I remember a time when we would pick on that kid who was not a very good player by saying that he played like Japanese. Well that certainly is a thing of the past.

They still make mistakes that are almost impossible to understand like when … missed a certain goal from inside the box, face to face with the goalie but in general when they make a mistake is by trying an step-over, a curvy pass or a fancy move. They have learned.

In 1993 when the J-League was launched the idea of having a Japanese team playing in a World Level championship seemed like a far, far, far, away dream but some very important people believed in it. Zico was one of them. The maestro of the great Flamengo from the 80’s and the main component of the best team who didn’t win a World Cup – Brazil of 1982 – arrived in Japan to be what Pele was for the NY Cosmos in the the late 70’s. The only difference is that the conservative, traditionalist, paternalist Japanese culture were open for this revolution.    

The most popular sports in Japan were, at the time, baseball and sumo. Football existed but in a very amateur way. But the idea of popularizing football was very well accepted and the presence of foreign players like Zico, who attracted a bunch of other Brazilians with him was exactly what the Japanese Football Federation needed to transform the sport here.

Today Japanese players learned a lot from this “in-house exchange program” and even though almost every team has at least one Brazilian on their squad, one can see the arising of some good domestic talents.

And the fans… Oh, the fans…

 

Japanese football fans LOVE their teams. They wear the colors, they support the players, they chant ALL THE TIME! I’m honestly extremely pleased with what I saw here on a Monday night. I just can’t wait to see what show the Reds fans are going to put up against Milan.

So if Japan doesn’t have the easy to beat football how should we label that kid who is so bad that he ends up as the goalkeeper. Let me think… hmmm… what about English?

“Hey kid, you’re so bad that it seems you’re from England…”

I’m Mano Gil, writing from the Toyota Stadium, exclusively for Ole Ole.

Sayonara!!!

Keita Suzuki and co were too strong for Sepahan for the second time in two months, beating the Iranian side 3-1 at Toyota Stadium.

A Yuichiro Nagai strike just after the half hour mark put Urawa in control and made up for an atrocious miss from midfielder Makoto Hasebe only minutes earlier, after he inexplicably volleyed wide from just outside the six yard box.

In the second half Urawa lead a procession towards Mohammed Savari's goal, with former Brazilian international Washington finishing superbly after he rounded Savari to sweep home from the tightest of angles. 

Hadi Aghily scored his second own goal in as many FIFA Club World Cup games, but substitute Shinji Ono repaid the favour to Sepahan, when his woeful pass in midfield was intercepted and eventually tapped home by fellow substitute Mahmoud Karimi - to the  obvious annoyance of Urawa goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki, who turned in another assured performance at the back.

An added bonus for Urawa coach Holger Osieck was the form of youngsters Takahito Soma and Hajime Hosogai. Ex-Tokyo Verdy starlet Soma was a constant menace when he marauded forward from the back, and it was his excellent run and cross to Yuichiro Nagai that sent Urawa on their way. Japan under-22 international Hosogai also turned in an assured performance at the back, to suggest that he has a bright future at the Saitama giants. 

Urawa Reds are Japan's most popular club.

They play at the 63,000 capacity Saitama Stadium and the 20,000 capacity Komaba Stadium, and drew an average attendance of 46,667 fans between the two grounds in the J-League this season.

Urawa have won the J-League once in 2006, the Emperor's Cup twice in 2005 and 2006 and the League Cup in 2004. They are the reigning AFC Champions League champions.

Key players

Ryota Tsuzuki - Goalkeeper: The ex-Gamba Osaka shot-stopper had a superb 2007, conceding the fewest number of goals in the J-League and helping propel Urawa to the Asian crown. He has done so playing behind an injury-riddled defence, with Urawa often playing two former midfielders in their back four.

Marcus Tulio Tanaka - Central Defence: The Brazilian-raised Japan international is one of the most aggressive players in the J-League and a tower of strength at the back. His tendency to raid forward at every opportunity occasionally leaves Urawa exposed in defence, but means that Tulio is often counted on when Urawa need to throw players into attack.

Keita Suzuki - Defensive Midfield: The gritty Keita Suzuki is the heart and soul of this Urawa team and indispensable to coach Holger Osieck's game plans. Suzuki is a classic "number six," acting as a screen in front of the back four and setting the tempo when Urawa are streaming forward.

