The 2007 J-League All-Star game might have thrown up a few challenges for those English commentators still fond of throwing about hackneyed clichés when describing football from parts of the world other than England.

In Thailand, I watched on TV as Manchester United battled to a 2-2 draw against a Urawa side missing its Asian Cup contingent, and like anyone familiar with Japanese football, I couldn't help but laugh as guest commentator Jeremy Walker tried desperately to smooth over some of the gaffes from his co-commentator, whose identity unfortunately escaped me.

While Walker retains close links to Urawa - he penned the homepage to Urawa's English language website, it was clear that his co-commentator was more than taken aback by Japanese football, or so it seemed, as every well-placed pass or piece of decent ball control was met with a gasp of astonishment and an admission that he was "surprised by the high level of Urawa's play. Our commentator in question would have been calling for an oxygen mask if he witnessed the All-Star game, where four of the five goals were scored through headers.

The fact that only Kazuki Ganaha managed to score with his feet during the All-Star game cast my mind back to Japan's disappointing Asian Cup campaign. For all their obvious talent, Japanese players at the Asian Cup seemed unwilling to shoot. 

Long gone are the days when Japanese players were simply brushed aside by brusque defenders. Naohiro Takahara had no trouble finding the net for Eintract Frankfurt in the Bundesliga last season, while Shunsuke Nakamura shrugged off claims that he was too fragile for the Scottish Premier League to claim the Player Of The Year crown. In the J-League too, youngsters like Robert Cullen and Mike Havenaar employ a mixture of technique and physique, while the likes of Hiroshima striker Hisato Sato and veteran Kobe man Yoshito Okubo possess both the pace and the wiles to slice through opposition defences.  

All of this begs the question: why aren't the Blue Samurai raining goals in on their opposition? The first hint of an answer probably comes with the striking personnel favoured at the Asian Cup. While Takahara is undoubtedly Japan's number one striker, he turned in some lukewarm performances in South-East Asia, and when the powerful Frankfurt striker is not firing, Japan usually struggle. Lanky JEF United striker Seiichiro Maki started on occasion, but generally Gamba Osaka midfielder Yasuhito Endo started in the hole behind Takahara, when surely Hiroshima's Sato or Albirex Niigata man Kisho Yano would have been better options.

Endo, at least, is a capable sharp-shooter from long range, demonstrated by his free-kick against Vietnam. So too is Kengo Nakamura, but he seemed to defer to his more famous namesake Shunsuke every time he received the ball. Perhaps the two Nakamura's were put off by the sight of Gamba Osaka defender Akira Kaji firing the ball into the crowd with monotonous regularity with attempted crosses, while JEF United midfielder Naotake Hanyu combined an astonishing miss in the opening match against Qatar by thumping the crossbar with an unstoppable drive in the third/fourth playoff defeat to Korea Republic.

Perhaps Hanyu was put off by his inexplicable miss in the opening game, but perhaps there is also some truth to the notion that Japanese players are concerned by the loss of face brought about by a missed shot at goal. Perhaps it's a cultural thing? While I'm loathe to add to some of the ill-conceived misconceptions bandied about in regard to Asian football, there certainly seemed to be a difference in attitude between Australia - whose legion of foreign stars at times employed a shoot-on-sight policy, and Japan, whose intricate build-up play was rarely rewarded. Japan, it appeared, were a team in search of the perfect goal.

The All-Star game seemed to reinforce that notion. Plenty of intricate build-up play in midfield, plenty of intelligent runs down the flanks, plenty of crosses - four headed goals. Nevermind that Jubilo Iwata veteran Masashi Nakayama opened the scoring by heading into his own net, he made up for that goal by scoring with a header at the other end later in the match. Indeed the other goalscorers arguably underlined Japan's goal-scoring problems at the Asian Cup - Hisato Sato, Kazuki Ganaha and Yoshito Okubo were all mentioned as potential Asian Cup players, yet only the free-scoring Sato made the squad, and he was used sparingly as a substitute.    

The current top scorers in the J-League make for telling reading. The top three goal-scorers are all Brazilian, Sato and Okubo are locked on nine goals with yet more Brazilians in Bare and Juninho, Norwegian Frode Johnsen continues to find the net for Nagoya, while Shimizu S-Pulse place most of their faith in Korean striker Cho Jae-Jin.

I once watched FC Tokyo spend at least half an hour on long-range shooting practice, before Norio Suzuki and Yuta Baba scored with two stupendous long-range strikes at Nihondaira Stadium. For all their intelligent movement and intricate build-up play in midfield, perhaps some good old fashioned shooting practice is also in order for Japan, if they are to ultimately make a greater mark on the international scene.

Japan's recent 3-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in their absorbing Asian Cup semi-final in Hanoi smacked of a team that had no Plan B. Plan A, of course, had been to beat Australia and avenge what had been a humiliating loss to The Socceroos at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Once that mission had been accomplished, Japan looked a team bereft of inspiration.

Saudi Arabia threw everything but the kitchen sink at the two-time defending champions and in the end goals from Yasser Al Qahtani and a double to Malek Maaz were enough to see off the Japanese, who equalised twice through defenders Yuji Nakazawa and Yuki Abe.

The latter celebrated his goal as though it was some kind of catharsis. Well may it have been, since it was Abe who looked the weakest link in Japan's back line. His hesitant defending caused constant panic in the Japan defence, and against Saudi Arabia the finger of blame could surely be pointed at Abe for at least one of the goals. Yet the finger of blame will surely be pointed at coach Ivica Osim instead, who insisted on playing his former protege at JEF United out of position, while leaving Urawa Reds' experienced central defender Keisuke Tsuboi on the bench.

The issue of JEF United players in the Japan squad will no doubt rear its ugly head again, and although substitute Naotake Hanyu smacked the crossbar with a thunderous strike late in the match, the performances of Hanyu, Maki, Mizuno and Yamagishi in this tournament will surely draw further scrutiny in the post-mortem to this defeat.  

So Japan trudge home failing to claim the third straight Asian Cup crown that they claimed they desired. Like Australia before them, they now experience the sting of unfulfilled ambition, but one can't help but wonder if it wasn't that quarter-final victory over Australia that took the wind out of Japan's sails and ultimately saw them blown off course by a proud Saudi outfit.

So the mid-season break has arrived in the J-League, leaving most teams to dream of what once was and possibly what could be in the second half of the season.

Gamba Osaka are in the dream position at the top of the table. They are five points clear of defending champions Urawa Reds - although Urawa have a game in hand, to be played on a Wednesday night on August 1 against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. If Urawa drop points in that match, and it ends up costing them the title, fans will again be questioning the wisdom of participating in the A3 Champions Cup in China earlier this season.

Albirex Niigata are the surprise package of the season (having usurped that mantle from Kashiwa Reysol). Niigata have always had the fan base to rely upon, but to the surprise of many they've also looked the goods on the pitch this season. One catalyst for their upturn in fortunes has been the form of ex-Sao Caetano midfielder Marcio Richardes. Signed just before the season kicked off, Richardes has excelled with his vision and passing range, not to mention his six league goals chipped in from midfield. Just don't mention that missed penalty that cost Niigata a place in the League Cup quarter-finals!

