Are Shimizu S-Pulse the best team in the J. League? Is Marcos Paulo Alves the best player in Japan?  

The answer to both questions is, of course, "no." But it's hard not to arrive at that theory after S-Pulse saw off Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 in front of 17,256 fans at Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira - particularly after Kawasaki dished out a humiliating 5-0 thrashing of Central Coast Mariners in the Asian Champions League in midweek. 

Maybe it was their midweek trip to Australia that took the wind out of Kawasaki sails, but they struggled against an S-Pulse side that defended conscientiously in this game, even if the Shizuoka outfit didn't always look the better of the two teams.

Marcos Paulo came off the bench for a seven-minute cameo in this game, and once again the former Brazil international was a calming influence on his team. Along with Jungo Fujimoto - himself a half-time substitute - both men came off the bench to prove a decisive influence on this game, if only to break up the increasingly desperate Frontale attacks that continued to surge towards Yohei Nishibe's goal.

Fortunately for Nishibe, his team had gone one goal up thanks to a fantastic header from Shinji Okazaki after just sixteen minutes. Anyone who claims that Japanese players struggle to score goals has clearly never seen a J. League game, after Japan international Okazaki powered a stupendous header past international team-mate Eiji Kawashima to hand the home team the lead. 

Up until that point the hosts had struggled to contain Frontale's free-floating virtuoso Vitor Junior, but despite several nice touches on the ball, the former Santos man failed to feed a killer ball to an isolated Chong Tese up front for the visitors.

Shimizu S-Pulse could even have gone two ahead but for a terrible miss from Jumpei Takaki, with the full-back failing to repeat his finish in the League Cup a fortnight ago when he smashed an effort straight at Eiji Kawashima - who did well to stand tall and parry Takaki's thunderous point-blank strike.

Takaki will be relieved that his counterpart Yusuke Mori produced a similar save from Yohei Nishibe in the second half, but other than that Frontale struggled to break down a well-marshalled S-Pulse defence.

About the only disappointing aspect for S-Pulse coach Kenta Hasegawa was the fact that giant Norwegian striker Frode Johnsen failed to open his account for his new team.

Nevertheless this was a morale-boosting win for the Shizuoka side, and they will go into their upcoming Shizuoka derby with local rivals Jubilo Iwata next week bristling with a new-found confidence.

After last weekend's disappointing 3-1 defeat to Nagoya Grampus, it was nice to see Shimizu S-Pulse turn things around with a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga in the Shizuoka side's League Cup opener.

Unlike Kyoto - who were hammered 3-1 in the snow by Montedio Yamagata in midweek - last season's League Cup finalists Shimizu S-Pulse were afforded a bye in the opening round of fixtures, meaning that Kenta Hasegawa's side were always likely to be fresher than a Kyoto side playing its second away game in the space of four days. 

To rub salt into Kyoto wounds, Japan international Shinji Okazaki returned from his five-minute cameo against Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier the previous evening, to further bolster former striker Hasegawa's attacking options - albeit from the bench.

As it was, the hosts opened the scoring through the unlikeliest of sources, as stand-in full-back Jumpei Takaki found himself one-on-one with Kyoto keeper Yuichi Mizutani, before keeping his cool and producing the most composed of finishes... to the astonishment of the the 11,281 fans who turned out at Nihondaira, and no doubt Takaki himself. 

The hosts always looked likely to double their advantage against an off-colour "Purple" Sanga, but try as the S-Pulse midfield could to set up Frode Johnsen for his first goal in an orange jersey, the big Norwegian simply could not find a way to open his account for his new club.

Johnsen directed one free header straight at Mizutani midway through the second half, and it was left to the reliable Takuma Edamura to sweep home Shimizu's second and send the home fans off with a spring in their step. 

I watched the game with Gora - blogmeister of Kyoto Sanga fansite Oretachi no Kyoto - and he assures me that Kyoto fans won't be heartbroken by their second consecutive League Cup defeat, since avoiding relegation is very much the modus operandi for the Kansai club.

But with S-Pulse fans still sporting a bitter taste from last season's League Cup final defeat at the hands of Oita Trinita, they'll be hoping to go one better this time around and pick up a long-awaited piece of silverware, as Kenta Hasegawa looks to sate the trophy thirst of the Shimizu faithful.

