May 5, 2002
Nabisco Cup, Round Four
Here are the scores of the fourth round matches
Pool A | ||
| Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Consadole Sapporo | 1-1 | Vegalta Sendai |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 0-0 | Jubilo Iwata |
Pool B | ||
| Tokyo Verdy | 0-2 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| Vissel Kobe | 0-0 | FC Tokyo |
Pool C | ||
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | 2-1 | Yokohama Marinos |
| Gamba Osaka | 3-2 | JEF Ichihara |
Pool D | ||
| Urawa Reds | 3-1 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
| Nagoya Grampus | 3-0 | Kashima Antlers |
This year the format of the Nabisco Cup is a bit different from that of past years. The Cup does not include J2 teams this year; instead, the J1 clubs were divided into four pools, and the four teams in each group are playing a double round-robin over the space of just two weeks. The top two clubs from each pool will advance to the knockout round.
Pool A is closely contested between all four teams, though it would be a bit misleading to describe it as an "exciting" group. Five of the matches played so far have ended in draws, two of them scoreless ones. Jubilo Iwata clearly miss their national team members, as they have taken part in both of the scoreless draws. However, they still lead their group, thanks to their big win over Vegalta Sendai in the first match of the tournament. However, this group is still entirely up for grabs. Anyone can win, even the laggarads, Consadole Sapporo.
FC Tokyo has been the surprise package of Pool B. The team has all but locked up a spot in the quarterfinals, and has yet to even concede a goal. Shimizu S-Pulse stand second in the group, and seem to be in fairly good shape. One more win, or even two draws, will probably be enough to see them through to the quarterfinals, though Tokyo Verdy still have a shot. Vissel Kobe are on the verge of elimination, having collected just two points from their four matches.
Pool C is the closest of all, with only two points separating the four clubs. Surprisingly, the teams who were favored to advance -- Yokohama Marinos and Gamba Osaka -- are currently ranked third and fourth. Kyoto Purple Sanga are the surprise group leaders, though they enjoy just a point difference over JEF United and Gamba. The Marinos have struggled without four key national team players, and trail the group, though they can make up the difference with just one win.
Pool D is much clearer, with Urawa Reds virtually guaranteed of advancing, and Kashima Antlers probably needing only one win in their final two matches to clinch their spot. However, Nagoya Grampus are still not out of the picture, as their 3-0 win over the Antlers on Monday kept their hopes alive. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are bringing up the rear, and are just about out of luck.
Nabisco Cup: Fifth Round Matches
In the fifth round of the Nabisco Cup, the picture became much clearer in all but one group. Although only three teams have actually clinched a spot in the next round, several others have a quarterfinal spot all but mathematically secured. FC Tokyo and Urawa Reds continued their sparkling runs in this competition, and are already guaranteed of advancing. Here are the results of this week's matches:Pool A | ||
| Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Kashiwa Reysol | 0-0 | Vegalta Sendai |
| Jubilo Iwata | 3-1 | Consadole Sapporo |
Pool B | ||
| FC Tokyo | 2-1 | Tokyo Verdy |
| Vissel Kobe | 0-2 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
Pool C | ||
| JEF Ichihara | 2-1 | Kyoto Purple Sanga |
| Yokohama Marinos | 2-1 | Gamba Osaka |
Pool D | ||
| Kashima Antlers | 2-3 | Urawa Reds |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1-2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
In Pool A, the race is still somewhat up in the air, though Consadole Sapporo have been eliminated following their 3-1 loss to Jubilo Iwata. Jubilo surged to a 2-0 lead in the first half, and "Gon" Nakayama added a third midway through the second half. Although Consadole got one late consolation goal from Hiromi Kojima, the team is now eliminated from contention despite having one match left to play. Despite their win, Jubilo have not yet clinched a spot in the next round. There is at least a mathematical chance that they could be eliminated, though they would need to lose by least four goals on Sunday to Vegalta Sendai. If they can manage a three-goal loss or better, they will proceed to the next round. The race for the second spot between Vegalta and Kashiwa Reysol is still very close, though, following a scoreless draw between these two teams. Reysol have the inside track, since they not only lead Vegalta by a point, but also finish off with a match against Consadole. Nevertheless, nobody should count Vegalta out, based on their league performance thus far this season.
