Besides the 18 other teams in J1 of course.
Kashiwa now finds itself in the lofty position of being alone at the top of J2. A tense match between the two toughest defenses ended in a 1-0 victory for Kashiwa after Yuji Otsu managed to tap in a rebound off of a Leandro Dominguez shot. While Kashiwa did manage to outshoot a short handed Mito team (Defender Masashi Owada was shown straight red after going studs up into Masakatsu Sawa) 25 to 3, the Ibaraki side showed alot of composure along the back line. Keiji Honma really had an outstanding game in net, unfortunately for Mito, Otsu was in the right (and possibly offside) place at the right time
Final score 1-0
A far less enthralling encounter happened today when the Kashiwa reserves faced off against the Mito B squad. One of the older gentlemen on the squad, Hideaki Kitajima managed to put up a hattrick on the day with one PK and two others in the run of play. Minoru Suganuma managed one goal and earned the PK that put Kashiwa ahead early. Other goals were scored by Yuji Otsu, Yohei Kurakawa, and Junya Tanaka.
7-2 final
Next up is a visit to Consadole and old gaffer Ishizaki.
Is there something in the Chiba Bay water? Is it just me or has Kashiwa produced it's fair share of dirty players over the years.
Let's take a look.......
Kota Sugiyama at Shimizu led the league in yellow cards last year with a whopping 12. Add in the two reds and the former Kashiwaa midfielder spent as much time sitting as he did fouling.
He was closely trailed by former teammate and current Kashiwa starting DF Yuzo Kobayashi who had 11. Not to be outdone, the peroxide topped hardman had a league leading 3 reds last year.
It took awhile but Alceu suited up in a J league game after 2 years of being absent. In 2007, the compact d mid racked up 11 yellows and 2 reds in his debut campaign. In 2008, the Brazilian roughed up then Omiya striker Kota Yoshihara in a training match between the orange part of the Noda derby and Consadole Sapporo. He would be released days later.
Injuries cut short the 2009 campaign of Masahiro Koga, before that he managed to get 9 yellows and 2 reds in his inagural Kashiwa campaign. He followed that up with an 8 and 3.
Current Verdy defender and beautifully bald headed former Kashiwa Reysolista Yukio Tsuchiya only played one season in yellow, but is universally hated in Saitama for not only abandoning Omiya in a rough 2007 offseason but for breaking the leg of Urawa poster boy Tatsuya Tanaka on a nightmarish tackle. Reports say the tackle haunts Tsuchiya to this day.
Other notable players of ill repute include a pair of National Teamers in Keiji Tamada and Kisho Yano. Tamada has made a reputation for himself as a diver rivaled only by Greg Louganis. Kisho Yano has added the occasional cheap shot to his repetoire of dives and fake injuries. The Niigata man gets around 6 to 7 yellows a year......not a good number for a striker.
You have to wonder why it is that Kashiwa seems to attract it's fair share of thugs and miscreants. Part of it might be the hardcore fanbase. While I personally have had no problems with any Kashiwa fan (indeed some of the people I like the most are Kashiwa supporters), there have been tales of them roughing up opposing supporters. While they are known for irreverent and sometimes risque displays of affection for their squad, the flipside is there might bea darker undercurrent of passion that isn't so great.
It could also be traced back to one of thee iconic players in Kashiwa and World soccer history. Bulgarian maestro Hristo Stoichkov played in Kashiwa for a brief time back in 1998 and 1999. The talented and angry maestro put up 12 goals in 27 games for the club. While his talents and exploits on the field have been chronicled, Hristo might be known more for his less than savory antics. Tales from MLS include how he used to ask for money for interviews and his ruthless play on the field, taking cheap shots and daring cowed officials to reprimand him.
The worst of his tales of aggression happened in a training match between DC United and American University when Stoichkov broke the leg of a college player after allegedly becoming angry at an officials decision.
Story Here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022601339_pf.html
Was it enough to infect the DNA of the squad or was the squad aggresive from it's inception. Who knows?
No Earwigs today...two will come next time
