Finally, on April 29 (Friday, holiday), Tokyo will compete in the first J-League match at the Japan National Stadium.
Before the renovation of the National Stadium, many official matches were held since the first year of joining the J-League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since the long-awaited title was won, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
This is TOKYO.
Before taking a new step at National, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at National along with photos from that time.
2000 First J1 Home National Three Consecutive Wins
【Match Information】
2000 J.League Division 1 1st Stage Sec. 2
FC Tokyo 2-0 Avispa Fukuoka
2000 J League Division 1 1st Stage Sec. 3
FC Tokyo 2-1 Nagoya Grampus Eight
2000 J.League Division 1 1st Stage Sec. 5
FC Tokyo 3-2 Júbilo Iwata
Until the opening of Tokyo Stadium (currently Ajinomoto Stadium), the National Stadium served as Tokyo's temporary home stadium for one year.
With a roster mainly consisting of players who have been with the team since the JFL era, they defeated Yokohama F.Marinos and won against Avispa Fukuoka in their first match at Japan National Stadium, placing them at the top of the standings at this point. The Tokyo whirlwind began here.
By the way, the guest for the home opening match was "Haruiichiban," known for impersonating Antonio Inoki, but this was a countermeasure to the fact that a week earlier, Kashima Antlers had invited the real Inoki as a guest at the same National venue, and the parody spirit became a major topic of discussion.
Furthermore, with this association, during the later match against Shimizu S-Pulse, the Tokyo supporters showered Ryuzo MORIOKA, who resembles the spring first wind, with a spring first wind chant as a bonus (Mr. MORIOKA responded with a wry smile?).
In the second match at National, during Sec. 3, we defeated Nagoya Grampus after extra time. STOJKOVIC said, "Tokyo surprised us."
Tokyo, riding high on a three-game winning streak, faced a frustrating extra-time loss to Kashiwa Reysol at Kashiwa's Leaf in Sec. 4. However, they returned to National Stadium for Sec. 5, determined not to stumble again, where more drama awaited.
After being outmatched in possession by Júbilo Iwata, TUTO equalized twice with two goals, and in the 38th minute of the second half, Amaral scored a penalty in front of the supporters who were holding their breath, finally turning the game around. At the stage of having completed one-third of the first stage, they successfully achieved an unexpected strong start by defeating the three powerhouses: Yokohama, Nagoya, and Iwata.
Unfortunately, the final ranking was 6th. Although we achieved 5 consecutive wins at the start of the 2nd stage, we then faced 7 consecutive losses with a draw in between. We ended with 2 consecutive wins in the last 2 matches, bringing our points back to even and finishing in 8th place, but it was a time at the National that made us feel both the gains and challenges from the momentum of being newly promoted.
In the opening match of the 2nd stage on June 24, current scout Toshiki KOIKE scored his first goal in the J1 League with a long shot, fulfilling his promise on the TV program 'Vamos! FC Tokyo' to score a 25m shot.
Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)
