalta has done comes even close to the worst things that happen around the globe....I mean French dudes would laugh at this. And I don't think anybody ever will get to the point where they do grevious harm to a player or another fan. I'm just saying DON'T BE A MORON

Damn, it's been a Slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww news week!

Ehime gets a player

Gamba Osaka is sending 21 year old striker Ryota Miki to Ehime. Miki has appeared in 3 games for Gamba in 2005. He notched one goal in an emperors cup match.

Off Topic: Urawa raiding the coffers of the J League

I don't know where to start on this............In an attempt to strengthen their lineup for the upcoming Asian Champions League, defending Emperor's Cup and 2006 League Champions Mitsubishi Urawa Red Diamond Football Club has been linked to signing Japan National Team member and JEF United Stalwart Yuki Abe and Brazilian striker Bare.

Bare rumor http://www.fcjapan.co.jp/mail_magazine/news/feature_view.php3?id=694&m=1
Abe rumor http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jl...OHT1T00087.htm
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/new.../12/10/07.html

I understand the desire for teams to do whatever they can to improve their teams. I applaud the drive to finally take seriously the regions Championship in order to further the league. I also understand the dynamics of a league with a few big fish and alot of minnows. I get it.

That being said, I hate the fact that the J league is starting to go the way of the superclubs. Last year, Urawa signed former Verdy up and comer Takahito Soma. Here's what I said about the deal

Wow, talk about gravedigging. New Emperor's cup champs and all around annoying team, THE URAWA REDS are now trying to pry away future star and team MVP Takahito Soma from the lads in green. As you already know, Urawa took Brazilian goal machine Washington away from Verdy and now they are hungry for young talent. (Rumor found on MASA-NET http://blog.goo.ne.jp/stammibene2003 link to original Japanese article can be found there)
Arguably it would be great for Soma, he's only 24 and playing with Hasebe, Tsuboi, and Santos would instantly get him some national recognition. It really stinks for TV69, however, the one relative strength that they have is their youth. Soma is a building block to the future and it would potentially cripple any hopes for promotion.There's also a possibility of goal scoring prodigy Takayuki Morimoto getting some interest from a big club in Europe.........more on that when I get more confirmation. As of now it's just a rumor.As of now, I don't think they have enough to compete with Ehime much less Vegalta Sendai or the powers in the ACL . the buzzards are circling and they aren't wearing green :( .

Boy, did I miss the target on this one. Soma was turned into the Japanese version of Shawn Wright-Phillips. Another signing, Teruaki Kurobe was relegated to the bench for all but 9 games this season. This coming after he put in good campaigns for Cerezo Osaka and Kyoto Purple Sanga. Sure, it strengthens the short-term depth of the squad, but it cripples the depth of the league.

Mitsubishi built the Urawa Reds with a philosophy based on the best elements of Manchester United. A strong youth program, combined with grass-roots support and a family feeling have made the squad THE franchise in Japan and succeeded in every aspect that Tokyo Verdy failed in. While I can't stand the product on the field and loathe the supporters of Urawa (Except for Masa of Masa.Net and a few others) I have a respect for what they have accomplished. I respect the fact that the fans stayed united behind the squad when they dropped to J2 (Unlike the 9000+ that fled the Verdy bandwagon when they took the drop).

What I HATE however is the piracy. Venforet Kofu was a great story this season, defying the odds to not only advance to J1 but survive and shock a few people along the way. Now their main guy is possibly going to be the third to fifth best Brazilian on the squad. Yuki Abe is JEF Chiba, he is the face of the franchise......now he might become the backup to his fellow national teamers. And where is the impetus to develop homegrown talent. Why should Urawa even bother to develop another Tsuboi or Hasebe when they can steal a player away from Shimizu S Pulse by outbidding them.

Jeremy Walker of FC Japan wrote in his article how great it will be if Urawa gets Bare. He states that all of Japan needs to be behind Urawa in the upcoming campaign (Link is above). I think Mr. Walker should take the proverbial flying leap. If Kawasaki is in the competition, I will pull for them. I will go for any team that puts together a squad through hard work and development and scouting. I cannot and will not root for a squad that bludgeons the rest of the league by pilfering in order to seek more self glory.

With all due respect, I'll pass.

J2 Around the league: Lucky 13

Well, the first leg of Promotion/Relegation went down featuring 16th place J1 squad Avispa Fukuoka featuring the effervescent Kazunori Iio and J2 3rd squatter Vissel Kobe featuring Atsuhiro Miura, another former Verdy guy.....well actually no, Miura got red carded and wasn't available for game 1. First leg took place in Kobe and ended in a 0-0 draw.

My take on the second leg is this.....whoever scores first will win. If Avispa notches first they will bunker in and its not as easy to score on Avispa as you might think. If Avispa goes down early, they will bring the house and counterattacks are possible. I think the pressure is all on Avispa now so I'm gonna say Vissel 3 Avispa 1 and Fukuoka road trips ahead.

Where did they go?

A ton of people have been released in the deuce the past couple of days and I'll try and update as much as possible

Consadole Sapporo- The big loss for Consadole is the exit of Jubilo rental Kenichi Kaga. Kaga played 44 games in the back for Sapporo, notching 4 goals.

Vegalta Sendai- documented in a previous article. Daijiro Takakuwa needs to sign a contract in Tokyo........today.

Mito Hollyhock- Cut 10 players, all of whom played 10 or more games.....probably poorly.

Thespa Kusatsu- 14 players were shown the door, including arguably their two best players, Yusuke Shimada and GK Takahiro Takagi......both of whom will go back to Omiya.

Montedio Yamagata- A bit of a shock here as young striker Ryuta Hara got dropped from the squad. Hara had a bit of a down year, only notching 5 goals in 26 games.

Shonan Bellmare- Satoshi Yokoyama gets the axe after notching a less than staggering 8 goals for Bellmare. My fondest recollection of Yokoyama was a game versus Verdy in which an American guy says to his kid: "See number 29, he's not a good player". Mehhhh.

Kyoto Sanga- Besides 4000+ fans, their place in J1, and the color purple (Oprah would be pissed!) NOT MUCH

Cerezo Osaka- Takuya Yamada........the angel of death!

More tomorrow....I'm sleepy and I'm not in the mood to comb through Ehime FC drops right now!

Shoji Jo.......It's time to go

Thursday saw a stunning announcement as former National Team member Shoji Jo decided to call it a career and announce his retirement effective at the conclusion of this year. Jo began his career in 1994 as a member of (then) JEF United Ichihara. Jo is probably best known for replacing an innefective Kazu Miura in the penultimate qualifying game for the 1998 national team squad. The fallout caused Miura to make a scene that is disputed to this day, the eventual ouster of Takeshi Okada, and Shoji Jo scoring the winning goal. Fate would see the two team up for Yokohama FC late in his career.

Jo had his best year in 1998, scoring 25 goals for a Marinos squad. In 2000, He accepted an offer to play for Real Vallodolid. An injury to his knee and ineffectiveness saw him rejoin F Marinos. After a disasterous 2002 term with Vissel Kobe, Former JEF player and German international Pierre Littbarski encouraged Jo to join up with a struggling Yokoham FC side. 149 games and 44 goals later, Yokohama FC finds itself on the cusp of promotion to J1 and the claim as rightful heir of the Flugels legacy. Shoji Jo finds himself beginning a new life.

* A side note: This is the third member of the 1998 national team squad to head off into the sunset this year. Nobuyuki Kojima announced his retirement before the season started and Hidetoshi Nakata announced after the end of the 2006 World Cup.