Marcus we hardly knew ya

It is official

http://www.jsgoal.jp/club/00043000/00043470.html

Marcus has joined Yokohama F Marinos. I don't have enough details on whether or not it's a full transfer or a loan because I believe he signed with Verdy for this year.

Marcus appeared in 25 games for Verdy, racking up 5 goals and assisting on 4 more. Verdy in fact revamped their lineup and system to accomodate the longtime veteran of J League battles. It was a little strange to see him get released by Kawasaki last year after putting up a pretty decent work rate and it's even stranger now to see him getting swooped up back to J1 by a squad that seemingly has the money to get a higher priced, bigger name player. Now it will be interesting to see who is brought in on that third foreign spot.


Signs point to Diego

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/soccer/jtoto/headlines/20070120-00000016-kyodo_sp-spo.html

Kashiwa held a press conference saying that Diego is probably leaving Kashiwa. No word on if that means he's going back to Brazil or joining up with Verdy.

During the Verdy press conference, Ramos stated that he is in the middle of negotiations for the 3rd spot.

http://www.jsgoal.jp/news/00043000/00043467.html

Look for news later in the week........I'm guessing right before the big FAN DAY.

Marcus move hits the tabloids

Sports Hochi (the Yomiuri publication-parent company of NTV which is half owner of Verdy) has reported that indeed Marinos is in heavy pursuit of Marcus.

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jleague/news/20070117-OHT1T00040.htm

It does cast a shadow on an absolutely perfect offseason for Verdy.........unless they replace him with Pavel Nedved. Then it would be TOO perfect.

I'll keep monitoring this situation and let you know if indeed he is gone and what unnamed Brazilian will replace him.

Ishikawa on the move to Montedio

Tatsuya Ishikawa has been sent to Montedio Yamagata on a one year loan after returning to Kashima. Ishikawa had an up and down campaign for Verdy, appearing in 21 games but never seeming to develop a decent rhythm opposite Koijiro Kaimoto. Another familiar face in an unfamiliar place.

Soccer Digest gives Verdy a AA rating for the 2007 campaign

Well, I am not alone in heaping praise on Verdy's offseason moves....WSD gave Verdy it's highest rating and the number 1 seal for offseason moves and overall team strength.

The ratings were

VERDY 2006 A 2007 AA
Kyoto 2006 A 2007 A
Avispa 2006 A 2007 B
Cerezo 2006 A 2007 B
Consadole 2006 B 2007 B
Vegalta 2006 B 2007 B
Sagan 2006 B 2007 C
Montedio 2006 C 2007 C
Shonan 2006 D 2007 C
Ehime 2006 C 2007 C
Tokushma 2006 D 2007 D
Thespa 2006 D 2007 E
Mito 2006 D 2007 E

Every position got an A rating except for the GK (which was rated a B)

The projected starting lineup is as follows

FW Hiramoto Hulk

MF Marcus Ono
(Sato) (Hiroyama)

Nanami Ze Luis
(Ono) (Tomisawa)

DF Hattori Tsuchiya Togawa Kaimoto

GK Takagi

My choice is Hiroyama in the starting lineup, especially if Marcus goes. Without Marcus it doesn't look as attractive. It might be worth considering putting Kanazawa in Ze Luis position and having the big man up top with Hiroyama or Marcus as an attacking mid. But hey, the offense and defense look much better than last season.

2 more join the squad

In a bit of a surprise acquisition, Tsuyoshi Yoshitake was announced as the newest member of Tokyo Verdy 1969. Yoshitake was a decent contributor to Yokohama FC, appearing in the midfield 26 times for the phoenix. Yoshitake is small and young, coming in at 25 years of age and 174cm/66 kilos

The 6 year veteran had his biggest run in 2002, appearing in 41 games and notching 2 goals. The additions of Jun Tamano and Shingo Nejime made Yoshitake expendable. No mention of a rental so it looks he is straightaway Verdy.

THE BIGGEST VERDY PLAYER.......EVER!!!!!!

I wrote a story yesterday on Yuzo Funakoshi being pursued by the club. Well, it's official

http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=266

So I'm thinking BIG BIRD would be a good moniker for the fella. Cause Verdys moniker is
a bird and he's really big.......too lame? Ehh, maybe we should have a contest.

