An old friend returns

Today out of Yokohama, reports are that Kazu Miura is indeed staying in Yokohama on their way down to J2. Ohhh, did you think that was the old friend?

Nope, not it........Verdy reported that Masaki Iida will finally be a full member of the squad for next year after on again, off again bouts of training and playing at Ryutsu Keizai for both the university squad and the JFL side........but that's not it....

No I'm referring to our good friend Nick who has some thoughts about the season as a whole and the final game

Nick has left a new comment on your post "The silly season is upon us": Well the last time Verdy were top of the league was on opening day after the 5-0 demolition of Thespa Kusatsu. Its been a VERY long time coming but what a time to return to the summit!! The season has had its ups and downs and has been a true rollercoaster ride. Ramos and the boys have been up and and down like the proverbial prozzies undies. A good start saw us among the contenders after a few games as was expected. However, from nowhere came the six game losing streak. At this time even the most ardent Ramos fans would have been wondering what the heck was going on?? Things came to a head against a Mito side who were struggling at the foot of the table. They came to National Stadium and gave us an absolute a total shoeing. Hiramoto started the scoring early with a somewhat flukey effort, but following this the entire side seemed to capitulate. The final scoreline was entirely fair. Hammered by the bottom of the league. This was when the front office obviously made its decision. They were to stick by Ramos through thick or thin.Everybody was calling for his head,myself included.This would have been prime time to fire him. However, the permed one kept his job and a couple of weeks later the boys turned up to give Kyoto a sound 4-1 beating. Our form continued to be consistently inconsistent, win 2, draw 1 lose 3.. Nothing was on the horizon except mid table mediocrity. Then, Hiramoto was shipped out a move that surprised a few, again myself included. And Hulk exploded into form. Over the last section of the season we have been nearly unbeatable, only 2 defeats in 22 games. Incredible from a team who couldn`t string two decent results together in the first half of the season.The big test came in late September when were to face the big three in the division in successive games. And what a way to do it!! 2-1 away to Kyoto, 4-1 away to Sendai and then the pick of the bunch a 5-1 pasting of Sapporo at Ajinomoto. We had put ourselves firmly in the reckoning for the first time this season. Our form continued again in the same vein but the other teams kept their own runs going too. The promotion race had been hotting up with 6 teams all with a shout with 3 games to go. We drew our crunch battle with Sendai which kept them at arms length and the others stumbled also.Including our inactive week when none of the teams around us could come up with a win!!This led to Sundays game with Ehime....if we won we would be virtually guaranteed straight promotion!!!!??? Shocking considering where we were earlier in the season.


And so to Sunday.....I could go into some long winded disscusion about the technicalities of the win,the chances that came and went and the flight of the ball as it slammed into the back of the net but, that is secondary when we consider the importance of Sunday.Not just for Verdy but for all fans everywhere. We all sit and watch footy in all corners of the world in vague hope of days like Sunday. They only come around very occasionally for most fans (unless you are a Man U/Milan etc supporter.We sit in freezing drizzle watching guys who we usually reckon we could do better than anyway in the hope of seeing something special with a bunch of like minded other people.The hope of any fan is to witness days like Sunday. Their team on the up. We hope to sit and watch countless games throughout the years that culminate in a make or break day like Sunday. Sometimes it happens usually it doesn`t.All fans need a bit of danger!! Omiya had the same excitement last week, the whole seasons work balanced on a knife edge. Theres was in a potentially negative way but the excitement is still the same. Winner takes all, loser takes nothing. When the stakes are so high, the quality of what is on the pitch fades into insignificance. The result is all that matters. You see it from the extra numbers in the stadium, the tension before the game, supporters baying for blood at any marginal decision. Fantastic!! The crowd was 14,000 at the weekend and while this doesn`t seem so much in wider terms,given the fact that Ehime had about 200 supporters,it just goes to show there some dormant Verdy fans out there!! Let`s hope they continue to come!! I still have to pinch myself to believe we are going back up and Ramos is still at the helm. There is nothing we can say about the guy. He has done the job that was expected from him. He might have gone all round the houses to do it,but he HAS done it.My hat goes off to the permed one. He has got a promotion in his second full year of management, saw out an extremely rocky period and come out the other side with the potential for a championship next week. Its a great week to be a Verdy fan!!! As a Verdy fan great weeks don`t come along so often so to all Verdy boys out there, a toast to El Permo and his Magic Donkey!! He`s still a donkey but because of his heroics on Sunday he could maybe be left to live out his days in a field somewhere nice and green instead of a direct line to the glue factory. Maybe they can name a bench or a corrider after him at Verdy HQ. Well done Funakoshi!! Every donkey has its day!!

The silly season is upon us

The Hochi Yomiuri House of unfounded rumors is reporting that Ramos has tipped Yuji "Bomberhead" Nakazawa to be the first reinforcement for the J1 version of Tokyo Verdy 1969. Nakazawa left the squad in 2002 to join an up and coming Yokohama F Marinos side, two world cups and a couple of championships later, Nakazawa has seen his Marinos team struggle to rise above mid-table. Hochi Yomiuri reports that Verdy is willing to start the bidding at 80 million yen to team the star centerback with Yukio Tsuchiya.

I'll believe it when I see it.

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jleague/news/20071126-OHT1T00092.htm

Nikkan Sports has Gamba again trying to purloin a Brazilian off another J League squad. First it was the pair from Omiya, Denis Marques and Leandro.......then it was Montedio anchor Leonardo, now the rumor is they are going after the captain of FC Tokyo, Lucas. Honestly, who was the last foreign talent Gamba brought in to the league? Mboma?

Get a scouting department and do the leg work yourself.........and one more thing, BEAT SANFRECCE.

The Bloodletting begins!

Yokohama FC delivered on its promise of severing ties with a good portion of their team. Included in the list were two former national teamers from long ago. Let's get down to it before the bodies get cold The biggest name in the bunch was MF Motohiro Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi was a regular during the amazing run to J1. One of the old Flugels, Yamaguchi helped anchor the squad.
Tomoyuki Yoshino joined in 2006 from Shonan Bellmare. Yoshino got into 9 games
Yohei Sakai was a little used midfielder who joined in 2005 from the Marinos youth program. Yoichi Akiba joined the team last year from college. He managed 2 games.
Norio Omura is a well traveled DF who appeared in 17 games for FC. Omura started with Marinos and floated around until ending up last year in Yokohama.

Mitsunori Yabuta, a 31 year old forward and Kazuya Iwakura also got the axe.

It's not over but........

The picture is old but the sentiment is not as forgotten man Yuzo Funakoshi popped his head up after a 3 month slumber in Satellite purgatory and collected 2 goals to push Verdy over Ehime 2-1. The victory propels the Tokyo squad into a tie tie for first with a +13 goal differential. This virtually guarantees straight promotion and puts the side into a great position to win a championship for the firt time since the Emperor's Cup victory of 2004.

Falling just short but being eliminated were Shonan Bellmare, Cerezo Osaka, and perennial bridesmaid Vegalta Sendai. Next up for Tokyo is a game against Cerezo Osaka and you have to wonder what kind of teams and performances will happen for both sides.

Two teams in precarious positions are Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kyoto Sanga FC. The squads have some serious decisions to make regarding how they will go about preparing for the next week. Kyoto needs Consadole to collapse at home to a gutty Mito side. Meanwhile, they have to go on the road to Kusatsu. Now, do they rest their regulars for the game on Wednesday, or go all out and hope for the best. Tough question.

