People you should know-The Goat

World cup winning player? Check! Successful coach the English Premier League? Check! Success with numerous J League clubs? Check! It seemed so perfect to hire Argentine Oswaldo "Ossie" Ardilles to coach Verdy back to respectability. Ardiles had found success with Shimizu S Pulse (Nabisco Cup Championship) and Yokohama F Marinos (stage championship) before coming to Tokyo. And for awhile it worked. At the start of 2005, Verdy would claim the Emperors Cup and the Xerox Super Cup and everybody thought Verdy was back as a player in the league. Then the wheels would fall off. A collection of bad defensive games, lack of effort and discipline would doom Ardiles after 24 games. The end culminated with an ugly string of losses to Gamba (7-1), Urawa (7-0), and Jubilo (6-0). It might not have been Ossie at the end, but it many peoples eyes he will go down as the man who led Verdy to ruin.

He also appeared in "Victory" with Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Pele, so I guess it all evens out in the Karmic Arena.

People you should know-Friends from Afar

Verdy has been known for bringing in talent from other countries. The first post Yomiuri foreigner to really make his mark for Verdy was Bismarck, who played for Verdy and helping them win a couple of championships in the early years. He then moved to Kashima, where he duplicated his star status before finally ending his japanese career at Vissel Kobe, which has developed a reputation for taking old Verdy players. Bismarck was recognized by the league in 2005 for his outstanding service and help in furthering pro soccer in Japan.Patrick Mboma was a hero in his native Cameroon, representing the squad in the World Cup. After a successful stint at Gamba, Mboma left Japan for awhile before returning with a struggling Verdy squad in 2003. Unfortunately his heart much bigger than his flagging skills and Mboma retreated to Vissel Kobe, where he finally retired in May of 2005.
Washington was the last great foreign player for Verdy, playing only 1 season, the doomed relegation season of 2005. While the team was having struggles, Washington was thriving, notching 27 goals in 39 league and cup competitions for Verdy. He might be best remembered for notching a goal against an overly arrogant Real Madrid side. The big Brazilian also made the All-Star squad along with current Urawa Red and former Verdy teammate Takahito Soma.

There have been numerous other foreign imports to count including the newly departed Dedimar and Anailson, as well as current players Marcus, Ze Luis, Basilio, and Eugene Killoran.

People you should know-Tetsuji Hashiritani

Tetsuji Hashiratani is the the fourth member of the Green mafia to have played during the Verdy glory days of the 90's. A tough nosed defender who who started his career in what would become Yokohama F Marinos, Hashiratani joined up with Verdy when the J league kicked off. During his tenure, he managed to find his way onto 3 consecutive best 11 teams (1993, 1994,1995). Hashiritani stopped playing in 1998 and moved into coaching. He had a short stint as head man of then J1 Consadole Sapporo which ended after a 1-6 record. He then joined the Urawa Reds as a position coach for Guido Buchwald until Ruy Ramos called him, Tsunami, and Kikuchi back to try and get the squad up to the top division.

People you should know-The Animal

Edmundo Alvez de Souza Neto only spent a short time with Verdy, but he possibly could have been the most talented and probably the most unforgettable. Edmundo was known for his prolific scoring and his quick temper, accumulating a copius amount of red cards throughout his career. He was one of the strikers for Brazil's 2nd place finish in World Cup 1998. The Animal graced Tokyo with his presence for a brief time in 2002, turning his game on and off at will, nearly single-handedly winning a title for Verdy in 2002. Edmundo was involved in a car accident that left 3 dead but was released from any responsibility. His most infamous moment, however was at his son's first birthday, when he purchased a monkey and got it drunk.

He now plies his trade for Palmieras in Brazil. Here's hoping the gentle soul graces us with his presence one last time!

People you should know-Tsuyoshi Kitazawa

Not blessed with talent but determined to succeed, Kitazawa was the ultimate utility man for Verdy in the glory days. Known for his hustle and work ethic, Kitazawa spent his whole career as a member of Yomiuri/Verdy. He made his debut in the last year of Yomiuri FC winning honors as a best 11 member. He would repeat the feat in 1994. Kitazawa notched 59 caps for the national team, being one of the two shock cuts in 1998 when the new era of Shunsuke Nakamura, Shinji Ono, and Hide Nakata were starting to make their mark as national team starts. Kitazawa ended his career in 2002. One could make the asssumption that his hustle and determination are reminiscent of current Verdy captain Harutaka Ono, who was handpicked by Ruy Ramos to lead the squad on the field.

