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Preseason Preparations

National High School Championships

Maebashi Ikuei High was the lone representative from Kanto that made the semifinals. The team that calls itself "the tigers of Kanto" were not quite in dominating form during the early rounds. They needed a penalty shootout to defeat Higashi Fukuoka High (yet another Kyushu team), and were down to their final gasp against Oita before staging a dramatic comeback. They faced off against Gifu Kogyo High in the other semifinal.

Kunimi 4 - 1 Kagoshima

But Kunimi High showed that they are well coached and clever, as well as skilled ball-players. In the second half, Kunimi came out with short, crisp passing, making a visible effort to keep the ball on the ground, and OUT of the air. Ten minutes in, the pressure paid off, with a quick exchange in the penalty box that produced a goal. You could see the heads of all Kagoshima players drop, and it was clear that they were all but finished. Kunimi took advantage of this letdown to stick the knife in deeper, scoring a third goal just moments later. Kagoshima regained its composure after the third goal, but it was all Kunimi down the stretch.

A clear fourth goal was called back when the linesman called an offside that seemed a deliberate attempt to allow Kagoshima to save some face. A Kunimi player shot the ball from close range and the keeper saved it. The rebound fell to another Kunimi player who had been TRAILING THE PLAY, yet he was called offside. It wouldnt matter, though, as striker Tsuzumu Kamegafuchi scored his second goal of the match in injury time, to give Kunimi the final margin of victory.

Gifu Kogyo 2 - 1 Maebashi Ikuei

Final: Gifu Kogyo 1 - 3 Kunimi High

The second half was not much different. Though the wind was against Kunimi, they nevertheless held the majority of possession, and added a third goal just after half time, putting the game pretty much out of reach. Gifu's ace striker Katagiri gave the fans something to cheer about, with some amazing individual runs, but Kunimi was so firmly in control that they could afford to put three men on Katagiri (and sometimes even that was barely enough). Without significant support from midfield, Katagiri's dribbling was showy but ultimately impotent. But as time ran down, Kunimi eased off the pressure a bit, and with a minute to go, Katagiri weaved his way through four defenders before dropping a pass to a teammate for a short-range blast. The consolation goal relieved the pain of the loss to some extent, but as Kunimi claimed their second High School championship in a row, there was little question that they were the class of this year's tournament.

Off-Season Horse-Trading

A change of tactics will probably be necessary, since the player who exemplified Consadole's counterattacking style, Will Robson Andrade (Will) is moving to Yokohama Marinos next season. In addition, Sapporo dropped Adalt, a defensive midfielder. These two spots have been filled by Robson, a Brazilian forward who was at Spartak Moscow last season, and Maxandro, a defender. Although Robson has a reputation as a good finisher at Spartak, little is known about Maxandro.

Sapporo will be losing several other players who defined the team's character in 2001. Striker Ryuji Bando, Will's main scoring partner up front, was at Consadole on loan. When that contract expired, Bando was picked up by Vissel Kobe, so he will not be back next year. Two other players who were at Consadole on rental -- defender Takumi Morikawa and midfielder Yuzuki Ito -- will be returning to their former teams.

To replace the lost personnel, Consadole have made acquisitions that figure to create a more offense-oriented team. Shinya Aikawa, the scoring machine from Maebashi Ikuei H.S. who collected two tallies in the final three minutes of Maebashi's match against Oita High, will join Consadole next year, as will Kashiwa Reysol's former offensive midfielder, Naoki Sakai. Joining Sakai at midfield is former Yokohama Marino, Tomokazu Hirama. Sapporo also was able to acquire striker Masafumi Ogura of Tokyo Verdy, and also picked up Gamba Osaka striker Hiromi Kojima on a one-year rental contract. Thus, although Consodole have lost a considerable amount of talent, they have also made several moves to replace these players, and the key question now is how well new head coach Hashiratani will be able to mold them into a team.