Pool B is the only one that has already been decided. Though all four teams still have one match left to play, both FC Tokyo and Shimizu S-Pulse secured quarterfinal slots by winning their matches on Thursday. FC Tokyo came back against their capitol-city rivals, after Edmundo put Tokyo Verdy in the lead midway through the second half. A late goal rush by FC produced two goals, both involving the aptly-nicknamed "King of Tokyo", Amaral. Meanwhile, S-Pulse coasted to an easy victory over Vissel Kobe despite the absence of several national team members. Kobe have been pathetic in this competition, as well as in the league, this season, and will probably finish bottom of their group. Ironically, the two teams that have already clinched spots will face off against each other on Sunday, though even if they lose, FC Tokyo has already claimed bragging rights to top position in the group.
Pool C remains the "group of death", though some might say that it deserves to be called the "group of paralysis". JEF United and Yokohama Marinos moved into the top two spots with identical 2-1 victories at home, but Kyoto Purple Sanga has a chance to finish top of the group, and even Gamba might manage to progress, though admittedly, it would take a near-miracle. Unfortunately, since the two teams play each other on Sunday, it will not be possible for BOTH to progress. That means that either the Marinos OR JEF United are assured of moving on to the semifinals, depending on which one of them wins their match on Sunday. Although the action in this group has been depressing at times, the stage is set for a thrilling final week, since the two winning teams will both progress, and the losers will both drop out. For those of you wondering about the prospects if either of the matches end in a draw, please dont ask! The point rankings and goal differences are so close that virtually any result is possible -- including the possibility that the quarterfinalist might be decided by a coin toss!!!
Urawa Reds continued to demonstrate their superiority in Pool D, and they may be sending a message to the rest of the league to watch out for them in the second half of the season. A hat trick by Tuto sent Urawa to victory over the Antlers, who may be depleted by the loss of members to their national team, but who are by no means a pushover at home, even with players missing. Urawa now boast a 4-1-0 record, and a massive goal difference, going into their final match against the group laggards, Nagoya Grampus. Despite their loss, Kashima Antlers still look to be in fairly good shape. Barring a huge upset of the Reds by Nagoya Grampus in the final match, all the Antlers need is a draw to proceed to the semifinal. On the other hand, Hiroshima Sanfrecce still control their own fate. If they can defeat Kashima, they will progress. Nagoya, meanwhile, have looked pretty pathetic throughout this competition. Following their 1-2 loss at home, to Sanfrecce, they now need a near-miracle to avoid elimination.
Here are the standings of the four groups:
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jubilo Iwata | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Consadole Sapporo | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tokyo | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Vissel Kobe | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF Ichihara | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Yokohama Marinos | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Gamba Osaka | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urawa Reds | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Kashima Antlers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
The eight quarterfinalists for the Nabisco Cup have all been decided, following an exciting final round of matches. Several teams that had already qualified took an early break, producing a few lopsided results, but the matches that made a difference to qualification were fiercely contested. Here are the results of Sunday's matches.
Pool A | ||
| Home | . | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Consadole Sapporo | 1-0 | Kashiwa Reysol |
| Vegalta Sendai | 0-1 | Jubilo Iwata |
Pool B | ||
| Tokyo Verdy | 5-3 | Vissel Kobe |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 2-1 | FC Tokyo |
Pool C | ||
| Yokohama Marinos | 1-3 | JEF Ichihara |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | 1-2 | Gamba Osaka |
Pool D | ||
| Urawa Reds | 1-5 | Nagoya Grampus |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 0-1 | Kashima Antlers |
Pool A was still up for grabs as the final matches commenced, but Jubilo Iwata had a comfortable margin and were able to solidify their top position in the group with a 1-0 victory at Sendai. The match was fiercely contested, and only a late goal in the 80 minute by substitute midfielder Takahiro Kawamura gave Jubilo the win. The 19,000 Vegalta fans who showed up for the match were doubly crushed, since lowly Consadole Sapporo defeated Kashiwa Reysol by a 1-0 score line to rescue Vegalta's chances of advancing. But the flock of eagles will have to turn their sights back to league action now, as their cup hopes have been ended. Despite losing to the weakest team in the pool, Consadole Sapporo, Reysol also slipped through to the quarterfinal round.
