J League Update: Mon the Gas Men

By: Ian Rose | April 20th, 2008

Another weekend is in the books for the best league in the world (in terms of mascots and light shows), the J League. It was a mostly cagey matchday, with Kashima, Urawa, and Osaka all managing only draws. Two exceptions to the luke warmth that was week seven in Japan were our old friends at Grampus and a plucky little side from the capitol with a very un-J League name.

First, our favorite Orcas took another great step Friday, beating still-hapless JEF United in Nagoya. It seems like even when they play well, this JEF team loses, and they are now bottom of the table, already three points from safety. Grampus was more than happy to be the recipients of the JEF bump this week, as they took advantage of their rivals’ tepid performances to increase their lead at the top to three points over defending champs Kashima Antlers. It really is shaping up, at this early stage, to be a very special season for them.

But, lest we concentrate too much on Whale! and his pals, there was another good win in the league this week, and another developing story of a team that might just outperform their expectations and do something special this season. That team is FC Tokyo. Before I go on … really? … FC Tokyo? In a league with team names like Yokohama F. Marinos and Shimizu S-Pulse, FC Tokyo seems a little bland. Even more damning … I hope you’re sitting down … they don’t have a mascot! A J League team without a mascot is like an MLS team without at least one horrible fullback. Sorry. They do have a nickname, the Gas Men, that goes back to their industrial founders. On second thought, I’m not sure I want to see the mascot for the Gas Men after all.

Still, their unforgivable mascot issue aside, FC Tokyo has had a great start. This is only their ninth season in the top flight, after being re-organized as a league team in 1999 and rising immediately out of J League 2, but they currently sit in third place, five points off the lead. Their first seven matches have seen only one loss, away to Yokohama, and have included a 2-1 derby win away at their crosstown rivals, Tokyo Verdy 1969. This weekend, they faced solid mid-table side in Kawasaki Frontale, and thrilled their home fans to a 4-2 win. After Frontale’s North Korean striker Chong Tese took the lead for the visitors on 20 minutes, Tokyo shot back with a Korean import of their own. Brazilian forward Cabore, winner of last year’s Golden Boot in the South Korean K League, equalized just six minutes after Tese’s opener. Not to be denied easily, the visitors again took the lead less than a minute later, from the foot of Kawasaki’s popular young midfielder Hiroyuki Taniguchi. Just before the half, another equalizer for Tokyo. Luckily for any Tokyo fans with heart conditions, things settled down a bit in the second half, with the home side getting two more goals. One came from former Olympian and current Japan national team midfielder Yasuyaki Konno, considered one of the top talents in Japan, who might very well find himself on some European wishlists come summer.

Kashima Antlers now find themselves in a very different spot than a few weeks ago. Then, they led the league and looked to be running away with it, with a perfect start and their traditional rivals wavering a bit. Now, they trail a side they wouldn’t have expected, in Grampus, and have another, Tokyo, right at their heels. A repeat of their J League crown might just be a lot harder to achieve than they thought.