The strongest domestic army, Iwata!

The strongest domestic army, Iwata!

In 1999, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was a "Júbilo Year" as Júbilo Iwata's achievements were remarkable, winning the 99 J1 League 1st Stage, the 18th Asian Club Championship, and being crowned the 99 J1 League Annual Champion. After the 1st Stage, the genius lefty, Nanami, transferred to Venezia (Serie A/Italy) and the team lost some momentum, but the rise of young warrior Fukunishi and the clutch performances of Gon Nakayama helped maintain the team's strength. In any case, the significance of winning a title centered around Japanese players without relying on foreign reinforcements is substantial. Since the J-League's opening in 1993, there has always been the presence of excellent (i.e., famous) foreign reinforcements in champion teams, and it is true that their contributions were significant in winning titles. This year, in the seventh year since the J-League's opening, a "pure domestic team" champion has finally emerged. Whether it is called the "J-League effect" or not, the performance of particularly younger players in the national team has been remarkable, with this year's World Youth runner-up being a prime example. For Iwata, the team, blended with veterans like Nakayama, Fujita, Hattori, and Fumiura who have experience in the Japan national team, along with excellent young players like Oku, Suzuki, Fukunishi, and Takahara who will carry Japan in 2002, did not require foreign reinforcements. In any case, the depth of the squad is outstanding. For Tokyo, this mountain (i.e., the Iwata match) is undoubtedly a very large and steep road. However, it is a path that cannot be avoided to move forward. It is no longer a time to be impressed by an "other-dimensional club"; next season, they will be an "enemy" fighting on the same ground. While the difference in strength is evident at this point, there will definitely be opportunities to win. Although Nakayama and Fukunishi may not play in this match, it is not just that; Tokyo has its own "Tokyo soccer." The players are confident, and the more than 100 passionate supporters who traveled all the way to Kagoshima believe in them. This Emperor's Cup 4th Round is the perfect situation to say, "See you next year!" and Tokyo is set to take on this "strongest domestic army" head-on!

Chance for the first goal!

The venue for this day's match was a stadium with a magnificent and scenic view, as rumored, with Sakurajima, the symbol of Kagoshima, in the background of the stands. However, the only miscalculation was the unexpectedly low temperature. It seems that cold air had been approaching for the past 2-3 days, and although the weather was not that bad, it was far from the image of a "tropical" location. The highlight of this match was, of course, the "first meeting" between the J1 champion and the team making their J1 debut next season. But another highlight was the "local showdown" between Maeda (Iwata) and Fujiyama (Tokyo), who are both from the same hometown (Kagoshima Commercial High School, where Fujiyama is the senior and Maeda is the junior). Rather, for the local fans, the latter was surely more exciting.

As the match began, the champions immediately applied intense pressure. It was not only fierce but also a high-level, organized pressure that had never been experienced even in the Nabisco Cup. Whenever the ball was played back, one player would always press the ball, and at the same time, the entire team would shift forward one step, demonstrating thoroughness, with movements that were precise and sharp. For the first five minutes of the match, almost all the possession was with Juntendo, forcing Tokyo into a defensive position. However, Tokyo had anticipated this and gradually began to cut the ball and counterattack. Then, in the fourth minute, a big chance arrived. Kagawa cut off an opponent's careless dribble in midfield and immediately passed to Almir, who had followed up. In a narrow space, they connected with a direct pass: Almir to Amaral to Kagawa, and Kagawa delivered a superb lofted pass to Yukihiko, who ran behind the defense, evading the opponent's marking. One-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper, Yukihiko saw the advancing keeper and attempted a looping shot into the unguarded goal! However, the ball just barely missed to the left of the goal...

Evenly matched first half

Tokyo missed a decisive chance, but it seemed to have caused psychological damage to Iwata, and opportunities to push Iwata, who was shaken, increased. Amaral's play in the front line was somewhat lackluster, but Kagami, who had just returned from his training in Australia three days ago, showed strong play and created chances. Kagami actively involved himself with the ball, entered the post in the front line and kept it firmly, then made Okuhara and Yukihiko run vertically on both sides. In the 18th minute, he trapped the cross from the side with his chest, feigned a shot, floated the ball again, and then shot after evading the opponent, showing a sense of ease in his play and glimpses of his achievements in Australia.