Kashima Antlers are another club that has experienced an upsurge of form. Their demanding fans were up in arms after it took weeks for Kashima to record the first home victory of the season, however Kashima then launched an unlikely nine match unbeaten streak to rocket themselves up the table. They undid their good work somewhat, losing 2-1 to FC Tokyo at home in the last match before the break, which means that Kashima will spend the summer in fourth. Nevertheless coach Oswaldo de Oliveira will be relatively satisfied with that result, if for no other reason than it gives him some breathing space over the summer.

Kawasaki Frontale, Shimizu S-Pulse, Jubilo Iwata and Yokohama F. Marinos fill the next positions, with all four clubs harbouring aspirations of finishing higher in the table come the end of the season. The two Shizuoka clubs - Shimizu and Jubilo arguably have the best chance of doing so, with Kawasaki appearing to be fatigued by their exertions in the AFC Champions League, whilst Yokohama haven't quite clicked under unpopular coach Hiroshi Hayano.

Kashiwa Reysol were flying high in the top three for most of the season, but a recent barren run - including a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of an under-strength Shimizu S-Pulse last weekend, has seen them drop down to ninth.

Mid-table contains the usual suspects, with sleeping giants Nagoya Grampus Eight slumbering on as ever, along with Vissel Kobe, FC Tokyo, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and JEF United. Perhaps with the exception of Vissel Kobe, the rest of those clubs all have the potential to propel themselves up the table - with FC Tokyo arguably the most inconsistent team in the J-League this year. The biggest surprise amongst that list is JEF United, who have been so poor this season it's a wonder that they have managed to haul themselves into fourteenth place.

Ventforet Kofu are treading water just above the bottom three, and Kofu fans may be plagued by some mid-summer season nightmares over the coming six weeks, given the vendetta that the J-League seemingly has with the Mountain Men from Yamanashi-ken. Although a series of diabolical refereeing decisions have gone against them, coach Takeshi Oki will also know that unless his club can sign a decent striker from somewhere - and they seemingly already have about ten strikers on their books, then his team could make the drop, regardless of whether Kofu get a break from the men in black come August.

Omiya Ardija, Oita Trinita and Yokohama FC will spend the summer mired in the bottom three. Of those three clubs Oita are clearly the biggest surprise, and coach Pericles may spend an uncomfortable summer updating his Curriculum Vitae. Omiya have been somewhat unlucky - particuarly through injury, with Daigo Kobayashi, Kota Yoshihara and now goalkeeper Hiroki Aratani all missing key games through injury. They'll need an ounce of luck to avoid the drop - especially if JEF United are hovering around the relegation zone come the end of the season, with the J-League unlikely to be impressed by the thought of the Chiba outfit plying their trade in J2 next season.

Many - including yours truly, thought that the euphoria of their first ever season in the top flight might propel Yokohama FC to a few more wins that they've picked up (just three - the same amount as Omiya Ardija have picked up under conservative new coach Robert Verbeek). An injury that has kept ex-Japan international Tatsuhiko Kubo out for virtually the entire season has crushed Yokohama FC's hopes, however, and it'll take a dramatic twist of Shakespearean proportions to save them from the drop.

After the Ilian Stoyanov saga at JEF United, Vissel Kobe's sacking of Atsuhiro Miura and the incredible seven match suspension handed down to Ventforet Kofu striker Takehito Shigehara - the lastest soap-opera style drama revolves around the sacking of ex-Jubilo Iwata midfielder Naoya Kikuchi. The 2004 Athens Olympian is likely to be prosecuted for having sex with a minor, after he admitted to having consensual sex with a fifteen year old school-girl in the back seat of his car. Unfortunately for the young midfielder - whose judgement was already questionable, he attempted to hand the girl some money after the deed was done - and promptly left his wallet in the basket of the girl's bike. She handed it in to police, who were immediately suspicious as to how she obtained Kikuchi's wallet, and when questioned she admitted that the two had had sex. This is a crime in Shizuoka-ken - where the deed took place, and so now Naoya Kikuchi is scouring the unemployment pages following his roll on the back seat of his car. Not all is lost for Kikuchi, however - at least he has the mid-season break to try and find himself a new club.

Part I 

Oita Trinita

What's to know?: The only J1 club on Japan's southern-most island of Kyushu after Avispa Fukuoka were relegated at the end of last season, Oita are a popular team despite their current lowly position. They got off to a cracking start last year, but their form dipped in the second half of the season, and they never regained it at the start of 2007. Shusaku Nishikawa, Daiki Takamatsu and Shota Matsuhashi were Oita's most influential players last year - they are notable this year for having all been dropped by Brazilian coach Pericles. Indeed Nishikawa was widely tipped to be Japan's number three goalkeeper at the Asian Cup, but his form has been so poor that he's lost his place in the Oita team to veteran Seigo Shimokawa. Other than that, I don't know a whole lot about Oita. I could look them up right now, but then, so could you...

Stadium: These days known as the Kyushu Oil Dome (fill 'er up!), the ground is colloquially known as Big Eye Stadium, which is equally unfortunate. As a venue for the 2002 World Cup, it's as high-tech as you'd expect it to be and includes a retractable roof that slides into place during inclement weather, which Oita experiences quite a bit. Holds around 40,000 and Oita probably last filled it when local rivals Avispa Fukuoka came to town last year.

Interesting stuff: Oita represent the longest away trip for practically every single club in the J1. I hope Consadole Sapporo are promoted at the end of this season just so we can crank up the clichés about the 2000 kilometre journey between Sapporo and Oita.

Should you support them?: If you like, although it'll probably make more sense if you're planning on visiting Kyushu.

Omiya Ardija 

What's to know?: The team all you gaijin dorks have been itching for me to get to, what can I say about this club that isn't already well known? Arguably the most popular club in Japan, with a glorious history and a stadium so superb that it doesn't even need the kind of renovations that take about three years to finish. Now that the lying is over, we'll get to the nitty gritty. Omiya are doomed to always be known as "the other club." That is, sadly enough for Omiya fans, because they hail from the city of Saitama - home to a certain team called Urawa Reds. What that means is that for thirty-two rounds of the season just about everyone ignores Omiya, until the Saitama Derby rolls around and we all start falling over ourselves to trot out the "raging underdogs" and "David vs Goliath" lines. In truth Omiya are a relatively well supported club - particularly for one whose management has failed so spectacularly in the past. Omiya fans have been patiently awaiting the reopening of their Omiya Park Stadium since about the time Commodore Perry sailed into Yokohama Harbour, but the stadium looks set to be reopened - no doubt with uncomfortable new seats, just in time for Omiya to celebrate relegation back to the Second Division. That's a bit harsh - to label Omiya as bad as JEF United and Yokohama FC is a bit of an insult, but unless the so-called "Squirrels Of Saitama" start cracking some wins under new coach Robert Verbeek, they will be doomed for a return from whence they came.

Interesting stuff: Again, I probably could have brushed up my factual knowledge here, but unless I'm mistaken - and please correct me if I'm wrong, the city of "Saitama" was created by a merger of several smaller towns, including both Urawa and Omiya. I should probably have had something insightful to add to that, such as "hence the strong local identity that citizens of Omiya feel towards their club," but...I didn't really think that far ahead.