Vegalta Sendai are making their first appearance in the J.League's top division this year, so they are something of an unknown quantity. Last year, their offense was powered primarily by a 27-year-old Brazilian named Marcos Paulo Souza Ribero (Marcos), who led the J2 in scoring. Much of the team's success will probably depend on whether Marcos can continue to shine in the J1, and what players Sendai can acquire to support his efforts.

Though Vegalta are new to the J1, several faces will be familiar to fans, such as veteran defender Takahiro Yamada and midfielder Teruo Iwamoto (both formerly of Verdy Kawasaki). Rounding out the defence is Ricardo Ribero, who played with Kashima Antlers for two seasons prior to his stint at Vegalta. At midfield, the team includes Nobuyuki Zaizen, who was a key member of the 1996 Olympic team before moving to Rijeka (Croatia) and virtually dropping off the map for Japanese soccer fans.

To support Marcos up front, Vegalta acquired veteran striker Yasushi Fukunaga from the Urawa Reds, and to round out an impressive strike force, the team signed Yoshiteru Yamashita, formerly of Avispa Fukuoka, a talented young player who has seen national team action, albeit breif.

Vegalta also is trying to sign former national team defender Norio Omura, from Yokohama Marinos. The defence gained depth with the signing of Ichizo Nakata and Kazuhiro Katanosaka, from J2 club Oita Trinita. Thus, Vegalta seem to have a solid defensive core and some promising strikers, but they probably still need two or three more quality individuals, especially in the midfield, if they hope to be truly competitive in 2002.

Kashima Antlers have made relatively few changes this season. That should be no surprise, however, considering their strong performance in 2002, particularly at the end of the season. The biggest news for the Antlers was that striker Atsushi Yanagisawa will not be moving to Europe next year (at least not until after the World Cup). Yanagisawa stated that he wants to help Kashima win one more title, but it is more likely that he intends to concentrate on securing the starting spot for the Japanese national team in 2002, and figures he can do that best from his spot on the Antlers, rather than from long distance.

One major off-season trade, which sent goaltender Daijiro Takakuwa to Tokyo Verdy. This was probably unavoidable, since Takakuwa is a top-level keeper who would not have been content to ride the bench now that Hitoshi Sogahata has won the starting spot for Kashima. In any event, Kashima appears to have another budding star in the net with rookie Shinichi Kudo, who was a standout player for the Antlers' youth team in 2001. A similar move will send wing back Naoki Soma to Verdy Tokyo, on a one-year loan. Soma is another very talented player who has found himself riding the bench, due to the excellent play of Augusto, and he is being farmed out in order to give him a chance to play regularly, as befits a player of his talents. The only other loss was midfielder Bismarck, who retired at the end of last season, though rumours suggest he is being wooed by Urawa Reds, who want him to make a comeback.

Speaking of the Reds, they have been one of the more active teams in terms of new signings for 2002. The Urawa head office pulled its biggest coup before the 2001 season was even over, signing almost the entire starting lineup of Japan's all-university squad, which won the Asian Universiade Games in Beijing. Some of these players will no doubt end up on the taxi squad, at least for the first year. But there are several very promising players in this group, including midfielders Shinsen Yamane (Kokushi U.) and Hijiri Horinouchi (Tokyo Gakugei U.) and defender Keisuke Hirai (Fukuoka U.)

One of the club's biggest concerns was relieved in early January, when it was revealed that ace striker Emerson, who returned to Brazil after his mother was hospitalized with severe diabetes, will be back with the team in 2002. This point is particularly important considering that Urawa has traded striker Yasushi Fukunaga to Sendai, and extended the rental contracts of Masayuki Okano and Kohei Morita. However, it has now been confirmed that the Reds entire Brazilian strike force -- Tuto, Emerson and Harison -- will be on the team in the coming season. Meanwhile, defender Ichiei Muroi, who was on rental to Cerezo Osaka, will return to Urawa next year.