I once had my photo taken with Takeda Shingen. It wasn't the real Takeda Shingen - he died in 1573, according to Wikipedia - but rather a friendly local dressed as the legendary "daimyo" for Kōfu's annual Takeda Shingen festival. I was especially impressed with the moustache our modern Takeda Shingen had drawn on in thick black texta for historical accuracy.

Yamanashi-ken may be isolated, but it's a friendly place full of students and young families - not to mention several Takeda Shingen impersonators - so I was looking forward to making the train trip out passed Fuji-san and on to capital Kōfu. Unfortunately the apocalyptic rain  lashing Shimizu Station as I awaited the Limited Express (one assumes the "limited" refers to how infrequently the train runs) suggested a wet afternoon was in store. 

Lo and behold, the clouds parted just long enough in Kōfu to enjoy an action-packed afternoon in the congenial company of Ken Matsushima, editor of The Rising Sun News and all-round encyclopaedia on the Japanese game, as we sat down to enjoy Ventforet Kōfu's clash with Consadole Sapporo in J2.

A crowd of 11,252 packed into Kose Sports Park for Ventforet's home opener with the Hokkaido outfit - slightly less than the 13,734 fans the home side averaged in J2 last season - but no doubt the menacing clouds that hung low over the mountains kept some fans at home and in front of their TV screens.

The swirling wind blowing down off the Southern Alps made life difficult for both keepers, and no doubt it contributed to Ventforet's opener. Yohei Onishi surprised everyone - including himself - when his attempted cross from a free-kick flew straight into the top corner of Yuya Sato's goal.

If there was any doubt about Onishi's finishing ability, he dispelled it soon after with a well-taken strike, as the lively front man steadied himself following a swift counter-attack, before thumping a skidding drive across Sato and into the far corner of the goal. 

The goals were slightly harsh on a Sapporo side that looked well up for this hard-fought encounter, and following a sustained period of pressure after the restart, they pulled one goal back when defender Hiroyuki Nishijima flicked a header home on the hour mark.

Nevertheless it was the hosts who finished the stronger, and they should have added to their lead late on, only for some wayward finishing from Korean striker Kim Shin-Young and Brazilian front man Maranhao to let them down.

They may hail from one of the most isolated regions in the country, but Kōfu fans can be forgiven for dreaming of a return to the top flight, where they stunned many under the guidance of popular coach Takeshi Oki by managing to stay up in 2006.

The "swarm defence" is long gone and so too is Oki - incredibly he was dismissed when Ventforet suffered relegation in 2007 - but with fans as passionate as the Kōfu faithful, I have no doubt the mountain men will be in the mix when it comes to promotion this season.

180 minutes, no goals.

It's been a spluttering start to the new season for Shimizu S-Pulse, and the long-ball football on display as the Shizuoka side ground to a second successive scoreless draw at home to Yokohama F. Marinos didn't exactly impress the home fans.

A crowd of 19,172 turned out at the newly renamed "Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira," but many of them left disgruntled following a display in which S-Pulse spent much of the game on the back foot.

Stand-in keeper Yohei Nishibe pulled off a string of first half saves, the most impressive of which saw him claw a thunderous drive from Marinos playmaker Koji Yamase out of the top corner. 

It wasn't until the second half introduction of Brazilian midfielder Marcos Paulo that S-Pulse started to push forward, but the team's penchant for knocking long balls toward lanky new striker Frode Johnsen failed to pay off, as the Norwegian spent a frustrating afternoon failing to connect with strike partner Shinji Okazaki.

Okazaki and captain Akihiro Hyodo looked the most dangerous players on display for the hosts, but it was talisman Jungo Fujimoto - who made his long-awaited return as a substitute having recovered from a broken leg - who almost snatched a late winner. He saw his dinked effort cleared off the line with less than three minutes remaining.

Marinos, for their part, were far more resolute than the team that conceded four goals in going down 4-2 to newly promoted Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home last weekend. 

Nevertheless the Tricolore looked bereft of a goal-scorer, with youngster Kazuma Watanabe toiling tirelessly without ever really looking likely to hit the back of the net.

All in all a disappointing start for both teams, and with the popular Frode Johnsen no doubt desperate to open his account for the new campaign, he will hope to do so when he takes on the club he left in January as S-Pulse travel to Mizuho Stadium to take on Nagoya Grampus next Sunday afternoon. 

