In the 2000 season, which was their first challenge in the J1 League, the opening match against Yokohama F. Marinos saw Amaral acquire a penalty kick, which was then passed on to TUTO, marking the memorable first goal in the J1 League. They won the match 1-0 and started a Tokyo whirlwind with great momentum. With the goal of remaining in the J1 League, in the 2001 season, Kelly joined the team from Brazil in a surprise move. The match, which was held as the Tokyo Stadium's inaugural game, ended with a victory over Verdy in the derby with a goal from Wagner Lopes. Although they finished in the middle of the standings for the season, it was a two-year period in which they solidified their foundation as a club worthy of the J1 League.
Aiming for further improvement, the 2002 season welcomed Hiromi HARA as the new coach. The team consisted of unique members with reliable skills, including new additions Teruyuki MONIWA, Jean, and Naohiro ISHIKAWA. Based on the tradition of solid defense, they advocated for "attacking football" and in the 2003 season, they came closest to winning the league championship for the first time.
The side attacks launched by Ishikawa and Akira KAJI were a threat, and in the 1st stage they achieved their highest ranking of 4th place. "If only" is forbidden, but in the 2nd stage, in the Sec. 13 match against Gamba Osaka, they were constantly blocked by the opposing goalkeeper Naoki Matsushiro in Tokyo's scoring opportunities. If they had won here... If they had scored a goal in the next Verdy match... These are also facts that brought about a "serious regret".
The road to winning the club's first title in the 2004 season was not easy. The quarterfinal match against G Osaka was delayed due to the impact of a typhoon. The semifinal was postponed.
Despite being troubled by bad weather and adjustments, the match against Verdy started with a 3-point lead in the first half. Verdy, who had a player sent off, entered the second half with a numerical advantage. However, they were caught off guard and quickly equalized. Under the tense atmosphere, the sound of Verdy's Hiramoto Kazuki's shot hitting the post right after the equalizer still echoes in our ears.
However, the trust in Hitoshi SHIOTA, who has protected Tokyo's goal in all 8 matches so far, remained unshaken, and it was Lucas's experience and composure that put an end to the fierce battle. 40 seconds into extra time, Yoshiro ABE scored a header, following Masashi MIYAZAWA's kick from the corner kick won by him. Without this winning goal, the club would not have had its first title, of course.
In the final round, there were Jean's tears, Fumitake Miura's ruthless substitution, Ryuji Fujiyama's outstanding performance as a substitute, and Akira Kaji, who volunteered to be the fifth penalty kick taker... The dramatic development continued with unexpected twists and turns, but they ultimately won the championship in a total team effort.
This changes the position from being chased to being chased from the position that has been pursued. Each of them has been ambitious to be a team worthy of the J1 League, and further to be a team that continues to compete for the championship.
However, Coach Hara initially said, "Tokyo is filled with entertainment. In order to get people to pay attention to soccer and come to the stadium..." and I think his gaze was always empathetic towards the spectators.
The team is still far from mature, and there is a certain instability that makes it thrilling and nerve-wracking. However, they showed determination and spirit to keep running until the end, aggressively trying to regain what was lost. FC Tokyo tried to express and share the pure charm and refreshing joy that soccer possesses. Isn't that still the origin of Tokyo?
Text by Yoru Fujiwara (Freelance Writer)
[25 Years of History] Special Column Here
25 Years of History vol.1 Things We Must Not Forget
25 Years of History vol.3 Blue Tokyo
