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FC Tokyo -- Preseason Summary
Last year, our opening comment on FC Tokyo read as follows: "This season, FC Tokyo will either tear through the league in a roar of blue fury, or they will finish well down in the standings, as the biggest disappointment of the year."
Thats right . . . the latter.
As the years pass, our preferred nickname for Tokyo's team -- the Capitol City Blues -- seems more and more appropriate. As they say in Mississippi, "in order to play the blues, you have to live the blues". Well, this is one blue team; thats for sure. Despite fielding some of the most technically and physically gifted youngsters in Japan, Tokyo has flirted with relegation for years. Some would say that the team is cursed, and indeed, bad luck does seem to follow Tokyo players around. Injuries have plagued key players , and somehow Tokyo never seems to perform at anywhere near the level that oune would expect based on the sum of the parts. It seems more than likely that this malaise will continue in 2008.
It can be very frustrating to analyse a team like Tokyo piece by piece, because you are constantly seeing players and situations which ought to encourage optimism. "Surely this season he will be able to contribute more than he did last year. Surely he will start to fulfill his potential at last." But then you recall what happened last year, and the year before that. And the year before that. After a player has disappointed you four, five or six seasons in a row, you eventually have to sigh and just admit that your expectations must have been misplaced.
This year Tokyo will come under the tutelage of Hiroshi Jofuku, a former Japan U-20 coach who has a very keen football mind and a dazzling reputation with former youth players. If anyone can get Tokyo's poorly-tuned gas turbines firing effectively, he certainly seems to be the right candidate. The addition of Bruno Quadros and Hideki Sahara should add a bit more solidity to the back line, which has been Tokyo's weakest point in recent years. However, the loss of both Lucas and Rychelly leaves Sota Hirayama as the team's "ace" striker. If the kid ever does manage to fulfill the tremendous potential he showed as a teenager, that would certainly go a long way towards making Tokyo a competitive team. But once again we have to ask ourselves the question -- how many times can a player disappoint you before you finally just give up on
After finishing 13th in 2006 and 12th in 2007, Tokyo will certainly have a hard time disappointing their fans any more than they have in the recent past. They may be moving in the right direction, but at this pace, Hirayama will be 33 years old before the Capitol City Blues win a title. As we have said many times before, this team does have the POTENTIAL to be a strong challenger. But if forced to put our money on the line, we will bet on yet another frustrating, incremental step forward, to around mid-table.
2006 Finish: 12th
2007 Forecast: 9th-11th Place
Roster Changes
IN |
| Pos. | Name | Former Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Hiroshi Jofuku | --- | New coach |
| FW | Yusuke Kondo | Vissel Kobe | Rental ends |
| MF | Emerson | Iraclis FC | Full transfer |
| MF | Kohei Shimoda | Akita Shogyo HS | New signing |
| MF | Naotake Hanyu | JEF United | Full transfer |
| DF | Yohei Otake | FC Tokyo U-18 | New signing |
| DF | Yuto Nagatomo | FC Tokyo U-18 | New signing |
| DF | Kenta Kurohara | FC Tokyo U-18 | New signing |
| DF | Hideki Sahara | Kawasaki Frontale | One-year Loan |
| DF | Bruno Quadros | Consadole Sapporo | Full transfer |
| GK | Ryotaro Hironaga | FC Tokyo U-18 | New signing |
| GK | Kota Ogi | Vissel Kobe | One-yr rental |
OUT |
| Pos. | Name | New Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Hiromi Hara | --- | Fired |
| FW | Yoshiro Abe | Shonan Bellmare | Full transfer |
| FW | Ryuki Kozawa | Gainare Tottori | One-yr rental |
| MF | Takashi Fukunishi | Tokyo Verdy | Full transfer |
| MF | Yuta Baba | JEF United | Full transfer |
| DF | Evaldo | --- | Released |
| DF | Norio Suzuki | Vissel Kobe | Full transfer |
| DF | Masahiko Inoha | Kashima Antlers | Full transfer |
| DF | Tatsuya Masushima | Kyoto Sanga | One-yr rental |
| DF | Kosuke Yatsuda | Yokohama FC | Full transfer |
| GK | Yoichi Doi | Tokyo Verdy | Full transfer |
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