Team Data: Vegalta Sendai

Team Name:

Team Logo & Mascot:

Team Flag:

Home Uniform Away Uniform

Home Stadium

Sendai Stadium



Seats 19,070

Team Data:

Management Corporation: Tohoku Hundred Co., Inc.
Established: 7 October 1994
President: Akira Kyogoku
Investors: Consortium of local organisations and companies, including Miyagi Prefecture and Sendai City
Address: Gyoshinki Bldg. 4F,
3-6-16 Hon-cho, Aoba-ku,
Sendai City, Miyagi 980-0014
Hometown Area: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
Home Stadium(s): Miyagi Prefectural Stadium (capacity 49.000)
Sendai Stadium (capacity: 19,694)
Joined J. League: 1999

Vegatta-kun

Vegalta Sendai's mascot, Vegatta-kun, is a golden eagle -- a very suitable mascot for any sports team. Some might complain that he looks a bit more like an owl than an eagle, but that may be an attempt to make him look a bit more "cuddly". And dont knock the "cuddly" factor. Vegatta has consistently ranked among the most popular of J.League mascots, in nationwide surveys.

Team Roster

2008 Schedule

Historical Results

Preseason Forecast


Vegalta Sendai was originally formed in 1988, as the soccer club of Tohoku Electric Power Company, and it was a top team in the old Tohoku regional league during the JSL days. In 1994, the team entered the JFL under the name "Brummel Sendai". The name was changed to "Vegalta" in 1997. It is located in Sendai, which is about three hours north of Tokyo by train and one of the largest cities in northern Japan. Sendai boasts a strong local football base, and has one of the nicest football-only stadiums in Japan. Though not particularly large, its soaring semi-transparent roof and high twin decks have earned it comparison to Ajax Ansterdam's "Amsterdam Arena". For matches that are expected to draw larger crowds, the team can also fall back on Miyagi Prefectural Stadium, about 50 minutes from town, which was one of the host sites for the 2002 World Cup.

Vegalta Sendai takes its name from the twin stars Vega and Altair. The two stars feature in a popular local legend about two "star-crossed" lovers, and there is a festival to commemorate the date when the two stars reach their apex, in midsummer In addition to its strong local grassroots base, the team also enjoys a very fierce local rivalry with Montedio Yamagata, located on the opposite side of Tohoku's central mountain range.

Vegalta's performance in the J2 during the first two seasons was as steadily mediocre as its results in the JFL. The team has finished in the middle of the table both times, and though its attendances were excellent, the team did not do a particularly good job of translating the gate receipts into a competitive roster. However, in 2001 Hidehiko Shimizu, a veteran campaigner in who was a member of Japan's bronze medal team in 1964 and formerly coached at Vissel Kobe and Kyoto Purple Sanga, took over as Vegalta's head coach and used the money in the team's coffers to bring in a number of journeymen J-Leaguers who had paid their dues in the J1 but never had a real taste of glory themselves. Players such as former Verdy midfielders Takahiro Yamada and Teruo Iwamoto, 1996 olympic team member Nobuyuki Zaizen, and former Antlers defender Ricardo Riberiro. This core of experienced journeymen, buttressed by the dazzling offensive skills of Brazilian striker Marcos Souza Ribeiro, helped the team claim promotion to the J1 division in 2002.

Vegalta's truly fanatical fan base provided the team with excellent crowd support, packing the 19,500 capacity Sendai Stadium for every home game. This surge of enthusiasm, as well as the element of surprise, allowed Vegalta to go undefeated in the first 7 matches of the 2002 season. But thereafter the team's performance dropped off, and they finished towards the lower end of the table. Yet most observers viewed their performance as relatively successful for a team taking part in the J1 for the first time, and few expected the sort of disaster that struck Vegalta in 2003.

The team started the 2003 season with a run of poor results, and Vegalta's management -- never known for their intellectual or strategic prowess -- suddenly panicked. They tossed out coach Hidehiko Shimizu, who was arguably the brains behind the team's previous success, but who had a reputation for being "too soft" on players. In his place, they brought in disciplinarian Zdenko Verdenik, who had finished a halfway decent stint at JEF United but whose harsh treatment of players at Nagoya Grampus earned him the ire of many in the club and brought a quick dismissal after just nine months at the helm. The shock of this transition was too great, and only deepened the team's downward spiral, sending them back to the J2. To make matters worse, Vegalta's front office was easily swayed by Verdenik's argument that the team was "spoiled and lazy", and that even stricter discipline would eventually whip them into shape.

The team's dreadful results in 2004 simply proved that the poor results in 2003 were no fluke, and that Verdenik's highly conservative strategies are not well suited to the J.League. The Verdenik philosophy was described by one former player as folows: "Why move forward on attack, and take the chance of losing 0-1, when you can play for the scoreless draw". After finishing a disappointing sixth in 2004, the team bid farewell to Verdenik and set out to restructure.