One of the biggest changes involves the transition from former coach Pita to the new coach, Hans Ooft. Since Ooft has just taken over the reins recently, he will probably be making some changes in the personnel as he decides what he wants the team to look like in 2002. Since the Reds have the deepest pockets in the league, they will no doubt be an active participant in negotiations for big-name players who are looking to be traded to a new team.

JEF United also lost a coach at the end of the 2001 season, when Zdenko Verdenik suddenly jumped ship and signed with Nagoya Grampus. Though this was a blow, considering the results Verdenik achieved with the team last year, JEF may have actually come out ahead. The team has coaxed the highly-respected Josef Venglos, who has made his mark as head coach of several national teams in Europe, to take the position. However, he is likely to face a rebuilding job, since several key players may no longer be around.

The most important question mark is Choi Yong-Soo, who was JEF's top scorer in 2001. There are many rumours linking Choi to various European teams, including Freiburg and Borussia, in the Bundesliga. Some reports have quoted Choi as saying that he thinks it will be easier to prepare for the World Cup from a base close to his home country (ie. Japan), but certainly a move to Europe would raise his profile. No definite news has emerged, but this is an issue to watch closely. JEF's other two foreigners, Edin "Edo" Mujcin and Zeljko Milinovic, have suggested that they will be staying with the team, though they have yet to re-sign. Even if Choi does leave, JEF picked up an insurance policy by acquiring Mitsutoshi Watada on loan from Vissel Kobe. JEF Also picked up veteran midfielder Tadatoshi Masuda, formerly of FC Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Nozomi Hiroyama, whose rental contract to Paraguay's Cerro Porteno expired at the end of 2001, indicated that he does NOT want to return to JEF. After long negotiations with the club, Hiroyama seems to have prevailed, and he was recently placed on the team's trade list. Recently, the midfielder boarded a plane for Brazil, where he will receive a physical test at Flamengo. Even if Flamengo decide not to sign him, it is reported that some other Brazilian clubs are interested as well, so Hiroyama is not likely to return to Japan this season. Another midfielder has also been lost to South America, as Takuma Sugano decided to follow in Hiroyama's footsteps and signed with 10 de Octobre, another Paraguayan club, during the off-season

Compared with most other teams, Kashiwa Reysol have been relatively inactive this off-season. Perhaps coach Steve Perryman wants to have a full year of preparation to see if he can turn the existing team into a winner. Considering his disappointing performance in the second stage last year, he had better work hard, as he may find that the front office is running out of patience. In the past, the conventional wisdom was that Reysol had all the talent needed to be a winner, but didnt have the coaching, coordination, and mental toughness. After the 2001 season, though, more and more observers are beginning to reach the same conclusion that this writer did two years ago -- Reysol arent a group of talented underperformers . . . . they just arent all that good to begin with.

In any event, Perryman has lost two quality players from last season, in Hong Myung-Bo and Naoki Sakai. The veteran Korean libero, Hong, decided to move back to Korea for the 2002 season, allowing him to concentrate more completely on World Cup preparations. Sakai has been released on loan to Consadole Sapporo, suggesting that he was not viewed as an important cog in the Reysol machine. Two other marginal players, defenders Takuya Morikawa and Toru Irie, have also been farmed out on loan contracts.

While it is no doubt important to clean house when trying to put a team into shape, Perryman has yet to acquire any replacements for the above players. In fact, the only major move he has made, that will strenthen the team, was the acquisition of Brazilian defender Cesar Sampaio. To be sure, Sampaio was a very popular and effective player in Japan, with the former Yokohama Flugels. However, he is starting to pass his "use-by" date, and was never the sort of rock in the middle of the defence that Hong was (and still is). At the moment, Reysol still look notably thin on defence, so it will be important to see what other moves the team makes to shore up the back line.

FC Tokyo have been very busy cleaning house this season. At the moment, however, it may be clean and tidy in Tokyo, but all the furniture is still moved out, and the house is close to empty. The team is clearly in a transition phase, after long-time coach Kiyoshi Okuma packed his bags at the end of last season and was replaced by former Urawa Reds boss Hiromi Hara. It would seem that Hara has finished the phase in which he rids the team of all the players he views as unproductive, but like Steve Perryman at Reysol, he has yet to begin putting together a new unit.