Pool B had already been decided, so the match between Shimizu S-Pulse and FC Tokyo was not particularly meaningful. FC Tokyo, who had already clinched first spot in their group, gave several players an early vacation, whereas S-Pulse seemed to take the match quite seriously, in front of their 11,000 fans at Nihondaira. Two first-half goals by Yoshikiyo Kuboyama gave S-Pulse the margin of victory, though FC Tokyo got a late consolation goal from Kenji Fukuda. The other match, between two teams that had already been eliminated, turned out to be quite an event. Playing only for pride, Tokyo Verdy showed more life than they have all season long. In particular, Emerson seemed to show signs that he is getting back into form, following off-season foot surgery. The big Brazilian collected a hat trick as Verdy stormed out to a 4-0 lead, before losing the script a bit in the late second half and allowing Vissel Kobe to restore the match to a more respectable 5-3 margin.
Pool C has been the most closely contested of all the groups, and the final week of matches provided some interesting twists of fate. Yokohama Marinos stumbled to a 1-3 loss at home, to JEF United, allowing JEF to top the group, and putting the Marinos hopes in jeopardy. Sure enough, Gamba Osaka managed to knock off Kyoto Purple Sanga, on goals from Yamaguchi and Marcelinho, sending Gamba through to the quarterfinals, and putting the Marinos out of the picture.
In Pool D, Urawa Reds looked unbeatable in their first five matches, while Nagoya Grampus got off to a horrible start and were at the bottom of the group going into the final week. So it should come as no surprise that the Reds were thrashed soundly in their own home stadium. Hans Ooft apparently decided to give his team the rest of the week off, leaving the usual starting forwards Tuto and Emerson off of the roster for the match, entirely. But it looked like the goalkeeper and several defenders were on vacation as well, as they stood around gawking on two first-half corner kicks that turned into very cheap goals for Grampus. In the late second half, rookie Kei Yamaguchi came in and provided an exciting finish, scoring his first two goals ever for the Grampus, in the space of about two minutes. Nagoya's victory placed a bit of pressure on Kashima Antlers, but despite the absence of numerous starters, who are on national team duty, they managed a 1-0 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and thus booked a place in the next round.
Here are the final standings for the Nabisco Cup pool round:
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jubilo Iwata | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Consadole Sapporo | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tokyo | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 |
| Vissel Kobe | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF Ichihara | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 11 |
| Gamba Osaka | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 12 |
| Yokohama Marinos | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| Kyoto Purple Sanga | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| ||||||
| Team | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urawa Reds | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 |
| Kashima Antlers | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 9 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Rumours and Rumblings
Trinita Trip Tunisia, Reysol Stymie Senegal, and Honda. . . (Honda???)
Pre-World Cup warmup matches against local club teams are a commonplace preliminary to the big event itself. National teams usually line up opponents that they expect to be a reasonably easy team to beat, since these events generally viewed as a chance to limber up and try out a few wrinkles under match conditions. Clearly, however, the J.League squads that have been signed as opponents did not read the script. World Cup teams have only been in Japan for a few days, but already, several have discovered that the local clubs they have signe to play are not the pushovers they expected. If the current trend continues, the J.League could win a new level of respect overseas even before the Japan National Team steps on the field.
The most discouraging upset of them all, no doubt, was Tunisia's 2-1 loss to Oita Trinita. Certainly, Oita are a feisty club who know how to score if given the opportunity. But as scrappy as they might be, this is a SECOND division team! Tunisia has a host of good excuses available. Jet lag, a less-than-top notch lineup, and so on. But for a team that must face Japan's full National Team in just two weeks, the loss to a J2 club cannot be good news.
Oita were not the only team with a surprise in store for a visiting World Cup squad, though. Kashiwa Reysol, playing without their Korean contingent of Yoo Sang-Chul, Hong Myung-Bo and Hwang Sun-Hong, nevertheless demonstrated the well-known solidity of their defence, as they held Senegal to a scoreless draw.