My new favorite Verdy player!

RAMOS REUNITING WITH KAZU TO SCORE AGAIN?

Don't worry, he's not activating himself and resigning Kazu for next season. Next week, he plays on a team of past and present stars from around Japan to take on a team of Shimizu stars in Nihondaira next week. Also appearing in the game will be Toshihiro Hattori and Hiroshi Nanami as well as recently retired former Verdy man Teruo Iwamoto. I'll look to see if there are more players with Verdy connections involved in the game.

Well, What the #$%@ do I know?

A couple of posts ago, I speculated that Shin Kanazawa would not be coming back to Tokyo Verdy

http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=261

Today, the team extended the deal an extra year.

I have to say, the team is shaping up to be one of the early favorites going into 2007.

The opening lineup last year (Current players in BOLD)

GK Mizuhara

DF Fujita Yanagisawa Togawa Hagimura

MF Ono Kanazawa Nagai Ohashi

FW Hiramoto Basilio

Bench Takagi Sugawara Uemura Anailson Iio

And the possible one this year

GK Takagi or Yoshihara

DF Kaimoto Togawa Tsuchiya Fujita (Nanami if he signs soon)

MF Marcus Hattori Ze Luis Hiroyama

FW Hiramoto Hulk

Bench-GK, Sato, Kanazawa, Hagimura, Tomisawa, Saito, Sugawara, Ono

We all know I'm garbage at predictions but I think 4 minor players will be picked up over the next couple of days as well as Nanami. Yuzo Fukanoshi, a backup for Albirex Niigata has been bandied about the blogosphere as being a possible depth signing. Maybe a young 4th keeper and a couple of guys to shore up the defense and midfield and I think the team is complete.

Quite an incredible offseason so far!

And the 300th post is........

Something big for Verdy. One of these men is coming to Verdy to play as a striker......I'll give you a hint. He started out in Brazil and made his J League debut in Kawasaki.......not yet? Allright, here's another hint....It's not Kazu.

HULK IS HERE. http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=260

Givalnildo Viera De Souza has officially signed with Verdy on a full transfer. No strings attached.

Hulk went to Consadole Sapporo last year after a short stint with Kawasaki Frontale. During his stay up north, the burly striker notched 25 goals in an economical 38 games. More troubling was another thing he did with massive proficiency, he notched cards. Hulk, like his comic counterpart, had a bit of trouble with his temper notching a hefty 15 yellow cards and 3 reds.....putting him among the league leaders in getting carded.

Teaming up with Kazuki Hiramoto puts an attack (on paper) that is head and shoulders above the rest of J2. One hopes that the 20 year old goal prodigy can be guided by former teammate Marcus to keep his emotions in check.

Big things happening in Verdyworld!

Another piece is added to the Verdy puzzle

The team bolstered its netminding today by adding Shinya Yoshihara from Kawasaki Frontale on a loan deal. Yoshihara was the man that manned the pipes when Kawasaki won promotion in 2004 but lost his job to a younger and better Takashi Aizawa. With the addition of Nagoya Grampus 8 netminer Eija Kawashima, Yoshihara found himself in the less than savory postion of being third netminder.

Yoshihara appeared in 10 games for the club, allowing 19 goals in ten contests. the team also made it official that Masahiro Ohashi is joining Kawasaki Frontale on a 1 year loan deal.

Consadole names its coach

Former Omiya Ardija head man Toshiya Miura has officially taken the reigns of Consadole Sapporo. Miura had trouble getting Omiya past mid-lower table status in his 2 years of J1 but has a formidable track record in J2, posting a 75 win 16 tie 37 loss record in about 3 seasons of work. Miura is known for being a defensive strategist who loves the 1-0 win much more than a 5-4 slugfest.

Yomiuriland

I went out to Yomiuriland to renew my supporter card. While the team shop was shut down until the 9th, somebody from the school helped me get renewed. Very good customer service today, unlike at the games sometimes and I was very happy. If you get a chance to go to Yomiuriland, make sure you go into the lobby of the soccer school. In it you will find the trophies of Yomiuri club/Verdy over the years, including a horn shaped thing signifying the teams J League conquests, the old JSL championship trophy and golden balls signifying the Emperors Cup. I also got a look at the brand new conquests of NTV Beleza. The trophy case is very understated, It looked like an afterthought.

