TOKYOism

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.

2010 Overhead Kick of Determination

【Match Information】
90th Emperor's Cup All Japan Soccer Championship Semifinal Round
FC Tokyo 1-2 Kashima Antlers

In the 1999 Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round, the opponent was Kashima Antlers, but looking back at the club's history, there have been many encounters in the Emperor's Cup. This likely indicates that Kashima has a high probability of being in a good position in cup competitions, and when Tokyo reaches that level, they face each other.

In 1994, during the Tokyo Gas era, they won 2-0 against Kashima in the 1st Round of the Emperor's Cup. In the 1997 Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round, they faced Kashima, which had both JORGINHO and Bismarck at that time, and lost 1-3. After 13 years, on December 29, 2010, Tokyo faced Kashima again in the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round.

On December 4, Tokyo, which had already been relegated to the J2 League after losing to Kyoto SANGA F.C., had previously secured a spot in the top 8. They advanced by defeating Avispa Fukuoka in the quarterfinals on December 25, driven by the determination to win their final title.

With Ryuji FUJIYAMA and Satoru ASARI already absent, it felt like a litmus test for the new generation of Tokyo to see how far they could go at this turning point in time. That year, four matches were held at the National Stadium, including the Nabisco Cup, Suruga Bank Championship, and J1. As the chant goes, there was joy in "Winning the Suruga and becoming number one in the world," but the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round, fought at the end of the year for a chance to advance to the final, was something special. On the same day two years ago, they lost to Kashiwa Reysol at Ecopa Stadium and missed out on the final, but could they finally become finalists this time?──

Shinzo KOROKI, Yuya OSAKO, and Takuya NOZAWA, among other notable players, saw Kashima launch an offensive with shots early on, putting Tokyo in a difficult position. However, in the 39th minute of the first half, Ricardinho's cross from the left was struck in with an overhead kick by Sota HIRAYAMA! This dramatic goal, his fourth in the tournament, gave Tokyo the lead.

However, in the 22nd minute of the second half, Tomohiko MIYAZAKI, a graduate of FC Tokyo U-18, delivered a cross from the left that was headed in by Yuya OSAKO to equalize. In the 4th minute of extra time, Takuji YONEMOTO received his second yellow card of the day and was sent off. Then, in the 16th minute of the second half of extra time, a right-footed shot by Kōroki found the net, and Tokyo finally ran out of steam.

To clear the frustration of the league matches in the Emperor's Cup, we were just one step short.

Text by Katsu Goto (Freelance Writer)