But what is one to make of the match between Costa Rica and Honda Giken. OK, Costa Rica did manage to squeak out a 2-1 victory, in the end. This had to come as a relief to the coach and players alike. But lest anyone brush off this poor performance too quickly, we need to keep in mind that Honda is a THIRD division club, a level at which the players are not even fully professional.
With several even more competitive J.League clubs preparing for practice matches with World Cup contenders later in the week, there could be even more surprises in score. Stay tuned. We will update you on all the activities.
Punch Could KO Will's Entire Season
In addition to the misfortune of falling out of the Nabisco Cup, on Sunday, Yokohama Marinos may now face the prospect of losing their top striker, Will Emerson Andrade, for the rest of the season. After a punching incident in Yokohama's match with JEF United, disciplinary action by the league seems almost certain, but Chiba district prosecutors have indicated that they may decide to seek criminal charges of affray against the big Brazilian
The incident that precipitated these charges occurred in the 22 minute of the Nabisco Cup match between Yokohama Marinos and JEF United. Will went high into the air against defender Eisuke Nakanishi to contest a long ball into the box, and sent Nakanishi sprawling, though there appeared to be nothing particularly rough or deliberate about the play. But what happened next was clearly beyond the bounds of fair play. As Nakanishi fell next to the ball, Will unleashed a kick that seemed to be aimed as much at Nakanishi's head as at the loose ball. The blow caught Nakanishi in the side of the head, and Will's spikes tore a slice out of the lower tip of the JEF defender's ear, which required ten stitches to close. As the referee and assistant rushed to aid Nakanishi, JEF goalkeeper Ryo Kushino raced out of the net and screamed something at Will, at which point the big Brazilian clocked Kushino in the side of the face with a wicked right cross, leaving a gash above the eye that was streaming blood. The field descended into chaos, and it took almost six minutes to separate the two teams, stretcher off Nakanishi, and bandage up Kushino to play out the remainder of the match (he would later require four stitches to close the gash on his face).
Unfortunately, neither official had seen the punching incident, and despite furious protests from the JEF United bench, they allowed Will to play out the remainder of the match. But JEF have lodged a complaint with the league, and based on film evidence, it seems probable that some fairly severe disciplinary action will be leveled against Will. Meanwhile, Chiba public prosecutors indicated that they were also studying the tape of the match, and were considering the possibility of arresting Will on charges of public affray. Nobody expects the matter to go quite that far. Nevertheless, considering the squeaky clean and family-oriented reputation of football in Japan, this incident is being taken very seriously indeed. There is at least a chance that the league may decide to make an example of Will, with a long-term ban. We will provide updates as more information becomes available
Troussier Mourns Death of Nephew
Phillippe Troussier left Japan's training camp in Spain before the team departed for Oslo, when he received news that one of his nephews died suddenly in France. Troussier flew back to Paris on Saturday, and reportedly will not rejoin the team until the day of their match against Norway. No precise details about the cause of death are known, but it is reported that the youngster is the child of Troussier's younger brother (there are six siblings in the Troussier family), with whom he was very close.
We wish to express our condolences to the Troussier family.
Vandals Damage Russia's Training Ground
In an incident that is almost certain to cause serious embarassment to Japan, as World Cup hosts, someone apparently vandalized the practice field that was to be used by the Russian national team. On Sunday, the managers of the Shimizu National Training Center, in Shizuoka prefecture, discovered to their horror that a large portion of the field was turning brown as the grass shriveled and died. Forensic tests of the pitch confirmed that someone had broken into the ground and poured a large quantity of herbicide all over the field, leaving huge patches of browning and deteriorating vegetation, and basically making the field unusable.
Since Russia will be one of Japan's Group H opponents in the first round of the World Cup, this incident could be a serious embarassment, and raise questions about security. Although it seems almost inconceivable that anyone would engage in such a wanton act of vandalism, in retrospect, it is disturbing that security at prospective World Cup practice facilities was not tighter. It seems almost certain that Russia will have to find a new home for their World Cup preparations. Fortunately, there are many quality training facilities in Japan that have not yet been booked, so Russia should be able to alter their plans with no major inconvenience. However, this will surely be a blow to the city of Shimizu, both in terms of its reputation and for the local economy.