Anyhow, if you have the supporters card, January 28th is supporters day where they take the picture for the Yearbook and you get to mingle with the players. I am going to try and get out there.

Ahhh.......sweet news, I missed you!

OFFICIAL: Three sign with Verdy

Along with the anticipated signing of Toshihiro Hattori comes the addition of two defenders, both familiar to longtime Verdy fans. Taisei Fujita is back for a second season. It's unknown at the moment if it's a straight transfer or a loan from FC Tokyo like last year. Fujita appeared in 26 games for the club, having some highs and some lows but came on at the end.

The other signing was longtime J League veteran Yukio Tsuchiya. Tsuchiya, after coming over from a stint in Brazil started his J League career at Verdy Kawasaki at the same time Rui Ramos was coming back for his farewell tour in green. Both left Kawasaki at the same time, Rui to broadcasting and Tsuchiya to Vissel Kobe. Kobe was the place where Tsuchiya enjoyed the most personal success of his career. After 6 years, Tsuchiya moved onto Kashiwa Reysol where the bottom dropped out. The penultimate moment of his time at Reysol was a hard tackle on Urawa forward Tatsuya Tanaka which broke the national teamers leg and affected Tsuchiya mentally.

During this time, he crossed paths with Rui, who joined the team as an assistant coach. After the drubbing that Venforet gave Kashiwa in the 2005 promotion/relegation playoff, Rui headed to Tokyo and Tsuchiya went to Omiya.

While at Omiya, Tsuchiya displayed more poise and discipline than when he was a CB for Kashiwa. Teaming with longtime Ardija man Toninho saw the team display moments of strong defense in the middle. Now he heads back to where he began.......sort of. While the franchise is the same, the place they're in now is not only physically miles away and ions away in terms of prestige, standing, and leagues.

Tsuchiya has appeared in 233 J1 matches and numerous cup competitions. This will be his first foray into J2.

Official Team releases

http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=254 Fujita

http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=255 Tsuchiya

http://www.verdy.co.jp/news/topteam/?cmd=DispNews&news_id=256 Hattori

Nanami acquisition around the corner?

Hiroshi Nanami looks to be the 3rd Verdy acquisition this week. The Osaka version of Nikkan Sports http://osaka.nikkansports.com/soccer/jleague/p-oj-tp0-20061228-135966.html is reporting that Nanami has made up his mind and decided to join Verdy for the upcoming campaign. Nanami was a bright spot for Cerezo Osaka last year after joining the squad in a mid-year loan from Jubilo Iwata. The former National Team member, 4 time best 11, and Asia Cup MVP has a pedigree that rivals anyone in J League. Last year was a bit of a downturn, notching 2 goals and 5 assists in 23 league games. The only details left are whether it will be a straight acquisition or time limit transfer with Jubilo.

Sponichi Annex mentioned the acquisition of Yukio Tsuchiya as well in their article on Nanami. http://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/news/2006/12/28/06.html Again, maybe it's just me but I'm not seeing the sense of the move for either Verdy or Tsuchiya. The other two were out of first team action in J1 and were looking for opportunities to keep playing, Tsuchiya is firmly entrenched in the center mid spot (Unless New coach Robert Verbeek has two Dutch upgrades in mind).

Anyhow......Hattori and Nanami are as good as done. Tsuchiya, I can't say, and Hulk and Tsuzuki won't be sorted out until after Emperors Cup.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Cerezo is definetely this years version of Verdy. Super striker Okubo is being solicited again by European squads for his services after returning from Spain last year. Meanwhile, strike partner Akinori Nishizawa has Urawa pursuing the former national team strikers services.

Seems like after the Yokohama FC miracle season, the new thing in vogue is to acquire former national teamers for leadership purposes ala Shoji Jo, Kazu, and Motohiro Yamaguchi......case in point-

Yutaka Akita got picked up by Kyoto Purple Sanga after his release from Nagoya Grampus 8.

Shonan Bellmare is going after lifelong Shimizu S Pulse defender Toshihide Saito

More on J2 when I compile the rest of the transactions.

Hattori picks green!