On the other hand, even without their aces (Nakayama, Fukunishi), Iwata, who has a wealth of talent, stirred up the midfield with Fujita and Oku's abundant athleticism, connected the ball accurately with a fast tempo and few touches, and supplied sharp vertical passes to the front line of Takahara and Radchenko when space opened up. Takahara, who showed strong footwork and stable post-play, entered deep into the side and created a starting point, while Radchenko, the other player, created chances with stable post-play near the center. Kominato and Sandro marked these two, but in the first half, Tokyo defended firmly from the front line, limiting the passing lanes and hardly allowing them to do their job. However, the champions couldn't stay silent forever.

Exploited in a moment of vulnerability...

Yokohama judged that Tokyo's central defense was strong, so they sent long balls deep to the sides. The battle-hardened Yokohama, seeing that Tokyo shifted to attack and moved forward, delivered an accurate long ball from the defensive midfielder, Hattori, into the open space behind Tokyo's defense, changing the rhythm of the game. In particular, they were adept at exploiting brief moments of weakness, delivering sharp balls to critical areas during set plays and counterattacks after being pressured, which was truly impressive. They faced danger two or three times from similar situations, but finally, just before the end of the first half, the deadlock was broken. In the 43rd minute, as Tokyo was slightly on the offensive in a back-and-forth battle, Fumitake MIURA stole the ball in Yokohama's territory, quickly spotted the shallow Tokyo defensive line, and sent a long pass to the front line. Radchenko, who had just barely stepped out past the offside line, managed to reach the ball ahead of Komine while competing for it, and with a swift turn, he volleyed it! The powerful shot pierced through the head of goalkeeper Suzuki and struck the Tokyo goal. With this goal, Yokohama regained their confidence and began to show their true strength in the second half.

The Power of Champions

Although they conceded a goal just before the end, Tokyo, who fought evenly in the first half, went for broke in the second half. Fujiyama, the left back who had not participated much in the attack during the first half, began to move up front, breaking free from Kagawa and Almir with a one-two from his signature dribbling. However, Iwata's defense was solid, making it difficult to create decisive chances. FW Amaral was perfectly contained by Suzuki, who was also selected as a candidate for the Japan national team, leaving Kagawa as the sole focal point up front. Although Kagawa tried to hold his ground, he increasingly found himself isolated due to the tough checks from two defenders trying to suppress him. Still, knowing that the next goal would be crucial, Tokyo brought in Okamoto, who had made a big impact in the third round, in the 15th minute of the second half. Okamoto showed fierce fighting spirit on both offense and defense, not intimidated at all by the champions. However, in the 25th minute of the second half, they were caught off guard once again. Iwata gained a throw-in on the left side of Tokyo's territory, and the Tokyo defense momentarily took their eyes off the ball (i.e., turned their backs to the ball!). In that moment, Oku ran free deep down the left side, easily received the thrown ball, and charged towards the goal. Finally, he made a precise pass to Takahara, who had come into the center, allowing him to shoot freely right in front of the goalkeeper! The ball easily shook the net of Tokyo's goal.

It was a daunting task to score two goals against the champions with only 20 minutes left, but FC Tokyo, still wanting to make a mark, brought on Kaburaki and Yamao in quick succession to the front line. They even pushed their defensive linchpin, Sandro, forward, attempting an all-out attack by removing the right side back and the defensive midfielder, but this instead disrupted the balance in midfield, allowing Iwata to easily circulate the ball. Then, in the 36th minute of the second half, they were hit with a decisive blow from local player Maeda, sealing their fate... The first encounter with Iwata ended with a harsh reality that was more severe than expected. What was this three-goal deficit? Of course, there was a difference in individual skills, but the biggest difference was the 'experience gap.' Until they conceded the first goal, Tokyo was playing equally well, if not better, but the team with world experience knew when to seize the moment, and that was the difference. Next season, they will face opponents of this level (or close to it) in every match of the league. There are concerns, but I am not overly worried. FC Tokyo will also add experienced players, transforming into a more mature team in a good way. This match will mark the end of their activities for this year. The unknown season of 2000 will kick off in mid-January with a fresh start. They will restart aiming to be a team that can compete in J1...

[Thank you]

Thank you for your continued support over the past year. The 1999 season of FC Tokyo has come to an end with this final match, and as a result, this page will also be ending. I am deeply grateful for the warm support and encouragement from all of you who have enjoyed this page, which has allowed me to write about all 48 official matches (36 league matches, 8 Nabisco Cup matches, and 4 Emperor's Cup matches) without missing a single one. This page will continue in the upcoming season as well. Thank you for your continued patronage, and I look forward to your continued support. Thank you very much.