The one replacement that has been completed is the acquisition of a third foreign player. Veteran defender Sandro was cut loose, and has been replaced with former Brazil national team member Joao Santos. The only other activity at FC Tokyo, thus far, has been to release a long list of marginal players, the most notable being Shinya Sakoi, Toshiki Koike, Tetsuhiro Kina and Toru Kaburagi. Most have found spots in various J2 clubs, though none can be viewed as a major loss for FC Tokyo.

The question is what Hara will now do with his open roster spots. Veteran striker Amaral has carried the team for almost a decade, and is nearing the twilight of his career. The midfield still has some workmanlike players like Fumitake Miura and Yukihiko Sato, but FC Tokyo looks thin in almost every position. Having established a surprisingly strong fan base last year, Tokyo should have enough of a budget to bid for some big-name players. That has yet to happen. In any event, FC Tokyo bears close watching in the coming weeks.

The other Tokyo-base team has done some housecleaning as well. Verdy cut loose an even larger number of players than its local rival, though many would argue that it had more dead wood to begin with. On the other hand, Verdy have done much more to acquire replacements, and in many cases, they seem to have helped themselves considerably with the additions

Veteran striker Nobuhiro Takeda announced his retirement with a tearful farewell speech in late December, while seemingly half of the other players on the Verdy roster have been either sold or rented -- the majority of them to Kyoto Purple Sanga. According to recent rumour, Kyoto-bound players will include Hideki Nagai, Atsuhiro Miura, Yuji Hironaga and Kenji Honnami. Meanwhile, striker Takafumi Ogura has been traded to Consadole Sapporo and Kazunori Iio has been loaned to Kawasaki Frontale. The most important loss, however, came with the inexplicable decision to send national team defender Yuji Nakazawa to Yokohama Marinos. It is hard to say why Verdy would part with such a key member of the back line, unless they have another acquisition up their sleeve that has yet to reach the news wires.

One reason why Verdy have shipped off their contingent of offensive players seems to be the decision to place the offensive burden on the shoulders of the Brazilian pair of Marqunhos and Edmundo. Certainly, the two combined well at the end of last season, and helped save Verdy from relegation. However, the team still looks very thin on the offensive end, and they may need one or two players in this area.

To shore up the defence, Verdy acquired keeper Daijiro Takakuwa from Kashima Antlers. Takakuwa is one of the top keepers in the league, and will be a huge asset at the back. He should get reasonably good support from the existing Verdy back line, which is being strengthened with the addition of another former Antler, Naoki Soma, who is moving to Verdy on a one-year loan. Verdy also filled its third foreigner spot with Jean Carlo Witte, a 25-year old defensive midfielder from the northeast of Brazil. It is at offensive midfield and second-string forward that the team still needs some help. While nobody can deny the scoring threat posed by Marquinhos and Edmundo, if either of them should miss action due to injury, Verdy could have difficulty filling the hole.

Last year, Yokohama Marinos sold off a fistful of quality players, and did little to replace them. Early predictions of the team's demise were not far off the mark -- Yokohama escaped relegation by the skin of its teeth in 2001. Now, with the 2002 season approaching, big-name players are again fleeing the Marinos like rats from a sinking ship. At first glance, one might assume that the downward spiral is still in full spin.

However, there are some reasons to believe that Yokohama will be stronger in 2002, albeit not a championship contender. First, many of the players that are leaving did not make as much of a contribution last year as their big names might suggest. Shoji Jo is probably the best example. The former national team striker, who seemingly has forgotten how to find the net, has been traded to Vissel Kobe. Defender Yoshiaki Maruyama and midfielder Shintaro Harada were both cut loose to join Albirex Niigata, but neither is a major loss. Striker Daisuke Tonoike, who struggled all last season, is on a rental contract to Omiya Ardija. Meanwhile, Shunsuke Nakamura seems determined to find a European club who will take him, though a deal has yet to emerge. Probably the biggest loss will be defender Norio Omura, who left to join Vegalta Sendai when his contract expired. Of course, Marinos fans will also remember that keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi left Yokohama late last year to join Portsmouth, in the English First Division.