Sanfrecce is in a more precarious position. Going into their final game as hosts to Gamba Osaka, Sanfrecce must first win against the Nabisco Cup Champions. Not impossible considering the team is in a funk following the defection of Magno Alves to Al Itthad. Second, they need Omiya to lose to Kawasaki Frontale. Again, this is a likely scenario considering that Kawasaki is on fire. The tricky part comes when you realize that Sanfrecce must also make up an 11 goal differential. Another hurdle for Sanfrecce is the loss of Captain Kazuyuki Toda to yellow card points, Illyan Stovanov to a red card, and U-22 star Toshihiro Aoyama to a foot injury (for the rest of the season). I'm not sure but yellow card suspensions might carry over to the playoff. If they do, Ueslei is on 3, so another yellow would render him out for at least one game and probably two. Sanfrecce goes into the match with a dismal 0-2-7 record. The ties were probably the most distressing of the two because they happened in the final moments of the game, including two goals in stoppage time to JEF Ichihara Chiba.

Do you rest the squad and take a hit, possibly entering the game with no momentum? Or do you risk the low odds and go all out, possibly losing one or more players to red cards or injuries?

Tough questions. If I had to choose between the two, I'd give Kyoto a slight advantage because of momentum.......but who knows.

GAMBA NEEDS TO HIRE A FOREIGN SCOUT......

Rumors abound that Gamba is looking to find fill-ins for Sidiclei and Magno Alves up north. Sports Hochi Yomiuri has reported that in addition to Omiya striker Denis Marques and Kyoto striker Paulinho, the southern powerhouse is now looking at central defenders Leanardo from Montedio Yamagata and Omiya saviour Leandro. You could possibly see an all Omiya Brazilian trio in Bare, Denis, and Leandro. You might also see an angry blogger defecating in the middle of Koshien while eating a big bucket of Kentucky. Hey Gamba, find your own imports! And do your job next week. Besides, Alex and Chika would look much better in blue.

Final subs

Sugasaki in for Ehime-----Shibasaki for Verdy. Takagi gets a yellow for stalling I presume

20-6 on shots

Bikkuri Donkey with a Brace!

2-1 with 11 minutes to go

Verdy subs

Silva and Inoue in for Iio and Hiroyama........shots 16-4, corner kicks 5-0

Ehime subs

Tanaka and Akai

Halftime

Much like the game in May, Verdy has an overwhelming shot advantage but Ehime has managed to even up

10-2 on shots
2-0 corners

I feel a landslide coming......one more goal and this game is gonna break wide open

1-1

Yoshihiro Uchimura evens the score for Ehime............not in J1 yet, boys!

Bikkuri Donkey returns

Against this back 4, Mighty Funakoshi returns to give Verdy an early lead.......more updates later

WAIT THERE'S MORE

YOKOHAMA FC WATCH

Today was a historic day for the former Flugels as they managed to stretch their J1 winless streak to 20 games. Under embattled coach Julio Leal, the team has managed 2 goals and 2 ties out of 11 games total. Leal's major strategic move was to insert 40 year old Kazu Miura back into a permanent starting spot and the results have been telling. Next week marks the final game for the FC against Asian Champs Urawa. Urawa is desperate for a win, a tie would spell possible doom with a hard charging Kashima Antlers facing Shimizu in the finale of 2007. Wouldn't it be ironic (wink wink........errr......convienient) if the Asian Champs were to drop the game to the worst team in J League history. AMAZING J!

One more rumor to pass along involving Sanfrecce Hiroshima and their burly striker Ueslei.....it seems Oita is keen to pick the big man in hopes of bulking up their scoring. Ueslei is thiiiiiiiiiis close to becoming the all-time leader in scoring for the J League and teaming up with the young and talented frontline of Oita might be just the thing that gets him over the top. Although, it needs to be pointed out that Ueslei led teams seem to drop like stones in the ranking pool so it's a bit of a risk taing him on. And he's pushing 36......eventually the tap will go dry.

BREAKING NEWS: Kashiwa to change name to Antlers

Kashiwa and Kashima will switch their names and colors starting in the 2008 season......Allright, I screwed up, sue me!

In other news, FC Chiba has new uniforms for 2008

http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/00028300/00028347.html

OOPS, I mean FC Tokyo.

Anyhow let's get to some solid news and rumors galore

J2 Has a new member.......

Venforet Kofu dropped a 2-1 decision to KashiWa today when Tatsuya Suzuki notched a late counter goal against the hard chargers from Yamanashi. Just two years ago, the little team that could managed to knock off one of the more colorful franchises in J League history with an onslaught of goals behind now Gamba superstriker Bare. Unfortunately, Kofu was unable to find one guy that could consistently finish. Usually, I would write a piece detailing where to carve a dead squad up, but I'm hoping most of these guys can stay together and make a charge for J1 next year. If effort was a determining factor in championships, hands down this squad would be crowned king. Good luck next year and here's hoping for a quick turnaround.

On the other hand, the highly talented and completely gutless Sanfrecce Hiroshima finds itself on the edge of the J2 abyss with a 3-0 loss to Kawasaki Frontale. Ilyan Stoyanov capped off a dismal season with a red card, thereby rendering him null and void for the upcoming battle against Gamba Osaka and possibly the relegation/promotion battle if they are not able to overcome an 11 goal deficit.

Omiya won 2-1 versus FC Tokyo in the best game I've ever witnessed at Ajinomoto. Go! Go! Omiya Ardija! will have more details later so I won't go into details. The win most likely guarantees the Squirrels another go in J1. Call me relieved more than anything.

GAMBA OSAKA has some striker issues.

Magno Alves has left the club and will be joining Al Itthad. Rumor is that striker Denis Marques will be taking his place next season......for a hefty price one would assume. Omiya still retains a contract until the end of June 2008 so it's gonna cost em.

KashiWa midfielder Alceu has left the squad and gone back to Brazil. The midfielder was excellent this year for the Chiba side .

Happy trails to Shimizu Striker Yoshikiyo Kuboyama and Gamba DF Noritada Saneyoshi.

Kuboyama was a member of the defunct Yokohama Flugels before joing Shimizu.
Saneyoshi was one of the team captains for Gamba and has been a member from 1995, giving him the longest tenure at the club.

Kashiwa unis 2008

OK.......the road unis are great but the home kits...........looks like a cross between Freddy Kruger and a gondolier.

El Golazo's 11 and rumors from around the league

Here is the selection

GK Takagi
DF Kaimoto-Tsuchiya-Tomisawa-Hattori
MF Hiroyama-Ono-Sugawara-Iio
FW Diego-Silva

I imagine we'll see a combo of Shibasaki, Sato or Nagai, Inoue or Funakoshi, and a defender on the bench

Of note is the fact that Tsuchiya, Ono, and Diego are all sitting on three yellows. A disaster is on the horizon if Verdy manages to not win and lose all three to yellows......can you imagine what that lineup would look like against Cerezo?

Magno to Saudi Arabia?

Hochi Yomiuri is reporting that Magno Alves has been in double secret super quiet negotiations to leave Gamba for Al Ithad of Saudi Premier league. Recently, Magno has been linked to FC Tokyo, Shimizu, and Al Wahada of the UAE. One place I can absolutely rule out is Omiya.

