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99-453: The stadium comprises the Main Stand of 8000 seats, with grass banking on the remaining three sides. The Back Stand opposite the Main Stand can accommodate 12000, with the remaining ends 4000 each. In addition to athletics, the stadium has been utilised for matches by J.League football teams Shimizu S-Pulse , Júbilo Iwata and Fujieda MYFC . Shimizu S-Pulse used the ground extensively in

198-409: A Vietnamese side deprived of a number of key players (4–2), before going on to play a nightmarish game against Iraq (a 2–1 loss). This defeat, Japan's first in the group stage since their first appearance in 1988 , condemned them to finish second in the group due to their unfavourable head-to-head record. The Japanese sealed three points after overcoming Indonesia 3–1 and then eliminated Bahrain by

297-531: A 1–0 victory over Argentina. Japan participated in the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar . On 29 January, they beat Australia 1–0 in the final after extra time, their fourth Asian Cup triumph and allowing them to qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup . The country then started their road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil . Throughout, they suffered only two losses to Uzbekistan and Jordan , and drew against Australia. After

396-639: A 1–0 win against Cameroon, before subsequently losing to the Netherlands 1–0. Then, Japan resoundingly beat Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay . In the round of 16, Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay. After the World Cup, head coach Takeshi Okada resigned. He was replaced by former Juventus and Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni . In his first few matches, Japan recorded victories over Guatemala (2–1) and Paraguay (1–0), as well as

495-554: A 1–1 draw with Australia, they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, becoming the first nation aside from the hosts to qualify. Japan started their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a 3–0 loss to Brazil. They were then eliminated from the competition after losing to Italy 4–3. They lost their final match 1–2 against Mexico and finished in fourth place in Group A. One month later, in the EAFF East Asian Cup , they started out with

594-489: A 3–3 draw to China . They then beat Australia 3–2 and beat South Korea 2–1 in the third and final match in the tournament to claim the title. Japan was placed into Group C at the 2014 World Cup alongside the Ivory Coast , Greece and Colombia . They fell in their first match to Ivory Coast 2–1 after initially taking the lead, allowing two goals in a two-minute span. They drew their second game to Greece 0–0. To qualify for

693-482: A central area behind the goal which has been dubbed The Dragon Zone. Often physical, it is not uncommon for the area to descend into a mosh pit after important goals, and signs posted around the stand inform and caution general supporters of the area's lively nature. The club's official fan club has several branches around the country, and S-Pulse supporters are officially listed as the team's twelfth player . Although Suzuyo & Co., Ltd.  [ ja ] , which

792-406: A colourful and noisy collection of supporters who follow the team around the country. A supporter band is present at games home and away to help galvanise support and raise the decibel levels. The band models itself to a large degree after its Brazilian counterparts, and Latin rhythms and samba sounds predominate. For home games, S-Pulse's more vocal supporters gather in the second tier of The Kop ;

891-612: A date which is celebrated as the club's memorial birthday. The match took place at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. The club's first competitive game was in the 1992 League Cup against Nagoya Grampus on September 5 at the Mizuho Athletic Stadium , and ended in a 3–2 defeat. Their competitive home début was held at Nihondaira Stadium shortly after on September 9 against Yokohama Marinos , which S-Pulse won 2–1. S-Pulse's first league game

990-546: A fiercely contested derby, much of the home advantage is lost; a factor which contributed in part to the staging of the 2007 derby at Nihondaira despite demand for tickets far outstripping supply. The decision paid off with a home victory. 2007 saw all home games staged at Nihondaira for the first time since 1999. This was repeated in 2008 , although between 2009 and 2015 Ecopa was used for at least one home league game. S-Pulse have chosen not to use Ecopa since 2015, playing all home league games at Nihondaira. In October 2008 it

1089-627: A friendly match against Jamaica , but the match was cancelled and replaced with a match against the U-24 team . The kit was also used by the U-24 team against U-24 Ghana on 5 June 2021. The crest or emblem of the national team was adopted in late 2017 as part of a larger rebranding by the Japan Football Association. The crest features the Yatagarasu , a three-legged crow from Japanese mythology that

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1188-629: A handful of matches against Manchuria and other colonies. Its last prewar match for purposes of Elo ratings was a friendly against the Philippines in June 1940. While Korea was under Japanese rule , multiple Koreans played in international competition for Japan, including Kim Yong-sik (1936–40), Kim Sung-gan (1940) and Lee Yoo-hyung (1940). Japan's postwar debut was in the 1951 Asian Games in India. Japan re-joined FIFA in 1950 and played in qualifiers for