Though the above list certainly includes a lot of talent, the Marinos have made a small number of acquisitions that could actually make them a stronger team next year. The biggest catch of all was Will Robson Andrade (Will), who Yokohama acquired on loan from Consadole Sapporo. Sotaro Yasunaga, acquired from Shimizu S-Pulse, will be less of an asset, but he couldnt possibly do worse than Shoji Jo in 2001. Another key signing was Jubilo midfielder Norihisa Shimizu, who may not be as big a star as Nakamura, but could be as big a contributor in terms of overall team play. A second midfielder, Kazuki Sato, was a star player at Oita Trinita last year, and it will be interesting to see if he can achieve the same results in the J1. To top it off, Marinos are apparently close to signing Jubilo Iwata midfielder Daisuke Oku. Although nothing has been confirmed, Oku has reportedly told Jubilo that he wants to be traded, and Marinos are the only club talking to him at the moment.

On the defensive end, the Marinos will bolster what is already one of the strongest back lines in the league, with the addition of Tokyo Verdy's Yuji Nakazawa. "Bomberhead", as he is sometimes known, will anchor a like that already includes two other national team members, in Naoki Matsuda and Yasuhiro Hato.

Shimizu S-Pulse have made relatively few changes thus far in 2002, though considering their Emperor's Cup performance, they probably do not need to make very many. The team struggled early in 2001, but it has begun to come together since mid-season last year. The major off-season moves thus far have been to rent out all borderline players to Ventforet Kofu. In fact, so many S-Pulse players are now on the Ventforet roster that it is starting to look like an S-Pulse farm team. Players who will be in Kofu this season include Tatsuya Tsuruta, Kosuke Suzuki, Yusuke Yoshizaki, Tsuyoshi Tanikawa and Jin Matsushima (and that isnt even a complete list).

Apart from rookies, S-Pulse has not picked up any new players this year, though one youngster deserves some close attention. Juninho, a Brazilian who has been living in Japan since elementary school, will fill the foreigner spot opened up when Alessandro Santos took Japanese citizenship. Like the player formerly known as Ales, Juninho was a one-man-show on his high school team in Shimizu, and many tip him to be the "next Santos", with speed, slick ball skills and a good nose for the goal

Jubilo Iwata has had the rumourmongers working overtime this year. Although they have not made very many changes yet, the team has been linked to a veritable cornuicopia of talent, both Japanese and foreign. The only major roster move that has been confirmed is the transfer of Nobuhisa Shimizu, on loan, to Yokohama Marinos. However, Jubilo comes just a bit behind Italy's Perugia in terms of the number of players whose names have been linked to the club.

First, whispering has surfaced regarding the possible transfer of two key players. Reserve goalkeeper Tomoaki Ogami has reportedly asked to be traded, and Cerezo Osaka seems to have the inside track to signing him. Ogami saw little action last season, as Arno VanZwam locked up the starting position. However, Ogami is a quality goaltender, and a real asset. The only question is whether he will content himself with backup duty for another year. Another player who has asked to shop for a new club is midfielder Daisuke Oku. Yokohama Marinos are said to be interested in Oku, but considering the integral part he plays in Jubilo's midfield, the team is trying to keep him in Iwata for another year. According to recent reports, though, Oku wants to play for another team, and the transfer to the Marinos is a strong possibility.

