Everything about Verdy Kawasaki totally explained
, formally
Tokyo Verdy 1969 and
Verdy Kawasaki, is a
soccer team which plays in Division 1 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.
History
The club was formed in
1969 as the company club of the
Yomiuri Shimbun. Located in
Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yomiuri FC played in the
Japan Soccer League until the JSL disbanded and reformed as the professional J. League in
1993. At this time the team professionalised and renamed itself
Verdy Kawasaki. Although
Yomiuri was dropped from the name as the club spun off from the company, the team remained under Yomiuri's ownership until
1997, and is currently owned by
Nippon Television Network, the broadcast arm of the
Yomiuri Group.
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
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 making a total of
seven overall; the highest in the Japanese system. Verdy also won the
1995/
1996 Emperor's Cup and three consecutive
J. League Cups from
1992 to
1994.
Mid- to late 90s
This early success didn't 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. A downturn in the national economy and the cooling of the J. League fad meant all teams had to cut expenses. This 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. Struggling to compete with the newly professionalised crosstown rival
Kawasaki Frontale and the nearby
Yokohama Marinos and
Yokohama Flugels, Verdy made the decision to leave Kawasaki.
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, by this time Tokyo was already home to a J1 team in
F.C. Tokyo. Despite a sharp increase in crowd numbers for Verdy, this was still well below those of F.C. Tokyo. Their new local rivals had been promoted to J1 in
2000 and had already captured a vast number of the supporters Verdy had been hoping to acquire.
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 followed, 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.
(External Link
)
However, in
2005 Verdy fell to its worst finish of its history, finishing 17th out of 18. This was the first season after the scrapping of the two-stage season format, and Verdy were relegated to J2. 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. However, the struggling Verdy upset European giant
Real Madrid, in
Asia on a preseason tour, by a score of 3-0.
(External Link)
Relegated to J2
In
2006, with the team coached by former Verdy Kawasaki legend Ruy Ramos, Verdy found itself in the odd position of competing in the AFC Champions League while playing in the second tier of the national league system. 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.
(External Link)
After a disappointing 2006 season in J2, Coach Ramos stated that if his team didn't win the first game of the 2007 season, he'd step down as head coach. Verdy managed to beat Kusatsu 5-0 on the first day. After a brief scuffle with Sapporo over the J2 title, Verdy had to settle for runner-up - still good enough to earn promotion back into the top flight for
2008. At this time the club renamed itself for the second time, dropping
1969 from it's name, thereby formally severing its link with its city of origin.
Titles
- Japan Soccer League (1983, 1984, 1986/87, 1990/91, 1991/92)
- Japan Soccer League Division 2 (1974, 1977)
- J. League (1993, 1994)
- JSL/J. League Cup (1979, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)
- Emperor's Cup (1996/97, 2004/05)
- Xerox Super Cup (1984, 1994, 1995, 2005)
- AFC Club Championship (1988)
- Sanwa Bank Cup (1994)
Team Record
J.League
| Season |
eague |
lace |
P |
ts |
in |
raw |
ose |
verage Crowd |
| 1993 |
J1 1st stage |
Runners-up / 10 |
18 |
- |
12 |
- |
6 |
25,235 |
| J1 2nd stage |
Champions / 10 |
18 |
- |
16 |
- |
2 |
| J1 Total |
Champions / 10 |
36 |
- |
28 |
- |
18 |
| 1994 |
J1 1st stage |
4 / 12 |
22 |
- |
14 |
- |
8 |
24,926 |
| J1 2nd stage |
Champions / 10 |
22 |
- |
17 |
- |
5 |
| J1 Total |
Champions / 10 |
44 |
- |
31 |
- |
13 |
| 1995 |
J1 1st stage |
Runners-up / 14 |
26 |
49 |
16 |
- |
10 |
20,834 |
| J1 2nd stage |
Champions / 14 |
26 |
59 |
19 |
- |
7 |
| J1 Total |
