If the season started today......

What does the depth chart look like?

4-4-2

(Starters in bold)
FW -Franca - Sawa- Kitajima- Tanaka- Hayashi- Suganuma-Kudo

MF -Otsu- Kurisawa-Otani-Leandro Domiguez- Sugiyama-Murakami-Suganuma-Yoshiyuki Kobayashi-Higa-Barada-Yamazaki-Sengoku-Watanabe

DF -Yuzo Kobayashi-Park-Kondo-Murakami- Hashimoto-Koga- Kurakawa- Sakai- Adebayo

GK- Sugeno- Kirihata-Kawanami


Allright, so that's 31 members so far. If you believe rumors Sugiyama will be off the list and back to Shimizu. Yoshiyuki Kobayashi is not going back to Omiya, but might not stay in Kashiwa. Alceu, last year's big signing that got hurt badly in training camp and never played a minute is a potential reinforcement. I am more convinced now that Suganuma is on his way out with the signing of Leandro Dominguez. There also is the possibility of surprise. However, the team in it's current consistency is hands down the team to beat in J2.

Don't believe me?

JEF Chiba- Lost Shimomura, Arai, Saito, and Bosnar

Gained-nobody

Oita- Lost Kanazaki, Fukaya, Morishige, Edmilson, and Suzuki. Uemoto, Takahashi, and Nishikawa are rumored to leave.

Gained-nobody

Tokyo Verdy- Lost Hayashi, and half of their squad was cut. Oguro, Fujita, and Nagareyama are rumored to be leaving.

Gained-nobody

Ventforet Kofu- 13 players out including MF Hayashi and Sugiyama.

Gained-nobody, but lost nobody huge either. The main rival for J2 crown.

Sagan Tosu- Lost Shimada, Takeuchi, and might lose Haavenar. Also lost Kishino to Yokohama FC.

Gained- Hiroki Bandai

Consadole Sapporo- Daigo Nishi is out on loan and Danilson is being pursued by Nagoya

Gained-Not much


There are places that Kashiwa needs upgrades at.......central midfield is the first that comes to mind as well as backup keeper. A familiar face and old rival, Tomi Shimomura would be a good guy to pursue. Takahiro Takagi is probably the best option of a poor group of GKs. Takagi showed that he is more than capable of playing J2 in stints for Thespa and Consadole.

5 in for Kashiwa

Ryohei Hayashi formerly of Tokyo Verdy is officially a Reysolista.

What you didn't know is that 4 others were signed only two days ago.

Let's start with those close to home. GK Goro Kawanami, a 192 cm 82 kg mass of growing boy signed from Kashiwa youth after putting in a solid performance in the 2nd round of the J Youth Sunstar Tonic Cup. His teammate Akimi Harada will also be suiting up for the big boys on a full time basis after 2 cameos in this year's Nabisco Cup.

FW Junya Tanaka steps in full time after being a college player/pro last year. He becomes a full pro after appearing in 9 games for Kashiwa near the end of last season.

Finally, the big news is the signing of Brazilian MF/FW Leandro Dominguez from EC Vitoria. Leandro Dominguez is 26, 173cm and 70kg. He notched 16 goals in 52 games over the past three seasons and is potentially the playmaker that Popo failed to be.

Not a very painful offseason so far.

A New Yellow Friend?

Sponichi Annex is reporting that a deal has been made between Kashiwa and Verdy rookie Ryohei Hayashi for next year's campaign. Hayashi is a strapping 186cm and growing. While in college, he notched 5 goals in 3 Emperors Cup games and had 6 in spotty duty for the Vultures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGsljgKmRMU&feature=related

Into the future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCaOBeOa1OI

Kashiwa moves on with their lives after being dropped from the heights of J1 by bringing in a new member to Nelsinho's staff. Introducing Takanori Nunobe, a midfielder who left the stage last year after appearing in over 300 games for Verdy Kawasaki, Jubilo Iwata, Vissel Kobe, Cerezo Osaka, and Avsipa Fukuoka. Nunobe actually made his debut under the tutelage of Nelsinho. Nunobe retired in 2008 and filled the role of Ambassador Coach for Fukuoka this year.