1287-580: A level below J.League , to one-off cup pairings. Despite always performing well, Honda FC have resisted professionalisation and so are unable to join the J.League. The forerunners to Avispa Fukuoka and Sagan Tosu were originally also based in Shizuoka Prefecture, but had to move to Kyushu because of the dominance and fan saturation of S-Pulse and Iwata. Since the team's inception, the same colour combination for home shirts have been used each year. The colour scheme of orange shirts, shorts and socks

1386-422: A near-miss in the league, avoiding a relegation play-off by only goal difference, manager Kenta Hasegawa 's work started to pay off the following year. In both 2006 and 2007 S-Pulse performed strongly in the league and finished in 4th place, followed by a fifth place standing in 2008 . However, early exits in both cup competitions in 2006 and 2007, means they are currently without a trophy for five years. This

1485-403: A new, larger home. In recent years various locations have been cited as a potential location for a new stadium, including next to Higashi-Shizuoka Station , and next to Shimizu Station . Located near the famous Miho no Matsubara are S-Pulse's main training facilities. Named Miho Ground, training session are sometimes open to the public for autograph hunters. The Miho Ground has also housed

1584-505: A one goal margin. In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup , Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian champions for the second time. Two years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. After a 2–2 draw with Belgium in their opening match, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1–0 win over Russia and a 2–0 victory against Tunisia . However, they subsequently exited

1683-586: A penalty shootout. Japan lost to Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals, before failing in the third-place match against South Korea. During the 2010 World Cup qualification , in the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers , Japan became the first team other than the host South Africa to qualify after defeating Uzbekistan 1–0 away. Japan was drawn in Group E along with the Netherlands , Denmark and Cameroon . Japan started with

1782-456: A prefecture, Shizuoka had historically been a strong footballing area of Japan; in particular being noted for its nationally successful high school teams and the numerous national team players which had emerged from the prefecture over the years. The prefectural police force of Shizuoka actually has an anthropomorphic football as a mascot. The west of the prefecture was already home to the company team of Yamaha Motor Corporation who played in

1881-408: A redeveloped part of Shimizu Port near the appropriately named S-Pulse Street. This is a road running into the city from the port area of Shimizu and is lined with various statues, monuments and art works related to and inspired by the city's strong association with football. This includes foot and hand prints cast into metal of former notable players, and several S-Pulse-related statues. S-Pulse Street

1980-565: A sports venue in Japan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Shimizu S-Pulse Shimizu S-Pulse ( 清水エスパルス , Shimizu Esuparusu ) is a Japanese professional football club located in Shimizu-ku , Shizuoka , Shizuoka Prefecture . S-Pulse is going to compete in the J1 League for the 2025 Season, after get promoted from the Japanese second tier of professional league football,

2079-615: A university team chosen to represent the country) was fielded at the 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games , and drew with China for the championship title. Shigeyoshi Suzuki coached the national team to its first Olympic appearance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin . Japan was an entrant for 1938 World Cup qualifying , but withdrew before its scheduled qualifying match against the Dutch East Indies . After World War II began, Japan did not play in international competition, except for

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2178-465: A win against Ecuador to qualify for the knockouts, however they drew 1–1 and missed out due to inferior goal difference to Paraguay. Aftermath saw Japan played a friendly game against the Paraguayans, and won 2–0 at home. After China was removed as host of the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship , it was announced that Japan was the new host. After topping the table with two wins and one draw, Japan won

2277-530: Is a local major logistics company, had become a parent company just at the present, since the Shimizu S-Pulse was born as a citizen club from the start, vulnerable time suited it in the past in terms of a fund. As well as originally gathering its playing staff almost exclusively from Shizuoka prefecture, local corporation S-Lap Communications ran and financed the club. This was a company funded in part from Shimizu citizens, but in main by Shizuoka Television. After

2376-607: Is a shopping and entertainment complex in Shimizu, housing various attractions including restaurants, a ferris wheel , cinema and a football museum. From the nearby Shimizu Port, the S-Pulse Dream Ferry service runs daily to Izu . The team also lends its name to a series of futsal courts named, perhaps predictably, S-Pulse Dream Fields. These facilities are located in Fujieda, Fuji, Sunto and in Shimizu. Dream Plaza can be found in

2475-486: Is a symbol for the sun, holding a solid red ball that is like the sun from national flag . The text "JFA" (for the Japan Football Association) is inscribed at the bottom of the crow. A red stripe is also present at the center of the shield behind the crow. The shield has a metallic gold trim and has a thicker black outline. The name of the country represented by the national team "Japan" is also inscribed within