Stadium: Omiya Koen Park Stadium. The naming rights were sold the other day but I'm sure everyone will ignore that fact and simply call it by its proper name. You get an idea of the stature of the club when you realise that the stadium never met J1 requirements when Omiya were first promoted at the end of 2004, but the J-League assumed the club would go straight back down and thus never bothered to insist that Omiya upgrade their ground. When Omiya stayed in J1 at the end of that season, the J-League suddenly insisted that they make improvements to the ground, and it has seemingly been under refurbishment ever since. It should be finished by November of this year. Since the ground started undergoing improvements, Omiya have tested the patience of their loyal fans by playing at Komaba Stadium - the spiritual home of Urawa Reds.

Should you support them?: Yes, particularly so you can learn about Takuro Nishimura's budgie here: Go! Go! Omiya Ardija

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 

What's to know?: Plying their trade in the southern Japanese town of Hiroshima, Sanfrecce (which may or may not be supposed to mean "three fleets") are at a disadvantage for several reasons. Firstly, they have no real local rivals, with Hiroshima more or less equidistant between Oita and Osaka as the crow flies...and remember that crows can fly over water. Secondly, they come up against popular baseball team Hiroshima Carp, which according to my source (a drunk Japanese businessman I once talked to in a bar) is partly funded or owned or something by the local people of the town. Thirdly, their hugely unpopular stadium is built well out of town, meaning that those who might otherwise be slightly ambivalent towards watching the club play, generally just don't bother. That being said, the Mazda-backed club can usually be relied upon for their entertaining, albeit erratic displays on the pitch. This season strikers Ueslei and Hisato Sato seem to be locked in their own personal duel to secure the Golden Boot as the highest scorers in the J-League, although the fact that Sato sets up most of Ueslei's goals is often overlooked. They've got some talented youngsters is Yosuke Kashiwagi and Toshihiro Aoyama, and in ex-Tottenham midfielder Kazuyuki Toda, they have a copy-writers dream, as the man who "once spat on David Beckham" (whilst playing for Tokyo Verdy, I might add).

Stadium: Sanfrecce play in the wildly unpopular Big Arch Stadium, which Hiroshima locals might more aptly describe as the Big Piece Of... Stadium. It was built for the 1994 Asian Cup Final, apparently by the same guy who designed the Colosseum in Rome about two thousand years ago. It looks about two thousands years old, with a tiny pitch dwarf by massive concrete stands. There's a roof over the press box but that's about it. Hiroshima will invariably struggle for as long as they play in this abomination of a stadium.

Interesting stuff: Their stadium sucks.

Should you support them: Perhaps, but mainly if you want to recreate the feel of Kenilworth Road circa 1986.

Shimizu S-Pulse

What's to know?: Taking Shimizu as the centre of the universe, as your correspondent is want to do, there is little else to say other than Shimizu S-Pulse are probably the greatest sporting team in the history of competitive sport. Sure they've never won the J-League, and it's true they're not always regarded as one of the best teams in Japan, let alone in Asia. But where else can you watch fans do some kind of hybrid Go-Go dance on the terraces and STILL keep a straight face? In truth, Shimizu's fans are some of the most passionate in the J-League - don't let the fact that many of them are either small children or elderly grandparents fool you. They also take pride in their team, which, unlike many other J-League clubs, is not the offshoot of a major Japanese corporation. That has had its pros and cons as Shimizu will attest, with the club twice almost going to the wall courtesy of a lack of funds. A whip around of the local folk and, particularly, local businesses has helped keep the club afloat and it's a good thing too, considering the 2007 vintage contains some of the most exciting young talent in the J-League, in the likes of Akihiro Hyodo, Takuma Edamura and Jungo Fujimoto. Shimizu probably don't quite have what it takes to win the J-League any time soon, but they play exciting, attacking football under local legend Kenta Hasegawa, who is almost as beloved as his team around these parts.

Stadium: Forgive my bias, but Nihondaira Stadium would almost have to be the most atmospheric in all of Japan. Set amongst the Nihondaira hills, overlooking the Pacific Ocean with a perfect view of Mount Fuji, this 20,000 capacity stadium conjures a cracking atmosphere when full. That is significant, because Shimizu played their home games against Urawa and Jubilo Iwata at a half-full Ecopa Stadium last year, while they moved their home fixture with Kashima Antlers to Tokyo's National Stadium. So irked were the fans at having to travel long distances - which they regularly do to attend away matches, that this season Shimizu decided to play every home game at Nihondaira Stadium. They even printed t-shirts to proclaim as much!

Interesting stuff: The "Pulse" in the name supposedly represents the pulse of two towns - Shimizu and Shizuoka. The major city of Shizuoka lies around eight kilometres to the south of Shimizu, and the club draws thousands of their supporters from the city and its surrounding environs. Indeed, support in the prefecture of Shizuoka is roughly split between those who support Shimizu and those who support their bitter local rivals, Jubilo Iwata.

Should you support them: Yes, and then drop around to my place for a drink after the game.

Ventforet Kofu 

What's to know?: The most unfashionable team in the J-League. There, I said it. Everyone else has, so why can't I? At one time Kofu were the most hopeless team in Japanese professional football. Then something happened...such as them miraculously starting to play decent football, and they suddenly found themselves involved in a promotion/relegation playoff with Kashiwa Reysol (I think) at the end of the 2005 season. Helped by a somewhat handy five goal haul by Brazilian striker Bare in the second-leg of that playoff, Kofu marched into the top flight under an avalanche of "David vs Goliath vs Ventforet Kofu" headlines. Expected to lose more or less every single game in their maiden J1 season, Kofu confounded their critics (when DON'T teams do this? Oh right, Watford) and smashed most of the teams that travelled to their rural Kose Sports Park Stadium. Bare scored fourteen goals last year before Kofu cashed in and sold him to Gamba Osaka, and most expected the team to struggle this year without him. They are struggling without him - and they could make the drop, but that would be harsh on both coach Takeshi Oki and their loyal fans. The club are run on the smell of an oily rag, with an annual budget that would make some amateur teams blush. Oki has his team play a unique brand of pressing football that results in plenty of goals - Kofu are generally more likely to win 5-4 than they are 1-0.   

Stadium: Kose Sports Park Stadium. Close enough to downtown (if you can call it that) Kofu, Kose Stadium is as rustic a J-League ground as you'd expect to find at a rural club. It has a running track (in case Takehito Shigehara wants to work off some of that anger by running laps), the obligatory roof over the press box and main stand, and that's about it. Still, it's often full for big matches, and the locals create a partisan atmosphere.

Interesting stuff: The club were helped out financially by Shimizu S-Pulse in recent times, with Shimizu more or less Kofu's geographical neighbours, leading to clashes between the two clubs to be labelled as the "Mount Fuji Derby."

Should you support them?: Yes! They need every yen they can get.

Vissel Kobe

What's to know?:  Vissel Kobe are a club that just scream mediocrity. Apologies in advance to their fans, but they are about as nondescript an outfit as you can find in the J-League. Successful? Nope...but Gamba Osaka just down the road are. Nice stadium? Yep, but it's never full. Likeable players? Yoshito Okubo. Everywhere you look there is something to dislike about this team. From the fact that they are "bankrolled" by a millionaire who puts as much money into the team as I spend on books called "How To Create Bad Metaphors," to the fact they are sometimes so ambivalent on the pitch you could almost accuse them of match-fixing. Their latest fiasco involves sacking popular captain Atsuhiro Miura who made some mildly critical remarks about coach Hiroshi Matsuda. Miura has been working hard to get back into the starting team after suffering a series of injuries, but having failed to do so, he was overheard grumbling about Matsuda's selection policies (or the effect of global warming...one of the two) at a reserve team game. Cue stereotypical Japanese reaction to subordinates criticising their masters, and Miura - an ex-Japan international who stayed loyal to the club even when they were relegated to J2 last year, was sacked. A likeable club? Not particularly.

