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Kobe-Universiade game meeting commemoration stadium
Vissel Kobe (ヴィッセル神戸, Visseru Kōbe?) is a Japanese professional football (soccer) club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team is located in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The home stadium is Kobe Wing Stadium, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home matches are played at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium in Suma-ku.
[edit] History
The club was founded in 1966 as the semi-professional Kawasaki Steel Soccer Club in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. In 1994, the city of Kobe reached an agreement with Kawasaki Steel, the parent company, to move the club to Kobe and compete for a spot in the professional J. League as Vissel Kobe. Vissel is a combination of the words "victory" and "vessel", a nod to Kobe's history as a port city.
Vissel Kobe began play in 1995 in the Japan Football League, a league below J.League and the supermarket chain Daiei was slated to the club's primary investor. However, the economic downturn following Great Hanshin earthquake forced Daiei to pull out and the city of Kobe would be responsible for operating the club.
After finishing 2nd in JFL in 1996, Vissel was promoted to the J. League and began play in the top division of soccer in 1997. However, due to mismanagement, including the inability to secure investors and sponsors, Vissel has never been a contender for the league title. In December, 2003, mounting financial losses forced the club to file for bankruptcy protection.
In January, 2004, Vissel was sold to Crimson Group, parent company of online merchant Rakuten, whose president is Kobe native Hiroshi Mikitani. So far, Mikitani's attempts to strengthen the team have met little success. Vissel's first signing under the Mikitani regime, İlhan Mansız, who was acquired partly to capitalize on his popularity during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, was a massive failure - the Turkish forward played just three matches before leaving the team because of a knee injury. Mikitani also alienated supporters by changing the team uniform colors from black and white stripes to crimson, after his Crimson Group and the color of his alma mater, Harvard Business School.
Vissel finished 13th in the league in 2004, the same position as the previous year, and finished 18th and last place, resulting in automatic relegation from J. League Division 1, or J1, to J2. During the two-year span, Vissel has had five different head coaches. 2006 will be Vissel's first season in J2 after nine years in the top division of soccer in Japan. They finished 3rd in the 2006 season and are promoted to J1 after beating Avispa Fukuoka in the promotion/relegation play-offs.
[edit] Team Record
[edit] J.League
| Season |
League |
Place |
GP |
Pts |
Win |
Draw |
Lose |
Average Crowd |
| 1997 |
J1 1st stage |
14 / 17 |
16 |
17 |
6 |
- |
10 |
6,567 |
| J1 2nd stage |
17 / 17 |
16 |
7 |
3 |
- |
13 |
| J1 Total |
16 / 17 |
32 |
24 |
9 |
- |
23 |
| 1998 |
J1 1st stage |
17 / 18 |
17 |
9 |
3 |
- |
14 |
7,686 |
| J1 2nd stage |
14 / 18 |
17 |
16 |
6 |
- |
11 |
| J1 Total |
17 / 18 |
34 |
25 |
9 |
- |
25 |
| 1999 |
J1 1st stage |
12 / 16 |
15 |
15 |
5 |
1 |
9 |
7,691 |
| J1 2nd stage |
7 / 16 |
15 |
22 |
7 |
3 |
5 |
| J1 Total |
10 / 16 |
30 |
37 |
12 |
4 |
14 |
| 2000 |
J1 1st stage |
7 / 16 |
15 |
22 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
7,512 |
| J1 2nd stage |
14 / 16 |
15 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
11 |
| J1 Total |
13 / 16 |
30 |
33 |
11 |
1 |
18 |
| 2001 |
J1 1st stage |
10 / 16 |
15 |
19 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
13,872 |
| J1 2nd stage |
13 / 16 |
15 |