People you should know-Shinkichi Kikuchi

Shinkichi Kikuchi patrolled the net for Verdy/Yomiuri during their most prolific era. Kikuchi made his debut for Yomiuri Nippon FC back in 1986, where he took home honors as best new goalkeeper. While in net for Yomiuri and Verdy, the team took home 11 titles including 5 league titles (3 JSL, 2 J League). He was named to the J League best 11 squad in 1994 and 1995. Kikuchi also presided in the nets for the national team squad during the infamous Doha tragedy. After a brief stint for Kawasaki Frontale in 2000, Kikuchi came back to the newly relocated Tokyo Verdy in 2001 to wrap up his career.

This year, Kikuchi took over duties as GK coach for Verdy. Arguably the team has shown improvement in the area, especially Yoshinari Takagi.

People you should know-Boy Genius

Wow, what a picture......looks like Shaolin Soccer. Moves like this make it easy to forget that 3 year pro Takayuki Morimoto is only 18 years old. Morimoto made his debut in 2004 at the ripe age of 15 against Jubilo Iwata. 2 days before his 16th birthday, he netted his first score against JEF Ichiba making him the youngest player to both debut in the J League and score a goal in an official match. Jeremy Walker likened him to a young Ronaldo. This year has been sort of a struggle for Kid Verdy as graduation from high school and injuries have caused his season to be fitful and erratic.

Always rumored to be moving on to Europe, the past month has seen a feverish pitch by newly promoted Serie A side Catania. According to reports, Morimoto will try to follow in the footsteps of the King and Hide Nakata and try to take Italy by storm.

People you should know-MR.VERDY

Ruy Goncalves Ramos Sabrinho was born in 1957 in Brazil. He came to Japan 20 years later and joined Yomiuri FC. 29 years later, he would be one of the living legends of Japanese Soccer. During his time at Yomiuri FC, he was one of the premier players in Japan. In 1989, he would gain full Japanese citizenship and make his first of 35 appearances for the Japanese team. By the time the J league and Verdy began, Ramos was in the downside of his career. Another member of the Verdy Doha tragic warriors, Ruy never had the chance to play on the world's biggest stage. In 1996, Ramos went to Kyoto Purple Sanga and became a popular member of the squad until he commited the unforgivable act of leaving the squad to rejoin Verdy in 1997 one last time. He finally said goodbye to playing in 1998 at the age of 41.

Ruy floated around as a commentator/personality until 2005 when he coached Japan to a 4th place finish in the World Beach Soccer Championships. Last year, he joined a floundering Kashiwa Reysol squad as an assistant coach. Unable to inspire them to avoiding relegation, he resigned with the rest of the staff and took over the reins of Tokyo Verdy.

Currently his stint as a manager has been mixed at best. The team has had moments of brilliant soccer combined with periods of pure garbage. As of this posting the team sits in 5th place, 3 spots outof promotion.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad.........Always Mr. Verdy!

People you should know-The ones that got away

Although their time with Verdy was rather short, their impact on the team's future is immense. Nobuhiro Ishizaki is a coach that has floated around J1 and J2 for awhile, having stints with Montedio Yamagata, Oita Trinita, Kawasaki Frontale, and Shimizu S-Pulse before finding himself on Ossie Ardilles 2005 staff. After a string of disasterous losses, Ardilles was catapulted and Ishizaki was inserted and charged with getting the squad ready for a little team from Spain you might have heard of.........REAL MADRID. Long story short, a Verdy squad with a huge chip on their shoulders came out and smacked REAL MADRID in the mouth, causing superstars Ronaldo and David Beckham to try and go after (current Sanfrecce Hiroshima) MF Kazuyuki Toda. Verdy would go on to win that game 3-0 and also beat Fiorentina in another friendly. Ishizaki was replaced by a Brazilian coach who then led them to relegation. Currently Ishizaki has Kashiwa Reysol in first place in J2 and well on their way to promotion.
Another J2 coach with ties to Verdy is Yokohama FC head man Takuya Takagi. Takagi was a mainstay on the National team who came to Verdy after a brilliant career for Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Unfortunately Takagi was hobbled by injury and didn't have the desired effect that (then) Verdy Kawasaki had hoped for. Actually Takagi was part of the new philosophy of bringing in overpriced name players who were better in reputation than skill. 1998 is really the penultimate moment of Verdy decline and Takagi was part of it. He finished his career in 2000 in Sapporo.