Stadium: Vissel (<-- don't ask me what that means) play in the high-tech Kobe Wing Stadium (it's called something like "Home's Stadium" after a sponsor now, but let's ignore that fact), which has all the mod-cons that you expect in one of these high-tech, super-expensive modern arenas. I'll probably be able to provide a better reflection when I visit the ground in September, but on TV it has a soul-less character that a lot of these new grounds have when they're only half-full.

Interesting stuff: No one likes Vissel Kobe.

Should you support them?: It's better than supporting baseball team Orix Buffaloes, at least.

Urawa Reds 

What's to know?: Urawa Reds, these days perhaps Japan's most famous team, are seemingly admired and despised in equal measure. They are admired because the club fostered a fervent local support in a town that was hitherto nothing more than a commuter stop-off for people travelling to work to and from Tokyo. Once Urawa had the support of the town, the club turned its attention to making those supporters the most vocal and vociferous of all of Japan's teams - and the club still enjoys fierce rivalries with the likes of Kashima, FC Tokyo and of course Omiya. Yet many have claimed that the soul of the club has been diluted - that you are more likely to find bandwagon supporters and glory-hunters at Saitama Stadium, than you are to find genuine supporters. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but there is little doubt that Urawa have gone from somewhat of a "working class team" to one of the J-League's glamour clubs. Glamour is popular in Japan, and although Urawa have only ever won one J-League title, their popularity is likely to grow if they continue to recruit players like Shinji Ono and Takahito Soma - popular with the ladies and handy on the football pitch too. The recruitment of players like former Fenerbahce striker Washington and ex-Bayer Leverkusen man Robson Ponte might be looked upon more favourably if the two didn't spend the majority of matches whinging to the referee, and the overall growing egotism of the club (who claimed they would be the first Japanese team to make it to the knockout stages of the revamped Asian Champions League...they obviously hadn't seen Kawasaki's group) make them an easy team to dislike.

Stadium: Arguably the showpiece stadium in Japanese football, Saitama Stadium was at one time considered as a potential venue for the 2002 World Cup Final, before that honour eventually went to the slightly larger Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The word "futuristic" is often bandied about in regard to this ground. I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, but it features around 63,000 pretty comfortable seats (which is always a plus in Japan), although the fact that it lies so far outside of town is somewhat of a negative.

Interesting stuff: Urawa are sometimes called "the biggest club in Asia" - despite the fact that as recently as 2000 they were playing in the Second Division, and they only won their first...and only J-League crown as recently as 2005. They do, at least, possess the loudest and arguably most intimidating supporters in Japan.

Should you support them?: If you're one of those types that claims their favourite team is Manchester United/Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter and Lyon then...yes.

Yokohama FC 

What's to know?: Every league needs a so-called "fairytale team." Sometimes that fairytale involves winning, although the likelihood of that happening for Yokohama FC this season is slim-to-nil. They seemingly possess one of the worst teams ever to grace the top flight of Japanese football - although on paper their mish-mash of veterans and inexperienced youngsters doesn't look that different to the squads of several other struggling clubs. The fact that a 40 year old in the form of Kazu Miura is a regular starter should raise eyebrows, while last time I checked the 37 year old Motohiro Yamaguchi was their captain - even though he was dropped for several games. Just to buck the trend Yokohama recently signed the 32 (or so) year old Takuya Yamada...who was recently rejected by Adelaide United, and a 17 year old Korean High School student to try and lift them off the bottom of the table. It hasn't worked. Yokohama FC are important for an entirely different reason. They are a club started by fans. There isn't enough space to transcribe the sad demise of Yokohama Flügels, but if you've ever wondered why there is an "F" in Yokohama F. Marinos' name, think no further than Marinos + Flügels = merger. So enraged were Flügels fans at the unequal merger forced upon the club by the pull-out of its two major sponsors, that when the club did eventually merge, some Flügels fans simply started a new one. Thus Yokohama FC was born, and they plied their trade in the lower levels of Japanese football for eight years. They finally reached the holy grail of J1 this year, and they'll watch it disappear over the horizon as they slide back into the Second Division next season. Fittingly, however, their first ever win in the top flight came over...you guessed it, Yokohama F. Marinos.

Stadium: Yokohama FC play in Mitsuzawa Stadium, which for a long time was the home of Yokohama F. Marinos. It holds about 14,000 when absolutely packed, but notably it has no roof whatsoever to speak of.

Interesting stuff: If Yokohama FC have never played a friendly with FC United of Manchester or AFC Wimbledon, they probably should. They are the antithesis of what is wrong with football these days (and yes, I am aware of the set-up support they received from companies like IMG and Citibank).

Should you support them?: Yes. They're the good guys.

Yokohama F. Marinos

What's to know?: As much as the merger of the Yokohama clubs was an unequal one in Marinos' favour, it was no doubt just as disruptive to the club and its fans as it was for the now defunct Yokohama Flügels. Still, Yokohama Marinos were one of the J-League's most powerful clubs before the merger, and title wins in 2003 and 2004 suggest that that remains the case. Nevertheless Yokohama F. Marinos have struggled in recent seasons, both with the expectations placed upon them by the club's enthusiastic fans, and some failed signings in the transfer market. The latest of those is former Red Star Belgrade striker Takayuki Suzuki, who has gone from being virtually anonymous in Europe to being virtually anonymous in his own backyard. Star player Koji Yamase would probably play for Japan if his club team was more successful (or JEF United) and while F. Marinos churn out some talented youngsters every year from their expensive youth academy, they may struggle unless they can sign a striker capable of scoring twenty goals a season.

Stadium: Yokohama F. Marinos play almost exclusively at the 70,000 capacity Nissan Stadium. That is not particularly useful for a club with average gates of around 20,000 - so no matter how loud Yokohama's loyal fans are, the atmosphere inside the ground can feel somewhat lifeless compared to other Japanese stadiums.

Interesting stuff: They have a humourous fan club called M.O.I.S.T. Check them out here: M.O.I.S.T.

Should you support them?: If you like.

I'm a big fan of the Bundesliga. I've been a fan ever since a young Sydney boy named Ned Zelic signed for Borussia Dortmund back in 1992. I saw my first Bundesliga game in 1996 at the old Müngersdorferstadion in Cologne, when 1. FC Köln lost 3-1 to an Andi Möller inspired Dortmund. The first goal I ever saw in the Westfalenstadion was scored by an Australian in 2000, when new Adelaide United signing Paul Agostino thumped a header in for 1860 München in front of the Südtribüne, to silence the massive home crowd. I have no familial connections to Germany, I didn't speak the language when I first arrived there to live for a year in late 1999. I simply enjoy travelling.

So it irks me when, year after year, I hear about European leagues growing more boring. They probably are growing more boring. I wouldn't know, since I don't watch them. At least, I suppose I don't watch them since when the media talks about "European leagues" they are invariably referring to the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Serie A in Italy. Apparently the German Bundesliga doesn't count as a "European league" which is probably a good thing, since it would turn the media's oft-spouted clichés upside down.