J2 Watch

Sanfrecce and U-22 D midfielder Toshihiro Aoyama injured his foot in the Beijing clinching 0-0 tie against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Aoyama was the hero for the young Samurai when he cleared a dangerous shot off the line in the 9th minute to help preserve a clean sheet. Aoyama will be on the shelf for two months and will miss the final 2 critical games for Sanfrecce against Kawasaki and Gamba.

An always interesting preview of the upcoming game between FC Tokyo and 15th place Omiya can be found at Go!Go!Omiya Ardija!----------or here http://furtho.blog4.fc2.com/blog-entry-1023.html#comment2977 If you look close enough, you can see some angry comments from an unnamed blogger.

Kofu ventures into the place where their J1 adventure began. A slumping Kashiwa Reysol will try to do to Ventforet what the Yamanashi side did to them.......send them down to the two. Actually, I think that Kashiwa should actually roll over and die in thanks for the drop to J2....the team is in much better shape now then they were when they finished 16th twice.

Finally, the game of the week in J2 pits Vegalta against an erratic Kyoto side. Both teams need a max 3 points and had somewhat disappointing results in their last campaign. A tie might be the worst possible thing for both squads with a banged up but hard charging Cerezo side lurking in 5th.

Things are going to shake out tomorrow......we should see what 2008 is gonna look like with these games. Nerve racking stuff indeed!

FC TOKYO NEWS and Osieck Japan?

First off......news from the gashouse. The team officially announced today that former World Cup squad members Yoichi Doi and Takashi Fukunishi both will not be returning to the club next season. Doi is 34 and saw a sharp decline in the past year. Hitoshi Shiota took over for the FC Tokyo stalwart halfway through this campaign.

Fukunishi seems to still have some life left in him at 31. Tagged as a final piece to pushing FCT to respectability, the squad and the man have both failed to live up to expectations. I imagine a man like ths with Jubilo and NT roots would be attractive to another Tokyo team so I imagine he won't go far.

Also on his way out is two time Gaffer Hiromi Hara. Hara was brought in to steady the squad after a bad 2006 campaign. He failed.

Finally, former FC Tokyo bust Paolo Wanchope announced his retirement after stinking it up in MLS for Chicago. Amazing that this was the same player that shined for Costa Rica against Germany.

Holger Osieck has been rumored to take over the reigns for the ailing Ivica Osim. I think it would be a great move.........for Urawa. Replacing the mundane Osieck with say a much more deserving Gert Engels would be a master stroke for the newly crowned ACL champs. Osieck meanwhile has led a very talented squad to the most joyless championship run ever. You can do better JFA.

Finally, happy trails to longtme Kashima Antler and current Kyoto Sanga DF Yutaka Akita who announced his retirement from the j League. 405 games for the rugged D man.

Here is the matrix

Sahara cup rd of 16....errr, 18

Baby birds, a view of next week, and other news

Let's start it off with a big congratlations to Verdy Youth, who claimed first place in a tough Group A over JEF United Chiba and Consadole Sapporo. With the win, Verdy youth lock up a spot in the next round.

Verdy fought against a game Shizuoka FC in a training match at lovely Verdy grounds with the green machine claiming a 5-1 victory

In a glimpse of what the nappy one is thinking, Verdy went with a combination of Silva and Diego up top with Hiroyama, Sugawara, Ono, and Inoue filling in the midfield. Silva started the scoring and then Inoue, Diego, Funakoshi, and Iio chipped in some more. Silva's not a bad selection up top and his speed might cause some issues for Ehime.

Around J2.........I put this part in Pink because I mention Cerezo Osaka getting stunned with a 2-2 draw at Thespa. Now Thespa is turning out to be a pain in the hind section to all the big boys of J2. The tie was rough for Cerezo because not only do they go into their next match against Mito missing 4 starters, the room for error is now officially nil.

Consadole came back from a 1 goal deficit to steal a draw from Kyoto and become the first team to qualify for the top three. A combination of a tie or a Kyoto loss or tie guarantees straight promotion for the northernmost J League squad. Good news for Verdy fans is that it opens the door for Verdy to steal the J2 championship away from Consadole and claim it for themselves. A win next week also pretty much guarantees straight promotion for the Tokyo squad.

Shonan kept their promotion hopes alive barely with a 3-2 win at Vegalta. Last week it looked like Vegalta was in the drivers seat with a 1-0 lead early against Verdy, but now find themselves in 4th with the loss. How come it seems like Vegalta always finishes 4th?

Finally, one guy I'd like to see get a contract in the J League is Watford MF Al Bangura. Bangura is a 19 year old Sierra Leone refugee who is in danger of being sent back to his country for no apparent reason http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/16112007/58/championship-watford-youngster-deported.html Bangura's story is the stuff that movies are made of. His father was a part of a secret society that demanded offspring join after the death of a member. Rejecting the tradition, Bangura fell into the hands of a less than savory character in France, who wanted to turn the young midfielder into a homosexual prostitute. Bangura refused, applied to England for asylum and was found by Watford officials playing soccer in a park. Two years later, Bangura is a regular for the squad and by all accounts a solid member of his community. Going back to Sierra Leone could be a death sentence. Now, if I were an enterprising team in......say.......Saitama who wears orange and was looking for young premiership type talent and great pr, I would be on the phone with Watford today saying loan us the kid for a year while you sort this out. I will be checking up on the Bangura story. More of the Bangura story is here (which I pretty much copied above) BBC news http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4880822.stm

Osim hospitalized

Very sad news yesterday as National Team Coach Ivica Osima was hospitalized with a stroke. The 66 year old legend of soccer is in very serious condition.

I have not enjoyed his time as coach of the National squad to be honest. I don't like his teams or his reliance on JEF United players. I was hoping he wouldn't be coach much longer...........This is absolutely not the way I want it. I hope that his traditional stubbornness will be enough to get him to pull through it and resume at the helm of the National squad. I hope to be able to curse at his selections and tactics again....soomer rather than later. Get well soon big man!

THE EVIL EMPIRE TAKES OVER ASIA

Urawa claimed the crown with a 2-0 win over Sepahan, the Iranian contingent. Verdy won something similar to this a thousand years ago but it isn't really talked about among polite company.

Our friend Ken Matsushima at Rising Sun News has his own unique take on the whole quality of reporting here http://www.wldcup.com/Asia/news/2007/071114.html#reports

YOKOHAMA FC WATCH-

Julio Leal is out after this season and an old familiar face is in at Yokohama FC. Give you a hint........he was a coach for Verdy last year.......that's right, the Verdy recycling continues as SATOSHI TSUNAMI is tipped by Sports Hochi Yomiuri to take the reigns of the bottom dwelling Kanagawa side. According to the article, Tsunami was picked over Yasu Miura, the older brother of Kazu Miura .........so it would seem to SG that Kazu will be on the way out as well. I'm guessing that a bunch of the current Verdy players will be moving out to be with their former Head Coach for 2008.

VERDY WATCH- This week sees the team getting a break before taking up the charge for a final 2 game push. Cerezo Osaka has lost two of their Brazilian charges in Ale and Ze Carlos for the final three games of the season. Helpful, but I think the team needs to have eliminated the shocking pink with a win beforehand to make sure that they have nothing to play for. Winning on the road against a team dancing with aspirations of promotion in their head is not the wisest way to go. The team gears up against Shizuoka FC tomorrow in a nice runout before finishing the campaign.