2574-834: Is also home to the Shimizu Branch of the S-Pulse Dream House. The S-Pulse brand also extends into motorcycle racing, with the S-Pulse Dream Racing Team bearing the football team's name, logo and mascot. The team competes in the All Japan Road Race ST600 class. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Players who have been named Player of

2673-717: Is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan . Until the end of the 1980s, Japan was a small and amateur team. For a long time, football was less popular than baseball and sumo . Since the early 1990s, when Japanese football became fully professionalized, Japan has emerged as one of the most successful teams in Asia; they have qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1998 (including an automatic berth in 2002 as co-hosts with South Korea ) with knockout stage appearances that year, and in 2010 , 2018 and 2022 . They have won

2772-408: Is currently no third kit. Goalkeeping colours have changed more over the seasons, with the current first choice kit all black, and all green being the second choice. Kit manufacturers have been exclusively Puma since 1997, and prior to this was shared with Mizuno . Shirt sponsors have been fairly consistent over the team's sixteen-year history (see table below). The team's current main shirt sponsor

2871-505: Is taken from the English pal and the pul of S-Pulse. The suffix chan is an affectionate title commonly used in Japan. Sporting team number zero , Palchan goods are a consistent best seller with various merchandise available. S-Pulse also have a cheer leading team named Orange Wave. The team perform routines prior to kick off and half time as well as making various appearances at S-Pulse themed events in and around Shizuoka. In and around

2970-408: Is the local Suzuyo Group, with additional sponsorship panels on the lower neck and arms from confectionery company Glico , and Japan Airlines , respectively. From the club's formation up to 1996, the club used an earlier version of the team crest. while different, the previous design featured the same central lettering as the present badge. Unveiled for the 1997 season, the current team crest

3069-511: Is the longest barren spell in their history, although in 2008 they came close, being defeated in the final of the League Cup by Oita Trinita . In 2011, S-Pulse made the "Signing of the Century" by making a move to complete the signing of Swedish and Arsenal F.C. legend Freddie Ljungberg . It is considered by many Japanese to be one of the greatest signings in league history. Many also believed that

Kusanagi Athletic Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-541: Is the restrictively low capacity of Nihondaira. This has often led the club to stage fixtures against neighbouring Júbilo Iwata and other high-profile clashes, at Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium . This stadium was built in 2001 for the following year's World Cup and has a capacity of 51,349. Despite still being in Shizuoka Prefecture , Ecopa is over an hour's travel from Shimizu, deep within the Jubilo catchment area. For such

3267-477: The 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games , where a team of the Tokyo Imperial University (whose color is light blue) represented Japan wearing light blue shirts, and then in a match against Sweden in the 1936 Summer Olympics . Between 1988 and 1992, the kits were red and white, matching the colours of Japan's national flag. After failing to qualify for the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics ,

3366-408: The 1992 Asian Cup and won their first title by defeating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final. The J.League was officially launched in 1993. However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 World Cup after drawing with Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the " Agony of Doha ". Japan's next tournament

3465-582: The 2006 World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, by beating North Korea 2–0 on neutral ground. However, Japan failed to advance to the round of 16, losing to future AFC rival Australia 3–1, drawing Croatia 0–0 and falling to Brazil 4–1. The 2007 AFC Asian Cup saw Japan fail to defend its title. Although easily winning the group over Vietnam , Qatar and the UAE , the Japanese were totally exhausted in their game against Australia, where Japan won only by

3564-748: The Asian Cup a record four times, in 1992 , 2000 , 2004 and 2011 . The team also finished runners-up in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup . Japan is one of three teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to have reached the final of a senior FIFA men's competition, the others being Australia and Saudi Arabia . Japan's progression in a short period has served as an inspiration and example of how to develop football. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea and, most recently , Australia; they also developed rivalries against Iran and Saudi Arabia. Japan

3663-464: The J2 League in the 2024 season . The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League ( "Original Ten" ), which began the following year. The club originally consisted of players drawn exclusively from Shizuoka Prefecture, a unique distinction at the time. Given the club's youth when compared to many of their J1 peers, S-Pulse have had a relatively large impact on Japanese football. Since

3762-523: The Japan Soccer League and who would later go on to form Júbilo Iwata, but it was believed there was room for another team for the football-hungry population. An earlier attempt had been made in the 1970s with the local club belonging to Nippon Light Metal Corp., which briefly competed in the JSL Division 2 under the name Hagoromo Club . With the advent of the professional league at the start of