NODA LINE REDUX

Just like in pro wrestling, the mini versions of Omiya and Kashiwa took part in a rematch of sorts in Hitachi Stadium for the second round of the J Youth Sunstar Tonic Cup. Kashiwa was victorious with a 2-1 win. Goals were scored by MF Akimi Harada and 2nd year FW Shun Yamazaki. Kashiwa now goes on to the third round to take on the winner of the Jubilo Youth vs Baby Sangas game in Osaka.

6 get cut as Kashiwa drops the finale

We'll talk about these guys in a moment, but first the game. Kashiwa lost 3-2 in a slugfest. Franca continued his hot streak by adding a brace after Kashiwa went down 3-0 in the first half but like the season in general it was not meant to be. I didn't see the game.......I usually don't so talking about it won't do any good. I did see that Kobayashi and Sugawara both picked up reds giving the pair 23 yellows and 5 reds between the two.

Anyhow let's get to the dirt. Kashiwa cut 6 players on Thursday in the first what possibly will be a steady stream of departures.

Included in the cuts were

21. Yuta Minami- The 12 year veteran was one of only 2 players with a link to the 1999 squad that won the Nabisco Cup. Minami started in 1998 and promptly took over the starting spot after appearing against Verdy Kawasaki. He retained the job up to 2007 when Takanori Sugeno was brought in to freshen up the position. Minami is only 30 so he has the chance to continue as a keeper in the top flight for one of the 3 new promotion candidates or for an an ambitious J2 squad looking to advance. I don't think he's done yet.

11.POPO- Popo came into the squad with much fanfare after leading the K league in goals and being named a best 11 member in 2006. While showing flashes of brilliance, Popo never really panned out as a point scorer and fell out of favor with Nelsinho as the season wore on. 2 years, 8 goals, thousands of shots.

2. Jiro Kamata- 24 years old and last years starter at center back. He started the year injured and never quite got back on track, making appearances in only 11 games. Bit of a shock.

24. Jun Yanagisawa- The 22 year old product of the youth system appeared in 2 games during his 4 year tenure.

18. Iwao Yamane- Mostly a career J2 player, Yamane found a niche with Reysol and made spot starts. This year he was starting in the midfield during their disatrous stretch early in the season to doom them to J2. Yamane is 33 so his options are slightly limited.

16. Anselmo Hamon- The 21 year old striker appeared in 5 games after being brought in for the injured Alceu. Disappointment to say the least.

IN OTHER NEWS

The cute nurse at my elementary school guarantees me that Franca will be brought back next year. Take that to the bank!

Welcome to Tochigi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5y6BbOjYqg

Battling for 90 minutes, Kashiwa finally succumbed to the pull of J2 and now have to prepare for a marathon schedule. There are some positives to be had

1. Nelsinho is in place for next year- The coach put up a respectable 4-6-4 record in the half season he was in place, strengthening the defense and instilling a discipline that was sorely lacking in the first half of the season. Given an offseason to pick his type of players and instill his system, the Brazilian head man has the possibility to pull a Sanfrecce next year and run the table.

2. Park Dong Hyuk is inked for another year- The giant Korean centerback will be back anchoring the defense. Arguably he will be the best defender in J2 next year.

3. The youth system- Kashiwa has arguably one of the best youth systems in the country, producing a large chunk of the current roster. They also have a group who will be taking part in the Sunstar Tonic Cup championship in December. J2 gives you the luxury of playing guys without worrying about relegation.

4. Chiba Derby still intact for 2010- If you are going to go down a notch, it's better not to go while your main rivals are living and thriving in J1. FC Tokyo won a cup while Tokyo Verdy was wallowing in J2 purgatory. Gamba Osaka has managed to pick up an ACL trophy , an Emperors Cup, and a League Cup while Cerezo spent three years spinning their wheels. Even Kashiwa experienced the humiliation of being in J2 while JEF Chiba was hoisting a trophy. It also helps ticket sales to have a rival while your in the lower depths.

5. Location, Location, Location- Chiba, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kusatsu, Mito, and Tochigi are all reasonable distances to go. Unfortunately Sapporo, Ehime, Oita, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Tosu are also stops so, never mind.

Barring a huge exodus of players, Kashiwa should be a favorite for a top 3 spot next year.