Though the poor management decisions made by Vegalta's front office over the years have set the team back considerably, the one thing that Sendai always can count on is a strong flow of cash, thanks to their truly fanatical fan base. Once the team put its house in order, they quickly began to attract the sort of talent that is needed to make another run at J1 promotion. It took some time for the team to recover from the poor decisions made in 2003 and 2004, but after picking up several quality journeymen, and ridding themselves of aging players, they have been chasing a promotion berth aggressively, missing out narrowly on a top-three finish for each of the past three seasons. It is still a bit early to be sure that the team will be able to pick up where it left off, last season. However, we do think that Vegalta will be one of the leading contenders for promotion in 2008.


Vegalta Sendai -- Historical Results

YearRankWinDLGFGAG.Dif
90ET
1999 (J2)9734 223058-28
2000 (J2)51542 196069-9
2001 (J2)22435 127856+22
2002 (1st)961 082327-4
2002 (2nd)153 11101730-13
2003 (2nd)153
391728-11
2003 (2nd)152
671428-14

Team Results for 2004-Present

YearRankPtsWDLGFGAG.Dif
2004 (J2)65915 14156266-4
2005 (J2)46819 11146647+19
2006 (J2)57721 1413754332
2007 (J2)48324 1113725418
*Note: Data for pre-2004 results is separated from more recent data to reflect the switch in the format, to a single-stage season


Vegalta Sendai -- Team Roster for 2008


NamePos.Birth Date
Birthplace
Height (cm)
Matches
Weight (kg)
Goals
1 Tatsuro HAGIHARAGK 06-Aug-1982 18782
Kagoshima (J1/J2) 0/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
2 Kosuke KITANIDF 09-Oct-1978 18377
Chiba (J1/J2) 0/173 (J1/J2) 0/4
3 Kodai WATANABEDF 04-Dec-1986 18077
Chiba (J1/J2) 0/28 (J1/J2) 0/1
4 Junya HOSOKAWADF 24-Jun-1984 18272
Saitama (J1/J2) 0/3 (J1/J2) 0/0
5 Yugo ICHIYANAGI **DF 02-Apr-1985 18380
Tokyo (J1/J2) 6/36 (J1/J2) 1/0
6 Masashi MIYAZAWA **MF 24-Apr-1978 17567
Yamanashi (J1/J2) 118/0 (J1/J2) 11/0
7 Naoki CHIBAMF 24-Jul-1977 17968
Miyagi (J1/J2) 25/258 (J1/J2) 0/11
8 Atsushi NAGAIMF 23-Dec-1974 17669
Kagoshima (J1/J2) 25/291 (J1/J2) 2/10
9 Takayuki NAKAHARAFW 18-Nov-1984 18180
Yamaguchi (J1/J2) 19/40 (J1/J2) 2/3
10 RYAN Yong GiMF 07-Jan-1982 17372
Osaka (J1/J2) 0/161 (J1/J2) 0/20
11 Kunimitsu SEKIGUCHIMF 26-Dec-1985 17065
Tokyo (J1/J2) 0/99 (J1/J2) 0/7
13 Yuki NAKASHIMAFW 16-Jun-1984 17573
Toyama (J1/J2) 23/71 (J1/J2) 0/15
14 Tomoyuki HIRASE **FW 23-May-1977 18478
Tokyo (J1/J2) 169/30 (J1/J2) 32/3
15 Kohei TANAKA **FW 11-Dec-1985 18073
Hokkaido (J1/J2) 3/3 (J1/J2) 0/1
16 Takuto HAYASHIGK 09-Aug-1982 18883
Osaka (J1/J2) 1/91 (J1/J2) 0/0
17 Keita ISOZAKIDF 17-Nov-1980 18076
Kanagawa (J1/J2) 6/180 (J1/J2) 0/5
19 Dan SUZUKIFW 09-Mar-1989 16565
Fukushima (J1/J2) 0/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
20 Takahisa NISHIYAMA **MF 11-Jul-1985 16262
Miyagi (J1/J2) 16/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
21 Kentaro SEKI **GK 09-Mar-1986 17870
Gumma (J1/J2) 0/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
22 Junnosuke SCHNEIDERGK 22-May-1977 18582
Tokyo (J1/J2) 0/149 (J1/J2) 0/0
23 Naoya TAMURAMF 20-Nov-1984 17572
Tokyo (J1/J2) 0/15 (J1/J2) 0/1
24 Yukihiko SATO **MF 11-May-1976 17770
Shizuoka (J1/J2) 148/54 (J1/J2) 14/8
25 Naoki SUGAIMF 21-Sep-1984 17871
Yamagata (J1/J2) 0/109 (J1/J2) 0/13
26 Shinya TANOUEMF 05-Feb-1980 17266
Kagoshima (J1/J2) 25/36 (J1/J2) 4/2
27 Shingo TOMITAMF 20-Jun-1986 16967
Tochigi (J1/J2) 0/51 (J1/J2) 0/1
28 Junichi MISAWA **MF 21-May-1985 16965
Hokkaido (J1/J2) 0/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
29 Shinji KANEKOMF 03-Apr-1987 17667
Chiba (J1/J2) 0/0 (J1/J2) 0/0
30 Satoshi HIDA **MF 18-Apr-1984 17362
Mie (J1/J2) 8/6 (J1/J2) 1/1
32 Kazunari OKAYAMADF 24-Apr-1978 18674
Osaka (J1/J2) 59/176 (J1/J2) 6/16