3861-570: The Japanese Super Cup twice and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's most recent cup final was in the 2012 J.League Cup which ended in defeat to Kashima. Despite the club's cup competition prowess, the J.League Division 1 title has so far eluded them. The closest S-Pulse came was in 1999 when, after winning the league's second stage, they lost out on the title in a penalty shootout . When scores remained level after both legs of

3960-437: The Japanese Super Cup , replacing Yokohama Flügels after their merger with Yokohama Marinos . However, S-Pulse lost the match 2–1. After performing well in both league stages, S-Pulse were up against local rivals Júbilo Iwata in the title decider, and after a 3–3 aggregate draw, lost the tie 4–2 on penalties. The new millennium brought better results for S-Pulse. Victory in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2000 and victory in

4059-601: The National Stadium in Tokyo. The most frequently used other venue was Kusanagi Athletic Stadium . Utilised almost equally with Nihondaira over S-Pulse's earliest years, this included six home games in 1993. Kusanagi was called home while Nihondairs was enlarged in 1994, and again while the pitch relaid in 2003. With a fully functioning Nihondaira, Kusanagi was used less commonly, with the most recent first team match being held there in 2003 . The most common reason for moving games

Kusanagi Athletic Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-505: The Saitama Stadium 2002 . Japan maintains a strong football rivalry with South Korea . The rivalry is long-seated and is often seen as an extension of an overall historic rivalry between the two nations. Japan have met South Korea 80 times, trailing the statistic at 15 wins, 23 draws, and 42 losses, while scoring 73 goals and conceding 153. Both countries have made themselves unrivalled in both Asian Cup and World Cup records, being two of

4257-526: The 1954 World Cup , but lost the AFC qualifying berth to South Korea after two matches. Japan also joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954. Dettmar Cramer joined the Japan national team as coach in 1960, and helped lead the team to the round of eight at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Japan's first major achievement in international football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City , where

4356-432: The 1990s, largely sharing home stadium duties with Nihondaira Stadium at the dawn of the J.League in 1992. S-Pulse called Kusanagi home while Nihondaira was being expanded in 1994, and its pitch re-laid in 2003. However, Shimizu have not used the stadium for competitive games since 2003. 34°59′19″N 138°25′49″E  /  34.98861°N 138.43028°E  / 34.98861; 138.43028 This article about

4455-399: The 1990s, the concept of creating a team to both sign and represent the local footballing talent was fomented. Shimizu S-Pulse was formed in early 1991 as Shimizu FC from the backing of local businesses and people. This was a beginning which made them unique among the founding clubs of the J.League, with all others ex-company teams turned professional. Two months after formation, the club name

4554-425: The 1996 Asian Cup and the 1998 World Cup, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves, and were designed by JFA (with the sponsor alternating each year between Asics, Puma, and Adidas). The 1996 design was reproduced in a special kit used against Syria on 7 June 2017. Japan uses blue and white rather than red and white due to a superstition. Japan first used blue shirts in

4653-425: The 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Group D against Asian Cup debutantes Palestine 4–0, with goals from Yasuhito Endō , Shinji Okazaki , Keisuke Honda and Maya Yoshida . Okazaki was named man of the match. They then faced Iraq and Jordan in their next group matches, which they won 1–0 and 2–0 respectively. They qualified to the knockout stage as Group D winners with nine points, seven goals scored and no goals conceded. In

4752-400: The 2022 World Cup, the team is referred by the current manager's ( Hajime Moriyasu ) name, as "Moriyasu Japan" ( 森保ジャパン , Moriyasu Japan ) . The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past. In the early 1980s, the kit was white with blue trim. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes (stylized to form a wing) with red diamonds. During

4851-607: The J.League bubble burst in the late 1990s, Shizuoka Television withdrew backing, and in 1998 only a drastic restructuring kept the club afloat. Ownership of S-Pulse was reorganized between local companies under the leadership of Shimizu-based Suzuyo. It is now run under the company title of S-Pulse, Inc. Despite their relatively short history, S-Pulse have had some impact on popular culture beyond football. Current manager and former player of some eight years and over 200 appearances, Kenta Hasegawa , makes occasional appearances in popular manga and anime series Chibi Maruko-chan . In

4950-684: The J1 League on the final matchweek of the 2016 J2 League . After six years at J1 League, in which they spent five of the six years on the lower half of the table, S-Pulse returned to J2 League after being confirmed relegation from the J1 on the last matchweek, having finished in 17th place, just above their rivals Júbilo Iwata . On 27 October 2024, S-Pulse secure promotion to J1 League after defeat Tochigi SC narrowly 1-0 with goal Jelani Reshaun Sumiyoshi in 50th minute and return to top tier after two years absence. In common with other J.League teams, S-Pulse have

