J.League Second Stage
The Battle is Joined
| Kickoff | Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:30 |  | 2 - 5 |  |
| 18:30 |  | 1 - 0 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 0 - 1 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 2 - 1 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 1 - 2 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 2 - 1 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 2 - 0 |  |
| 19:00 |  | 4 - 0 |  |
2 - 5 
FC Tokyo travelled to the distant north on Saturday to face off against Consadole Sapporo in a battle of two teams trying to move from the center of the league table and into a more competitive role. The venue was the magnificent Sapporo Dome, which opened just a few months ago as the venue for the Kirin Cup match against Paraguay. The big bowl was packed with the Consadole faithful, and their team gave them good reason to get involved in the match, coming close with their very first shot of the match, less than 30 seconds in. It was an omen of things to come, since it took Consadole just three minutes to get on the board. rookie midfielder Koji Yamase took a ball down the left sideline and turned on the speed, bursting pass Tokyo defender Sandro and racing into the box. Sandro was unable to turn him away from the net, and ended up fouling him as he struggled to prevent a point-blank shot. Will Emerson Andrade (Will) took the PK and Consadole were quickly up 1-0.
FC Tokyo came right back, winning a corner kick that Sandro headed on net, which keeper Yohei Sato only just managed to parry away. But just a minute later, as another FC Tokyo goal rush rolled into the box, Consadole defender Mori was caught by surprise by an inlet pass, and as he flailed for the ball he managed to knock it into his own net. With less than ten minutes gone, the score was already 1-1, and the match showed no sign of slowing down. Although Consadole maintained much of the offensive initiative, As the match wore on, they proved to be their own worst enemies. In the 26 minute, Clesly (Kelly) Guimares received a throw-in at the left edge of the box with a defender on his back. With an acrobatic flick, he sent a bicycle kick looping into the box. Once again, a Sapporo defender was caught looking the wrong way, and the ball glanced off his shoulder and into the net for the SECOND own goal of the half.
Consadole, now a goal behind, continued to display the more aggressive play, and created a number of good chances through the remainder of the first half, particularly through the darting runs of Will, Yamase and Ryuji Bando. But once more they contrived to gift FC Tokyo with a goal. On a high ball into the box, defender Omori went high into the air to challenge FC Tokyo's ace Amaral for the ball, but his outstretched hand deflected the ball and referee Leslie Mottram quickly pointed to the spot. Amaral slotted the PK into the low right corner. As the first half came to a close, FC Tokyo were out to a 3-1 lead, and yet the still had not created a good shot on goal from open play.
Consadole started the second half the way they began the first. Just a minute in, a dash down the center of the field won Sapporo a free kick just six meters outside the penalty area. Will lined up the shot and drilled it high into the left corner past the diving keeper, reducing the deficit to just one goal. Two minutes later the team were again on the charge, winning a corner kick, and after it was cleared, breaking back to the edge of the box for a shot by Yamase that went just inches wide. Despite the score, FC Tokyo were clearly on the back foot while Consadole were in almost complete control of the tempo. It seemed like only a matter of time before the home team would get the equaliser. But "The King of Tokyo", as Amaral is called by his fans, managed to deflate the Consadole comeback with just a single touch of the ball. Against the run of play, Amaral received a pass at the left top corner of the box, and he floated a perfectly placed, looping shot that cleared the keeper's flailing fingers and dropped into the far side of the goal.
Consadole continued to put together the more dangerous and well-coordinated counterattacks, but with two goals to make up, now they started to get a bit too impatient. Their rushes down the field began to show a bit too much urgency, and the final passes were too forced. FC Tokyo began to hang back in their own half, looking to cut off the Consadole thrusts before they reached the edge of the box, and turn it into counterattack. In the 66 minute, Yukihiko Sato picked up the ball on the counterattack and drifted down the right sideline. Spotting veteran midfielder Fumitake Miura breaking on net, he floated a pass in front of the net and Miura ran onto it, heading it home to give Tokyo a 5-2 advantage.