Every season in the Bundesliga is exciting. Every year more goals are scored in the Bundesliga than in any of the three aforementioned "European" leagues. Every year a host of clubs have the chance to win the league - this time around it was Stuttgart, and every year fans of their team dream anew of winning a trophy, like fans of Nürnberg, who won the 2007 German FA Cup. And every year, at the end of the season, I read about how European football is growing "more boring."

Which, in a convoluted way, brings me to the J-League. I have no familial connections in Japan. I still don't speak the language. Sense a connection? It seems to me, that no matter how many outstanding English-language books Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger writes, no matter how many matches with English-language commentary the Bundesliga broadcast, people are still oblivious to the charms of German football. I think that's a shame.

As much as I enjoy German football, I've found a new love. The J-League. And with the mid-season break looming, I wanted to share a little bit of information about the J-League in the hope that more people take an interest. The J-League is just as interesting as the Bundesliga! To that end, I thought I'd write my very own team-by-team guide to the J-League. It's not much. But it's a start.

DISCLAIMER: The following guide represents my own personal views! Not all information may be 100% correct. Some of my assertions are meant to be humorous - such as the idea that Jubilo Iwata are still a big club. If this bothers you, try reading Jane Austen instead.

Albirex Niigata

What's to know?: Niigata (<-- the town) have the second highest average attendance figure in the J-League, behind Urawa Reds. Why is this? Well I have no scientific proof...since I've never actually been there, but I'd hazard a guess and say there's not all that much to do up in rural Niigata. The club also seem to have done better than others at tapping into a "community spirit," which sees crowds hover around or just under the 40,000 mark. Some critics are pointing out that crowd figures are slowly but surely dipping, suggesting that the popularity bubble may soon burst in Niigata, as it has done at other J-League clubs.

Stadium: Officially known by its newly corporatised name of Tohoku Denryoku Stadium - everyone just calls it "Big Swan Stadium" - because, well, apparently it looks like a big swan. It hosted matches at the 2002 World Cup, where I bet the running track around the ground went down well with fans.

Interesting stuff you probably didn't need to know: They field a reserve team in Singapore's S-League. Is this productive? I don't know. I read elsewhere that only Atomu Tanaka has graduated from the reserve squad to the first team squad of late, but I can't verify this because I can't actually bothered be looking it up.

Should you support them?: Yes! Especially if you plan to spend some time in a town that is really, really far away from Tokyo and Osaka.

FC Tokyo 

What's to know?: Often referred to as "The Gasmen" for the fact that they are company offshot of Tokyo Gas, FC Tokyo are younger than several other J-League clubs, at least in a professional sense, rising through the ranks of Japan's lower leagues, before reaching the top flight in 2000. Other than that, what are they known for? Well, they won the League Cup in 2004. They signed Costa Rican World Cup star Paulo Wanchope this season...and I reckon he'll be match-fit by the time the next World Cup rolls around too. Other than that, not much.

Stadium: They play at Ajinomoto Stadium. Ajinomoto are, according to the number of condiment bottles sitting on my kitchen shelf, some sort of company that sells stuff you put on hot dogs. Or something like that. The ground, supposedly, was built in preparation for the 2002 World Cup. Of course it never actually hosted a single World Cup game, but what's the harm? It holds 50,000 but somehow looks bigger than the Azteca in Mexico City. Bring a small (ie. large) telescope if you plan on sitting behind the goals.

Interesting stuff: Their supporters pride themselves on their "English-style" support, and usually offer up a cracking rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" before every match. Also, if you listen very carefully, you can still hear FC Tokyo officials laughing at Tokyo Verdy's decision to move to the city.

Should you support them?: Yes! If for no other reason than that Tokyo is the first place people usually visit in Japan. Their supporters are pretty passionate too, if that comes into consideration.

Gamba Osaka 

What's to know?: Gamba (<-- not the town, but Cerezo Osaka are another J-League team, albeit in J2) are a pretty powerful club who, if I'm not mistaken, are bankrolled by the company that produces Panasonic goods, among other things. That comes in handy when you want to purchase the best players from rival clubs, such as Ryuji Bando and Bare. They won the J-League in 2005, but surrendered it meekly to Urawa Reds last year. Now they are back on top of the table, not the least it seems because half of their team tend to get on the scoresheet each week. Last weekend they were 2-0 down to FC Tokyo after fifteen minutes - they won 6-2 with Magno Alves scoring twice, as did substitute Bando...who only came on because Bare limped off injured.

Stadium: Nicknamed "Banpaku," officially it's called Expo '70 Stadium. I might be speculating wildly here, but I'd venture to say that's because it was built for the 1970 World Expo ("your powers of deduction are exceptional!"). I haven't been there, so forgive me if I'm not entirely accurate, but I bet it's part of one of those "multi-use" sports centres that were built around the seventies, that feature several different stadia as part of one large complex. It holds around 20,000 depending on how many are standing.

Interesting stuff: I'm not a big Gamba fan, but I always try to watch them on the tele since they look like scoring virtually every time they touch the ball. Football in the Kansai region (containing the cities of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto) tends to struggle in competition with baseball, with the region's Hanshin Tigers being a wildly popular team. Coach Akira Nishino is the longest serving coach in the J-League, and he's a pretty suave looking bloke too.

Should you support them?: If you have to. Cerezo Osaka are reputedly the more popular club in Osaka (try telling that to the few thousand Cerezo diehards these days) but Banpaku is generally pretty full nowadays.

JEF United 

What's to know?: They used to be called JEF United Ichihara. Sometimes people still call them JEF United Chiba. Why do they do this? I don't call them Everton-Liverpool. Or FC (Gelsenkirchen) Schalke, and you know how fond I am of brackets. I know they come from Chiba. I know they used to represent Ichihara. Just call them JEF United already! Anyway, these are happy days at JEF United. Bulgarian defender Ilian Stoyanov has recently told the club that if coach Amar Osim stays, he is going. At some clubs that wouldn't necessarily pose a problem, but since Stoyanov is their only decent defender, they could be in a spot of bother here. Basically what has happened at JEF United is this; they won the League Cup under coach Ivica Osim in 2005. They were well on the way to winning the League Cup in 2006 when coach Osim took over as coach of the Japan national team. Curiously, the club left his son Amar Osim in charge, despite the fact that his only coaching credentials seemed to be that he had watched a lot of JEF United games for free when his Dad was coach. Under Amar Osim they won the 2006 League Cup - dooming JEF United fans to his incompetence for the foreseeable future. They then sold their best player, Yuki Abe, to Urawa Reds because Abe was "concerned about United's prospects" (the man is a visionary, Nostradamus-style!). Selling their only good player has prompted somewhat of a crisis at United, who have spent almost the entire season in the relegation zone. Their fans have taken to jeering their own team at every opportunity (as you do) whilst Seiichiro Maki looks like the answer to a trivia question that reads "who is the most out-of-form player in the history of football to ever be called up for a major international tournament?"

Stadium: Fukuda Denshi Arena is great, if you ignore the fact that is employs the standard Japanese architectural concept of "let's take something simple...and make it uncomfortable." Apparently the idea of wind flow is important in Japanese architecture, and explains why rooms in Japanese homes are often separated by paper-covered sliding doors. This idea has been eagerly transposed on to Japanese stadia. They may have cost 60 zillion yen to build, but if you think you are going to be protected from the wind, think again! There's a massive gap between the roof and the stands at Fukari, which not only lets a freezing wind blow in off the Pacific Coast, it also helps it to whip round and round the stadium like a pair of socks in a washing machine. The wind aside, Fukari differs from most other Japanese stadia in the fact that it was built this century (and not in say, 1361, as I suspect several other J-League grounds were). The seats are somewhat uncomfortable but the sightlines are fantastic, and the JEF United fans generate a pretty good atmosphere - even when they're jeering their own team. I'd heartily recommend a trip to Fukari, just remember to bring a warm jacket.