Nikkan Sports is reporting that Toshihiro Hattori has decided to lace em up next year for the Green and Grey of Tokyo Verdy. The former National Team Defender and lifelong Jubilo midfielder joins the squad after appearing in over 400 games for the Iwata squad. Hattori comes in with hopes of shoring up the defense and providing leadership for a Verdy club struggling to acheive both.

http://www.nikkansports.com/soccer/p-sc-tp0-20061227-135480.html

That was quick

The newest member of Verdy is Shonan Bellmare MF Yusuke Sato who had 9 goals and a team leading 10 assists in 45 games for the green and blue. Sato has been in the league since 1997, appearing with Nagoya Grampus 8, Vissel Kobe, his hometown Omiya Ardija, Montedio Yamagata, and Cerezo Osaka before appearing with Shonan. Sato is 29 standing at a sturdy 175cm and 70kg.

I kinda like this move.........good depth pickup.

Returning members for 2007

Verdy has released the list of returnees for 2007

東京ヴェルディ１９６９は、下記１４選手との２００７年シーズンの契約を更新いたしましたのでお知らせします。
ＤＦ　萩村滋則選手 Shigenori Hagimura- BOOOOOOO!
ＭＦ　ゼ　ルイス選手 Ze Luis-I'm shocked, I thought he was done.
ＭＦ　菅原　智選手 Tomo Sugawara-Good as a role player
ＭＦ　マルクス選手 Marcus- Not surprised at all, let's see if he has anything left in the tank
ＭＦ　大野敏隆選手 Harutaka Ono- The Captain is back for another go
ＭＦ　廣山　望選手 Nozomi Hiroyama- Came on late, glad he's back!
ＧＫ　高木義成選手 Yoshinori Takagi- Starter or Backup?
ＦＷ　平本一樹選手 MR.VERDY 2006
ＤＦ　一柳夢吾選手 Yugo Ichiyanagi- Breakthrough year?
ＭＦ　弦巻健人選手 Kenta Tsurumaki- 19 years old, maybe he'll see a little prime time
ＦＷ　喜山康平選手 Kohei Kiyama- See Tsurumaki
ＦＷ　齋藤将基選手 Masaki Saito- Big Martin is back!
ＤＦ　キローラン裕人選手 Eugene Killoran- See Kiyama and then see Tsurumaki.......I am gonna try and get an interview with Killoran next season. That is my goal!
ＤＦ　海本幸治郎選手 Koijiro Kaimoto- A bit erratic but I like his distribution skills

OK, so 22 players are currently under contract counting the 8 new signings.

FW Elsamni OSAMA
FW Taira Inoue
DF Kensuke Fukuda
MF Junpei Shinmura
DF Kosei Shibasaki
DF Seiji Sonoda
DF Sho Miyasaka
GK Takahiro Shibasaki



Those who were left off or are still unknown

DF Taisei Fujita (FC Tokyo rental)
DF Kenta Togawa (Kashima bound?)
MF Masahiro Ohashi
MF Hideki Nagai
DF Seitaro Tomisawa-WOW, Really?
MF Shin Kanazawa (Omiya Ardija rental)
DF Naoki Mihara
DF Satoshi Nagano (Avispa Fukuoka)
DF Tatsuya Ishikawa (Kashima Antlers)


So if the season started today, the depth chart would be (Starter in Bold)


FW Hiramoto, Saito, Kiyama, El Samni, Inoue
MF Marcus, Hiroyama, Ono, Ze Luis, Sugawara, Tsurumaki, Fukuda, Shinmura
DF Hagimura, Kaimoto, Ichiyanagi, Killoran, Shibasaki, Sonoda, Miyasaka
GK Takagi, Shibasaki

Looks like Verdy needs 10 to 13 players. Especially defense!!!!!!!

HE'S STAYING!!!!!!!

My opinion of him just went up by a 1000. Tough decision but the guy chose loyalty over a shortcut!

Give him the Captains band!

http://www.nikkansports.com/soccer/p-sc-tp0-20061226-135117.html

Former Verdians on the move

Verdy announced the signing of FC Tokyo backup keeper Takahiro Shibasaki today. Shibasaki has played for 3 squads in 6 years including 3 years in Verdy. Shibasaki played in 3 games having an underwhelming 2.33 GAA.......so 1 has been signed. Here's hoping for bigger and better things.

Three to Yokohama?