Looking at possible defections

Franca- Too high a salary for a J2 team. His 4 game tear in the most crucial part of the season probably got the attention of one or teams at the least.

Takenori Sugeno- The keeper is going through his second relegation in three years. He'll be 26 in June and just approaching his prime years. If he has any intention of being a candidate for the NT, he must get himself on a contender.

Yuki Otsu- The 19 year old attacking midfielder has been one of the few bright spots this year, ratcheting up 6 goals in his debutant campaign. Teams are already rumored to be clamoring for his services.

Minoru Suganuma- Last year's MVP has turned into this year's disappointment, falling behind DF Yusuke Murakami, FW Masato Kudo, FW Masakatsu Sawa, and MF Yoshiyuki Kobayashi as options on the wing.

Popo- The former K League star has been erratic over the past two years. His stats of 4 goals and 7 assists are respectable but not great for a player who came in with such fanfare.

Kota Sugiyama- the central mid did a respectable job but is currently the property of Shimizu S Pulse. He might be back though considering Kashiwa is now in J2.

On the outs?

Weekly Soccer Digest put out the first of many issues on offseason move rumors pulled straight from their butt.

Enjoy!

Yuki Otsu MF Unknown J1 club
Kota Sugiyama MF back to Shimizu
Yoshiyuki Kobayashi MF back to Omiya or back to Verdy (I'll go with neither on this one)
Franca FW Urawa,Omiya,Cerezo, or Vegalta (not on that salary)

Not mentioned was Minoru Suganuma, who has lost his spot in the starting 11 or Takenori Sugeno or Popo or Anselmo Hamon.

Who is this man?

Seriously, who is this man? For the last two years, he has been the highest paid player in the J League even though he plays less than half of a season. His highest goal scoring total in the J League was 8 in 2007 and his highest assist total is 7. A veteran of the famed Sao Paolo squad and a three year contributor for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, he has a pedigree rivaled only by Urawa's Ponte.

Who is Franca? Possibly the most important man to wear a yellow shirt in the next three weeks. What he does will determine whether or not the squad stays in J1.

After a long layoff, Franca returned to notch 2 goals in a blowout win over potential J League frontrunners Shimizu S Pulse, cutting the crucial goal differential to a manageable 9.

Can he score some more. Yes, if he can stay healthy enough to play. That is the major question.

El Maestro

Once upon a time in Chiba, there was a man named Ishizaki who led a group of ragtag group of young players and gritty veterans out of a purgatory known as J2. Two years later he had brought the team to the very cusp of Japan's most storied and heralded soccer title but he was dismissed.

In his place was a willing but unequipped man named Takahashi who did his best but failed miserably. After half a season, he too was shown the door. In entered an old warrior, a man who had lead two other J League teams into battle (as well as 27 some other squads), this man was sometimes successful but never around long. His time in Japan has been marked with mediocre results and tumultuous exits, but never has he faced such a dire situation as this.

Nelsinho Baptista cut his soccer teeth for Ponte Preta long ago as a young right back, he would later make his name at Sao Paolo. He would see some time with the storied Brazilian National team before embarking on a long and colorful coaching career.

The last team he would coach before assuming his role at Kashiwa saw him burn bridges with his most decorated players before leaving. Sport Recife. During his term he would help them win 2008s version of the prestigious Copa De Brazil.


Now Nelsinho embarks on his most dauntin task. Save Kashiwa from dropping and he becomes a legend. Let them drop and he has to rebuild, possibly losing half his team in the process.

His record so far is a lackluster 3-5-4 but he has 3 games to turn it around.

Nelsinho Baptista, the man steering the ship.

People of the Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hQgCJGNspI

Founded in Kodaira, Tokyo in 1940 as the Hitachi football Club, Kashiwa Reysol has been a colorful if not so successful club. The modern era edition was formed in 1992 and took part in the JFL. One Nabisco Cup and one relegation later, Kashiwa finds itself precipitously close to relegation. The next three weeks will have a lasting impact on not only next years fortunes but the future of Kashiwa and it's young core.

This blog will be a document to what happens with a team on the precipice of doom. It's not a starry eyed fansite to say the least.

This is for the People of the Sun.