The FC Tokyo Thread

You're just being a concern troll now and it's getting old.


The soccer mags are passing judgment on off-season acquisitions. FCT has apparently made the grade in Soccer Digest, rising from 78 to 83 points and getting the only 'A' ranking. Though granted, the next highest score is Verdy with 68.

SakaDai's proposed 11:

[LINEUP-4-4-2]Roberto (Pedro Jr), Hirayama (Takamatsu), Pedro Jr (Yazawa), Kajiyama (Uesato), Yonemoto (Hoberto), Ishikawa (Otake), Nakamura (Uesato), Konno (Nagira), Morishige (Hiramatsu), Tokunaga (Mukuhara), Gonda (Shiota)[/LINEUP-4-4-2]

Based on this it does seem like Hanyu and Suzuki could be on the way out... maybe as a summer transfer?

 

Thinking about it some more after picking up Soccer Magazine this morning, which I guess I won't be buying much of this season because they only gave J2 teams 1/4th of a black and white page in their coverage. Their depth chart is more or less identical to Digest's.

In terms of being on the bubble, I'd say the players with the biggest potential of being sold midseason are Kajiyama, Suzuki, Hanyu, and Hirayama, in that order.


Kajiyama: On record as wanting to go to Europe over the summer. England/Spain/Italy/Germany are probably out of the question but a league one of those countries with a funny language might show enough interest.

Suzuki: Aging striker who's adequate for a fill-in or super-sub role. He's not a horrible player, and he can probably perform for a J2 squad, he's just not going to accomplish much more for Tokyo.

Hanyu: Aged and showing it. Can't play a full 90 minutes anymore, and injuries are always a risk. He's not quite at the Kazu or Gon stage of irrelevancy and would be a great leader on the pitch and in the locker room for a J2 squad... or even JFL, if it came to that, but I'd put decent money on this past season having been his last in J1.

Hirayama: The least likely to leave, but two attacking Brazillians and Takamatsu added to the squad means that he's on the bubble. We need that big-man presence, but if a two-Brazillian top scores 3 goals a game I wouldn't put it past the front office to rent or sell him. At this point he and Ishikawa are the faces of the franchise (for better or for worse) but I think there'd be less negative fan reaction were Sota to leave than if they showed Nao the door.

 

Yeah, earlier someone posted a YT compilation from his agent, but let's be serious. No top-division European team is gonna pick him up. Maybe the MLS if he's lucky but I just don't think he has the stamina anymore.

 

Second-worst injury reaction I've seen w/ FCT, with the worst being when Nao did his ankle in back in '09. Yonemoto was on the sideline just slamming his right arm into the ground over and over again... painful to see.

The team even took the time to make a news post essentially saying "he's at home and he's not getting an examination until tomorrow," which I don't remember them doing unless it's a really bad injury.

You ask me I don't think he takes the field again this season. I sure hope that's not the case but if so it's utterly tragic.