**Newcomers to the team in 2008


Match Schedule for 2008

DateTime Home.VisitorVenue
8 Mar (Sat)13:00 Shonan BellmarevsVegalta SendaiHiratsuka Stadium
16 Mar (Sun)13:00 FC Gifu vsVegalta SendaiNagaragawa Stadium
20 Mar (Thu)13:00 Vegalta SendaivsAvispa Fukuoka Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
23 Mar (Sun)13:00 Cerezo Osaka vsVegalta SendaiNagai Stadium
29 Mar (Sat)13:00 Vegalta SendaivsThespa Kusatsu Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
6 Apr (Sun)13:00 Yokohama FC vsVegalta SendaiMitsuzawa Stadium
12 Apr (Sat)13:30 Vegalta SendaivsTokushima Vortis Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
19 Apr (Sat)14:00 Ehime FCvsVegalta SendaiEhime "Ningineer" Stadium
26 Apr (Sat)16:00 Vegalta SendaivsMito HollyhockSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
29 Apr (Tue)14:00 Vegalta SendaivsSagan TosuSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
6 May (Tue)16:00 Sanfrecce Hiroshima vsVegalta SendaiHiroshima "Big Arch"
11 May (Sun)13:00 Vegalta SendaivsVentforet KofuSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
18 May (Sun)13:00 Vegalta SendaivsMontedio YamagataSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
21 May (Wed)19:00 Roasso KumamotovsVegalta SendaiKumamoto (KK Wing) Stadium
25 May (Sun)13:00 Avispa Fukuoka vsVegalta SendaiHakata-no-mori Stadium
31 May (Sat)14:00 Vegalta SendaivsShonan BellmareSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
11 Jun (Wed)19:00 Vegalta SendaivsYokohama FC Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
15 Jun (Sun)16:00 Montedio YamagatavsVegalta SendaiYamagata Stadium
21 Jun (Sat)16:00 Tokushima Vortis vsVegalta SendaiNaruto (P-Sweat) Stadium
25 Jun (Wed)19:00 Vegalta SendaivsRoasso KumamotoSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
28 Jun (Sat)13:00 Mito HollyhockvsVegalta SendaiHitachi-naka Stadium
5 Jul (Sat)19:00 Vegalta SendaivsEhime FCSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
9 Jul (Wed)19:00 Sagan TosuvsVegalta SendaiTosu Stadium
13 Jul (Sun)19:00 Vegalta SendaivsCerezo Osaka Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
19 Jul (Sat)19:00 Thespa Kusatsu vsVegalta SendaiGumma Stadium
26 Jul (Sat)19:00 Vegalta SendaivsFC Gifu Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
3 Aug (Sun)18:30 Ventforet KofuvsVegalta SendaiKose Stadium
9 Aug (Sat)TBAVegalta SendaivsSanfrecce Hiroshima Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
16 Aug (Sat)TBAVegalta SendaivsMontedio YamagataSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
23 Aug (Sat)TBATokushima Vortis vsVegalta SendaiNaruto (P-Sweat) Stadium
7 Sep (Sun)TBAVegalta SendaivsAvispa Fukuoka Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
13 Sep (Sat)TBARoasso KumamotovsVegalta SendaiKumamoto (KK Wing) Stadium
20 Sep (Sat)TBAVegalta SendaivsFC Gifu Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium
23 Sep (Tue)TBAShonan BellmarevsVegalta SendaiHiratsuka Stadium
28 Sep (Sun)TBAVegalta SendaivsMito HollyhockSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
4 Oct (Sat)TBAVentforet KofuvsVegalta SendaiKose Stadium
19 Oct (Sun)TBAVegalta SendaivsEhime FCSendai (Yurtec) Stadium
26 Oct (Sun)TBACerezo Osaka vsVegalta SendaiNagai Stadium
9 Nov (Sun)TBAVegalta SendaivsSanfrecce HiroshimaTBA
22 Nov (Sat)TBAYokohama FC vsVegalta SendaiMitsuzawa Stadium
30 Nov (Sun)TBASagan TosuvsVegalta SendaiTosu Stadium
6 Dec (Sat)TBAVegalta SendaivsThespa Kusatsu Sendai (Yurtec) Stadium


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