Grimandi Lured to Exotic Urawa
Recent reports from England suggest that French veteran midfielder Gilles Grimandi, currently with Arsenal, will be joining the Urawa Reds in July. The 32-year-old Grimandi has been a dependable reserve player at Arsenal, since he was picked up from Monaco about two years ago, but with Patrick Vieira indicating that he plans to stay at Highbury and players like Giovanni vanBronckhorst improving rapidly, there seems to be no room for another defensive midfielder (as Junichi Inamoto has also discovered). Grimandi was reported as saying that he wants "to experience living in a completely different and exotic culture". It is hard to say whether Urawa will be "exotic" enough for him, but the Reds can certainly use some veteran contributions in the defensive midfield
Urawa currently have an opening in their lineup for a foreign player, as midfielder Harison left the club after the last Nabisco Cup match, earlier this month. With a host of young, offensive-oriented players available, coach Hans Ooft seems to be looking for a solid defensive midfielder who can pull this relatively inexperienced team together. Though there are still a few old-timers left on the squad, the core of Urawa's team is one of the youngest in the league. Ace striker Emerson is just 19, and his striker partner Tuto is only 23. The two main reserves for the front line or offensive midfield are 18-year-old Tatsuya Tanaka and 23-year-old Yuichiro Nagai. Deeper back in the midfield, even relatively young veterans such as Toshiyuki Abe (27) and Masaya Tsuchihashi (29) are being edged out by newcomers like Keita Suzuki (19) and Nobumitsu Yamane (22). Now that Keisuke Tsuboi (21) has taken over control of the back line from former Japan captain Masami Iihara, the only real veteran left in the starting squad is 35-year-old Masahiro Fukuda. For that reason, an experienced player such as Grimandi could be a very useful addition, both to add some experience to the defensive midfield and to help the youngsters develop their budding talents more fully.
Nagoya Drop Brazilian Strike Force
Nagoya Grampus announced that they will not be renewing the contracts of their two Brazilian strikers, Ueslei and Marcelo. Although Ueslei had a good first season with Nagoya in 2001, this year he has been quite a disappointment. Grampus are trying to give the team a quick makeover, in hopes of salvaging their chances of a title before it is too late. The team got off to a very disappointing start, and stand in seventh place at present, nine points off the pace of Jubilo Iwata.
The main question is who the team will pick up to replace these two strikers. Nagoya actually have several Japanese players who can take over in the front line. Yasuyuki Moriyama and Tetsuya Okayama may lack star status, but both are dependable players with good speed, who can put the ball in the net. Furthermore, rookies Atsushi Katagiri and Kei Yamaguchi have both sparkled in the few playing opportunities they have been given so far, this year. If these two continue to develop and gain experience, Nagoya probably does not need to look elsewhere for a striker. What they do need, however, is someone who can fill the role of playmaker. Nagoya has lacked an effective field general since Dragan Stojkovic hung up his boots, roughly one year ago. Recent rumours indicate that one of Pixy's old Croatian teammates, Robert Prosinecki, is prepared to join Grampus following the World Cup. However, no final decision has been announced. In any event, Nagoya will probably be shopping aggressively for a "Number 10" player during the World Cup break.
Yutaka Akita named "Ambassador" of Kashima
Kashima Antlers veteran defender Yutaka Akita has been named as the official ambassador of Kashima city, which will be host to several World Cup matches this June. Akita, a long-time Antlers stalward, will help to promote the city, and take part in a number of events to welcome international visitors to the small town in Ibaraki Prefecture.
In a slightly sadder bit of news involving Kashima, the team's very first coach, Masakatsu Miyamoto, passed away on Tuesday. Mr. Miyamoto was a member of Japan's bronze medal team at the Mexico Olympics, and was a key individual in helping to promote the development of the sport in Japan. The Antlers are planning to hold a special exhibition match later this year in honor of their former coach.
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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