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What does a club do when it has just won the second division at a canter and has been crowned
national Cup champions for the first time in its history? Sign a new coach, if that club is FC
Tokyo.
The capital outfit celebrated beating Kyoto Sanga 4-2 in the Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day
by officially announcing Serb tactician Ranko Popovic as its new coach barely a day later.
And then there were three. Two familiar contenders, one plucky outsider and four league games are
all that stand between Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka, Nagoya Grampus and the J. League title.
Autumn is especially beautiful across the KantÅ Plain, when the deciduous leaves fall and a mellow
sunlight light frames the back streets and alleys of one of the world's most populous regions.
The sight of Gamba Osaka running out at Expo '70 Stadium tonight is unlikely to fill their fans
with hope. It's more likely to fill those in attendance with a sense of trepidation as the team
currently leading the J. League standings does battle with defending Nabisco Cup champions Jubilo
Iwata for a trophy no one genuinely wants to win.
Former Japan international Naoki Matsuda has died. The 34-year-old collapsed during training with
Japan Football League club Matsumoto Yamaga on August 2.
The tenacious defender played more than 360 top-flight games for Yokohama F. Marinos and was one of
the most popular players of the J. League era.
Umbrella sellers are no doubt doing a brisk trade in Yokohama as Kanagawa giants Yokohama F.
Marinos lead the way in the J. League standings.
F. Marinos fans are known for their colourful support and it's a common sight to see the Tricolore
run out against a backdrop of twirling umbrellas at their cavernous Nissan Stadium home.
The nightmare continues for Saitama giants Urawa Reds after they were held to a scoreless draw away
at fellow strugglers Montedio Yamagata overnight.
The Reds have recorded three straight draws since beating bottom club Avispa Fukuoka in June,
leaving coach Zeljko Petrovic's side languishing in fifteenth.
It's tough being Urawa Reds. The "biggest club in Asia" tag is a difficult one to live
down, even if the Saitama giants haven't come close to winning a trophy for years.
The Reds burst onto the Asian football scene by winning the J. League under the swashbuckling
auspices of German coach Guido Buchwald in 2006, before his more circumspect
successor Holger Osieck steered the Saitama giants to Asian Champions League glory
the following year.
Five weeks after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused widespread
destruction in Japan's northern Miyagi Prefecture, the J. League finally resumes with five Round 7
games taking place on April 23.
Foremost among them is the clash between Kawasaki Frontale and Vegalta Sendai, with Sendai the city
closest to the epicentre of the earth-shattering quake which struck on March 11.
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami which tore through north-eastern Japan
have forced the postponement of all J. League games this weekend.
The J. League announced this morning that no games would take place in J1 or J2 over the weekend,
with early reports suggesting some grounds may have suffered structural damage.
The 2011 J. League kicks off on March 5, and it looks set to be another bumper
season.
A handful of marquee match-ups dominate the opening day, including the
Osaka derby between Gamba and Cerezo and a regional showdown between promoted Ventforet Kofu and
Jubilo Iwata.
Defending champions Nagoya Grampus kick off their campaign with a tricky home fixture against
Yokohama F.
They've scrapped, they've scraped and they've even overcome a penalty shoot-out: it seems
like nothing can stop Japan in their quest for a fourth Asian Cup title.
Japan conceded a soft equaliser just seconds away from an extra-time win over arch-rivals South
Korea in their semi-final, only for goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima to stand tall as he saved the Taeguk
Warriors' first two penalties in a one-sided shoot-out victory.
He's one of the most in-demand players in Europe, plays as an attacking talent for Japan and proved
decisive in their 3-2 quarter-final win over hosts Qatar at the Asian Cup.
And his name is not Keisuke Honda.
Japan relied heavily on Borussia Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa to see off the stubborn Qataris in a
pulsating quarter-final, as the diminutive playmaker scored twice and set up the winner for
Masahiko Inoha in a come-from-behind victory.
2,022. That was the attendance figure announced when Japan faced off against Saudi Arabia
at Al-Rayyan stadium, and the symbolism drew a smattering of applause from the 800 or so fans
actually in attendance.
Evidently the Asian Cup is not a widespread crowd-puller. With most Saudi fans on the first bus
back to Jeddah as soon as the whistle blew on their second group-stage defeat, it's clear most of
the Saudi players wished they'd taken the same route.
An Italian walks into a bar in Tokyo and asks for a local brew, but not wishing to disappoint,
the barman discreetly pours the visitor a Peroni instead.
It's a plausible scenario in a country like Japan, where citizens are eager to please and
equally desperate to avoid criticism.
Perhaps that's why the Japanese press were quick to turn a blind eye to another poor performance
from the Samurai Blue at the Asian Cup in Qatar, as Alberto Zaccheroni's men laboured to a 2-1 win
over a spirited but technically inferior Syria.
Can Qatar host a successful World Cup in 2022? That's probably a moot question in terms of the
Asian Cup, since so much of the country resembles an open construction site.
Eleven years is a long time between tournaments, and no doubt the army of construction workers who
clog the footpaths and carparks of this tiny desert nation will work overtime to transform Qatar
from its present dusty state into a shining beacon of the Gulf.