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.

Ties are lame

Ah yes, the proverbial sister kisser. Verdy outshot and outfouled the might men of Sendai but could only come up with a tie. Hulk was off on his 9 chances but the big Brazilian sidekick, Diego managed to enter the account late to salvage a point at home and steal 2 away from Vegalta. Some bad news out of the game is that Hulk picked up another yellow.....thus making him ineligible for the Ehime game for sure and potentially the Cerezo game as well. Is that the last we've seen of Hulk in green?

1-1 and a little closer to the promised land.

Yokohama FC watch----- The land of misfit Verdy players finally scraped a point for erstwhile manager Julio Leal after a cross from Atsuhiro Miura found the silky foot of Shingo Nejime for a 1-1 tie against freefalling Kashiwa Reysol. Yokohama FC managed to break a record.....going 634 minutes without finding the back of the net. The former record was held by the Urawa Reds.

News out of Brazil is that big striker and former Verdy man Washington is NOT going to be in the J League next year. It seems the J League holders are close to making a deal with Fluminense (Fluminese?) to ship the grumpy goalhanger off to Brazil.

It's getting close.......off to the brand new Omiya NACK5 stadium to see the finest girl in Japan after her facelift.

Big Game ahead

Today is a huge game in modern Verdy history.A win will most likely propel the team into promotion status. A loss breathes life into not only Vegalta Sendai, but Kyoto and hard charging Cerezo as well. The good news for Verdy is that they face an opponent they have absolutely owned in Vegalta Sendai. Sendai goes into the game without Talismanic midfielder Lopez, who is out with a leg problem.

The key matchup will be between Hulk and new Vegalta CB Kazunari Okayama, a refugee from Kashiwa Reysol.

Rui Ramos was quoted in the Nikkan press as saying he was like Ochiai, the manager of Nippon Series winning Chunichi Dragons,because he is not afraid to make risky decisions in order to win. Well, his risky decision today is starting Kaz Iio over Silva. UMMMMMMMM.......

I will not be in attendance because I'm sick.

BABY BIRDS DROP ONE TO JEF IN SAHARA CUP

Verdy youth find themselves sitting behind Consadole in group play after dropping a 3-2 decision. The boys get on with it today against group leader Consadole at Verdy grounds.

OFF TOPIC :GOAL 2-The sappiness continues

Just saw Goal 2-Soccer Boogaloo on DVD and it was entirely predictable but still fun. GOAL chronicles the travels of Mexican undocumented worker and soccer prodigy Santiago Muniz, who gets discovered by a Newcastle scout and is whisked off to Europe.......damn the visa issues. Part two takes place with wonderboy getting an offer to play for Real Madrid to play with a bunch of guys who either retired or left for Los Angeles. Temptation, Jealousy, Rage........it's like an R Kelly video with soccer too. It's good for a laugh or three.......what the hell, I'll recommend it. More believable than Elijah Wood in "GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS".

Gamba enters the Arms race?

Nikkan Sports and friend of SG-Gora no Ura are reporting a rumor that Kyoto might lose super striker Paulinho to Nabisco Cup Champions Gamba Osaka if the purple people fail to gain promotion. Paulinho would presumably fill the gap being left by Magno Alves.

On top of that, Nikkan is reporting that the pursuit of FC Tokyo man and national teamer Yasuyuki Konno is in full pursuit.

Rumor Clearinghouse

First off a super big duper Congratulations to Gamba Osaka who claimed a 1-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale in the super gynormous Nabisco Cup. Other prestigious winners include JEF Chiba (2 times), FC Tokyo, and Kashiwa Reysol. IMPRESSIVE!

Speaking of the blue turds of Ajinomoto........rumor out of Nikkan Sports is that they will change their strips to mirror Barcelona......great...the term makeup on a pig comes to mind but if it sells more gas shirts, so be it.

YOKOHAMA FC WATCH- The headlopping will begin next month as Yokohama FC trims alot of the dead weight off their roster. 1 in 3 of the current members will be handed their walking papers after a dismal 2007 campaign. The first one that should go but won't (unless he gets a stupid offer from Verdy) is Kazu Miura. However reports say that the team wants him and Atsuhiro Miura to come back to the squad next campaign. Another move should be the job of Julio Leal.....seriously, teams almost accidentally get better after a coaching change but this distinguished gentleman has led his squad to 9 straight losses and a goal tally of 1 in 9 games. He seems to recycle the old boys consistently without giving some of the younger players a chance. 4 games left to avoid being the worst J League team ever............maybe.

SOILENT GREENS VERDY WATCH- More rumors out of Kawasaki have J2's leading goal hawk HULK heading back to Kawasaki after this term. In some sort of weird servitude contract, Kawasaki still retain the rights to the mercurial striker. http://www.sanspo.com/soccer/top/st200711/st2007110404.html
You have to wonder why Verdy isn't putting their hat in the Washington derby during the offseason. Although the man is a consumate crybaby, his strength and scoring acumne in J League games is beyond reproach. And it seems to me that he still has some friends in Tokyo, the fans like him, and he still has some gas in the tank. Team him up with Diego and you have a very physical front two.

Baby birds fly- Tokyo Verdy Junior is participating in the Sahara Cup and are off to a pretty decent 2-1-0 start to sit second. The squad gears up against JEF Junior after they had a match postponed last week because of the typhoonish conditions.

Training Day- Verdy took on Something or other Valente in a run out and won 3-0. Goals were scored by Hiroyama, Hulk, and Funakoshi (Who still is on the team I guess....he got a pass from Saito......where are these guys anyway?)

Finally- The Emperor's cup 4th round kicks off in a mere two hours......my selection to win it all.
KASHIMA ANTLERS......they are in good form and haven't been to ACL in awhile...it's their turn to represent with presumably Urawa so I'm picking them to prevail over Shimizu, Jubilo, and Vissel...........Ehime will be the story of 2007's Cup.

We take a moment from SOCCER to let you know..

That my beloved Chunichi Dragons won the Nippon Series today 4 games to 1 to claim the title of Japan's best team. Even more dramatic was the way in which it was done with surprise starter Daisuke Yamai and ace reliever Hitoki Iwase combine to pitch a perfect game to clinch the series and give Chunichi a crown for the first time in 53 years.

Yaaaaaaaaaa-F@#$ing-Taaaaaaaaa Byatches! That's one for Soilent Green!

More baseless speculation

Weekly Soccer Digest jumps into the fray with a comprehensive list of baseless rumors

For your viewing pleasure

Hulk-going to Kawasaki Frontale
FC Tokyo midfielder Yasuyuki Konno going to Gamba
Jubilo Iwata Netminder Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi to Gamba
Gamba forward Magno Alves headed to FC Tokyo (Sports Hochi has him headed to Shimizu)
Oita defender Yohei Fukumoto to Gamba
JEF MF Koki Mizuno off to Urawa or FC Tokyo
Yokohama FC MF Oh Beom Suk, Sanfrecce MF/DF Yuichiro Komano, and Vegalta MF Lopez to Yokohama F Marinos
Albirex FW Edmilson to Urawa

I think we'll know more when Relegation shakes out....Takanori Sugeno has to be getting some notice and if the Yokohama-Verdy pipeline is still flowing, maybe we will see the young keeper in green (actually light blue...as the keeper). Sanfrecce is waiting to break open like a purple pinata.

