Enjoyed it while it lasted

The league officially handed down their punishment to Hulk and his collection of yellow cards extraordinaire......2 games, which means his season and possibly his tenure in green is officially over.

The 4 games missed by the prolific Brazilian have had varied results

Game 1 was the debacle against Mito Hollyhock in which team green were shelled 5-1. I believe that was a team meltdown instead of just a lack of Hulk

Ehime tied the squad in Ehime 1-1.........Verdy was outshot 15 to 7 in that slog of a match.

Avispa beat Verdy 2-1 in Fukuoka when a combination of Hiroyama and Iio were unable to crack the goal. A late substitution of Hideki Nagai managed to make the score look more respectable.

Finally the team stole a 1-0 decision against Tokushima Vortis when big Funakoshi got one in the first minute.

What to do?

Soilent Green has a solution that will surprise probably no one.

Masaki Saito

Yes, I know.....I'm the one guy that still supports the bald one, hear me out.

I don't like putting one of the wings up top because it disrupts a pretty decent rotation that has worked. If Iio and Hiroyama don't work....bring in Silva or Shibasaki. Simple and elegant.

I don't like Funakoshi because he lacks mobility, although the Ehime dwarfs had trouble with the big man early.

Saito however is the closest thing to Hulk on this team. He is able (to a lesser extent) to hold the ball in traffic......he's like a bowling ball who can wear down the opposition.....his shot is sub-par, but who isn't among the also rans at the FW position. I don't put him in because he's the best forward....I put him in because he is the least likely to disrupt the flow of the squad. At about 55 or 60 minutes, I put in Inoue or Silva to use their speed to burn up the defense after they're on fumes.

That being said, I'm guessing Funakoshi or Iio up top.

Edmilson talk heats up in Red Wonderland.........It looks like Edmilson will be the pick for Urawa next year. Probably a smarter move, Edmilson is snake like and can set up and play off of Tanaka or Nagai better than Hulk, who needs the ball more to be effective. I think Kawasaki and the Juninho role will be a better fit if the big hawk decides to take the money and run. Washington is pretty much done in Japan.