Though Consadole continued to dominate possession, FC Tokyo were satisfied to play in a defensive stance, prevent any easy shots and wait for time to expire. With ten minutes left, Amaral was replaced with a defensive midfielder, and the match petered out into a sequence of desperate long balls by Sapporo, which created some exciting moments, but never led to a truly dangerous shot on goal. Tokyo
1 - 2 
The Kashima Antlers travelled to Nihondaira stadium, at the foot of Mt. Fuji, to renew their ongoing rivalry with Shimizu S-Pulse. As two of the three teams that contribute the most players to Japan's national team, these players all know each other well, but their comradeship on the National squad always takes a back seat when the two teams meet face to face. The home fans were thrilled to see S-Pulse take an early lead, after winning a free kick on the left sideline in the 15 minute. Midfielder Alex took the kick and sent a long looping ball towards the left post. Although the Antlers defence had the play fairly well covered, Daisuke Ichikawa lunged for the ball as it soared for the far post, and he just barely managed to get a boot to it, stabbing it into the opposite side of the net.
The remainder of the first half was fiercely contested, with both teams pushing hard for a goal but the respective defences proving too solid to crack. However, as the intensity of play began to rise, Kashima got a big break. Just before the end of the half, S-Pulse midfielder Masaaki Sawanobori , who had received a yellow card just a few moments earlier, returned to the field of play from and injury without permission from the referee. Since the Antlers' Bismarck was sent off just last wek for a similar offence, Kashima quickly and loudly protested the point, and the referee had no choice but to demonstrate equity by sending Sawanobori to the showers.
In the second half, the Antlers took the initiative from the outset, wih a man advantage, but S-Pulse played tenacious defence and, despite some wild scrambles in front of the net, managed to prevent a goal for almost 30 minutes. But eventually the Antlers pressure became too much for Shimizu, particularly after Toninho Cerezo juggled his lineup to produce a line of four strikers. In the 77minute, the Antlers got a corner kick from the left side, and Mitsuo Ogasawara's kick found Yutaka Akita at the near post for a thundering header. The S-Pulse keeper dove to his right and managed to deflect the shot, but veteran Yoshiyuki Hasegawa was lurking in front of the net and he a href="http://www2.j-ole.com/mpeg/2001/0818/101021604_02.mpg">rushed in to head home the rebound
Having finally collected the equaliser, the Antlers poured on the pressure, giving S-Pulse no chance to recover. Atsushi Yanagisawa and Ogasawara both came close with drives from the edge of the box, but were denied. Then, with about five minutes to play, Ogasawara carried the ball out of midfield on the right sideline and, spotting several Antlers making their runs, unleashed a bullet pass that soared nearly 40 meters in virtually a straight line. the pass cleared the two S-Pulse defenders in the middle of the box, and began to hook for the left post. Right back Augusto dove for the ball and connected with a sizzling header that smoked the nylon at the back of the net, giving Kashima their second consecutive win in the second stage.
0 - 1 
The Yokohama Marinos and Kashiwa Reysol faced off on Saturday evening in a matchup of underperformers. Reysol were viewed as a likely title contender at the start of the season, but they have floundered, and finished the first stage in 6th place. Marinos, on the other hand, were widely expected to have a "down" year after trading away several top players at the end of last season, but no one expected them to be in danger of relegation, as they now are. Both teams changed coaches during the midseason break, and both, clearly, have something to prove in the second stage. Both teams are also better known for their fine defences than for overwhelming offensive capabilities, so it was no surprise that the two teams came out cautiously, and spent the first ten minutes or so sparring at midfield, feeling one another out like ageing boxers, rather than seeking a quick strike. Reysol had the early advantage in ball possession, but much of it was in their own half, or the midfield third of Yokohama territory. It wasn't until the 22 minute that either team got away a clean shot on goal, and that was a header by Shoji Jo on a set play.