Liverpool hammer Real Madrid. Barcelona thrash Lyon. Sporting Lisbon capitulate at Bayern Munich, while Chelsea sneak through against Juventus. Arsenal's win on penalties over Roma makes for grim viewing in Italy, as the English Premier League begins to assert its dominance over the struggling Italian game.

None of these things would probably matter in Asia, if it weren't for the fact that the Asian Football Confederation is trying to emulate the success of the UEFA Champions League with a revamped AFC Champions League of its own.

Yet in an opening round in which a crowd of 500 turned out to watch Qatar's Al Gharafa lose 3-1 to Saudi side Al Shabab - and this in a Qatar that one day hopes to host a World Cup - about the closest Asian fans came to the glamour of the European version was when the TV cameras zoomed in on former Tokyo Verdy striker Hulk as he went around for Portugese outfit Porto in their UEFA Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid.

Therein lies the problem. With so many fans in Asia absorbed in the drama that is the UEFA Champions League, it's little wonder that attendances such as the 3,156 that turned out at the 44,466-capacity Big Crown Stadium to witness South Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i lose 3-1 to Toyota-backed Nagoya Grampus, are the norm.

And that's only to scratch at the surface of the problem. Despite a vast increase in prize-money, it still piffles into insignificance compared to the riches on offer in Japan. So it is any wonder to see reigning J. League champions Kashima Antlers sleep-walk through a 4-1 hammering at the hands of recently-crowned K-League champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings? 

A decent crowd of 14,126 turned out for the Suwon - Kashima clash - not a bad effort on a cold, midweek evening, especially since many Asian fans turn in long hours at the office. But a crowd of 23,168 fans turned out just four days earlier to watch Suwon lose to Pohang Steelers on the opening day of the K. League season. And that brings up another vexing issue.

It's a delicate one - and one that probably requires an element of the dreaded political correctness in terms of discussion - but many Asian cultures retain centuries-old superiority complexes when it comes to dealing with their neighbours. Far from viewing their teams as "underdogs" and wanting to see them do battle with regional heavyweight rivals, some Asian fans would rather pretend that their regional rivals simply didn't exist.

Gamba Osaka's 3-0 win over Chinese side Shandong Luneng might have prompted a solemn cry of "we suspected as much!" from some of the 10,312 fans on hand at Banpaku in midweek - and that in itself was a larger crowd than defending champions Gamba usually draw in Asia - but there will be many more fans in attendance when the Osakans host Jubilo Iwata in the J. League on Saturday afternoon. Best to slay a familiar foe than potentially lose face against a regional rival, it seems - and if necessary, test yourself against the best of the world at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Nevertheless, the AFC look set to persist with their "if you build it, they will come" approach. I, for one, am happy to see them do so. Speaking as an Australian, there is much for A-League sides to learn from our Asian counterparts, and the Champions League has the potential to chip away at some of the barriers that still stand tall in Asian culture - even if it is only for ninety minutes.

But clearly, popularising the AFC Champions League is going to take some time. And given the toll it takes on clubs - Kawasaki Frontale, for example, play games on March 7, 11, 14, 18 and 22 in both the J. League and Champions League in what is the opening month of their season - it's not difficult to understand why some sides might prefer to concentrate on domestic duties.

Urawa Reds must be laughing at all of this. Reaching the Champions League might be their goal, but it's the fact that they are not playing in it this season that will probably help them reach it.

It may have been a scoreless draw, but there was plenty of action up at Omiya Park as Omiya Ardija shared the points with visiting Shimizu S-Pulse on a cold afternoon in Saitama.

This clash may have kicked off with Damon Albarn's chirpy vocals ringing through your freezing correspondent's head, but there was no sign of Shimizu midfielder Jungo Fujimoto in the starting eleven - coach Kenta Hasegawa wisely opted to keep him on the bench at the venue in which he suffered a sickening leg break last season. 

Youngster Masaki Yamamoto started in his stead, and he went close with a low free-kick that flashed wide just before the half hour mark. S-Pulse keeper Kaito Yamamoto was also nowhere to be seen, and his stand-in Yohei Nishibe was leading a charmed life, as Yoshihito Fujita smashed in a ferocious strike, only to see it cannon off the underside of the bar and into Nishibe's grateful arms.

