Blog Roll

I have been neglectful in letting you in on other sources of J League info.


First off, no Kashiwa blog could be complete without a mention of it's archrival JEF Chiba.

http://f2ff.dreamlog.jp/

F2FF or From the second floor of Fukuari has gone through a facelift but still provides the best English language coverage of the Yellow Dogs of Chiba.

Verdy pops in with not one but two entries

Nerdy at Tokyo Nerdy is already linked at the bottom.......It's an eclectic ride through the dark world of Verdy. Spooky indeed.

Another of the semi-frequent posters at Soilent Green, Ultra Verdy pitches in his views from lovely France. I think.

His site is here

http://ultra-verdy.blogspot.com/

If you hurry, you can see a long clip of Kashiwa's game with Verdy.


Richy has the wonderful Forza FC Gifu site.....which is linked at the bottom.

The scrappy team Avispa Fukuoka is represented by a scrappy blog from Germany, Super Avispa!

Nice read and funny!

http://avispa-fukuoka.blogspot.com/

Vendo in Mito checks in with the Mito Hollyhock blog!!!!!!! The people's team in Ibaraki

http://mitohollyhock.blogspot.com/

Finally, the originator of the J2 blog in English, Shrimp checks in with Shrimp with Yokohama FC
http://yokohamashrimp.blogspot.com/


There's also a guy who writes about Sapporo but he only links to Sapporo stuff so I'm not going to bother providing a link. Other sites have it. I will get around to putting these wonderful blogs in the link section later but if you are interested in J2, I suggest you check em out!

Epic Victory!!!!!!

After a slow start, Kashiwa's Brazilian striker broke a tie to lead Reysol to an epic victory!

7-1 over Ryutsu Keizai University!

(Oh yeah, 2-0 over Verdy as well)

Might as well talk about that a bit as well. Leandro Dominguez opened his account for Kashiwa when former Verdy boy Hayashi set up the winning goal with a pass while posting up. Hayashi, who entered as a sub for the returning Yuji Otsu was hands down the star of the game notching one goal and one assist. It looks like the team is going to handle the loss of Franca by going with a committee.


http://www.youtube.com/user/tdreysol#p/a/u/0/2qoa-4jFBM8


My personal favorite player (obviously not Nelsinho's though) Minoru Suganuma was on the bench but did not play in the game. He did however play one half against Ryutsu Keizai in which he set up the lone goal for Reysol in the first half. When he was removed with Barada, Hayashi, and Watanabe, the team responded and rolled for 6 goals, with two each for Alceu and Efrain Rintaro.

I think this might be a case where the player doesn't fit the system. Under Ishizaki, Suganuma thrived. He was able to put his head down and go for the goal in the 4-5-1 system. In the 4-4-2, he is forced to cover more ground, especially because the D mids play so far back. He's also forced to play on the right side of the field, with Otsu claiming his left spot after Nelsinho came into the fold.

Now that Leandro Dominguez is on the right, Suganuma has been forced to battle with Kudo, Hayashi, Tanaka, and Barada for sub spots.

He's a good talent and he's only 24. It seems like a waste but at the same time it's hard to argue with Nelsinho. He has managed to get results by not using Suganuma more than when the young wing is in the lineup. You can't demonize Nelsinho because the results are proving him right. And as long as others are producing in their short stints, there is no reason to play him.

As I wrote on Go Go Omiya Ardija, my hope was for him to go home to Omiya. I think in that system, he would really find his stride. He would be returning home and playing in a system that depends on players who can get the long ball and hold it against larger players and get a shot off. That is the one thing that Suganuma can do well. It's also addition by subtraction for Kashiwa....it's one less guy in a crowded rotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHT3dpPve0o

She is in Reysol colors.

My Former Blog Life

As a few of you may know, I ran the HIIIIIIGHLY INFLUENTIAL and SERIOUS blog, SOILENT GREEN 1969. This will be the first time that the new team that I don't really care about meets the old team that I don't really care about.

Verdy boasts two players that wore a uniform for Kashiwa in the past. One is the very bald central defender Yukio Tsuchiya, who played one year for Kashiwa and watched them tumble into J2 the first time. The other is young Nigerian DF Adebayo, who will probably not see any playing time. Takanori Sugeno started his young playing days as a member of the Verdy youth set up before playing for Yohohama FC. Shinya Yoshihara also saw a couple of minutes on the pitch for Verdy back in their previous stint in J2. Offseason acquisition Ryohei Hayashi came over from Verdy after scoring 6 goals for the green.