Since the team has two spots open for foreign players, remarkable names have been linked to Jubilo in recent weeks. First, Roberto Baggio was reportedly negotiating a move to Japan, as a place to play out the remainder of his career. Then, Jubilo was linked to Parma striker Patrick Mboma. Another name that surfaced was Ferreira, the Paraguayan striker who plays for Cerro Porteno. Most recently, Korean striker and former Vissel Kobe member Kim Do-Hoon was in formal negotiations with the club. All of these players share one feature -- they are viewed as potential replacements for Naohiro Takahara, who will remain at Boca Juniors for another year. Jubilo fell short in its quest for silverware last year, mainly because they lacked a striker to support veteran Masashi "Gon" Nakayama.

The only major change that Nagoya Grampus have made thus far is to sign former JEF United coach Zdenko Verdenik as their new boss. Verdenik's success in getting the most out of his JEF players make him an ideal candidate to whip Grampus into shape, though several other coaches have tried to do so in the past, and the team is still unable to reach the summit of the J.league table.

Apart from Verdenik, Nagoya has made no major lineup changes. Adriano, who saw little action in 2001, has been dropped from the roster. Probably Verdenik will make one or two more roster moves in the off-season, but his main concern will be to take the existing players and try to coax a better performance out of them than they provided in 2001.

Kyoto Purple Sanga have been one of the most active teams thus far, in terms of cutting borderline performers and acquiring players for the 2002 season. This is not surprising, though, when you consider the roster they had in 2001. Although they managed to win the J2 title, there is no question that Kyoto need far more talent if they hope to be competitive in the top-flight division.

Kyoto have convinced Korean striker An Hyo-Yon to sign for another year, but Brazilian defender Sidiclei, who played on a rental contract for Vissel Kobe last year, has now been granted a full transfer to Kobe. Most likely, the team will try to fill its two remaining spots with Korean players as well, in order to maintain good team communication. Park Ji-Sung, who played for Koto briefly in 2001, may be convinced to re-sign. Kyoto is also said to be interested in Kim Byon-Su, though no formal negotiations have been reported

Kyoto's biggest off-season "coup" was the signing of three players from Tokyo Verdy -- minfielders Atsuhiro Miura & Hideki Nagai and keeper Kenji Honnami. Some would argue that all three players have passed their "use by" date. Miura is the youngest of the three, at 28, but he has seemed to be on a downhill slope since late 2000, when he was dropped from the national team. Nevertheless, all three have been useful contributors in the past, and if the influence of the Kyoto "Phoenix" mascot can resurrect their performances, they may help Kyoto reach the middle of the table next year. However, without a great deal more talent in the front line and on the defensive wings, Kyoto are not likely to be a championship contender.

Gamba Osaka have made nearly as many roster moves as their neighbors, Kyoto and Kobe, and unlike Kyoto, they just might have put together a unit that can challenge for a title in 2002. The starting point of the team's restructuing came when Gamba signed former Reysol coach Akira Nishino as the head coach. Though the press has been less than kind to him, Nishino has an excellent reputation among players. Since he was cast away by Reysol because, supposedly, he was unable to get the best performance from his players, it will be very interesting to see how well he succeeds with the young and energetic group of players at Gamba.

After a disappointing performance last year, Nino Bule and Hergovic were cut loose, but Gamba managed to convince midfielder Reginald Vital to renew his contract for the 2002 season. He will be joined by Giuliano Tadeo Aranda (Magrao), an sleek striker from Botafogo who has splayed in Japan before, for Verdy, as well as midfield magician Marcelinho Carioca, formerly of Santos and Flamengo. To this group, Gamba added Shigeru Morioka, a midfielder who was on Japan's 1996 Olympic team, but has faded from view since then. At the back, Gamba has added Masahiro Ando, another former Olympian who should have a few good years left in his tank.

The big question that still remains is what Gamba will do for offense. The back line and midfield look formidable, despite the release of older stalwarts like Tomohiro Katanosaka and Satoshi Yamaguchi. However, Gamba failed to reclaim Ryuji Bando after his rental contract with Consadole expired, opting instead to send him to Kobe. Hiromi Kojima is reportedly dissatisfied with Gamba, and his name has been linked to several other clubs. Although Kota Yoshihara was energetic and marginally effective in 2001, it is questionable whether the aging Magrao can truly fill the "#1" striker position. It will be interesting to see what other surprises coach Nishino has up his sleeve.