Nishibe then pulled off a point-blank save from Masahiko Ichikawa, before midfielder Ryohei Arai's follow-up skimmed the outside of the post. In stoppage time Koji Ezumi saved well at the feet of Shinji Okazaki, so there were plenty of talking points for the crowd of 14,039 on hand to discuss over their half-time coffees.

In the second half veteran Teruyoshi Ito ventured into the rarified air of the penalty box, but the former Japan international predictably headed wide.

The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was through a Takumi Edamura piledriver from twenty-five yards, but Koji Ezumi was equal to the task as the Ardija shot-stopper made a spectacular one-handed save.

For some inexplicable reason new Omiya coach Chang Woe-Ryong left it until stoppage time to bring on giant Slovenian striker Klemen Lavric, and along with Shimizu's late substitute Kazuki Hara, I'm not sure that either player actually touched the ball.

All in all a point was a fairly satisfactory outcome for both teams, and the massed ranks of Shimizu fans were fairly satisfied to get off the mark in the new campaign.

A word should go out to Omiya's fans, who made non-stop noise for their hard-working team in the splendid surrounds of their compact stadium. I'd recommend any J. League fan to make the trip out to Omiya, and before doing so they should check out Go! Go! Omiya Ardija while they're at it. 

It's one of my favourite Japanese fan sites, and although we always seem to draw 0-0 with the Squirrels, I can't help but harbour a soft spot for the team from the orange half of Saitama.

Sun, surf and sandy beaches. Sounds like a dream lifestyle, and former Kyoto Sanga striker has opted for it - sort of.

Tahara was reputedly a target for A-League club Adelaide United, but the temperamental striker - whose athletic physique can sometimes be categorised under the heading "portly" - has turned his back on a potential move to the City of Churches, to sign with J2 club Shonan Bellmare.

The seasiders finished fifth in a 15-team J2 last year, but having added three more clubs to the mix this season, Shonan - for whom Hidetoshi Nakata once turned out - could once again find promotion a tough ask.

Tahara's decision may have had something to do with the fact that Shonan will feature in a gruelling 51-game season in J2 this season, compared to Australia's revamped 28-game A-League. 

More likely, though, it has much to do with a Japanese reticence to move overseas.

Certainly Japanese players are moving abroad in an ever-increasing number. But they're doing so to major European clubs like VfL Wolfsburg, or they're moving at a young age, as Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto did.

The mere prospect of a "nice lifestyle" is unlikely to entice too many Japanese players with little knowledge of English and even less awareness of a culture other than their own.

That's not to disparage Tahara - far from it. Rather it's an illustration that the hopes of Australian fans that Japanese players will use the A-League as a potential "launch pad to Europe" are at best naive and at worst, plain stupid.

Yutaka Tahara was just about the most "un-Japanese" player I've seen ply his trade in the J. League. From his grizzled beard to his bustling style, if ever a player was going to move to Australia, I thought Tahara might be it.

Not going to happen, folks.

If Yutaka Tahara is not up for the A-League... then don't expect too many other Japanese players to be booking flights Down Under any time soon.

It's a topic lifted straight from JapaneseSoccer.net but Yokohama F. Marinos defender is reputedly set to wear the name "Bomber" on his 2009 jersey.

What next? Team mascots to start in goal? A points deduction every time Marcus Tulio Tanaka complains? Competent J. League referees?

Isn't the whole point of putting names on a player's jersey so that you can identify the player in question?

The J. League may as well start publishing something akin to a phone book along with their annual Season Guide if fans are expected to identify players by their pointless nicknames.

If we're now naming players according to their looks, how soon until we see FC Tokyo midfielder Naotake Hanyu run out with the name "E.T." printed on his shirt? It'd save the replica shirt manufacturers some costs on lettering. 

How about we start calling Gamba Osaka striker Lucas Severino, "Lionel" - since he bears an uncanny resemblence to African-American soul singer Lionel Richie?

Why stop at player appearances? Let's call a spade a spade here, and get "Diver" printed on the back of Kisho Yano's jersey.

And I'd like to see an ice-cream printed on the back of Shimizu's number 10 jersey to represent Shimizu S-Pulse's midfield maestro Jungo Fujimoto, since he appears to be a reincarnation of Streets ice-cream mascot, "the Paddle Pop lion."