Don't count your victories before they're hatched

Hulk showed up and put in two......but so did Thespa, including one in the final moments to snatch a point away from Verdy.

Two games in a row, the defense has failed to stop a charging squad.....this time they got burned, possibly losing the J2 Championship with this game

3 games to go.......it's not over yet.

Kobe gets in on the bidding war

That picture has nothing to do with the headline......I'll get to that later

First- Sports Hochi Yomiuri is reporting that Vissel Kobe is making it priority one to sign Vegalta Sendai man and main Urawa target Lopes to strengthen their back line. Good fit as a distributor and would help feed Okubo and Leandro. Somehow though, the cash splashing by Rakuten doesn't sit too well with me. I think they have more problems with their leadership structure. A team with that much firepower shouldn't be struggling as much as they do. FC Tokyo of the South.

Second-The picture above took place yesterday in Mitsuzawa as J2 debutante Yokoham FC crashed to their 9th loss in a row and 25th in 30 games. The team hasn't scored since the 69th minute of a 2-1 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on the first game of September.......561 minutes and over 6 games ago. Their current coach, Julio Leal has not won in his 8 games as head man.

I was in attendance yesterday as a team laden with misfit Verdy players from yesteryear took to battle against a squad with less misfit Verdy players from yesteryear. The game was decided on a goal from......yes.....a Verdy player from yesteryear against a product of the Verdy youth system.....1-0 Verdy misfit players from yesteryear over even more Verdy misfit players from yesteryear.

The game was played in front of 4,114......2800 came pissed off....were pissed off during the game...and went home pissed off. At the start of the match, The Yokohama Oen were dead silent when the 11 came out for warmups. The game was started with a SAKAMOTO YAMEROO chant (Sakamoto out). 90 minutes of hurricane weather and slick ball later and Yokohama was finished. The end of the game started like the beginning with another out chant. Finally, the man of the moment skulked out to face the angry pale blue mob. I give him credit, there was a lot of anger.

Third-JESSE FINK RETURNS

Friend of SG Jesse Fink is back starting tomorrow with his sometimes scathing, always entertaining takes on Australian Soccer. Fox is out, THE WORLD GAME is in.....here is the link, which does not seem to work at the moment http://www.theworldgame.com.au/ Anyhow, glad to see Jesse is off his backside and writing again......on his backside, I guess.

Finally- A reasonably similar starting 11 takes the field in an hour against the Spa boys of Thespa in a battle of teams I blogged about. Verdy has a real chance to solidify their promotion aspirations today with a win and stay in reach of a championship.

With Vegalta and Consadole winning and Kyoto crashing out, the race for promotion is starting to take shape. A win would knock Shonan Bellmare out of contention for automatic promotion and put some distance between Verdy and third place Vegalta Sendai before their big clash on November 10th.

P.S. The tWo is getting pounded today 4-0 against Kawasaki Frontale at the half..........I'm hoping for double digits. Down with FCT!

A trophy you really don't want

Yokohama FC just completed the fastest burnout in J league history with a 3-0 loss today to fellow promotion partner from 2006, Vissel Kobe. The truly stunning thing about the fall of Verdy Blue is the thouroughly pathetic results they have put out in 29 games.

The major highlights in this season were wins to crosstown rival Yokohama F Marinos and a tie to Gamba Osaka. Under current manager Julio Real, the baby blues have lost 7 straight, getting outscored 14-1 in the Brazilians short and cloudy tenure as gaffer.

Yokohama FC follows the lead of 2005 J2 Champ Kyoto Sanga in crashing out after 1 year at the top.

Another squad to take a plunge after 1 year in the big time saw their chance for promotion slowly fade into oblivion. Avispa Fukuoka dropped a 1-0 decision to the frontrunner for next years bottom dweller (if the championship curse holds true) Consadole Sapporo after playing a man up for over an hour but not cracking the Sapporo defense.

3 big games take place tomorrow with Verdy taking on a dangerous Montedio side in Yamagata. Kyoto goes to Tokushima to play a struggling Vortis squad. Finally the game of the day belongs to 3rd place Vegalta Sendai against a surging Cerezo Osaka squad who is looking to steal a spot in the top 3.

Finally, J1 squads who are on the cusp of falling off the cliff took to battle today in 2 seperate games. Omiya finally broke through against a truly dismal Sanfrecce side, 1-0. Sanfrecce reminded me of last year's collection of has beens and malcontents in Osaka's pink sector with their lacsadaisacal play. Now I'm not saying Omiya deserves to stay up this year but if Sanfrecce is still around after their collection of talent has put out consistently bad performances and low effort then there is something wrong.

Oita on the other hand suffer from youthful mental lapses. The young Trinitans pulled off a respectable 2-1 victory against a surprising Kashiwa side. Kashiwa didn't attempt a shot in the first half.

Finally, congratulations go out to Nagoya's own Chunichi Dragons who swept both Hanshin and Yomiuri to earn the right to get their taints handed to them again by the Sapporo Nippon Ham Fighters......always second except for in my heart.....somewhere Tom Selleck is gently weeping tears of joy.

How would Hulk look in Red?

According to WEEKLY SOCCER MAGAZINE SHA, Urawa is targeting a bevy of J League stars in attempts to bolster their sad, sad lineup that only managed to lose 2 games and advance to the Semi-Finals of the ACL. Included in Urawa's alleged shopping list is FW Hulk, Vegalta super midfielder Lopes, JEF Chiba midfielder Koki Mizuno, and former Urawa Red and current RedBull Salzberg MF Alessandro Santos. Arguably Urawa got the pick of the amateur class in FW Hiroyuki Takasaki as well.

Other rumored moves include Washington to Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Shonan stumble in a J2 rumble

4 million spectators went through Verdy turnstiles.....not too shabby

I gotta say that the team I saw today looks nothing like the one at the start of the season. For 70 minutes, Verdy played the best ball I have ever seen them play, controlling the midfield, shutting off all danger, and creating chances at will. Hulk was the first to notch a goal with a free kick that was earned after getting taken down a few yards outside the box. An in shape Diego tormented the Bellmare defense with fluid runs down the middle, dishing off a textbook pass to a streaking Silva for score number 2. Finally, Tsuchiya put in a header off a nice cross from Hattori. It seems like the squad took their foot off the gas near the end of the game and only a determined Takagi kept the clean sheet for the squad. Hell, even Kaz Iio looked like a player today.

One thing that might help Verdy on their road back to J1 is the shakeup down in Kyoto. Former Verdy man Hisashi Kato.....one of the first Yomiuri/Verdy players to don the blue shirt of Japan....has taken over for Naohiko Minobe. Shonan has pretty much been eliminated.

Finally, we have to say a sad farewell to Jesse Fink and Half time Orange. Jesse, as you might know, is a friend of Soilent Green and wrote a fabulous book called 15 Days in June about the Socceroos march in the 2006 World Cup and the history of Australian Soccer. If you get the chance, pick it up. The photo is courtesy of Jesse via former Yomiuri FC goalkeeper Dennis Boland. I didn't completely get permission so it might come down really quick. Just my little way to honor a good soccer writer! Good Luck Jesse and come back soon!

True Confessions

I have seen a few people have written posts asking where I am and why I haven't posted.

