Tokyo Verdy 1969
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| Tokyo Verdy 1969 東京ヴェルディ1969 |
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| Full name | Tokyo Verdy 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Ajinomoto Stadium Chōfu, Tokyo |
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| Capacity | 50,100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Yasuo Shimada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Ruy Ramos(2006-) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | J. League Div.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 7th Place | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tokyo Verdy 1969 (東京ヴェルディ1969 Tōkyō Verudi Ichi-kyu-roku-kyū?) is a football team which plays in Division 2 of Japan's J. League. Verdy's home stadium is Ajinomoto Stadium, which it shares with F.C. Tokyo, although many home matches are played in other stadiums in Tokyo, including Tokyo National Stadium.
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[edit] History
The club was formed in 1969 as the company club of Yomiuri Shimbun; based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, a suburb of Tokyo, Yomiuri FC played in the Japan Soccer League. When the JSL disbanded and reformed as the fully professional J. League in 1993, the team renamed itself Verdy Kawasaki. Although the club officially dropped "Yomiuri" from the name and spun off from the company, it team remained under Yomiuri's ownership until 1997, and is currently owned by Nippon Television Network, the broadcast arm of the Yomiuri Group.
[edit] Early years
From its days as Yomiuri F.C., the ownership had visions of a soccer equivalent of the baseball Yomiuri Giants, a star-studded powerhouse with fans across Japan. As Japanese soccer began its transition from the JSL to the J. League in the early 1990s, it invested heavily in stars and featured Japanese internationals Kazuyoshi Miura, Ruy Ramos and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa.
The team immediately met expectations, winning the last two JSL championships as Yomiuri F.C. in 1990/1991 and 1991/1992, and then winning the first two championships as Verdy Kawasaki in 1993 and 1994, effectively winning four straight Japanese league titles. Verdy also won the 1995/1996 Emperor's Cup and three consecutive J. League Cups from 1992 to 1994.
[edit] Mid- to late 90s
This early success did not last, however, and as the stars aged, the team's performance suffered. Verdy's 1st place finish in the 2nd Stage of the 1995 season would be its last stage victory and the 1996 Emperor's Cup would be its last major title of the decade. The downturn in the Japan economy and cooling of the J. League fad meant all teams had to cut expenses, which meant Verdy could no longer buy expensive replacements for its aging stars.
In 1996, the team dropped to 7th place overall, the lowest finish in the league's existence at that point, and would fall further in 1997, finishing 16th and 12th, in the 1st Stage and 2nd Stage, respectively, and 15th overall out of 17 teams. Although Verdy looked to return to prominence in 1999, finishing 2nd in the 1st Stage, the resurgence was short-lived as it fell to 10th in the 2nd Stage.
Meanwhile, the team's efforts to become "Japan's Team" alienated local fans in Kawasaki. The expensive salaries and struggling attendance caused the club's debts to mount. Unable to compete with crosstown rival Kawasaki Frontale and the nearby Yokohama Marinos and Yokohama Flugels, Verdy made the decision to leave Kawasaki.
[edit] Tokyo years
In 2001, the team moved from Kawasaki to Chōfu, Tokyo and was re-named Tokyo Verdy 1969 to reflect the new hometown and the club's origins as Yomiuri F.C. Although Verdy made the move to increase its fan base and distance itself from its rivals, F.C. Tokyo had been promoted to J1, the top division, in 2000 and already captured the local fans.
In its first year in Tokyo, Verdy found itself trailing F.C. Tokyo in the standings as well, and finished last in the division at 16th in the first stage of the 2001 season. Only the play of midseason acquisition Edmundo and a win in the final match of the second stage saved the club from relegation to J2. Verdy was back at the bottom of the table in the first stage of the 2002 season, but again finished the season strong, placing 4th in the second stage.
Two mid-table finishes followed in 2003 and 2004, before Verdy won the Emperor's Cup on January 1, 2005, its first major title in 9 years and the first in Tokyo. Winning the cup earned Verdy a spot in the 2006 AFC Champions League. [1]
However, Verdy fell to its worst finish in its existence, placing 17th out of 18 in the 2005 season (the league scrapped the two-stage season format) and was relegated to J2, the second division of the J. League. The season was marked by three huge losses in July, 1-7 to Gamba Osaka on July 2, 0-7 to Urawa Red Diamonds on July 6 and 6-0 to Jubilo Iwata on July 17. But the struggling Verdy upset European giant Real Madrid, in Asia on a preseason tour, by a score of 3-0. [2]
[edit] Relegated to J2
In 2006, Verdy found itself in an odd position of competing in a lower division and the AFC Champions League.
The team is coached by former Verdy Kawasaki legend Ruy Ramos. After Verdy was relegated, it released many of the veteran players, leaving a core of young players, most notably Takayuki Morimoto, who became the youngest player to score in the J. League at age 15 in 2004. [3]
After a disappointing 2006 season in Division 2, Coach Ramos stated that if his team did not win the first game of the 2007 season, he would step down as head coach. At this point it is not known if Ramos will remain on the team, go elsewhere, or even again retire from the sport should this occur. The first game will be held March 4 against Thespa Kusatsu, one of the weakest teams in the leage.
[edit] Titles
- J. League (1993, 1994)
- League Cup (1992, 1993, 1994)
- Emperor's Cup (1996/97, 2004/05)
- Xerox Super Cup (1994, 1995, 2005)
[edit] Team Record
[edit] J.League
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[edit] Other domestic competitions
[edit] Emperor's Cup
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[edit] J. League Cup
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[edit] Super Cup
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[edit] Major International Competitions
| Season | Competition | Result | Average Crowd |
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| 1992-93 | AFC Champions League | 4th | ? |
| 1993-94 | AFC Champions League | 3rd | ? |
| 1994-95 | AFC Champions League | Quarter-finals | ? |
| 1995-96 | AFC Champions League | Quarter-finals | ? |
| 1997-98 | Asian Cup Winners Cup | Quarter-finals | ? |
| 2006 | AFC Champions League | Round 1 | ? |
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
As of February 9, 2007
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[edit] Notable Players
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[edit] Managers
| Manager | Nat. | Tenure |
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| Yasutaro Matsuki |  Japan |
1993-1994 |
| Nelsinho Baptista |  Brazil |
1995-1996 |
| Yasuyuki Kishino | Japan |
1996 |
| Émerson Leão | Brazil |
1996 |
| Hisashi Kato | Japan |
1997 |
| Espinoza | Brazil |
1997 |
| Ryoichi Kawakatsu | Japan |
1997 |
| Nicanor | Brazil |
1998 |
| Ryoichi Kawakatsu | Japan |
1998 |
| Hideki Matsunaga | Japan |
1999 |
| Chang Woe-Ryong |  Korea Republic |
2000 |
| Yasutaro Matsuki | Japan |
2001 |
| Yukitaka Omi | Japan |
2001-2002 |
| Lori Paulo Sandri | Brazil |
2002-2003 |
| Leandro | Brazil |
2003 |
| Osvaldo Ardiles |  Argentina |
2003-2005 |
| Nobuhiro Ishizaki | Japan |
2005 |
| Vadão | Brazil |
2005 |
| Ruy Ramos | Japan |
2006- |
[edit] Other Sports
Verdy is a polideportivo and also fields teams in women's football, volleyball, and triathalon.
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Official Site
- (English) Soilent Green 1969: Verdy FanBlog
- (English) Rising Sun News: Tokyo Verdy 1969