Washington - Striker: The fiery ex-Brazil international has been Urawa's top scorer for two seasons now. Often criticised for not being a team player, the former Fenerbahce striker can nevertheless be relied upon to score goals when they are needed.

Weaknesses

Yuki Abe - Defence: Whether in central defence or on the left side of a back four, Yuki Abe has had a forgettable season since his $US3 million switch from league rivals JEF United. Abe's errors have put consistent pressure on the Urawa defence, and the former defensive midfielder has never looked settled since being pushed into the back four by coach Osieck.

Current form

Urawa's current form is dreadful. They picked up just three points from a possible fifteen in their last five J-League matches to see bitter rivals Kashima Antlers snatch the J-League title on the final day of the season. They were also knocked out of the Emperor's Cup as defending champions by J2 side Ehime FC on November 28. The Reds are down on confidence, and they'll need their army of fans to act as their twelfth man in this showdown with Sepahan.

Injuries

The Reds have had a dreadful run of injuries over the back end of the season. Robson Ponte has been ruled out for six months with serious knee ligament damage, prompting coach Holger Osieck to demand that former Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono step up in Ponte's absence.

Also under an injury cloud is captain Nobuhisa Yamada, whose participation in this match is doubtful. Tatsuya Tanaka is rated a 50/50 chance of playing - Washington may be Urawa's top goal scorer, but the explosive Tanaka is arguably Urawa's most dangerous striker. Takahito Soma is another player to have missed a considerable part of the season through injury, while midfielder Tadaaki Hirakawa was missing for part of the title run-in, but both players look set to play some part against Sepahan tonight.

Forget the form guide. Forget the growing injury list. Forget the fact that they're on alien territory at Toyota Stadium - the home of Nagoya Grampus Eight. Urawa Reds are coming, and they're not here for a picnic.

Urawa qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup by winning this season's AFC Champions League at the first attempt. Their victory meant that a J-League team would not play off against the Oceania champions, but instead both Urawa and AFC Champions League runner-up Sepahan went into the draw for this season's FIFA Club World Cup. Urawa went straight into quarter-finals, while Sepahan beat Oceania representatives Waitakere United 3-1 in the tournament's opening game.

On November 14, Urawa beat Sepahan 2-0 in front of 59,304 fans at Saitama Stadium, to lift the AFC Champions League crown. Having held the Reds to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the final in Iran, however, Sepahan will feel confident of causing an upset in this match.

They'll have some 40,000 Reds fans against them though, and the vociferous Urawa fans could prove the difference tonight, particularly with so many of Urawa's key men carrying injuries. The Reds suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat to bottom club Yokohama FC on the final day of the J-League season just ten days ago, to go with being knocked out of the Emperor's Cup by Second Division side Ehime FC just days earlier. Yet Urawa are the first Japanese team to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, and with the eyes of the Asian football world on them, they'll be up for the challenge when they take on a side they beat less than a month ago.

I'm not going to write my opinion about Pachuca's defeat to Etoile du Sahel. I'm going to reproduce the exact words of 4 of the players that I interviewed exclusively for Ole Ole.

Let's start with Pachuca's forward Christian Gimenez:

Mano Gil: Do you think that a goal in the very end of the game when Pachuca was playing better can be called simply bad luck?

Gimenez: I believe Pachuca tried to win the game. We faced a opponent that knows how to defend very well and we knew they had a very fast counter-attack and so they scored in the chance they had that's why we're now out of the competition.

Mano Gil: I read that since Pachuca arrived in Japan you guys have been thinking about the game against Boca, do you think that there was a moment that Pachuca simply forgot to think about Etoile du Sahel?  

Gimenez: No, of course not. Because since the beggining we came with the idea of playing a good tournament and tradition and experience always teach you to face each game as if it were the final and I believe we showed that on the field today. Our team was a lot better and we tried to win but right at the end they socred their goal and then it was too late to react.

Mano Gil: And what do you have to say now to all the fans that came all the way from Mexico to support the team?

Gimenez: We can only thank each one of them for their support. We all should go back to our hotel and hug every single fan we meet and tell them how much we appreciate their support and let them know that the team tried our best. Unfortunately we couldn't give them the satisfaction of winning this first game but we are really grateful for their unconditional support and passion for the team.

I also talked to the team captain the experient goalkeeper Miguel Calero:  

Mano Gil: How do you feel spiritually after such a disappointment?

Calero: I'm sad. We lost the game and that's was not what we planned for this tournament. I'm simply very sad.

Mano Gil: Did it cross your mind to lose to a team from Tunisia?

Calero: We alaways step on the pitch to win. We never think we are gonna loose but what happened is that we played well but in a fast play they had a deflected shot and scored their goal.

Mano Gil: Do you think that the large number of games that Pachuca played this year had an influence on the team's physical condition in the end of this game?

Calero: Well, not really. I think we were all focused in winning, in moving to the next round. Unfortunately Etoile (du Sahel) played too defensive some even with 11 players on their own field and it was complicated. I believe that towards the end we lacked some patience to find the right way to the goal.  

And of course I talked to the winning side. First let's see what the capeverdian Gilson Silva Alves had to say:

Mano Gil: Pachuca arrived already talking about how their game against Boca would be, did that motivated the players from your team?

Silva Alves: I think that is normal. We were ready for them. We had God’s support which is always very import so we had a lot of faith. The team was well positioned on the pitch. On the first half we let them play and on the second half we started playing more. We moved the ball in midfield with Moussa (Narry) and things worked.

Mano Gil: Did you guys studied Pachuca’s stragegies?

Silva Alves: Yes, we used everything we could. TV, videos, etc… we got here very well prepared knowing what we had to do to get as far as we can in the competition.

And most important of all I talked to Moussa Nary, the efficient midfielder from Ghana who was the executioner of Pachuca’s dream of gold.

Mano Gil: How important was it for Etoile to arrive here in Japan before all the other teams?

Narry: It was important. We arrived and we practiced very much. We came to do our maximum so we dedicated for that. We came to win this match. That’s why in the end we succeeded.

Mano Gil: And how is the team going to prepare to play against Boca? 

Narry: We are going to do the same thing. We are going to play hard and try to win again with the help of God.

Mano Gil: What do you know about Boca Juniors’ team?

Narry: Nothing. I don’t know anything and I don’t even want to know. I will get to know Boca when I get to pitch. I just think about my team, that we have to play the same way if we want to win. We need to have our minds in the final. 

Happiness is the image of Etoile Du Sahel fans!   

I’m Mano Gil, writing direct from Tokyo , exclusively for Ole Ole.

Sayonara!

They can't say they weren't warned. Pachuca may have dominated possession, but they were out-foxed by an Etoile team that were determined to put themselves on the football map.

21 year Ghanian Moussa Narry scored the only goal following an intricate passing move - practically Etoile's only passing move of the match, and Narry's strike took a cruel deflection off defender Leobardo Lopez on its way in. The deflection left popular goalkeeper Miguel Calero clutching at thin air as the ball bounded passed him, but it sparked wild celebrations from the Etoile bench.

It also prompted a deathly silence from the 300 or so Pachuca fans that had made their way to the National Stadium, with Narry's late strike on a blustery afternoon in Tokyo leaving little time for the Mexican team to conjure an equaliser.

They failed to do so, and while the Mexican media were quick to round on Australian referee Mark Shields' performance, veteran coach Enrique Meza was having none of it. Indeed Meza was gracious in defeat, claiming that Etoile deserved their win despite the fact that Pachuca dominated territorial possession. "If you don't score a goal, you can't win the match" was Meza's reasoned response.

So Etoile go on to meet Argentine glamour club Boca Juniors in the semi-finals of the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. When asked if Etoile would feel "less pressure" because no one expected them to beat Boca, Etoile coach Bertrand Marchand claimed that no one expected his side to beat Pachuca either, before going on to sing the praises of his young team for executing his game plan in grand style. Who knows, perhaps the former Guingamp coach has another surprise up his sleeve for Boca Juniors?  

Asi que hable con unos aficionados de Pachuca que viajaran como que mas de 15 horas para ver su equipo jugar en el Mundial Interclubes de la FIFA in Japon, you percebi que muchos de ellos ya estan piensando en el partido contra Boca Juniors.

Me encontre con Jesus Alberto Soto que se quedava tranquilo en el lobby del hotel esperando el momiento de ir a el Estadio Nacional de Tokio. Entonces charlamos por algunos minutos:

Mano Gil: Entonces Jesus, crees que Pachuca esta listo para el torneo?

Jesus Soto: Seguro. Pachuca esta muy listo. El equipo es muy solido y los jugadores estan muy motivados. Nosostros (los aficionados) estamos aca par aver Pachuca ganar el titulo.

Mano Gil: Y tu ya piensa en juego contra Boca?

Jesus Soto: Si, ya estamos con la miente en Boca Juniors. Sera un gran partido.

Mano Gil: Pero hay que ganar de Etoile du Sahel premero.

Jesus Soto: Seguro pero como dijo el equipo esta preparado y yo estoy seguro que vamos a la proxima ronda.

Mano Gil: And what do you know about Etoile du Sahel?

Jesus Soto: Not much. But they might not be very bad. They are the champions of their continent, isn’t that right?

Un otro aficionado, Gustavo Martin de Campo medio major sus palavras cuando hablo de las chances de Pachuca:

Nosotros estamos aca para apoiar Pchuca el tiempo todo. No va ser facil pero tenemos que tener fé. Todos los equipos que llegaram hasta acá tienem las mismas chances porque ellos ganaram sus torneos continentals. Yo no sé quasi nada cerca de Etoile du Sahel. Creo que es un time rapido con jugadores veloces entonces hay que tener cuidado.”

Gustavo dijo eso possivelmente porque Pachuca ya jugo un numero excessive de juegos este año.

“El equipo esta cansado y eso puede ser un problema pero el retorno de Callero (el portero) es una cosa muy Buena porque el es el lider de nuestro equipo. Confiamos en Pachuca e creo que si jugarmos bien hoy nosostros vamos a proxima ronda y intentaremos todo contra Boca Juniors.”

Tambien encontré algunos aficionados tunecinos cerca del estadio y ellos no piensam nada como los mexicanos.

“Pachuca llego en Japon y perdio para un equipo japones. Nosostros venimos mas temprano a Japon y nos preparamos mucho para ese troneo. Yo creo que sera un partido mucho  mas dificil que los mexicanos creen” afirmo el aficionado de Etoile du Sahel.

Los aficionados estan listos. Los equipos tambien. Ahora vamos empezar el espetaculo!

Yo soy Mano Gil, escribindo del Estadio Nacional de Tokio en exclusivad para Ole Ole.

Sayonara!

As I talked to some Pachuca fans who traveled more than 15 hours to see their team play in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, I realized that most of them are already thinking about the game against Boca Juniors.

I met Jesus Alberto Soto sitting at the lobby of his hotel calmly waiting for the moment to go to the National Stadium here in Tokyo. We chatted for a few minutes:

Mano Gil: So Jesus, do you think Pachuca is ready for this tournament?

Jesus Soto: Sure, Pachuca is totally ready. The team is very solid and the players are very motivated. We (the supporters) are here to go after the tittle.

Mano Gil: Are you already focused on the game against Boca Juniors?

Jesus Soto: Yes, we are already thinking of Boca Juniors. It’s going to be a great game.

Mano Gil: But you guys need to beat Etoile du Sahel first.

Jesus Soto: Sure but as I said the team is prepared I’m sure we are going to move on to the next round.

Mano Gil: And what do you know about Etoile du Sahel?

Jesus Soto: Not much. But they might not be very bad. They are the champions of their continent, isn’t that right?

Another fan, Gustavo Martin de Campo, was a little more cautious when analyzing Pachuca’s chances:

“We are here to support Pachuca all the way. It’s not going to be easy but we must have faith. All teams that made to here have the same chances because they deserved to be here by winning their continental competition. I don’t really know anything about Etoile du Sahel. I know they might be a fast team so we have to be careful.”

Gustavo says that possibly because of the excessive number of games that Pachuca played this season.

“The team is tired and that might be a problem but the return of Callero (the goalkeeper) is a great thing because he’s the leader of this team. We trust Pachuca and I believe that if we play well today we can move forward in the competition and try everything against Boca Juniors.”

I also met some fans from Turkey near the Stadium and they don’t agree with the Mexicans.

“Pachuca arrived in Japan and they lost to a Japanese team. Our team arrived here a lot earlier and we prepared ourselves very well for this cup. I believe it will be a tougher game than the Mexicans expect.” Told me a Etoile du Sahel fan.

The fans are ready. So are the teams, now let the show start!

I’m Mano Gil, writing from the Tokyo National Stadium, exclusively for Ole Ole.

Sayonara!

A word on Tokyo National Stadium, the venue for today's FIFA Club World Cup clash between Mexican side Pachuca and Tunisian outfit Etoile Sportive du Sahel.

The National Stadium or 'Kokuritsu' as it's affectionately known around these parts, was built in 1958 in preparation for the 1964 Summer Olympic games held in Tokyo. It's an historic venue in Japanese football, where it has hosted the final of Japan's FA Cup - known as the Emperor's Cup, for decades.

It's also a venue that might appear familiar to football fans across the globe, having hosted the final of the Intercontinental Cup - the forerunner to today's FIFA Club World Cup, from 1980 to 2001. I remember Aussie goalkeeper Mark Bosnich turning in an heroic performance when Manchester United beat Palmeiras 2-0 to lift the Intercontinental Cup in 1999.

With Japan co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the National Stadium has taken on a particularly dated look. It's location within the heart of the Tokyo city centre, however, not to mention the sheer history that surrounds the venue, means that it should remain an integral part of Japanese football for years to come.

With the first of the rest days upon us at the FIFA Club World Cup, I thought I'd check out some of the headlines from around the globe. Trouble is, I started by having a look at the websites of some of the New Zealand newspapers... only to discover that this morning the main football story in New Zealand revolved around Wellington Phoenix beating Perth Glory in a battle of the cellar dwellers in the Australian A-League. Now, I'm not begrudging Wellington their success - in fact, I salute anyone that beats Perth Glory, but I was slightly surprised that it has taken until 1.00pm (Tokyo time) the next day for the New Zealand Herald to acknowledge that Waikatere United were beaten by Sepahan at the Club World Cup. Even then, you have to trawl through several Rugby and Cricket related headlines just to find an RSS link for the Waikatere result, with the main "Soccer" page still sporting a snappy photo of Waikatere coach Chris Milicich under the rather optimistic headline, "It's Over To The Team Now." Perhaps they're planning on challenging Sepahan to a rematch?

The Japanese daily's - never ones to update their websites too quickly lest they cut into sales of the hard copy product, were for once up-to-the-minute in making predictable noises about Urawa's much anticipated rematch with Sepahan. Urawa, of course, beat Sepahan to win the AFC Champions League just last month. But that was a very different Urawa team. They were winning then. More recently Urawa have been losing - to everyone - I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of school girls could rock up at Saitama Stadium and give the Reds a run for their money with the kind of form that they are currently in. After losing to J2 side Ehime FC in the Emperor's Cup and then relinquishing their J-League crown with a loss to the otherwise hopeless Yokohama FC just three days later, Sepahan coach Luka Bonacic has astutely pointed out that perhaps his team could be in with a chance of winning here. Urawa won't even be playing on "home soil" as such - they've traditionally struggled at Toyota Stadium, the home of J-League rivals Nagoya Grampus Eight and, suffice to say, the venue for their rematch with Sepahan.

Over at the Tehran Times, Sepahan's win was naturally the main news story of the day, although they were quick to point out that Luka Bonacic felt that his side were somewhat fortunate on the night. Bonacic graciously pointed out that Waikatere caused his side all manner of problems in the final fifteen minutes of the match, but in all honesty no one really expected anything but a Urawa - Sepahan quarter-final, Bonacic himself surely included.

It's obviously not a newspaper, but the English version of the Milan website is something that I check on a daily basis, just because I really love how matter-of-fact their updates are. "Milan in the air now!" one headline will scream, followed how a brief report of how Milan are indeed in the air - which is something I always hope to be any time I get on an aeroplane. "Milan almost ready to touch down!" the next headline will bellow, followed by a helpful synopsis of the Milan schedule for the next hour or so. I like this system. I think I might adopt it when I send emails to my friends. "I've just got out of bed!" the subject line will announce. "And I've put my slippers on, and am about to make some toast." "The toast is ready!" will be the subject line of the next email, with a body that poses the age old question of whether to apply Vegemite or honey.

And over at the online edition of the Wisconsin State Journal - lest anyone wants to accuse me of being a slacker and not really checking out all the resources available to me on this beloved World Wide Web of our's, the main sports story headline reads "UW men's basketball: Guarded approach." And for the record forecasts call for temperatures of temperatures of 14 degrees Fahreinheit with clear skies and late snow falls, just in case anyone is interested. So there you have it!