Well, two have been confirmed. Verdy announced that MF's Shingo Nejime and Jun Tamano have signed up with newly promoted Yokohama FC. Meanwhile, Daijiro Takakuwa has been made an offer by crosstown rivals Yokohama F Marinos.

Around the league

Anderson has left Mito Hollyhock and returned to Brazil

Hiramoto day 2

My personal take on the Hiramoto situation is this........

1. It hurts Verdy- Good young players (ready to perform) are in short supply on Verdy, and Hiramoto is the best out of all of them. One could make a reasonable argument that he is the best player on the team. This is a double blow.......it takes away one of the homegrown guys and it takes away an attacking force. While adding somebody the caliber of a Hulk will soften the blow, there is something special about having a fellow countryman being the big attacker on the team......He has been billed as the heir to Kazu.

2. It adds to the long line of talent fleeing Verdy- Something is wrong when one of the vanguards of Japanese football is leaking like the Titanic. Hiramoto would be following in the footsteps of Nakazawa, Kobe Miura, Soma, and Daigo. Is this team headed for Bellmare status? Perennial second division?

3. Hiramoto's prime is coming soon- Next year he becomes 26. Strikers are hard pressed to stay around longer than 33 (Kazu nonwithstanding). It's a little rough for a guy with big aspirations to be playing in the minors when guys like Kazunori Iio, Hiroshi Morita, and Tatsuhiko Kubo stumbled around last year in starting positions for J1. A competitor hates seeing lesser lights trying to shine on the big stages.

4. A challenge might bring out the best in Hiramoto- Many times last year, it looked like Hiramoto was bored or mentally unprepared to play. 48 games against mediocre competition in empty arenas can suck the life out of the best of them. The teams subpar play and a manager who was erratic in his selections and a slaughterer of team chemistry probably added to the frustration and malaise.

5. A good choice could mean National team glory, a bad choice........- All you have to do is look at the fortunes of two of Verdys former young prodigies. Takahito Soma jumped on board front running Urawa and was buried behind Alessandro Santos. Averaging about 9 minutes a game, Soma got his trophy but has virtually disappeared of National team radar. Meanwhile, Daigo Kobayashi joined up with small squad Omiya Ardija and has gained many accolades including a J League best 28 and a small cameo on the National team.

3 teams have been identified as suitors to Hiramoto

1. JEF Chiba- The defending Nabisco Cup champions have been the most credible link to a Hiramoto transfer, putting in an official bid for the strikers services. National coach Osim likes to pick from his former squad, choosing 6 members in friendlies and Asia Cup competitions. JEF boasts one of the best midfields in the league led by Yuki Abe.......maybe. The downside to Chiba is the instability in their coaching ranks. Osim the Junior struggled mightily to inspire the troops after their Nabisco cup triumph, falling to 11th in the league and bombing out of Emperors Cup to second division Consadole.......More of the same?

2. Nagoya Grampus 8- Grampus went on a tear after the addition of Frode Johnsen, finishing up 7th. If Hiramoto were to join up, he would be the 3rd striker in a 3-3-4 behind Frodo and young striker Keita Sugimoto. This would mean much more defense with the lack of the 4th midfielder. The team was able to turn it on at the end but it remains to be seen if Sef Vergoosen can remain successful in the J League and actually have the cash and talent laden sleeping giant of Nagoya contend for a title.

3. Urawa Reds- It seems like no matter who is out there, Urawa is linked to them. Probably the least likely destination........new coach situation, a relatively deep pool of strikers for a 1 striker scheme, and rumors of adding players like Bare really causes me to brush this off as an option. The positive would be national recognition (8 national team players) and perennial championship contention as well as a reunion with old friends Soma and Washington. The negative would be lack of playing time and long months of Sattlelite league ball.

Rough proposition for everyone involved.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Vegalta superstriker Borges has been targeted by 4 big powers in the Brazilian leagues. Cruziero, Flumenense, Sao Paolo, and Corinthians have all put in bids to take the prolific scorer off of the Sendai squads hands.