Kohei Shibasaki has usurped former National Team member Yoichi Doi for the starting spot in net. Come to think of it, Doi actually toiled 6 years as net minder for Kashiwa. Verdy made a new dubious milestone as the first team to lose to Giravanz KitaKyuushu, even though they were up a man for 49 minutes. Their leading scorer is Kazuki Hiramoto, a longtime Verdy player who plied his trade as a forward until this year.........he's now a defender.

The last time that Verdy faced off against Kashiwa, the green team won 2-1 on goals by two guys who don't play for them anymore. They do have a couple of dangerous players who are under 50 in Kosei Shibasaki and Hiroki Kawano. They also boast a FW in Taira Inoue who has good pace and no touch.

Meanwhile intrepid coach Nelsinho keeps shifting and sliding the front line. I imagine Masakatsu Sawa, Leandro Dominguez, and Hideaki Kitajima will start. The question is what he does with the 4th attacking spot. Does he go with his weekly scapegoat Minoru Suganuma, who was pulled after 45 minutes, the aforementioned Hayashi, or last week's hero, Masato Kudo, who picked up an awful Fukuoka mistake and juked the keeper for a 1-0 win.

If this game is lost or not won in a convincing fashion, I imagine Nelsinho will shake things up alot.

Anyhow.....Reysol Porn is here

http://www.youtube.com/user/tdreysol#p/a/u/0/tNMwrPPCJ9Q

Earcandy is here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLlOTPBBq9k

I apologize

Tochigi Tussle ends in a.......Deadlock!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jizey5fVCkA

No point in telling you about what you can witness for yourself. The movement and passing were there. The finishing? Not so much.

Watch Franca trip over the ball in front of the net and make a new friend!

Cup Check!

Game 2.....Your Starting Lineup

Sugeno
Murakami
Park
Kondo
Hashimoto
Leandro Dominguez
Otani
Kurisawa
Suganuma
Sawa
Franca

BENCH

Kurihara
Sakai
Kakegawa
Alceu
Harada
Hayashi
Kitajima

1 down.....35 to go!

Kashiwa started YEAR 2-LIFE IN THE SLUMS with a win over Oita Trinita in the cozy confines of Hitachi Stadium. The game marked the return of Alceu, who by El Golazo's accounts was a disappointment.

Someone who wasn't a disappointment was Brazilian goalhawk Franca, who started off the season with a brace. Murakami set up the first one and the ancient hanger put the second one in on his own.

Next up is an away jaunt to lovely Tochigi. Bienvienue!

Highlights for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au8TPv6-RVM&feature=related

JUNTENDO UNIVERSITY GETS A LESSON IN HUMILITY

4-1 with braces by Kitajima and Sengoku. Suganuma played in this one so I'm guessing that he is not one of the gaffers favorites.

Earwig Du Jour!

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

YOOOOOUR STARTING LINEUP

Sugeno
Murakami
Park
Kondo
Otani
Barada
Kurisawa
Alceu
Tanaka
Sawa
Franca

BENCH

Kirihata
Koga
Hashimoto
Nasukawa
Sengoku
Hayashi
Kitajima

No Suganuma

One Day till gametime

http://soccer.yahoo.co.jp/jleague/games/2010030703/pre.html

The second of KASHIWA-LIFE IN THE SLUMS begins on Sunday as they face an old nemisis in Oita Trinita. If you can't read the illustration above, Kashiwa is being projected to put out a 4-4-2 lineup with Franca and Kitajima up top, Hayashi, Alceu, Kurisawa, and Sawa in the middle, Otani, Kondo, Park, and Murakami in the back, and Sugeno between the sticks.

El Golazo has a similar lineup but a different formation, with Barada in and Kitajima on the bench.

Oita was the big loser in the annual "Strip the carcass of all young talent after they fall to J2" derby that happened in the offseason. Oita has had borrow a ton of money from the J League, sell off their young talent (except for Higashi and Kikuchi), and lost the naming rights company to the Kyushu Hippodrome. Not a great time to be them. Also there has been talk of them not getting promoted if they finish top 3, so really you have a small, financially crippled team with nothing to play for but pride.

I know I'm buying season tickets!

PREDICTIONES!

That's Faux Spanish for predictions

Season

1.Kashiwa

2. Ventforet Kofu

3. JEF

4. Yokohama FC

19. Oita

18. Fagiano Okayama

17. Tochigi FC

Earwig of the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGu-ysDraI8&feature=related