Interesting stuff: See above.

Should you support them?: If you like roller-coasters or anything else you can think of that consistently goes up, then down and ends up back where it started (trampolines, maybe?) then this might be the team for you.

Jubilo Iwata 

Stadium: They play at the compact Yamaha Stadium (why yes! they are the former company team of Yamaha Motor Corporation), which seats around 18,000 or so off the top of my head. They also play a few games a year, such as the upcoming clash with Urawa, at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi...just a few stops down the train-line from Iwata. Ecopa holds about 50,000 and was a 2002 World Cup venue. It's also really drafty. True story.

Interesting stuff: The fact that they hold their highest profiles matches (against Urawa, Shimizu and one or two other clubs) at Ecopa Stadium often swells their average attendance to a figure higher than official capacity of Yamaha Stadium. That once lead some Australian kids on a message board I was reading to write something like, "look at these idiots! They say their average attendance is more than what their stadium holds...they must be idiots, aher aher aher." Good one fellas!

Should you support them?: No.

Kashima Antlers

What's to know?: They are the most successful club in professional Japanese football. They are the former company team of Sumitomo Metal Industries. They named a cheeseburger in one of the local fast-food restaurants "The Zico Burger." Okay I made that last part up. But they are a hugely successful team, albeit not in recent seasons. I arrived in Japan when Paulo "Hey everybody...let's see how big my mouth is!" Autori was trying to steer the club back to the glory days. He had been signed for big money after winning the Club World Cup with Sao Paulo, but his efforts to win in Japan were hampered by the fact that his team was, basically, pretty crap. He needed to win the 2006 League Cup Final to keep his job, but history will show that JEF United won 2-0, which is the reason why they, and not Kashima, are still burdened with a crap coach. After coming under intense pressure, new coach Oswaldo de Oliveira (they always hire Brazilians. Direct your complaints to Zico) has suddenly steered his team to the dizzying heights of third in the table. That's probably good for the J-League, since Kashima were arguably the first team to bring a genuine fan culture to the competition.

Stadium: They play in Kashima Stadium, which holds just over 40,000 but which is only ever close to full when Urawa bring their travelling army to town.

Interesting stuff: Zico used to play for them. Could you guess? I'm subtle, aren't I? I saw some old video of him on YouTube not long ago and, despite the fact that he was about forty, he seemed to score at least 6436 spectacular free-kicks whilst playing for Kashima...which is never a bad thing. He also spat directly on the ball when Tokyo Verdy were awarded a penalty that cost Kashima the championship which, these days, will get you at least a seven match suspension (oh, bravo! I can hear you Kofu fans quietly applauding in the back).

Should you support them?: Get back on the bandwagon now, before it's too late!

Kashiwa Reysol

What's to know?: Their fans appear to be somewhat psychotic. Aside from that happy fact, Kashiwa (<-- a town in Chiba prefecture) spent last season in J2. Before that, back in the days when the J-League was booming - as Sebastian Moffett describes so well in "Japanese Rules" (I can't wait for yet another person to tell me "I should read that." No wait...you reckon?!?) they were probably a half-decent side. I don't know. I wasn't paying attention back then. These days they've got a couple of gun youngsters like Tadanari Ri and Minoru Suganuma. Ex-Bayer Leverkusen striker Franca keeps the Bundesliga fans among us happy. They're also interesting to watch because they tend to try and kick the bejeebus out of opposing sides. Their reserve goalkeeper Yuichi Mizutani even flipped the bird at Shimizu S-Pulse fans after those two clubs met in the League Cup this season. And why not?

Stadium: They play at a couple of stadiums - Kashiwa Hitachi Stadium, which is so small it's always full and the slightly larger Kashiwanoha Stadium. Apparently both stadiums suck. The Reysol supporters are some of the most vociferous fans in Japan though, so if you're looking for an intense atmosphere, then Kashiwa is probably the place to go.

Interesting stuff: When they came to Nihondaira Stadium for the League Cup clash with Shimizu S-Pulse this season, their fans mocked Shimizu supporters by imitating the dance that Shimizu fans are fond of doing on the terraces, before launching into loud, mocking laughter.

Should you support them?: If you think you're well 'ard.

Kawasaki Frontale 

What's to know?:  Kawasaki (a town...somehow...sandwiched between two of the biggest cities in the world, Tokyo and Yokohama) were in the Second Division as recently as 2004. They got their big break in 2001 when Verdy Kawasaki said "that's it...I'm leaving!" and upped and moved to Tokyo, rebranding themselves as Tokyo Verdy (and hasn't that worked well!). After that Frontale kicked about in J2 for a bit longer, before local hero Kengo Nakamura (okay, he's actually from Tokyo) fired them up to the top flight. He didn't stop there, firing them to second place in the league last season, with a little help from the likes of Hiroyuki Taniguchi, Kazuki Ganaha and a bloke called Juninho (no, not the midget one...or that one that plays for Lyon...another one!). Kawasaki became the first Japanese team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League since it was revamped in 2003 (take that, Urawa!) but since then, they've struggled to crack a win in the J-League...suggesting that knocking off the likes of Bangkok University in Thailand in midweek before flying back to play in the J-League on the weekend is somewhat tiring for the legs.

Stadium: They play at Todoroki Stadium, which unfortunately I've not been to yet, since it looks like one of the better football stadiums in the top flight. Admittedly it has a running track, but for big games it's usually close to it's 25,000 capacity.

Interesting stuff: Under Takashi Sekizuki - the second-longest serving coach in the J-League behind Gamba's Nishino, Kawasaki have perfected a wonderful game-plan that seems to run something like this, "if the other team scores, we'll try and score six to make up for it." It hasn't worked lately, but probably not for lack of trying.

Should you support them?: There's plenty of choice in the area, with the likes of FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos just down the road (at either end), and J2 club Shonan Bellmare also relatively nearby. However Kawasaki are a young club that espouse a philosophy of attacking football, so why not?

Nagoya Grampus Eight 

What's to know?: That's right all you Arsenal fans, THIS is Arsene's old team. Yes, the team that once signed Gary Lineker only to see a sore toe keep him to scoring just four goals, Nagoya are backed by Toyota, which should mean they've got the resources to build a healthy squad. They splashed out on former Rosenborg striker Frode Johnsen midway through last season, and he scored ten goals in seventeen games to steer the club away from the wrong end of the table. They also tried to sign JEF United midfielder Yuki Abe this year, only to see him scuttle off to Urawa instead. They've got plenty of handy players - Seigo Narazaki, Keisuke Honda and the aforementioned Johnsen among them, but they just can't seem to crack a winning combination under likeable Dutch coach Sef Vergoossen. They're a big mid-table club - just like every other team in the English Premiership that didn't finish in the top four or bottom three last season.