BREAKING NEWS: Hiramoto getting offers from Chiba

Well, it looks like Verdy might be feeling the effects of losing Tadashi Karai to JEF Chiba after all. The team from Fukuari has put in official papers in order to negotiate with the mercurial striker

http://www.nikkansports.com/soccer/p-sc-tp0-20061217-131482.html

One of the things lacking in Chibas chemistry last year was a creative attacker who could team with Seichiro Maki in order to create consistent scoring opportunities. Hiramoto is half that......very creative, rarely consistent. Billed as the man who would take over the mantle of Kazu, the loss of Hiramoto would provide another blow to a franchise who has been rudderless since they tasted victory on a crisp January night in 2005.

But we all knew it was coming.

Urawa and Nagoya were also in play for the services of Prince Kazuki and still might have a say in where he goes.

MEANWHILE VERDY TRIES TO GET OLDER

Reported first by Ultranippon in the comments section, Tokyo Verdy has made a formal to pick up 33 year old former national team midfielder Toshihiro Hattori from Jubilo Iwata.

The Jubilo man played in 29 games for Shizuoka's most famous squad, helping them along to a 5th place finish. The move would help Verdy reinforce the left side of the line.

東京Ｖが磐田ＭＦ服部獲得へ動く
http://www.nikkansports.com/soccer/p-sc-tp0-20061217-131489.html

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Kyoto resigned super-striker Paulinho in a bit of a coup. The lanky Brazilian probably had interest from numerous J1 teams after the dramatic fall of last years J2 champs in their brief foray into the upper levels. Paulinho automatically rises to number 1 threat in the second division.

Congratulations Rui....It's a boy!!!!!

An 18 year old boy from Otsu HS by the name of Sho Miyasaka as a matter of fact. Miyasaka agreed to sign with Verdy after graduation in March......Miyasaka is a 190 cm Defender from Kumamoto who started his career by playing YMCA soccer........I played YMCA soccer and I was awful. Anyways, he is known for size and good technical ability, which would be a first for Verdy's backline. Anyhow, that is 7 to the class of 2007.......going the Shimizu route, I like it!

Is the bloodletting about to begin?

I'll get to the cuts of other squads later but just moments ago Verdy released a list of 11 players who will not be getting renewed contracts for the upcoming season........by adding Hayama, I can make a starting 11 of Verdy cuts

Lets begin!

GK Hiroki "The Cat" Mizuhara

DF Yukihiro Aoba Masayuki Yanagisawa Takumi Hayama

MF Yuhei Ono Shingo Nejime

Masatomo Kuba Tetsuhiro Kina
Jun Tamano

FW Koji Maatsura Ryosuke Kijima

And backup keeper GK Satoshi Tokizawa

Let's start out with the predictable- Along with the retirement of Hayama, the purge of players such as Tamano, Maatsura and Yuhei Ono were fairly predictable because A. They were on loans to clubs worse than Verdy and B. They weren't performing well......although Tamano has picked up his game as of late. Masayuki Yanagisawa never really saw the field after sustaining and early season injury and while he was in, he was average at best. Ryosuke Kijima is another player who never really saw any time with the first team.

The disappointed group starts with Masatomo Kuba. Of all the players cut, I believe he had the potential to be decent, but his lack of consistency killed him. Yukihiro Aoba was good in the back at times but never claimed a spot that was easily available. Shingo Nejime was the other young mid that had flashes of good play but getting beaten out by Kanazawa and Sugawara in the midfield sealed his fate. Finally I would have liked to see Satoshi Tokizawa get a game in the nets but alas it was not to be. Tokizawa, Kuba, and Nejime are all young guys who should get picked up by a team needing depth like Thespa or Ehime, or an enterprising JFL squad looking to advance to the big time.

Finally, my estatic drops are the innefective Mizuhara and the eye bleeding mangler known as Tetsuhiro Kina. You can see the "Highlights" of Mizuhara versus Sagan Tosu here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WofPqLNgd2U

Tetsuhiro Kina is a big shocker for me considering he always managed to slither his way back onto Ruy's lineup card.....The guy was all hustle but his lack of instincts and talent deficiency made it hard on the eye. It also seemed that he had a knack to start scoring rallies......for the other team. That leaves a more manageable 31 left on the squad.........but if you think the signings and cuts are done........You're crazy!

Finally

Calling it a day!

Takumi Hayama calls it quits. The Yomiuri youth product rejoined the squad this year after 2 years in JFL. Hayama didn't see any game action this year and pretty much floated around the fringe of first team status his entire career. Today, Hayama retired.