5049-416: The Japan shirts in 1988, where it was on a yellow circle with a blue outline with "JAPAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION" written around it. In 1991, the emblem changed to a white shield with a red vertical stripe on the center with the crow on it and "JFA" written in a green Gothic typeface . This crest was used until 1996. Japan plays its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country, especially

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5148-533: The Júbilo team which won three J.League championships between 1997 and 2002 . Alongside off-field factors, S-Pulse and Júbilo are locked in a perpetual struggle for supremacy on the field. During the J.League's infancy, it was S-Pulse who experienced the greater success and support, but they found themselves in Iwata's shadow for long periods either side of the turn of the century. Recently, S-Pulse have once again emerged as

5247-515: The UAE 1–2 at home. They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up five wins and two draws. On 31 August 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2–0 at home, thus qualifying them for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup. However, the Japan Football Association decided to sack Halilhodžić on 9 April 2018, only ten weeks before

5346-432: The World Cup after taking a two-goal advantage since England lost to West Germany 3–2 in extra-time in the quarter-final of the 1970 edition . Despite losing a 2–0 lead, Japan's impressive performance was praised by fans, pundits and the media. Japan participated in the 2019 Asian Cup , finishing on top of group F after defeating Turkmenistan 3–2, Oman 1–0 and Uzbekistan 2–1. Japan defeated Saudi Arabia in

5445-526: The World Cup finals in UEFA nations. Their second match against Senegal ended in a draw with goals from Takashi Inui and Keisuke Honda. Japan were defeated in their last group game in the Group H against Poland 1–0, leaving Japan and Senegal tied for second with an identical record; however, as Japan had received two fewer yellow cards, Japan advanced to the knockout stage on the Fair Play Points tiebreaker,

5544-484: The World Cup, citing reasons of a breakdown in relationship between the coach and players, and poor recent friendly results, and appoint the Technical Director, Japanese coach Akira Nishino as the new manager. Japan made history in the 2018 World Cup by defeating Colombia 2–1, their first ever victory by any AFC team against a CONMEBOL team in an official tournament, as well as Japan's first ever victory at

5643-511: The Year or Young Player of the Year in the J.League : World Cup 1994 World Cup 1998 World Cup 2002 World Cup 2006 World Cup 2010 For the 2024 season. Japan national football team The Japan national football team ( サッカー日本代表 , Sakkā Nihon Daihyō or Sakkā Nippon Daihyō ) , also known by the nickname Samurai Blue ( サムライ・ブルー , Samurai Burū ) , represents Japan in men's international football . It

5742-740: The area's premier club, finishing above Júbilo in the league every season since 2006 , and often enjoying further cup runs. 2008 was also the first year since 1995 that S-Pulse succeeded in drawing more supporters through the gates than their rivals. Also based in Shizuoka are Fujieda MYFC , Azul Claro Numazu and Honda FC . Among those 3 clubs, only Fujieda that currently play at the same level as S-Pulse in J2 League , limiting any potential rivalry development with Azul Claro, who play in J3 League and Honda FC, which compete in Japan Football League ,

5841-454: The black border. The previous crest used from 1996 had a shield with a more complex shape. The ball held by the Yatagarasu had white details. The text "Japan" is absent and "JFA" is written in a different typeface. Before 1988, Japan used the national flag outlined in red (and with JFA written in black on the lower left corner of the flag) on the shirts. The Yatagarasu was first seen on

5940-403: The club offices since the club's foundation. S-Pulse share Shizuoka Prefecture with fierce local rivals, Júbilo Iwata . The rivalry dates back to the formation of the J.League when the newly formed S-Pulse were chosen ahead of Júbilo to take part in the first J.League season. Jubilo, who had existed as Yamaha FC in the Japan Soccer League since 1980, had to earn promotion via the 1992 season of

6039-511: The competition for the second time in their history. Japan qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and were drawn into Group E with Germany, Costa Rica and Spain . On 23 November, Japan produced an upset, beating Germany 2–1, with two goals in an eight-minute span during the second half. After losing to Costa Rica 1–0, going into the final matchday, every team in Group E could qualify or be eliminated, with no team assured of any placement. In

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6138-456: The end, Japan managed to qualify for the round of 16 by defeating Spain 2–1 in their final group stage match, while also contributing to Germany's elimination from the tournament. By topping their group, Japan went on to face Croatia in the round of 16 where they would lose 3–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. It was the third team in 52 years to have come from behind twice in one tournament, following Brazil and (West) Germany. They beat Spain with