The short, terse answer is I haven't really cared. It's funny...the team is playing great now, they fought back into second and I can't be bothered for some odd reason. Maybe it's because Ramos is making the right decisions and I can't handle it. Maybe it's because he's winning with guys I really don't like as players. Maybe it's because the team did the entirely opposite thing instead of conventional wisdom and are succeeding.

I dunno.......I just remember sitting in Ajinomoto stadium on a beautiful day when Verdy played Ehime and absolutely not caring about whether or not the team won.

I feel like a fraud.

You guys deserve a blog written by someone who actually cares about the team. I'm not that guy. I'm an Omiya fan. I know that because I've gone to every home game and a couple road games and they sucked (for the most part).......and I have no intention of stopping going to those games.

My dream is that someone out there gets pissed off enough to think......hell, I could a better job than Soilent Green and they write a blog about Verdy.

I will be going to see Verdy play Shonan......maybe my last one for the season.

I'll try to write more.......but no promises.

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?

Verdy Blog and Pride of Green as well as other numerous sites are reporting on a story released by Nikkan Gendai

Before I tell the sordid details, let me say 2 things

1. Nikkan Gendai is a tabloid variety publication and has some credibility issues
2. No other publication has picked up the story

Anyhow the story states that CyberAgent and Yomiuri publications/NTV are looking to pull out all of their capital in Tokyo Verdy due to lackluster ticket sales and a loss of money. The story states that Yokohama FC would buy the name "VERDY" and become Yokohama Verdy FC next year.

WHY IT'S BELIEVABLE

Verdy has lost a ton of money due to overspending, bad personnel decisions, and a declining fan base. Old stars such as Nanami and Hattori failed to give the team a boost in the gates that CyberAgent had hoped for. Verdy has alot of money invested in land as well as renting out a huge facility in Ajinimoto while only averaging 10 percent of capacity.

WHY IT'S NOT BELIEVABLE

I think that if Yokohama FC rebranded to Verdy, the supporters who went through the whole Flugel tragedy and spent their early J League fandom hating prefectural rival Kawasaki Verdy would probably go on a killing spree the likes of which hasn't been seen since Atilla was still kickin. Even with the Verdy reunion tour going on right now at relegation ground zero, I don't think Yokohama FC woud do that. The goodwill that they are getting from reaching J1 would be destroyed.......relegation, they'll survive.......rebranding and you'll see two teams die.

I'll keep an eye on this story

A Blast from the past?

Pride of Green went to practice and found a familiar face among the regulars

Here are some hints.......He's young

He's Brazilian

He played for Yokohama FC

Give up?

http://ameblo.jp/verdy-yoshikazu/entry-10045529066.html

Good pickup if it goes through

Hulk teaming up with Silva.......that's a ton of speed at the top

Ze Luis has left the building

The team announced today that defensive Midfielder Ze Luis has left the team and is joining San Paulo FC. Ze notched 4 goals in 36 games over the 2006 and 2007 campaign. The move theoretically opens up a space for what I assume will be a more offensive import to team up top with Hulk. Good luck to Ze.....not quite the impact player that I thought he would be but not bad either.

The Rise and Fall of the Baby Blue Buzzards

Asahi Shimbun is reporting that last year's miracle maker, Takuya Takagi is being shown the door after a disaster of a J1 Campaign.

While some of the blame lies on the head mans shoulders, it must be said that the main failing lies in a team made up of retreads and castoffs from teams as lowly as J2 bottomfeeders Tokushima Vortis.

Leading the parade of misfit soccer players is a veritable collection of Who's Who in Verdy lore, starting with Takuya Yamada.......the Angel of Death
Verdy preseason hero Kazuki Hiramoto has failed to impress, only notching 3 goals in a role that wildly fluctuates from starter to bench to trainee
The patron saint of FC, Kazu Miura has hardly been seen this year.....the last time he was seen in a game was in June.

Shingo Nejime has been a bright spot in a dismal season. Jun Tamano has barely been seen. Atsuhiro Miura has yet to don pale blue. Gimar was released.

Dismal............

LOST IN AMERICA-Soilent Green #2

Ohhhhhh, I'm enjoying watching the Beckham non-show parade around the US of A. I'm starting to wonder if he will actually play or if they will just wheel him out for personal appearances. I also got a chance to watch some second division sides play to varying degrees of success. Pretty sure even Kaz Iio could score on the California Victory but I digress.

Anyhow Verdy played a couple of games down south when they went head to head with Avispa Fukuoka (loss) and Ehime FC (tie). Both games took place without the services of Hulk who is still serving a suspension for card accumulation. One notable player was Verdy youth MF Hiroki Kawano, who slipped in for 5 minutes. Ryutsu Keisai DF Masaki Iida was also on the bench for the club, but saw no time in the game.

J1 Shenanigans

Last post, I mentioned the disaster that is JEF Chiba and how I wished for their demise. Well, it seems the geniuses at Omiya misunderstood and decided that THEY would be the team to make the drop. After scathing criticism by Robert Verbeek in the press.....wait a minute...after Robert Verbeek stated the obvious and the girlish and thin skinned mouth breather Satoru Sakuma got his feelings hurt after reading that the team needed help at the forward position and in the back, Messrs Verbeek was summarily dismissed from his position as head man and replaced by......wait for it.......Satoru Sakuma.

If you are not familiar with Satoru Sakuma, he was the man who took Daigo Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, and Yukio Tsuchiya from relegated teams and made them into a 12th place squad......THAT WAS HIS HIGH POINT

Sakuma was the genius who released Bare and Leandro from Omiya for a head case named Christian and a flop by the name of Saul "Speedy" Martinez. Sakuma was the mastermind who brought in Naoya Saeki and rented him to Avispa during a relegation fight WITH AVISPA. Sakuma was the man who decided that the pairing of Takuro Nishimura and Yasuhiro Hato were even remotely adequate enough to play first division soccer. Sakuma was the man that brought you the two headed forward ghidra known as Morita-Salles. One word....ENILTON.
Sakuma allowed former coach Toshiya Miura to take GK Takahiro Takagi and let him become the best goalkeeper in J2.......leaving the squad with a frail Aratani and an inept Ezumi.

Satoru Sakuma....you sir make Ramos Rui look like a coaching genius.

Soilent Green American Style!

Still haven't seen David Beckham play yet but I have been watching some good footy

MLS-FMF Superliga has been everything the A3 championships aren't....good hard fought matches providing entertainment and controversy. Shockingly, CONCACAF club champion and COPA somethin or other champs Pachuca find themselves at the bottom of their group after two disappointing results to MLS squads Galaxy and FC Dallas......meanwhile The Urawa Reds of Mexico, CD Chivas Guadalajara and their merry band of urine throwers find themselves on top of their group after a controversial hand ball goal and dives aplenty.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Verdy had an up and down week, beating the snot outta Cerezo Osaka 4-0. Last night, Verdy went back to the scene of the early season collapse which nearly cost them their season. Like the fateful game in Fukuoka, Rui Ramos chose to start my least favorite player and constant rally killer Kaz Iio, like in that match Iio failed to generate any offense, and like that match Verdy lost 2-1. No Hulk, so Iio probably wasn't first selection but Taira Inoue couldn't do the job?

Another note....check out the Verdy Blog linked on the site and scroll down a bit..........looks like old Verdy forward and resident Urawa crybaby Wahhhhhhshington turned up at Nishigaoka to see his old team crush Cerezo

Speaking of Cerezo, Satoshi Tsunami got hired to assist to the Japan U-16 National Squad....Good Luck to the big man.