As the first half wore on, Yokohama started to reverse the trend in ball possession, in part because Reysol began to get a bit overly ambitious on offence and the number of wasted long passes began to increase. The Marinos' experienced back line had little difficulty turning away these efforts and gaining possession. For their part, the Marinos were patient, but despite some good ball movement, they did not have a player with the pace or ball skills to create problems for the Reysol back line. In the 35 minute, Dutra drove the left sideline and his centring pass found the head of Yasuhiro Hato, but the effort was directly at the keeper, Yuta Minami. A minute later, Marinos got another good header from a corner kick, but Jo's effort was a bit wide. Then, five minutes before half time, Reysol got the best chance of the first half, as Yokohama's new defensive midfielder Naca lost the ball to Yoo Sang-Chul inside his own penalty area. But unfortunately for Reysol, Yoo rushed his shot and sent it three meters over the bar. The first half ended with no score. While the number of truly dangerous chances was still limited, the pace of play was picking up as the half ended, and both teams were getting more shots on goal.
The second half picked up with no change in the pace. Both teams were starting to accelerate the offensive pressure, and whereas the first half was characterised by long periods of cautious ball movement at midfield, the second half saw both teams pushing forward. In the 5 minute, Shunsuke Nakamura had a golden opportunity to put his team in front, but after being sent free on goal by Jo, his shot came back off the crossbar, and Yokohama were denied the lead. But the Marinos were starting to establish more possession, and Reysol's offensive efforts were looking more and more ragged. In the 68 minute, Nakamura took a ball in the center of the field about 40 meters out from goal and found rookie forward Sakata breaking for the goal. Nakamura's pass sliced cleanly through the Reysol defence like a steak knife through foie gras. Sakata raced into the clear, faked the keeper to the ground, and then rolled the ball casually into the net.
Reysol desperately tried to turn up the pressure over the next five minutes, as they struggled to find the equaliser, but Marinos withstood the brief goal rush and settled down into a ball possession game. Reysol's efforts soon went from inspired to desperate, and Yokohama had the better chances over the final twenty-minute stretch. With five minutes left, Reysol got their last dangerous chance, on a free kick 30 meters out. However, Watanabe's header was wide of the net, and Yokohama's advantage stood. Kashiwa Reysol went down to defeat and saw their hopes of a second stage title severely diminished, while the Marinos collected their second straight win, and took a step away from the danger of relegation, at least for another week.
1- 0 
The surprise match of the day took place at Osaka's Expo 70 stadium, where first-stage champion Jubilo Iwata played their first match of the second stage (the match between Jubilo and S-Pulse will be made up next week). Jubilo was already starting to look over-ripe at the close of the first stage, and in this match it was clear that they have lost the cutting edge which made them so dominant early in the season. Perhaps it has something to do with the loss of striker Naohiro Takahara, who has moved to Buenos Aires and Boca Juniors. Whatever the case, Jubilo looked rather flat in this match, and Gamba Osaka was able to prevent the first-stage champs from getting any good opportunities.
Unfortunately for Gamba, their own attack sputtered as well. Jubilo had the huge advantage in scoring opportunities, though only a few of them were really dangerous. Then, in the 73 minute, Gamba's ace striker Nino Bule broke into the box and was knocked off his feet by a defender, winning Gamba a PK. Reginald Vital slotted home the penalty and Gamba cruised to a surprising upset win over Jubilo, who amazingly find themselves near the bottom of the table (though with a game in hand).
4 - 0 
Cerezo Osaka took another large step towards relegation this week, losing badly for the second match in a row. Avispa Fukuoka had little trouble cracking the shoddy Cerezo defence, and with a number of additions at the midseason break, they look to be a team that could make a challenge for the top position this stage. In the 17 minute, newcomer Wagner Lopes, who was recently acquired from FC Tokyo, got around his defender and drove for the left post. As the keeper left his line, Lopes rolled the ball across the face of goal to Claudio Biaggio, for an easy tap into the open net. Just five minutes later, Avispa doubled their advantage as another recent acquisition, Noh Jung-Yoon, took a free kick from 30 meters out and found Lopes lurking at the far post. His header gave Avispa a 2-0 lead at half time
The situation got no better after half time. Just five minutes after the restart, Pavel Badea struck a shot from the edge of the box that snuck inside the right post. Then, just eight minutes later, Badea received a soft pass at almost the same spot from which he had taken his previous shot. This time the path to goal was even clearer, and Badea's shot followed almost the same track as the previous one, sliding into the low right corner.