Runners-up / 14 |
52 |
107 |
35 |
- |
17 |
| 1996 |
J1 |
7 / 16 |
30 |
57 |
19 |
- |
11 |
17,653 |
| 1997 |
J1 1st stage |
16 / 17 |
16 |
10 |
4 |
- |
12 |
10,933 |
| J1 2nd stage |
12 / 17 |
16 |
16 |
6 |
- |
10 |
| J1 Total |
15 / 17 |
32 |
26 |
10 |
- |
22 |
| 1998 |
J1 1st stage |
6 / 18 |
17 |
30 |
10 |
- |
7 |
13,338 |
| J1 2nd stage |
17 / 18 |
17 |
9 |
3 |
- |
14 |
| J1 Total |
12 / 18 |
34 |
39 |
13 |
- |
21 |
| 1999 |
J1 1st stage |
Runners-up / 16 |
15 |
32 |
11 |
1 |
3 |
9,379 |
| J1 2nd stage |
10 / 16 |
15 |
17 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
| J1 Total |
7 / 16 |
30 |
49 |
17 |
2 |
11 |
| 2000 |
J1 1st stage |
9 / 16 |
15 |
20 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
7,609 |
| J1 2nd stage |
10 / 16 |
15 |
18 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
10 / 16 |
30 |
38 |
12 |
4 |
14 |
| 2001 |
J1 1st stage |
16 / 16 |
15 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
11 |
19,396 |
| J1 2nd stage |
9 / 16 |
15 |
20 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
14 / 16 |
30 |
30 |
10 |
2 |
18 |
| 2002 |
J1 1st stage |
12 / 16 |
15 |
13 |
5 |
1 |
9 |
15,128 |
| J1 2nd stage |
4 / 16 |
15 |
24 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
| J1 Total |
10 / 16 |
30 |
37 |
13 |
3 |
14 |
| 2003 |
J1 1st stage |
10 / 16 |
15 |
19 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
17,563 |
| J1 2nd stage |
9 / 16 |
15 |
21 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
| J1 Total |
8 / 16 |
30 |
40 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
| 2004 |
J1 1st stage |
9 / 16 |
15 |
19 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
15,059 |
| J1 2nd stage |
9 / 16 |
15 |
20 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
| J1 Total |
9 / 16 |
30 |
39 |
11 |
6 |
13 |
| 2005 |
J1 |
17 / 18 |
34 |
30 |
6 |
12 |
16 |
14,716 |
| 2006 |
J2 |
7 / 13 |
48 |
71 |
21 |
8 |
19 |
5,705 |
| 2007 |
J2 |
Runners-up / 13 |
48 |
89 |
26 |
11 |
11 |
7,327 |
| 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Played in 1st division league |
| |
Played in 2nd division league |
|
Other domestic competitions
| Season |
esult |
| 1992 |
Runners-up |
| 1993 |
Quarter-finals |
| 1994 |
2nd Round |
| 1995 |
Quarter-finals |
| 1996 |
Champions |
| 1997 |
3rd Round |
| 1998 |
Quarter-finals |
| 1999 |
Semi-finals |
| 2000 |
4th Round |
| 2001 |
Quarter-finals |
| 2002 |
3rd Round |
| 2003 |
Quarter-finals |
| 2004 |
Champions |
| 2005 |
4th Round |
| 2006 |
3rd Round |
| 2007 |
3rd Round |
|
|
| Season |
esult |
| 1992 |
Champions |
| 1993 |
Champions |
| 1994 |
Champions |
| 1995 |
Not Held |
| 1996 |
Runners-up |
| 1997 |
Group Stage |
| 1998 |
Group Stage |
| 1999 |
2nd Round |
| 2000 |
Quarter-finals |
| 2001 |
1st Round |
| 2002 |
Group Stage |
| 2003 |
Group Stage |
| 2004 |
Semi-finals |
| 2005 |
Group Stage |
| 2006 |
Didn't qualify |
| 2007 |
Didn't qualify |
|
|
| Season |
esult |
| 1994 |
Champions |
| 1995 |
Champions |
| 1997 |
Runners-up |
| 2005 |
Champions |
|
Major International Competitions
Players
Current squad
As of February 16, 2008
Notable Players
Patrick Mboma
Tetsuji Hashiratani
Satoshi Tsunami
Ko Ishikawa
Tsuyoshi Kitazawa
Atsuhiro Miura
Kazuyoshi Miura
Yasutoshi Miura
Kenichi Uemura
Takayuki Morimoto
Hideki Nagai
Yuji Hironaga
Ruy Ramos
Takaya Kurokawa
Takuya Takagi
Nobuhiro Takeda
Takahiro Yamada
Hiroyuki Shirai
Daijiro Takakuwa
Takafumi Ogura
Daigo Kobayashi
Naoki Soma
Hayuma Tanaka
Takuya Yamada
Masakiyo Maezono
Kazuyuki Toda
Yuji Nakazawa
Shinkichi Kikuchi
Toshihiro Hattori
Pereira
Bismarck
Edmundo
Gil
Washington
Hulk
Claudio Ubeda
Geoff Horsfield
Steve Paterson
Lee Gang Jin
Kim Do-Keun
Ryang Gyu-Sa
Managers
Other Sports
Verdy is a polideportivo and also fields teams in women's football, volleyball, and triathlon. The women's football team is called NTV Beleza and they play in the L. League.
Trivia
A fictional character named Hajime Taki from the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, becomes a professional soccer player and joins Tokyo Verdy 1969.Further Information
Get more info on 'Verdy Kawasaki'.
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