14 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
12 / 16 |
30 |
33 |
9 |
7 |
14 |
| 2002 |
J1 1st stage |
13 / 16 |
15 |
12 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
10,467 |
| J1 2nd stage |
10 / 16 |
15 |
19 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
14 / 16 |
30 |
31 |
10 |
3 |
17 |
| 2003 |
J1 1st stage |
13 / 16 |
15 |
16 |
5 |
1 |
9 |
11,195 |
| J1 2nd stage |
13 / 16 |
15 |
14 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
13 / 16 |
30 |
30 |
8 |
6 |
16 |
| 2004 |
J1 1st stage |
12 / 16 |
15 |
15 |
3 |
6 |
6 |
15,735 |
| J1 2nd stage |
8 / 16 |
15 |
21 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
| J1 Total |
11 / 16 |
30 |
36 |
9 |
9 |
12 |
| 2005 |
J1 |
18 / 18 |
34 |
21 |
4 |
9 |
21 |
14,913 |
| 2006 |
J2 |
3 / 13 |
48 |
86 |
25 |
11 |
12 |
6,910 |
| 2007 |
J1 |
10 / 18 |
34 |
47 |
13 |
8 |
13 |
12,460 |
|
|
Key to colors
| |
Played in 1st division league |
| |
Played in 2nd division league |
|
[edit] Other domestic competitions
| Season |
Result |
| 1997 |
4th Round |
| 1998 |
3rd Round |
| 1999 |
3rd Round |
| 2000 |
Semi-finals |
| 2001 |
4th Round |
| 2002 |
3rd Round |
| 2003 |
Quarter-finals |
| 2004 |
4th Round |
| 2005 |
4th Round |
| 2006 |
3rd Round |
| 2007 |
5th Round |
|
|
| Season |
Result |
| 1997 |
Group Stage |
| 1998 |
Group Stage |
| 1999 |
1st Round |
| 2000 |
2nd Round |
| 2001 |
2nd Round |
| 2002 |
Group Stage |
| 2003 |
Group Stage |
| 2004 |
Group Stage |
| 2005 |
Group Stage |
| 2006 |
Didn't qualify |
| 2007 |
Group Stage |
|
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
As of February 22, 2008
|
|
|
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 21 |
 |
DF |
Hiroto Mogi |
| 22 |
|
MF |
Kenji Baba |
| 23 |
|
FW |
Gakuto Kondo |
| 24 |
|
MF |
Masatoshi Mihara |
| 25 |
|
DF |
Yosuke Ishibitsu |
| 26 |
|
MF |
Ryosuke Matsuoka |
| 27 |
|
FW |
Hiroki Kishida |
| 28 |
|
MF |
Takayuki Toyomitsu |
| 29 |
|
GK |
Takahide Kishi |
| 30 |
|
GK |
Kenta Tokushige |
| 31 |
|
DF |
Kiyokazu Masuda |
| 32 |
|
DF |
Masaki Yanagawa |
| 33 |
|
GK |
Kohei Doi |
| 34 |
|
MF |
Keita Sogabe |
| 35 |
|
FW |
Masahiro Ito |
| 36 |
|
DF |
Keiichi Misawa |
| 37 |
|
FW |
Nobuhiro Uetani |
|
[edit] Notable players
[edit] World Cup players
World Cup 1998
[edit] Managers
[edit] Trivia
- A fictional character named Kazuki Sorimachi in the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, becomes a professional soccer player and joins Vissel Kobe.
[edit] External links
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J. League |
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Domestic League, League Cup, & Emperor's Cup Seasons |
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| Division 1 & 2 |
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| League Cup |
1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 |
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| Emperor's Cup |
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2008 J. League Clubs & Associate Members |
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Division 1
(18 clubs) |
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Division 2
(15 clubs) |
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Defunct
Club(s) |
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Associate
Members |
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Competitions involving Japanese clubs |
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| Domestic |
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| Defunct |
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| International |
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Bismarck
Lee Baxter
Michael Laudrup
Jan Jönsson
Thomas Bickel
Pavel Horváth
İlhan Mansız
Patrick Mboma
Matthew Bingley
Budimir Vujačić
Choi Sung-Yong
Spain