Stadium: Recently coach Sef Vergoossen called Toyota Stadium "one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world," which is a shame since Nagoya actually play at the decrepit Mizuho Athletics Stadium. The reason is this; Japan built many of its 2002 World Cup stadia outside major cities. That means that while Ecopa "Shizuoka" Stadium might look nice, it's not particularly practical for Shimizu S-Pulse fans who have to travel for an hour on the train just to get there. The same can be said of Toyota Stadium - except for, and here's the best part - it wasn't even used at the 2002 World Cup. In their enthusiasm to start construction work in preparation for the tournament, Japan built something like ten new stadiums, and then watched in disbelief as FIFA decided to "co-host" the tournament with South Korea. That means that grounds like Toyota Stadium and Ajinomoto Stadium were unnecessary, although it probably also explains why FIFA continue to play the Club World Cup in Japan. At any rate, Toyota Stadium is used for big matches against clubs like Urawa and Kawasaki, whilst Mizuho - which is not far from downtown Nagoya city centre, is used for all other games.

Interesting stuff: You know you're running out of ideas when all the interesting stuff is about the ground they play at. Dragan Stojkovic is probably still considered a legend in these parts though.

Should you support them: Yes, especially if you live in Nagoya (or Toyota).

Part II

What the hell is wrong with Tokyo Verdy? They crashed to an embarrassing 1-0 loss at home to lowly Ehime FC in J2 last weekend, when the rest of Japan was transfixed by the national team's exploits in the Kirin Cup. One look at Verdy's squad - which includes the likes of ex-Jubilo Iwata veterans Hiroshi Nanami and Toshihiro Hattori, Brazilians Ze Luis and Diego, and last season's J2 top-scorer Hulk - signed from Consadole Sapporo at the start of the season, suggested that Tokyo Verdy would have no problem challenging for promotion back to the top flight this year. Instead Verdy are currently lying in eighth place in the thirteen team Second Division, having won eight, lost eight and drawn two of their eighteen fixtures so far. Their problem seems to come in the form of coach Rui Ramos. A legend in Japanese football, Ramos was brought in as the supposed saviour of Tokyo Verdy after they were relegated from the top flight at the end of the 2005 J-League season. Ramos virtually "guaranteed" promotion at the first attempt, but after a disappointing first season in J2, the Tokyo club splashed out the yen this season in a bid to propel themselves back into J1. Yet after a series of embarrassing defeats - including a stunning 5-1 loss to bottom club Mito Hollyhock at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the club that left Kawasaki to rebrand as Tokyo Verdy in 2001 look likely to spend another season in the bottom tier of Japan's professional game.

Consadole Sapporo, on the other hand, appear set to grace the top flight again next year for the first time since 2002. They've raced out of the blocks in J2, opening up a ten point gap on nearest rivals Vegalta Sendai. The two popular northern clubs are joined in the top three by unfashionable Montedio Yamagata. While Sapporo and Sendai were expected to challenge in 2007, Yamagata's form comes as somewhat of a surprise, particularly with the likes of Cerezo Osaka, Kyoto Sanga FC and Avispa Fukuoka - who were all relegated from J1 at the end of last season, also involved in this season's title race. Cerezo Osaka must be wondering where it all went wrong. On the final day of the 2005 season Cerezo Osaka were leading the J-League going into injury time. They conceded an injury-time equaliser to FC Tokyo with virtually the last kick of the season, however, dropping down from first place to fifth in the process and handing the title to cross-town rivals Gamba Osaka. Despite signing the likes of Yoshito Okubo from Mallorca and the aforemented Hiroshi Nanami for the 2006 season, Cerezo were amazingly relegated for the second time in their history. They bounced straight back up to J1 after playing the 2002 season in the Second Division, but given that they are currently lying in tenth on the J2 table - a massive twenty-four points behind leaders Consadole Sapporo, they look unlikely to repeat that feat in 2007. 

One side effect of relegation is that clubs in J2 do not take part in the Nabisco League Cup. Speaking of the League Club, six sides booked their places for the quarter-finals in late May, joining AFC Champions League participants Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Reds. Those sides are Gamba Osaka, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Ventforet Kofu, Kashima Antlers, FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos. Not surprisingly, the J-League keeps flogging that dead horse meaning that Gamba Osaka will take on Urawa, with the other match-up's consisting of Kawasaki Frontale vs Ventforet Kofu, Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Kashima Antlers and an intriguing match up between FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos. The latter booked their place in the quarter-finals after finishing equal on points, goals scored and conceded with Shimizu S-Pulse in their League Cup group. Yokohama went through on the basis of possessing a better head-to-head record over Shimizu.

As for Japan, they lifted the Kirin Cup after putting in two excellent performances over Montenegro and Colombia. They beat Montenegro 2-0 at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi thanks to headers from Yokohama F. Marinos defender Yuji Nakazawa and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara, while for Montenegro Igor Burzanovic rolled a spot-kick wide in the second half. Three days later Japan turned in an even more impressive performance against Colombia, but despite overwhelming the South Americans in the second half, they failed to break the deadlock as the two teams ultimately played out a 0-0 draw. That was enough to see Japan lift the trophy, and fire a reminder to their opponents at the upcoming Asian Cup that the defending champions are not to be taken lightly in South-East Asia. "Osim's Japan" may have been misfiring in the past, but they suddenly look like rediscovering their best form - no doubt to the concern of South Korea, Saudia Arabia, Australia et. al.

WHOAH!

So I'm missing Japan's Kirin Cup clash with Montengro at Ecopa Stadium on June 1 because I'm going to Tokyo to see New York Hardcore legends Sick Of It All instead. I'll have to tune into the match with a bunch of rowdy FC Tokyo fans at Footnik Pub in Shibuya, and I bet they won't be the only ones annoyed with Japan coach Ivica Osim's team selection.

In the past Osim has claimed that selecting European-based players "disrupts the squad." Perhaps he has a point, but when those players include the likes of Shunsuke Nakamura from Celtic and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara, could he really afford not to call those players up? When Japan beat Saudi Arabia in their final Asian Cup qualifier last November, Nakamura was holidaying in Japan anyway!

As it is, Nakamura, Takahara and FC Basel midfielder Koji Nakata have all been given call-ups for the Kirin Cup, but new Frankfurt signing Junichi Inamoto and wantaway Le Mans winger Daisuke Matsui have been overlooked. Those exclusions are not necessarily that surprising - especially since so many Japanese players have demonstrated that simply playing in Europe doesn't necessarily make one a good player, but it seems strange not to have called up Inamoto in particular, with the combative midfielder having been a virtual ever-present for Galatasaray this season.

Still, that won't be what has put a bee in Japan fans' bonnets. No, instead it is the fact that Ivica Osim has selected five JEF United players in his squad that has Japan fans scratching their heads. Or not scratching their heads - depending on how cynical those fans are. You see, JEF United are coached by none other than Ivica Osim's son! More importantly, the Chiba club are currently stuck in the relegation zone. How a team scrapping it out with the likes of Yokohama FC and Omiya Ardija at the foot of the J-League can have five international call-up's is anyone's guess.

Yet there are still fishier things afoot with Osim's squad. Although JEF United striker Seiichiro Maki has scored just one league goal this season - and that was an own goal according to everybody but the J-League, he still gets the nod up front alongside Takahara. This is despite the fact that Kawasaki Frontale striker Kazuki Ganaha scored three goals during the Asian Cup qualifying campaign. Yet Ganaha has been overlooked! What the? Meanwhile Gamba Osaka striker Ryuji Bando has lost his place in the Gamba line-up to ex-Ventforet Kofu striker Bare, yet Bando has still been named in Japan's Kirin Cup squad.