The loss drops Cerezo to dead last in the league table, and considering their 15th place finish in the first stage, makes them a prime candidate for relegation. Avispa, meanwhile, showed that the acquisitions made this summer have had a positive impact, though they have yet to prove whether this will be enough to help them challenge some of the top-level clubs for the second stage trophy.
2- 1 
Tokyo Verdy, who finished dead last in the first stage, have made some progress in edging away from the relegation zone since firing coach Matsuki at the end of the first stage and starting to give their youngsters more playing time. Verdy were on the defensive for much of this match, but by making the most of their opportunities, they managed to hold off Urawa Reds, who had a lot of chances but never seemed to cooperate well enough to finish them off. Verdy took the lead in the 34 minute as Naoto Sakurai dribbled across the middle and hit a lob shot that caught the keeper too far off his line. The shot cleared his outstretched fingers and snuck in under the crossbar to put Verdy on top.
Although Urawa had a number of opportunties in the first half, the absence of playmaker Shinji Ono was keenly felt. The team simply wasnt well coordinated and the opportuniities always came up a bit short. Midway through the second half, Verdy were awarded a PK after a scramble in the Reds penalty area, and the lead was 2-0.
Urawa finally got a goal back a minute before full time, as Toshiyuki Abe took a free kick from just outside the Verdy box and lobbed it into the top right corner. However, it was far too late to salvage anything from this match, and the reds went down to their second straight defeat.
2- 1 
Nagoya Grampus travelled to Kobe, hoping to take another step towards a second-stage championship, as one of the leading choices of sportswriters to claim the title. However, they ran into a contender in their own right, in a very much improved Vissel Kobe. The first thing that struck this viewer as the game started was the condition ofthe pitch. Certainly, part of the problem is that the quality of most football grounds in Japan is so immaculate that a poor pitch stands out like a 55-year-old Greatful Dead fan at a Brittney Spears concert. All the same, the Kobe pitch was quite disappointing, with bald patches all over the midfield and a browning appearance over much of the pitch. This did not seem to have much impact on match play, but all the same one would hope that the Kobe groundskeepers get their act together. If the pitch is in this sorry state just two weeks into the season, what on earth will it look like in November?
The match itself got off to a quick start, with Vissel putting on a great deal of pressure. For the first 20 minutes or so, the Grampus midfield did a very poor job of controlling the ball, and Vissel repeatedly got the ball in a position to create good attacking thrusts. However, as the match wore on, Nagoya eventually won back the initiative, and started to create some opportuntities of their own. Nagoya finally got on the board in the 26 minute, on a pinpoint pass from veteran wing back Ko Ishikawa. Ishikawa carried the ball out of midfield down the right sideline and spotted striker Yasuyuki Moriyama sprinting towards goal. Ishikawa floated a perfect ball onto Moriyama's head directly in front of goal which caught the keeper in the middle -- unable to get out in time, and unable to retreat to his line. Moriyama headed the ball over the keeper's fingertips and into the back of the net.
Grampus had a golden opportunity to double their lead just a few minutes later, as a pass from Motohiro Yamaguchi sent Ueslei into the clear on goal. He popped the ball over the outrushing keeper and followed the lob towards goal, preparing to make the easy tap-in. However, midfielder Koji Yoshimura raced back on defence and just barely got to the ball in time to deflect it away from goal and out of play.
Though Nagoya had controlled play for the latter stages of the first half, Vissel came out with a rush, and equalised almost immediately. After a foul just outside the box, Brazilian forward Daniel lined up and took the kick, striking the ball with the outside of his foot and curling it around the wall, beating the keeper inside the right post.
This goal gave Vissel a big lift, and for the next fifteen minutes they dominated play, creating a number of excellent chances. On one mad scramble in the box, Vissel got off three shots from point-blank range, and only some spectacular saves by keeper Seigo Narazaki prevented a goal. Howeer, just as Nagoya was starting to get a bit more possession and turn the momentum around, Vissel got a break that sent Daniel free down the left sideline. His cross to Kazu Miura was a little bit too long, but Shigeyoshi Mochizuki collected the ball at the opposite side of the penalty box, and this time the centering pass found Kazu wide open at the near post. Kazu nodded the ball past the keeper to give Vissel the margin of victory and their second straight win.