6237-527: The final of the Emperor's Cup in 2001 meant that the S-Pulse trophy cabinet was beginning to fill up, and victories in the 2001 and 2002 Japanese Super Cups meant that the club had won four cups in three years. In 2005, S-Pulse closed the year with a run to the Emperor's Cup final in which they did not concede a single goal. However, this changed in the final against Urawa Red Diamonds , which they lost 2–1. After

6336-482: The first stage until they collapsed later, falling into the bottom three. Home fans were disappointed at the way their club was playing. S-Pulse failed to improve in the second stage, being at the relegation positions. After 23 seasons in the top flight, they were relegated to J2 (and the second tier) for the first time in their history after a 1–0 home loss to Vegalta Sendai on October 17, 2015. S-Pulse bounced back to top flight football immediately, securing promotion to

6435-421: The first team to do so. The match with Poland caused controversy , as Japan were made aware of their advantage over Senegal with ten minutes left and decided to play an extremely conservative game with no attempts to take a shot on goal, despite losing 1–0, with some fans booing the players. The match received comparison to the 1982 World Cup Disgrace of Gijón , in which a similar game was played. Japan were

6534-453: The game turned professional in 1992, they are one of the most prolific and consistent performers in cup competitions, having made no less than ten final appearances: five times in the Emperor's Cup and five times in the League Cup . Only Japan's most successful professional team, Kashima Antlers , have made more final appearances. They have won both of these competitions once and have also won

6633-466: The group stage following a draw with Iran and losses to South Korea , the United Arab Emirates and Qatar . The late 1980s saw concrete moves to professionalize the sport in Japan. JFA introduced a Special Licensed Player system in 1986, allowing a limited number of professional players to compete in the domestic semi-professional league. Action committees were held in 1988 and 1989 to discuss

6732-502: The head-to-head record being equal with 8 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. Japan and China used to have a strong rivalry, with the former defeating the latter 3–1 in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup final . Japan began to develop a fierce rivalry with fellow Asian powerhouse Australia , shortly after the latter joined the Asian Football Confederation. The rivalry is regarded as one of Asia's biggest football rivalries. The rivalry

6831-421: The introduction of a full professional league in Japan. In the 1990s, the Japan Football Association began the professionalization of its national football team . In 1991, the owners of the semi-professional Japan Soccer League agreed to disband the league and re-form as the professional J.League , partly to raise the sport's profile and to strengthen the national team program. The following year, Japan hosted

6930-443: The lowest possession (18%) of the ball ever for a winning side since the 1966 World Cup . It also was the first time that an Asian team topped their World Cup group held outside their home country, and also the first Asian team to reach the knockouts twice in a row. Japan were considered the favourites for the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, but disappointed; Hajime Moriyasu 's men began the tournament with an unconvincing victory over

7029-402: The most successful Asian football teams, and they hosted the 2002 World Cup in a joint bid. Japan also maintains a significant rivalry with North Korea , although the rivalry is infrequent due to political circumstances. Like the rivalry against South Korea, the rivalry against North Korea is another extension of historical feud between Japan and Korea. They have met each other 20 times, with

7128-433: The new Japan Football League . This has remained a bone of contention between long standing fans. With Shizuoka long recognised as the homeland of football in Japan, the two teams have a history of fighting over the best players produced by the region's high schools and universities. Good examples being Naohiro Takahara and Takahiro Yamanishi , who, after graduating from Shimizu Higashi High School , went on to sign for

7227-412: The only AFC team to have qualified to the knockout stage. In the round of 16 against Belgium , Japan took a 2–0 lead with a goal in the 48th minute by Genki Haraguchi and another in the 52nd by Takashi Inui , but yielded three goals afterwards, including the winner by Nacer Chadli on the counterattack in the 94th minute. The defeat to Belgium was the first time a nation had lost a knockout match at

7326-626: The popular Captain Tsubasa manga , who, on becoming professional footballers, join S-Pulse. Main articles: Nihondaira Sports Stadium , Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium , Kusanagi Athletic Stadium S-Pulse's main home arena is the Nihondaira Sports Stadium located in Shimizu, with a capacity of 20,248. However, over their history home games have been staged at a number of grounds. The first decade of S-Pulse's existence sometimes saw 'home' games played outside of Shizuoka prefecture, including at

7425-540: The quarter-finals, Japan lost to the UAE in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw, as Honda and Shinji Kagawa missed their penalty kicks. Japan's elimination marked their worst performance in the tournament in 19 years. After the Asian Cup, Aguirre was sacked following allegations of corruption during a prior tenure. He was replaced by Vahid Halilhodžić in March 2015. Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to

