J League History: 1996

J.League 1996 Rank Team Pts Win L GF GA G Dif. 90 PK 1 Kashima Antlers 66 21 6 3 61 34 27 2 Nagoya Grampus 63 21 9 0 63 39 24 3 Yokohama Flugels 63 21 9 0 58 44 14 4 Jubilo Iwata 62 20 8 2 53 38 15 5 Kashiwa Reysol 60 20 10 0 67 52 15 6 Urawa Reds 59 19 9 2 51 31 20 7 Verdy Kawasaki 57 19 11 0 68 42 26 8 Yokohama Marinos 42 14 16 0 39 40 -1 9 JEF United Ichihara 40 13 16 1 45 47 -2 10 Shimizu S-Pulse 37 12 17 1 50 60 -10 11 Bellmare Hiratsuka 36 12 18 0 47 58 -11 12 Gamba Osaka 33 11 19 0 38 59 -21 13 Cerezo Osaka 30 10 20 0 38 56 -18 14 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 30 10 20 0 36 60 -24 15 Avispa Fukuoka 29 9 19 2 42 64 -22 16 Kyoto Purple Sanga 24 8 22 0 22 54 -32 Scoring: Win in 90 minutes= 3 Pts, PK win = 1 pts Loss pt Scoring Leaders Goals Name Team 23 Kazu Miura Verdy Kawasaki 21 Edilson Kashiwa Reysol 20 Evair Yokohama Flugels 15 Salvatore Scillaci Jubilo Iwata 13 Magron Verdy Kawasaki 12 Yoshiyuki Hasegawa Kashima Antlers 12 Hacek JEF United Ichihara 11 Mazinho Kashima Antlers 11 Masayuki Okano Urawa Reds 11 Yukiji Noguchi Bellmare Hiratsuka 11 Dragan Stojkovic Nagoya Grampus 11 Yoshiyuki Moriyama Nagoya Grampus 11 Takuya Takagi Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1996 Awards MVP Jorginho Kashima Antlers Rookie of the Year Toshihide Saito Shimizu S-Pulse Golden Boot Kazu Miura Verdy Kawasaki Best 11 GK Seigo Narazaki Yokohama Flugels DF Masami Iihara Yokohama Marinos DF Naoki Soma Kashima Antlers DF Guido Buchwald Urawa Reds MF Jorginho Kashima Antlers MF Hiroshi Nanami Jubilo Iwata MF Masakiyo Maezono Yokohama Flugels MF Motohiro Yamaguchi Yokohama Flugels FW Masayuki Okano Urawa Reds FW Dragan Stojkovic Nagoya Grampus FW Kazu Miura Verdy Kawasaki

Another issue that the league again tried to address was the problem of scoring. In 1995, PK losers were awarded one point, to compensate for the obvious disadvantage to teams that struggle to a draw in 120 minutes yet still go home with no points. But is still seemed that there was an element of inequity for teams that won a match based on something that many consider just a "roll of the dice". Many felt they did not deserve the same points achieved by a team that won in regulation. This year, the system was changed so that one point was awarded for a PK win, rather than for a PK loss The two teams that joined the league this year were Avispa Fukuoka and Kyoto Purple Sanga. This raised the number of teams in the league to 16, matching the size of most European leagues. While the number seemed good, it was becoming apparent that there was not enough talent to go around. Kyoto and Avispa finished dead last, and added little to the quality of the competition. This problem would be addressed more directly in 1997. Although a great deal of good football was played in 1996, some of the excitement seen in previous years was lacking. The league championship was played out over 30 matches, but a powerful Kashima Antlers team led by Brazilians Jorginho and Leonardo, and bolstered by a solid Antlers back line theat would go on to form the core of Japan's 1998 olympic team gave Antlers such a comfortable margin that for most teams ,the season was over by summer time. At the end ofthe season, the league decided to return to a two-stage format. 1996 also marked the introduction of the Nabisco Cup -- matches being played at midweek, and the semifinal and final rounds played after the league took its summer break. The Nabisco Cup was actually one of the best decisions that the league made in 1996, and it has become a core fixture of J.League match play ever since. To make up for the absence of a true championship series in 1996, a match was arranged between the league champion and the Nabisco Cup champions, one week beforethe start of the next year's season. This match has also become a J.League tradition, as the official kick-off to the following year's J.League season. Despite the lack of a championship playoff series in 1996, the Antlers dominance of the league was absolute. Jorginho, Leonardo and Mazinho provided a veteran contingent of players with great international experience, but just as important was a crop of young Antlers defenders like Naoki Soma, Akira Narahashi and Yutaka Akita who would provide the solidity at the back which would carry the Antlers through to several more championships in later years. 1996 also marked the first glimmers of success at Jubilo Iwata, who brought in Carlos Dunga to whip a team of young and talented kids into a professional unit. Dunga's contribution would be felt for many years to come, as Jubilo were on their way to becoming a league powerhouse. Dunga's impact at Jubilo was comparable to that of Zico, at Kashima, and he continues to do work for the Jubilo organization, as a scout and "consultant". Under his tutelage, Jubilo developed a shortt passing game with fierce midfield pressure which would come to typify Jugilo teams for the next decade. Indeed, the Antlers and Jubilo teams that emerged in this era jointly provided the template for most of what is viewed, today, as the uniquely "Japanese style" of football. However, while some teams were beginning to emerge as league powers, others were headed in the opposite direction. For example, 1996 marked the beginning of Verdy Kawasaki's dramatic decline. Though the team had dominated the sport in the pre-J.League JSL, and won the lion's share of the titles in the first three years of J.League play. Verdy collapsed due to a combination of advancing age, which dragged down the performances of several key players, and extreme hubris. The team -- players and management alike -- clearly let success go to their heads. The "bad boys" of Verdy would provide one of the most dramatic collapses ever in the subsequent season.

Click icons below for a summary of events in that particular year

Send all questions, comments and queries to: