Tokushima has been really resized. And Gainare seriously risks the 1st relegation of history in J2, because Kanatamare (or how the hell is spelled ) is now 1st in JFL and it's the only team that has a J-League license.
Hara should start more for Sanga, three goals in a row off the bench. Wataru Endo just can't stop scoring, kinda gone under the radar. Didn't expect Shonan and Yamagata to be leading at this point. But I don't think Yamagata have enough firepower to go all the way.
http://youtu.be/oJ0JJPk-5Vg Pretty good way to score your first ever League goal. I think I may have preferred Avispa's 2nd as a great team goal. We don't seem to be able to score 'ordinary' goals. I thought Shonan were going down way too easily in their game against Verdy, but are worth their lead at the top.
There is no doubt that Kusatsu alones catchment area is too small so if the team can get a better catchment area by calling something new it makes logic..... although they should also consider to change Thespa too then whole Gunma isnt a onsen. I though must admit that I dont think that by changing the name to Gunma the team will get more people in from Maebashi at all. I am aware that Japanese are very Ken-centric but Gunma is a difficult place name, nobody really knows where the name comes from, its easier with Fukushima,Tottori, Okayama and Tokushima. However Thespa arent the only club with branding problems, Tochigi, Ehime definately has similar problems.
Those without a vested interest in any other match may want to hit the Shonan-Mito match tonight. The best scoring team against the fewest goals allowed team. It should be a train wreck!
Friday night game hasn't helped the crowd at Avispa. Thought Verdy might bring a few neutrals in out of interest, but it seems noone is interested. Fair play to the Verdy away fans. Hard to get down here on a work day and the 30 who have are probably the loudest away fans I've heard this year.
Elsewhere... Kyoto is falling apart at home vs. Oita... JEF,playing with a bizarre formation,struggling even against Kataller... Another rainy day on north-eastern Japan...
Every time Kenji Baba scores an hairdresser commits suicide... Things are heating up now, brilliant game.
Of course my recorder wouldn't work while I had to work. Hirahata's excitement doesn't match the match. (-｡-;
Mito's miracle on Sanga. Oita is really interesting this year and Montedio is doing better than expected. JFL sure for Gainare, if they continue this way.
This years J2 race looks pretty damn competitive so far, but I'm not excited by the prospect of Yamagata returning to the top division. I really hope Kubo can come out of this 2nd season slump (Or has he been injured?).
Couldn't agree more with this. At the start of the season if I had been given a choice between someone like Sakata joining or Shigematsu staying after his loan I'm not sure what I would have taken. A part of that was knowing what Shigematsu is capable of and Sakata being something of an unknown to me after his time in Europe and not hugely successful short spell at FC Tokyo, but a bigger part was being caught up in the potential of Shigematsu and what he could become in 4 years time. It only took one game to see that Sakata is the player which Shigematsu might be able to become, but is the finished article. I'm sure he is on much higher wages, but to think that at the start of the season I wasn't totally sure which I would prefer from a proven 29 year old striker, or a highly rated prospect seems crazy now.
Tochigi vsAvispa delayed for at least 20 minutes because of an electric storm. All the players and crowd areare having to hide under the stand until it finishes. Fairly surreal to watch the live broadcast of an empty stadium 2 minutes before kick-off.
So the game ended up being abandoned after starting and then having to go off twice for lightning. After hearing that a couple of people got killed in a dog-run in Saitama that was probably a defendable decision. Avispa were losing 1-0, and looking pretty terrible and no-one seems to now know what happens regarding the match. The game had played about 65 minutes. Does anyone know what will happen now? There seem to be 3 options.. 1) The 1-0 result will stand. 2) Avispa will go up and play the last 25 minutes with the scores at 1-0. 3) The match will start again from 0-0 and 90 minutes. I know Real Madrid started from about 80 minutes after their bomb scare, and other times matches have started from the beginning after being abandoned as late as 89'. But is there a precedent in Japan?
Last year in JFL the Week 23 game between Yokogawa Musashino and Sony Sendai, which took place on August 7th, had to be suspended at half-time, score 1-1, for a thunderstorm. The second half was postponed and played two months later. No goals were scored, and the final result stayed the same.
Avispa, beside the re-scheduled match vs. Tochigi, is having some troubles. Oita and Montedio seem two really good realities of this year. Kyoto is still there.