7524-413: The red shirt was scrapped. In the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup, Japan temporarily switched the colour of the numbers from white to gold. Japan's kit is provided by German company Adidas , the team's exclusive kit supplier since April 1999. Before that, Asics and Puma had been the team's official apparel sponsor. On 3 June 2021, Japan released the special 100th anniversary kit for

7623-589: The round of sixteen and dark horse Vietnam in the quarter-finals by a 1–0 margin. After defeating Iran 3–0 to reach the final, Japan's hope to win their fifth Asian Cup was lost with the team suffering a 3–1 defeat to Qatar, who won the Asian Cup for the first time. Japan were invited to the 2019 Copa America , their second appearance at the tournament, and brought a young squad to the competition. They were placed in Group C with Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador. The nation lost their opening match 4–0 to Chile, before bouncing back and drawing against Uruguay 2–2. Japan needed

7722-517: The same scoreline in the round of 16. Japan met Iran in the quarter-finals for a rematch of the previous edition's semi-final, and got the game off to a perfect start with Hidemasa Morita 's 28th-minute opener, before falling completely flat in the second half, succumbing to Iran's fiery attacks, 2–1. The country suffered two defeats at the Asian Cup for the first time since their debut in 1988, while conceding at least one goal in every match. The squad also had to contend with an extra controversy, with

7821-404: The second round, they needed a victory against Colombia and Greece to win against Ivory Coast. Greece beat Ivory Coast 2–1, but Colombia won 4–1, eliminating Japan from the World Cup. Alberto Zaccheroni resigned as head coach. In July 2014, former Mexico and Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre took over, and Japan lost 0–2 to Uruguay in the first game he managed. Japan won its opening match at

7920-419: The show a boy with his name and referred to as Kenta -kun is sometimes seen. He loves football and is a classmate of title character Chibi Maruko. The author of the manga, Momoko Sakura , created this character after Hasegawa. Sakura and Hasegawa attended the same primary school during the same period. Unique S-Pulse related Chibi Maruko goods are also produced. In another example, two fictional characters from

8019-408: The signing would boost football in baseball-fanatic Japan, however Ljungberg departed, and subsequently retired, after 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 months with the club. Later managements would turn out to be a catalyst for S-Pulse's luck to run out in the next seasons. S-Pulse would play four more seasons in J1, until their first-tier stay was broken in the 2015 season. The club was in good standing early in

8118-475: The stand behind the west goal at Nihondaira Stadium. Also in this area can be found S-Pulse's various organised supporter groups. These groups include fan clubs dedicated to specific players and are often identifiable by unique uniforms. These fan clubs work to organise events which include mass choreographed displays and the supporter band. Also housed in The Kop are S-Pulse's band of ultras , who each game take over

8217-590: The sudden departure of Junya Itō shortly before the match against Iran, due to the Stade de Reims player having been accused of sexual assault . Japan's national football team is nicknamed the Samurai Blue ( サムライ・ブルー , Samurai Burū ) by the JFA . The team also is often known by the last name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada , the team was known as Okada Japan ( 岡田ジャパン , Okada Japan ) , or during

8316-493: The team logo which is often used to represent the club. The logo uses the central lettering from the crest, an example of which being the club's shop sign. Named Palchan and sporting big, winglike ears, S-Pulse's mascot supports the team and entertains fans by performing choreographed, and often acrobatic, dance routines during the buildup to home games. He often performs with the help of his two younger siblings. Designed by professional cartoonist Guy Gilchrist , Palchan's name

8415-453: The team won the bronze medal . Although this result earned the sport increased recognition in Japan, the absence of a professional domestic league hindered its growth and Japan would not qualify for the World Cup until 30 years later. Nonetheless, Japan were close to qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup , but lost to South Korea in the deciding matches. Japan made its first appearance in the Asian Cup in 1988 , where they were eliminated in

8514-763: The team's native Shizuoka City there are eight official club shops. Six of these are known as S-Pulse Dream House and serve as both club merchandise stores and match ticket offices. These can be found in Shizuoka, Shimizu, Fujieda , Suntō and Parche shopping centre, part of Shizuoka Station . The Shimizu Dream House also includes a projection screen and viewing area for the broadcasting of away games. The sixth, and newest, Dream House opened in March 2008 in Fuji City . There are two further S-Pulse shops, with one located in Yaizu , and one in S-Pulse Dream Plaza. S-Pulse Dream Plaza