When will this madness end?

I'm all for innovative ways to draw fans through the gate, but not all of us J. League fans are the ditzy, sock-puppet waving young females that the marketing men seem to assume.

So Yuji Nakazawa will henceforth be known as "Bomber" on the pitch?

I hope they design a jersey with the name "Idiot" printed on the back for whomever came up with that bright idea.

The result was a pleasant one for Shimizu S-Pulse fans, but Kenta Hasegawa's men didn't exactly impress in their pre-season friendly with local rivals Jubilo Iwata.

The team from the orange half of Shizuoka came from behind after Jubilo striker Gilsinho opened the scoring with a clinical finish, only for an equaliser a minute from time from substitute Kazuki Hara to snatch the "SDT Cup" from Jubilo's grasp.

If Jubilo fans were annoyed by the last-minute goal, things got even worse three minutes into stoppage time when the impressive Shinji Okazaki blasted home to increase the gloom for the visiting supporters.

In front of an impressive crowd of 11,284 the hosts bossed the game for the opening twenty-five minutes but then appeared to fall asleep for the rest of the match.

New signing Frode Johnsen had some decent touches but it will clearly take time for the lanky Norwegian to strike up a combination with strike partner Okazaki - while fellow new arrival Yuichiro Nagai was missing due to concerns over his fitness. 

Off the pitch, the new naming rights deal struck with "Outsourcing" kicks in at Shimizu's J. League home opener against Yokohama F. Marinos on March 14, so it was into the more familiar "Nihondaira Stadium" that fans filed - with most arriving early to see Shimizu's reserves beat Jubilo's reserves 2-1 thanks to goals from Genki Omae and Shun Nagasawa, after Jubilo striker Hiroki Bandai had opened the scoring for the visitors.

Jubilo's reserve team shirts were probably the most useless pieces of apparal I've ever seen - it took me twenty-five minutes to recognise that their shirts were numbered, so well done to whomever thought that plain white against a pale blue background would work - while it was nice to see the Jubilo team bus inglamorously parked out the front of the stadium, with S-Pulse not bothering to open the parking bay for their local rivals. 

All in all it was a decent day out for S-Pulse fans, who were no doubt compelled to turn out in such numbers by the fact that Shizuoka Dai-ichi TV ironically didn't bother to broadcast the own friendly they helped sponsor.

But with the J. League season just around the corner, there is plenty for S-Pulse coach Hasegawa to consider given what was a rusty-looking display from his team.

It may only be a pre-season friendly, but there will be plenty of interested onlookers when Shimizu S-Pulse host local rivals Jubilo Iwata for the "SDT Cup" at Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira tomorrow.

Both teams have been busy with pre-season kickabouts of varying intensity. Shimizu's most recent engagement saw them split two games with Korean giants Seongnam Ilhwa - losing the first 2-0, before winning the second 2-1. 

Jubilo beat J2 side Sagan Tosu 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with the same opponents in their most recent matches, but a Shizuoka derby is always going to up the ante - even if it occurs some three weeks before the J. League season kicks off.

S-Pulse fans will no doubt run the rule over new signings Yuichiro Nagai and Frode Johnsen, and there's growing belief in this part of the world that the 2009 vintage could be one of S-Pulse's best teams in years.

A lack of depth in defence leaves an obvious question mark, but compared to Jubilo's threadbare looking squad, the team from the orange half of Shizuoka-ken look in good shape.

By contrast Jubilo haven't managed to attract any decent signings of note - save, perhaps, for the versatile Daisuke Nasu - who swaps the mediocrity of Tokyo Verdy for the potential mediocrity of Jubilo for the current campaign.

The team from Yamaha-town will be leaning heavily on Brazilians Rodrigo and Gilsinho this season, but how new coach Masaaki Yanagishita could do with a return to form of some of Jubilo's other heavyweights such as Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, ex-Sanfrecce Hiroshima man Yuichi Komano and Bobby Cullen.

Only Ryoichi Maeda provided sporadic glimpses of his best last season, but the occasional Japan international will need more support from his team-mates in what could be a make-or-break season for both Maeda and club.

It may be one of a spate of derbies to take place around the globe this weekend, but it could be a confidence-boosting one for either Shimizu S-Pulse or Jubilo Iwata. Plenty to play for then - pre-season friendly notwithstanding.