Another player overlooked is Yokohama F. Marinos' talismanic midfielder Koji Yamase. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if there's one thing that Japan could use more of it is midfield creativity, if for no other reason than to take some of the pressure of Shunsuke Nakamura. Instead the squad is full of midfield grafters like Hideo Hashimoto and Yasuhito Endo, or players that aren't even first choice starting midfielders at their clubs, like Akihiro Ienaga, Yasuyuki Konno and Yuki Abe. Sure Japan have some promising youngsters - and JEF United's Koki Mizuno is one United player who deserves to be there, along with the likes of Shimizu's Jungo Fujimoto and Kawasaki's Kengo Nakamura, but Osim's team seems to smack of a man who has hardly seen any Japanese players in action.

It will be interesting to see if the likes of Hiroshima's Yuichi Komano and Nagoya's Keisuke Honda receive some game time during this Kirin Cup, or if the starting eleven will indeed by comprised of players from the axis of evil - Urawa, Gamba Osaka and...JEF United. Still, I won't be there to see it. Sick Of It All on the Thursday, pub food on the Friday and Magma Fest on the Saturday. It's a tough life, but somebody's gotta live it!

So it's come down to this. Given the turmoil at Sydney FC prior to the start of their Asian Champions League campaign - with coach Terry Butcher given the sack and Branko Culina brought in as interim manager, it was difficult to envisage the Harbour City club unduly troubling the likes of Urawa Reds and Shanghai Shenhua United in their ACL group, right? Wrong.

Going into the final group game at Saitama Stadium on May 23, the 2005 A-League champions Sydney FC are still in with a chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the competition at their first attempt. They'd have been in prime position, had midfielder Ufuk Talay not crashed a penalty into the crossbar in Sydney's most recent 0-0 draw at home to Shanghai Shenhua.

That draw, coupled with Urawa's 3-3 draw with Persik Kediri in Indonesia means that the Japanese giants have nine points going into the final match, with Sydney FC just behind them on eight. Urawa can afford to draw in front of what should be a vociferous home crowd at Saitama Stadium, but Sydney FC will come at them with all guns blazing.

Urawa were stunned when these two clubs met at Aussie Stadium back in March, having seemingly underestimated the 2005 Australian champions, as they fell two goals behind after just twenty minutes. The J-League champions showed their mettle, however, more than matching Sydney for the rest of the game and roaring back thanks to strikes from Robson Ponte and Yuichiro Nagai. The latter arguably scored the easiest goal of his career in Sydney, and Clint Bolton's uncharacteristic handling error - he spilled a cross at the feet of Nagai, could come back to haunt the A-League giants.

Urawa, however, are under the pump in Japan. Rumours that several squad members don't see eye to eye with new coach Holger Osieck just won't go away. Despite the over-abundance of talent at his disposal, Osieck rarely makes changes to a team that has already made gruelling trips to Sydney, Shanghai and Solo City this season. As a result, Urawa have rarely looked their best in 2007.

Thus a fascinating battle should ensure between a club written off before this competition kicked off, against the over-hyped J-League champions. Before this competition commenced, Urawa loudly proclaimed their desire to become the first Japanese team to reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League since the competition was revamped in 2003. They have already been beaten to that punch by Kawasaki Frontale, and with Sydney FC looking to do business in Saitama, there might just be another nasty surprise in store for the 2006 J-League champions Urawa.

Just kidding folks, just kidding, but you've gotta strike while the iron is hot! 

And things are certainly hotting up in the J-League, where several scintillating matches took place this weekend.

Things kicked off in front of 22,168 fans at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo, where FC Tokyo finally cracked a home win, beating Oita Trinita 1-0. Paulo Wanchope made his first start in some time for Tokyo, and he laid on the only goal for the capital club, heading down for ex-Japan international Yasuyuki Konno to finish.

The real excitement took place just up the road, however, where 50,531 fans packed into Saitama Stadium to see a genuine slugfest between Japan's two Asian Champions League combatants. This match had everything, including a bizarre public spat that took place before kick-off between Marcus Tulio Tanaka - arguably Japan's best defender, and Japan coach Ivica Osim.

Coach Osim had scheduled a brief training session for Japan before this weekend's round of J-League matches. Urawa had claimed that Tanaka was injured, but sent the tenacious defender to the camp anyway. It was here, Tanaka claims, that Osim forced him to take part in several drills, where he further inflamed the injury that kept him out of the match with Kawasaki. 

A forlorn Tanaka sat high in the stands at Saitama Stadium and watched in horror as ex-JEF United midfielder Yuki Abe (these days a defender at Urawa, whose policy of signing ten midfielders for every one position now appears to be hindering them) stood idly by while Kazuki Ganaha burst in behind him to tap home Masaru Kurotsu's gently rolling cross.

For all those non-Urawa fans watching on TV (like myself) things got even better, when Urawa generously allowed the rangy Juninho time and space to deliver a cross. He delivered a cross alright, straight into the path of Magnum, who gleefully waltzed in front of goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki to "knee" the ball into the back of the net, in a somewhat unsightly fashion. 

Not to be outdone in the scrappy goal stakes, Urawa then scored the scrappiest one of them all, when Satoshi Horinouchi produced a spectacular - and rare - diving shoulder goal, after he appeared to be bear-hugged from behind by several desperate Kawasaki defenders. That was the only goal that the Reds could muster, however, as Frontale silenced the legion of Urawa glory-hunters fans packed into the stadium.

After that match I set out for Nihondaira in high hopes and with high spirits.  It wouldn't last. Kashima Antlers beat Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1, with former Messina striker Atsushi Yanagisawa - who some believe the word ineffective was actually invented for, miraculously scored twice to see off the home team. Worse still, his finishes were clinical - and the second came from a cross by ex-S-Pulse striker Marquinhos! Shimizu could only respond with a thirty-five yard rocket from defender Daisuke Ichikawa that threatened to send the goal-frame hurtling over Mount Fuji, but that was as much as a disappointing S-Pulse could conjure, as they sunk to a second home defeat of the season.

I came home to learn that Ventforet Kofu had come from behind to beat Kashiwa Reysol 3-2. I had the opportunity to watch Ventforet Kofu vs Vissel Kobe a few weeks ago, but chose not to. A wise decision, if I may say so, given that Kofu only managed a weak, last minute, come-from-behind 4-3 win over Kashiwa, who were at the time flying high near the top of the table. This time around Kofu opted for a more subtle comeback of the two goal variety. They went 2-1 down when substitute Tadanari Ri scored for Reysol, and things looked bleak with ten minutes remaining when another substitute in Kazunari Hosaka entered the fray. "Not to worry," thought Hosaka, who promptly scored twice for Kofu in the space of six minutes, to seal an improbable 3-2 win for the team from rural Yamanishi Prefecture.

Fortunately things calmed down on the Sunday, where nil-nil draws were always going to be the order of the day. That's not how it panned out, mind you, as Gamba Osaka smashed Jubilo Iwata 5-2 - bringing joy to the hearts of disgruntled Shimizu fans everywhere. Not to be outdone, Yokohama F. Marinos annihilated Oita Trinita 5-0 at Nissan Stadium, prompting thousands of J-League fans to simultaneously quip, "I never expected that!" Such is the wonder of the J-League, where unexpected results are never more than ninety minutes away.