8613-422: The ten founder members of the new J.League, and finished third after the 1st and 2nd stages were combined. Their second venture into the J.League Cup was another near miss, again losing in the final to Verdy Kawasaki. Finally, in 1996 the team got their hands on the trophy and also gained revenge on Verdy, beating them 5–4 on penalties in the final. The year 1999 was marked with S-Pulse's first appearance in

8712-405: The title deciding match , Júbilo Iwata , S-Pulse's local rivals , prevailed. Former S-Pulse and national team player Kenta Hasegawa , who made a substitute appearance in the second leg of this title decider, became club manager in 2005 . He was the longest serving manager in the club's history, in office until 2010. He resigned at the end of the season after failing to win any competitions and

8811-411: The tournament during the round of 16, after losing 1–0 to eventual third-place finishers Turkey in extra time. With the 2004 Asian Cup hosted by China, the Japanese managed to retain the title by winning their group after two victories over Thailand and Oman , before achieving victories against Jordan and Bahrain . They defeated the hosts in the final 3–1. On 8 June 2005, Japan qualified for

8910-469: Was a defence of their continental title at the 1996 Asian Cup . The team won all their games in the group stage but were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 2–0 loss to Kuwait . The nation's first ever World Cup appearance was in 1998 , where Japan lost all their games. The first two fixtures went 1–0 in favour of Argentina and Croatia , and the campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica . Japan impressed, however, as all three defeats were only by

9009-429: Was announced that naming rights would be sold for Nihondaira Stadium. In late November 2008 a deal was announced which would rename the stadium Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira. The contract will run for four years starting from the 2009 season, and would be worth 90 000 000 per year. A new 5-year deal sponsorship deal with IAI Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial robots , took effect on 1 March 2013. The stadium

9108-423: Was designed around a globe to reflect the club's ambitions as a world class professional team. The head of the badge takes the iconic shape of Mount Fuji 's perfect cone to symbolise the team's representation of Shizuoka; the home of Mount Fuji. The choice of blue to accompany the team's orange evokes Shimizu's history as an industrial port town and its proximity to the sea of Suruga Bay . The team crest differs from

9207-423: Was officially changed to Shimizu S-Pulse. S-Pulse is a combination of the S from Shizuoka, Shimizu, Supporter and Soccer, and Pulse from English to mean the spirit of all those who support the team. On February 4, 1991, S-Pulse were approved by the J.League to compete in the newly formed professional league to start the following year. The club played its first ever game against Gamba Osaka on July 4, 1992,

9306-497: Was played in May 1993 away to Yokohama Flügels at Mitsuzawa Stadium . Flügels won 3–2. The first home league game was a 2–1 victory against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on May 19 of the same year. After being approved for participation in the J.League S-Pulse competed in the inaugural 1992 J.League Cup and made it to their first final. However, the dream start ended with defeat at the hands of Verdy Kawasaki . In 1993, S-Pulse became one of

9405-460: Was renamed IAI Stadium Nihondaira, shortened by the club and supporters to I Sta. This sponsorship deal was extended a further five years in 2018. After filling Nihondaira on average over 81% for league games in 2008, in November of the same year the club expressed its desire for the ground, which is owned by Shizuoka City, to have its capacity expanded. In 2020 the club restated their hope to build

9504-501: Was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi . Ghotbi's tenure lasted over 3 years, keeping the club as a mid-table J1 team until his departure in early 2014. From that season onward the club have churned through managers & become a yo-yo club with relegation zone finishes in J1 while regularly winning promotion in J2. Headquarters are established in Shizuoka Prefecture called the football kingdom in Japan. As

9603-567: Was represented by a team from the Tokyo Higher Normal School . Although Japan made strong showings in swimming, baseball, and track and field, its football team suffered resounding defeats to the Republic of China and the Philippines. Nevertheless, the game was promoted in Japanese schools in the 1920s. The Japan Football Association was formed in 1921, and Japan joined FIFA in May 1929. Japan's first "true" national team (as opposed to

9702-473: Was selected to reflect the famous local product of Shizuoka Prefecture; the mikan . The current bright orange hue, named S-Pulse Orange by the club, is the result of a gentle evolution from a more yellow/orange shade during the team's early years. At the advent of the J.League, S-Pulse were the only top division club in the country to wear orange, a distinction which is now shared with other top flight mainstays, such as Albirex Niigata and Omiya Ardija . There

9801-595: Was the first team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América , having been invited in the 1999 , 2011 , 2015 , and 2019 editions of the tournament, although they only played in the 1999 and 2019 events. As of October 2024, Japan is the highest-ranked AFC team at 15th, and has been since December 2022. Japan's earliest international matches were at the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo , where it

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