2 - 0 
Sanfrecce Hiroshima surprised first-stage runners-up JEF United with a 2-0 victory, maintaining their surprise place at the top of the league table. Sanfrecce struck early, and then held off the JEF charge in the second half. Hiroshima's first goal came on the very first sequence of play, before even a minute had expired. Chikara Fujimoto carried the ball up the left sideline and then sent a long cross into the box. Midfielder Stephen Corica leapt over his defender and headed it home to start the match off with a bang.
JEF held the initiative for most of the rest of the match, but Sanfrecce counterattacked well, keeping their opponent off balance and creating a few dangerous chances. One of these doubled Sanfrecce's advantage just before half time, as a long clearance sent Fujimoto away to the races. He sped free of all the defenders and reached the ball just ahead of the keeper, popping the ball over his head and into the open net. He then treated the home fans to his patented "Awa dance" to celebrate Sanfrecce's first pole-position start since 1995.
There have been a number of upsets in the first two weeks, and although the picture might change with time, the league table at the moment looks dramatically different from the final result of the first stage. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are on top, thanks mainly to their high-scoring victory last week against Cerezo Osaka. Vissel Kobe and Kashima Antlers are also perfect, on six points from two matches.
| . | Team | Pts | GP | W (90/ET) | D | L | GD | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 2 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 0 | +6 | 8 | 2 |
| 2 | Vissel Kobe | 6 | 2 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Kashima Antlers | 6 | 2 | 2 (2-0) | 0 | 0 | +2 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | Yokohama Marinos | 5 | 2 | 2 (1-1) | 0 | 0 | +2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | FC Tokyo | 4 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 1 | 0 | +3 | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | Avispa Fukuoka | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | +3 | 4 | 1 |
| 7 | Nagoya Grampus | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | +0 | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | JEF United Ichihara | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | +0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Gamba Osaka | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | +0 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | Tokyo Verdy | 3 | 2 | 1 (1-0) | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Kashiwa Reysol | 1 | 2 | 0 (0-0) | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 | 1 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Jubilo Iwata | 0 | 1 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Urawa Reds | 0 | 2 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 2 | -3 | 2 | 5 |
| 15 | Consadole Sapporo | 0 | 2 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 2 | -4 | 3 | 7 |
| 16 | Cerezo Osaka | 0 | 2 | 0 (0-0) | 0 | 2 | -8 | 2 | 10 |
Rumours and Rumblings
Soejima gets the Axe; Joao Carlos Gets a Double-edged Sword
Head coach Hiroshi Soejima took the fall for Cerezo Osaka's weak performance this season. He was releived of his job on Monday, August 21, following the team's loss to Avispa Fukuoka at the weekend. He will be replaced by Joao Carlos, who was himself fired by Nagoya Grampus just a little over one month ago. Although Soejima very nearly took Cerezo to a title in his first year at the reins, the team were edged out by Yokohama Marinos in the last game of the season, and have been on a downhill slide ever since. The loss of Akinori Nishizawa, first to Espanyol and now to Bolton in the English Premier League, has hurt the team offensively, as have injuries to key players like Hiroaki Morishima. However, it is on defence that the team has really suffered, conceding nine goals in their last two matches.Joao Carlos, who is now in his third stint as a J.League coach (following Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus), will have his work cut out for him. The team got another bit of bad news this week when tests on Morishima's injured leg showed that he has re-torn the quadriceps muscle which kept him out of action for over a month at the start of the year. Despite the recent addition of Brazilian central defender Claudio, Cerezo are thin at all positions, partucularly defence. Cerezo is currently at the bottom of the league in terms of overall performance from the first and second stage, and it will take a pretty remarkable turnaround to stave off relegation at the end of the year.