Finally Ivica Osim needs to look for a new job after that Abortion of a coaching job he pulled in the Asian Cup.......Seriously, is everything JEF Chiba affiliated with crap right now? Maybe JEF reserves are allright but the rest of it is sinking fast. Hurry up and die already, do the right thing and let yourself get relegated.

Hulk in Samurai Blue?

　東京Ｖのブラジル人ＦＷフッキが２０日、日本への帰化と日本代表への思いを口にした。日本語はまったく話せないが「日本代表？　それも選択肢の一つ。日本代表のユニホームを着てプレーしたい」。フッキは前節１４日の山形戦（西が丘）では終了間際に同点ゴールを決めるなど１８得点でＪ２得点王。

Sankei Sports is reporting that Hulk would like to obtain Japanese Citizenship even though he doesn't speak the greatest Japanese. While the outcome doesn't look likely and probably would take a looooooong time if it ever happened, it would solve some problems up top for the Japanese National Team.

TSUNAMI COMES HOME

Tokyo Verdy brought back Verdy legend Satoshi Tsunami as a special advisor. Good move and classy. Here's hoping he helps.

ALEMAO CORRECTION

I mistakenly reported that Alemao was at Vasco De Gama at the time of his death.....He was actually a member of Palmieras.....one of the readers pointed that out to me, Thank You and Mea Culpa.

VACATION

I'm headed back to the Land of Dog Fights and Steroids tomorrow so I will be erratic in my posting.......just like now so no real difference. Have a good summer and stay safe!

Hulk saves the day

Last minute, Torrential rain and big Hulk scores one at the end to steal a point away from Montedio.....good result considring the back 5 were a bit patchwork at best

Didn't see the game

VENDO'S BRUSH WITH GREATNESS......Alright Vendo's brush with Rui

Our friend Vendo from Mito Hollyhock News and Report ran into a bunch of the guys after the Mito match.....here is his account

Mito outplayed Tokyo Verdy in all ways but the one that counts. Since soccer isn't scored on judging, it's another loss and another three points in the divide between Mito and the rest of the field.Unfortunately I couldn't see most of the game live because there was a massive crowd that filled Hitachinaka's stadium to beyond capacity. Since I was working the gate, I was going hard trying to keep nearly 4,000 fans in order going in and out of a single gate. There was too much to do until the final 10 minutes or so, unlike Kasamatsu which usually can allow watching from whistle to whistle. I had to see the recording at home late night after finishing stadium work.Speaking of that crowd, the final number reached over 5,500 in a stadium that seats 5,000. (Well, "seats" are only in the higher priced section...) It marks the first time in 2007 that Mito's fan count was higher than another J. League game, and was in fact more than twice the size of Ehime's home game against Tokushima.After the game, in the locker room area, I talked with a few Japanese players from both teams and tried to do the same with Hulk, but there was a language barrier there. As I headed back into the main hall from the locker room area, Tokyo coach Rui Ramos came out of the press room and walked just beside me. He seemed kind of shocked to see a white guy working in the back for Mito and after a brief exchange of greetings and the equivalent of "good game" on both sides, I wished him luck for the future. He honestly came off as very nice and personable, but then again he had just won a hard game against a team that had embarrassed him in the last meeting. He seemed in a hurry to leave so I resisted the urge to ask for a picture. I also resisted the urge to ask why he pitched a tantrum on the sidelines after his keeper refused to hold the ball at the end of the game. It was probably for the best.He walked out of the front door to the waiting Tokyo fans who waited for player pictures and autographs. They were rabid and happy just to see them in person. On one hand, I was jealous that Tokyo had a fan base so rabid as to wait more than an hour just to see the players get on the bus. On the other, I felt bad for that fan base that the players seemed so inaccessable and untouchable, as if on a pedestal. I realized that different fan bases enjoy different teams in different ways. Mito's fans feel that they are closer to the team and know the players personally, supporting them one-on-one in addition to as a group. The downside is that if the team loses, the supporters don't just feel bad... The fans feel like losers, too.After my roles were finished and I waited for the rest, those of us who were waiting grabbed a ball and headed out to the field, still pockmarked from the steps and slides of the match, and played around for a bit. A couple of others stood where the Tokyo front line had been less than two hours earlier, while I took goalkeeper Takeda's spot. Although I wasn't up against the top scorer in the division, I wish that Takeda had been as successful as I was for those few minutes.Around three hours after the final whistle, I finally was able to head back to my car to make the drive home. As I put the key into the ignition, the lights on the field went out, and the first half of the season went dark. While no team can be mathematically eliminated from promotion at this point and thus hope must remain, it is clear that Mito is likely is headed to one of its worst season records ever despite playing some of its best quality games. I pondered that for a moment and came to the realization that it didn't matter. I feel so lucky to have this team and plan to do all I can to help it as much as possible.I just kind of wish the wins would come along a little more often.

Nice work Vendo

Weekly wrap

Getting close to Vacation time for Soilent Green (3 weeks in Beckham Valley) So here you go.....

ALEMAO AND MARCUS

I was in attendance last year as two Brazilian players went down from J1 to J2. Tokyo Verdy had just acquired the services of longtime veteran midfielder Marcus from high flying Kawasaki Frontale. Yokohama FC picked up the services of a young mercurial striker by the name of Alemao from soon to be relegated Kyoto Sanga. On a rain soaked summer night in Yokohama, neither did a damn thing as both teams wallowed in a 0-0 slog.

Marcus would struggle through the rest of the year, hovering between injury, erratic play, and aging legs. Alemao meanwhile, would tear the league apart, scoring about a goal a game and putting the offense of the little blue squad from Yokohama on his narrow shoulders. Irritating to watch at times, theatrical and annoying, there was no doubt about the young man's talent. He wasn't my favorite player but he was impressive.

The close of the season would find both men leaving their squads......Alemao to Vasco De Gama, and Marcus to Yokohama. Last week saw the two intertwined again. Marcus would see the end of his J league career after a disappointing end. Alemao saw the end of his life. While driving in a suburb of Rio De Janiero, Alemao crashed his car and died. He was 23 years old, far too young to be in the grave.

Our friend Cesare wrote a moving piece about the young striker on his Kyoto blog

http://sangananbanjin.blogspot.com/2007/07/alemao.html

Here's hoping you and your family find peace, Alemao.

GET USED TO TAKAGI

Shinya Yoshihara is out for 6 weeks after getting banged up in the game against Cerezo. That's why you bring in a couple good keepers.

VERDY VAULTS TO 4th AFTER A VICTORY OVER VEGALTA

Hulkamania ran wild in Sendai as the green machine thumped Vegalta on the road 4-1. One of the few bright spots in the Rui era has been the domination of the Sendai side. Verdy now holds a 5-1-1 record against the hawks. Call it Tsunami's revenge......(Speaking of which, 2-0-0 against Cerezo as well)

MONTEDIO AT NISHIGAOKA

Hagimura is out......back three of Ichiyanagi, Togawa, and Tomisawa with Ono and Sugayama in the middle and Takagi in net, Hattori and Kaimoto on the wings

Could be a shootout.

Half Finished

The season hit the halfway mark yesterday with Verdy finding themselves in 5th place, 6 points behind 2nd place Kyoto Purple Sanga.