By far the wildest horse-trading of all has taken place at Kobe, where the Vissel lineup for 2002 could look entirely different from the team that took the field in 2001. Brazilian striker/midfielder Daniel will probably be back, as will libero Sidiclei. Other than that, however, it is anyone's guess who will fill the lineup card when the first match of 2002 kicks off. For their third foreigner slot, Vissel signed volante Carlos Eduardo Soares, aka "Ataliba". The 28-year-old Brazilian is cut from the same mold as Carlos Dunga -- a big, loud and angry bull in the Kobe china shop, who will probably win the role of defensive hit-man, allowing Sidiclei to leisurely clean up the broken bodies after he gets through with them.

If you had asked anyone in early December who would be the starting forwards for Kobe in 2002, Kazu Miura's name would almost certainly have topped the list. But the veteran striker will have a lot of competition for a starting slot next year, and it is still totally unclear who will get the call. In addition to Kazu, Daniel, who return from last year, Kobe has signed Shoji Jo, from Yokohama, Ryuji Bando, from Consadole, and extended the rental contract for Urawa Reds striker Masayuki Okano. Due to this surfeit of forwards, Kobe transferred Mitsutoshi Watada to JEF United on a one-year rental contract.

At midfield, Kobe signed the very offense-oriented Masaya Nishitani, from Cerezo Osaka, and former national-team midfielder Takeshi Hirano. Both players are nominal midfielders, but play with the attitude and inclinations of strikers. Assuming that Vissel's back line can handle the inevitable counterattacks, this could produce a truly frightening offensive lineup, for example, with Bando and Kazu up front, Daniel one step back and Okano, Hirano and Nishitani in a flat line behind them.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima has yet to make any major acquisitions, though they have traded or released several players from last year. Australian midfielder Stephen Corica is not expected to return in 2002, nor is Uzbek defender Oleg, whose loan from Locomotiv Moscow has expired. New coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev has just recently arrived in Japan, and any major roster moves will probably have to wait until he has a chance to assess the team

Rumours and Rumblings

As the Coaching World Turns

Consadole Sapporo finally confirmed the signing of Tetsuji Hashiratani, who coached at Montedio Yamagata last season. Hashiratani officially took over the club on January 10, and will seek to improve on the performance of Takeshi Okada last season.
JEF United have made perhaps the greatest coup, as they managed to persuade Josef Venglos, a highly respected coach who has served several national teams in Europe, to become their new head coach. Venglos succeeds Zdenko Verdenik, who left JEF at the end of last season to work for Nagoya Grampus.
Urawa Reds new boss is Hans Ooft, who has served in the J.League previously, at Jubilo Iwata, and also had a stint as Japan's National Team coach.
The new head coach at FC Tokyo is Hiromi Hara, who formerly coached at Urawa Reds, a few years ago. Hara replaces Kiyoshiu Okuma, who retired at the end of 2001 following a long career with FC Tokyo.
Nagoya Grampus, as mentioned above, have landed Zdenko Verdenik, though in the process, they were censured by the league for what was described as "ungentlemanly bechaviour" in stealing Verdenik away from JEF United.
Gamba Osaka's new coach is Akira Nishino, who was fired by Kashiwa Reysol in mid-season last year, when Steve Perryman took over as the head coach of that club. Many rumours have floated around about how Perryman, who initially joined Reysol as an assistant coach, stabbed Nishino in the back to get the job. It will be interesting to see what happens when Gampa plays Reysol for the first time in 2002.
Finally, Gadzhi Gadzhiev has taken over as the head coach of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, after Valeri Nepomniatchchi left the team suddenly at the end of 2001.

Film clips courtesy of Internet Soccer Program J-Ole. Visit their web site at http://www.j-ole.com/ for results and highlights of all J.League matches.

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