Troussier Takes a Ten-Day Road Trip
Phillippe Troussier left Japan on August 20 on a flight to Paris. The National team coach intends to spend the next 10 days touring Europe to check up on the progress of Japan's top players in Europe. Troussier reportedly will attend the Champions league match between Parma and Lille in Lille, France, on Wednesday, to meet Hidetoshi Nakata, and will take in Feyenoord's match against Roda JC this weekend in order to watch the play of Shinji Ono. Next week, he is likely to visit Akinori Nishizawa and Junichi Inamoto in England before returning to Japan..Players Protest Perryman's Practice Priorities
After starting the second stage with a disappointing 0-1-1 record, several key players from Kashiwa Reysol have openly voiced their dissatisfaction with the strategy and priorities of new head coach Steve Perryman. According to the unnamed players, Perryman has forced the team to spend a majority of their practice time working on basic skills like passing, trapping and heading. "Since we dont have time for much starters-vs-reserves play, we cant get our rhythm. Since the practices are so poorly organised, the team is losing its concentration and our quality is deteriorating". Although the official reason for firing the popular former head coach, Akira Nishino, was that he had "poor communication with his players", it does not appear that Perryman has been able to do any better in this regard.Nabisco Cup Blown Away by Typhoon #11
A strong typhoon hit Japan on Wednesday morning, August 22, bringing heavy rains to much of the archipelago. As a result, three of the four Nabisco Cup matches scheduled to take place on Wednesday evening. Only the match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Nagoya Grampus, which is to be held in Hiroshima, will take place as scheduled. The other return leg matches will all be held at venues in the Kanto area, which is feeling the full brunt of the storm. Therefore, three matches -- Kashima Antlers vs Urawa Reds, Yokohama Marinos vs Kawasaki Frontale, and JEF United vs Jubilo Iwata -- have been rescheduled for August 29.In the only match that was played, Brazilian striker Ueslei scored from a free kick at the edge of the box in the 62 minute, to give Nagoya Grampus a 1-0 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima. As a result, the team which was widely expected to advance to the semifinals (and indeed, the finals) in the weaker half of the cup matrix, fulfilled these expectations with a 4-2 aggregate score.
Players Named for Jomo Cup
The J.League has announced the lineups for Japan's annual Jomo Cup match -- an exhibition match pitting the top Japanese players in the J.League against a team made up of foreign J.League players. the lineups for both teams are provided in the table below. As usual, one special guest player will take part for the Foreign stars team. This year, Patrick Mboma, who played for Gamba Osaka several years ago, will be the special guest player.
Japan Stars | |||
| Pos. | Name | Team | Ht/Wt |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi | Yokohama Marinos | 181 / 75 |
| Seigo Narazaki | Nagoya Grampus | 185 / 76 | |
| DF | Ryuzo Morioka | Shimizu S-Pulse | 180 / 71 |
| Yasuhiro Hato | Yokohama Marinos | 178 / 70 | |
| Tsuneyasu Miyamoto | Gamba Osaka | 176 / 70 | |
| Naoki Matsuda | Yokohama Marinos | 183 / 78 | |
| Yutaka Akita | Kashima Antlers | 187 / 83 | |
| MF | Koji Nakata | Kashima Antlers | 182 / 74 |
| Tomokazu Myojin | Kashiwa Reysol | 173 / 66 | |
| Shunsuke Nakamura | Yokohama Marinos | 178 / 66 | |
| Mitsuo Ogasawara | Kashima Antlers | 173 / 68 | |
| Toshihiro Hattori | Jubilo Iwata | 178 / 73 | |
| FW | Tatsuhiko Kubo | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 181 / 74 |
| Atsushi Yanagisawa | Kashima Antlers | 177 / 73 | |
| Masashi Nakayama | Jubilo Iwata | 180 / 74 | |
| Kazuyoshi Miura | Vissel Kobe | 177 / 72 | |
Foreign Stars | ||
| Pos. | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Arno VanZwam | Jubilo Iwata |
| DF | Sidiclei | Vissel Kobe |
| Sandro | FC Tokyo | |
| Hong Myung-Bo | Kashiwa Reysol | |
| Fabiano | Kashima Antlers | |
| Augusto | Kashima Antlers | |
| MF | Alex | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| Yoo Sang-Chul | Kashiwa Reysol | |
| Bismarck | Kashima Antlers | |
| Santos | Vissel Kobe | |
| Stephen Corica | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | |
| FW | Will | Consadole Sapporo |
| Tuto Ruschel | Urawa Reds | |
| Nino Bule | Gamba Osaka | |
| Choi Yong-Soo | JEF United Ichihara | |
| Patrick Mboma | Parma | |
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