Here is Verdy half wrap

BIGGEST WIN: At Kyoto 4-1.......Verdy found themselves in a 7 game morass before taking it to the purple gang of Kyoto. A loss here would have ended all chances of recovering and Verdy behind the two Brazilians came through big.

WORST LOSS: Ehime 1-0......some will say the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Mito was the worst loss and it's hard to argue against them. I will contend however that outshooting and out powering little Ehime while not finding the net was a killer. Ehime robbed points from Verdy. It was the game that caused me to stop writng for a month.

MVP: Hulk 13 goals 8 assists, constant threats, powerful runs in the box.

Surprise of the year: Shigenori Hagimura, the guy has done the most with his chances after a dreadful season in 2006.

No surprise: Kaz Iio, THE STRIKER THAT DOESN'T SHOOT

What about Rui? I still say he is overmatched as a coach and he does things that I disagree with. I would have fired him......that being said, he did institute the switch to 3-5-2 that jumpstarted the 2007 campaign and put the squad back in contention for promotion...that he deserves credit for.

Changes? Tsuchiya will be back so Togawa probably loses his spot. Funakoshi is back as a starter, although I'm not quite sure why. Possibly the adddition of another big name from the past and maybe a replacement for Ze Luis, who has disappeared completely.

Mystery?????? What happened to Masaki Saito? Did he die? Where is the guy?

Forecast for the second half- If everything breaks right, 3rd place and a chance to play against JEF Chiba for the last spot in J1.

J2's upcoming crisis

Next year will see the inclusion of up to 3 more teams into the ranks of J2. While the number of squads has made for a tidy if bit long 48 game schedule, the addition of 2 more teams could throw a huge monkey wrench into the works. 15 teams would mean the loss of 18 games on the schedule, down to a paltry 28 games. Lacking a cup situation would mean loss of revenue and less chances for players to see meaningful playing time.

Therefore Soilent Green proposes something completely different and possibly really stupid......the two tiered season.

Unlike the two stage mess that was in the J league, this two tiered system would have a purpose........

STEP 1- The 28 game preliminaries
STEP 2- The final rounds
Each team would get a home and home series against every opponent in J2. At the end of the 28 game season teams would be classified into two groups......the promotion group and the cup group. The promotion group (top 8) would play another 14 game home and home set against the other 7 top finishers. The cup group (bottom 7) would play a 12 game set against the other also rans in their group. Instead of promotion, the cup group would play for a monetary prize and a cup, so even the smallest fish could have dreams of winning something.

Scheduling would be a difficulty, arranging travel plans and putting out advertisements would be done on an unfortunate truncated schedule. However, every team has a competition to play in so venues could be reserved at the start of the the season.

The second problem with this is the age old question of cheapening the season versus making every game count. Don't know where I stand when it comes to this. I don't mind playoffs, especially since the Colaship and other various leagues have a playoff system in place in relation to promotion. The one problem I do see with this is the devaluing of performance in the earlier stages. Kashiwa had a monster start last year and a bit of a dropoff in form near the end. In my scenario, a loss in form could doom a team who consistently performed well during a majority of the season.

Just a thought.....all I know is Thespa vs Tokushima is Booooooooring right now!

Lucky 7

To start this week's edition of Soilent Green, we start with the long awaited arrival of FOSG Jesse Fink's book on the socceroos and former Yomiuri FC goalkeeper Dennis Boland. Titled 15 days in June, it details the rise of a new power in Asian football. I've gotten through the first three chapters and it is a fast and interesting read. Not sure where you can buy it in Japan or Europe..(probably Amazon or E-Bay). Anyhow, congratulations on the new book Jesseand here's hoping you come to Japan and write 1 and a half long damn years in Tokyo.....How Rui messed up a sure thing!
Today, Verdy ventures to Ibaraki prefecture to take on Vendo's own Mito Hollyhock. Yahoo.co.jp posted this as the potential lineup, and it seems that there is an Albirex tinge to the lineup. The key to the game will be effective counter-attacking, Mito love to push the ball lately and a hawk like Hulk could put his stamp on the game.

Three Brazilians, Hulk and Diego for Verdy and new signing Biju for Mito did not appear in the last contest. Another thing in Verdy's favor is the fact that last year the teams split the season series two apiece with road teams winning all the games.

Reversal of fortune? Possibly.

MIURA IN LIMBO

Well, as of today there is still no movement on the transfer of Atsuhiro Miura. Spots Hochi has thrown Yokohama FC back into the mix in regards to making a move on the longtime pro. Makes sense, considering he was one of the best players in Flugel history and has connections up the ying yang to the Yokohama squad.

Like Bad Breath........

I'm back.

Couple of interesting tidbits to pass along as I try to get back into the swing of things

1. Yukio Tsuchiya is out for 6 weeks. He came up injured in the game against Flaming Pink on Wednesday.

2. Atsuhiro Miura is allegedly a target for Ramos and friends. The 32 year old former captain of Vissel Kobe was told to hit the road after criticizing Vissels manager for his player selection and tactics. The team said that he had to apologize, he didn't and he was let go.

Over the past couple of weeks, Ramos has made overtures to his former teammate from Verdy days of yore in an attempt to lure him back as a wing.

It was easy to dismiss the overtures as another attempt by Rui to get his name in the papers and make him look like he was trying to do something to save the SS Green Titanic. Another mercurial former foreign legend from the days of J league infancy, Pierre Littbarski, also has made advances towards the gritty professional.

One had to be wondering why Miura would take a step back into J2 when some of the lower rung J1 squads were begging for his services and leadership. It seems to me the clock was ticking on his J1 career and road trips to Tosu couldn't be too palatable for the former National teamer.

The first sign that maybe Verdy's overtures were more credible came in the form of a response by Yokohama FC that they would not be pursuing the services of Miura because of money and desire. Now, when a team with a massive Verdy fetish like Yokohama FC turns down the chance to get one of its former legends, you know that something is cooking....by last count they had Silva, Kazu, Yamada, Sugeno, Nejime, Tamano, Takagi, Hiramoto and new signing Hayashi all claiming ties to the Green.

A few days ago, Vissel added to the speculation that Miura would take the field in green by issuing a statement saying that they would only transfer Miura to a J2 squad......J1 was out of the question. Reasonable enough, Vissel kind of is mediocre bordering on suck and they don't want a pissed off former player going at them directly or indirectly for a rival.

Like everything Verdy does, this move could be good or bad..........

What will Miura do when he sees that Ramos (or Littbarski) are both mediocre as managers and have the same aggravating style of indecision and constant player moves?

What will adding another "crony" do to the likes of a Fukuda who hasn't seen the pitch in a long time?

Why is a team who is mid table second division trying to get older?

What does this do to the leadership structure of the squad.........Is Ono still the captain? Hattori? Does Miura get the band after walking in?

Is he a forward or defender?

Any other manager, I'd say bring him in........but Rui? He'll mess up for sure.

Game on!

GONE FISHIN!

I have decided to take a break from blogging for the month of June.......I will be back on July 1st, hopefully relaxed and refreshed.

Kinda came to this conclusion during the game when I was doing everything but paying attention to what was on the field yesterday.

OH YEAH......I blame Kaz Iio for th loss yesterday.....I don't know why Rui insists on playing the guy after win streaks but he is the biggest jinx I've ever seen.

So look for me on July 1st to blog again.......much apologies, feel free to keep the discussions going though here.