This year found Takagi in the limelight yet again as head man for a surprisingly resurgent Yokohama FC after Yusuke Adachi was jettisoned after the first game because of a humiliating loss to J League newcomers Ehime FC. Teaming up with former Verdy and National Team strike partner Kazu Miura, Yokohama FC has been surprisingly known for it's defensive prowess and lack of offensive firepower.

Two coaches that got away and now have their squads in sight of the big time.

People you should know-Satoshi Tsunami

Currently a member of former teammate Rui Ramos' Verdy coaching staff, Satoshi Tsunami has a long and storied history with Verdy. Debuting in 1980 for Yomiuri FC, Tsunami was recognized 3 times as a best 11 player in Japan. He played with Yomiuri/Verdy for 15 years until finding his way onto Avispa Fukuoka in 1996 and Hiratsuka Bellmare in 1997-1998.

He had 80 caps for the National team, notching 2 goals. He was a part of the famed "Doha Tragedy" in 1993, when Japan was moments away from advancing to the 1994 Los Angeles World Cup but fell to a gutty Iraq team.

After playing, Tsunami went into coaching, first with the Verdy youth squads and then with Vegalta Sendai in 2005. A disastrous start put Tsunami under the gun for the entire season. His fate was sealed when Vegalta lost out on goal differential in the last day to 3rd place finisher Venforet Kofu.

Tsunami rejoined the Verdy family in 2006 and currently is second in command. Tsunami heads the Sattlelite team.

People you should know-Takuya Yamada

"Captain" Yamada made his debut when the squad was based in Kawasaki in 1997 against (then) prefecture rival Hiratsuka (Shonan) Bellmare. Yamada had arguably his best year in 2003 when he nothced 10 goals for the club in a DF role which propeled him to some national team appearances. Arguably his finest moment came in the first day of 2005 when Verdy claimed a trophy for the first time in 10 years when the team triumphed in the Emperors Cup against perrenial power Jubilo Iwata. 2005 would see the captain preside over something that could be likened to Green Titanic, when the team sunk to 17th out of 18 teams and a place in their current home, J2. You can now find Yamada plying his trade for the pink and purple clad Cerezo Osaka.

Here is a link to the fan site TAKUYA YAMADA IS EXOTIC TERMINATER

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Athlete-Athene/8541/

People you should know-Jorge Yonashiro

You might think that MR.VERDY, Rui Ramos was the first Brazilian born Japanese Superstar.....you would be wrong. Phase 1 of the Brazilian import was Mr. Jorge Yonashiro, who played for the Verdy predecessor, Yomiuri Soccer Club from 1972-1985. Jorge got an apperance in with the Japanese National team in 1985, right before his retirement.

Yonashiro went on to coach many years with Yomiuri FC, Nagoya Grampus 8, Kyoto Purple Sanga, and Tokyo Verdy before assuming control of (now) JFL side FC Ryuukyu, where he coached current Verdy players Takuya Sato and Hideki Nagai.

Championships in Verdy History

JAPAN SOCCER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS-5

(1983, 1984, 1986-87, 1990-91, 1991-92)

JAPAN SOCCER LEAGUE CUP-3

(1979, 1985,1991)

KONICA CUP-1

(1990)

EMPEROR'S CUP-5

(1984, 1986, 1987, 1996, 2004)

J LEAGUE CUP-2

(1993,1994)

J LEAGUE STAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS-3

(1993/2nd stage, 1994/2nd stage, 1995/2nd stage)

YAMAZAKI NABISCO CUP-3

(1992,1993,1994)

ASIA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP-1

(1987-88)

ASIA AFRICA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS-1

(1989)

XEROX SUPER CUP-3

(1994,1995,2005)

NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS 36 (debut dates on the right)

Takuya Yamada 2003
Atsushi Yoneyama 2000
Takashi Hirano 1997
Atsuhiro Miura 1999
Kazu Miura 1990
Rui Ramos 1990
Takuya Takagi 1992
Tetsuji Hashiratani 1988
Shinichi Kikuchi 1994
Jorge Yonashiro 1985

*Partial list

Verdy sponsors

Recent sponsors to the Verdy cause include current half-owner and web operator Cyber Agent, Nippon TV (current half-owner), LEOC, Suntory Malts, Konami electrics, and Coca-Cola.

I believe there is a curse involved with Cyber Agent. They took over full shirt sponsorship last year and Verdy had their worst record ever. This year, after the announcement of the buyout of 50% of the team, Verdy sunk to 7th in J2.

Bring back Coca-Cola.