Japanese Non-league Football News

Tochigi SC and Fagiano Okayama maintained their perfect starts to the JFL season on Sunday. The hero for Tochigi was ex-J-Leaguer Masayuki Ochiai, scorer of the only goal five minutes before the end of the match at Gainare Tottori. Kohei Kiyama netted his fifth of the year as Fagiano beat fellow new boys New Wave Kitakyushu 4-2... moving into fourth are another new side, Mio Biwako Kusatsu, 3-1 winners at Sony Sendai, with two goals coming from in-form striker Alan... Philippe Troussier's FC Ryukyu picked up their first win of 2008 against Kataller Toyama...

Sun 30 Mar: Fagiano Okayama 4-2 New Wave Kitakyushu
Sun 30 Mar: FC Kariya 1-2 Honda FC
Sun 30 Mar: FC Ryukyu 2-1 Kataller Toyama
Sun 30 Mar: Gainare Tottori 0-1 Tochigi SC
Sun 30 Mar: Mitsubishi Mizushima 0-2 Yokogawa Musashino
Sun 30 Mar: Sony Sendai 1-3 Mio Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 30 Mar: TDK SC 1-2 JEF Reserves

1. Tochigi SC 12 (+9)
2. Fagiano Okayama 12 (+5)
3. Yokogawa Musashino 10 (+4)
4. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 10 (+4)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5. Honda FC 9 (+4)
6. JEF Reserves 7 (-1)
7. Sony Sendai 6 (+3)
8. Gainare Tottori 6 (+1)
9. Ryutsu Keizai University 5 (-)
10. FC Kariya 4 (+1)
11. Kataller Toyama 4 (-1)
12. FC Ryukyu 3 (-3)
13. Sagawa Shiga FC 2 (-2)
14. New Wave Kitakyushu 2 (-3)
15. TDK SC 2 (-3)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
16. Sagawa Printing 2 (-6)
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17. Mitsubishi Mizushima 2 (-7)
18. Arte Takasaki 1 (-5)

JFL champions Sagawa Shiga FC gave some indication of how far they have fallen in the close season on Saturday, as they could only scrape a draw at minnows Arte Takasaki. This continues Sagawa's dreadful start to the new campaign, which sees them winless after four matches... Ryutsu Keizai University picked up their first victory of 2008, scoring either side of half time at Sagawa Printing...

Sat 29 Mar: Arte Takasaki 1-1 Sagawa Shiga FC
Sat 29 Mar: Sagawa Printing 0-2 Ryutsu Keizai University

1. Tochigi SC 9 (+8)
2. Fagiano Okayama 9 (+3)
3. Yokogawa Musashino 7 (+2)
4. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 7 (+2)
5. Sony Sendai 6 (+5)
6. Honda FC 6 (+3)
7. Gainare Tottori 6 (+2)
8. Ryutsu Keizai University 5 (-)
9. FC Kariya 4 (+2)
10. Kataller Toyama 4 (-)
11. JEF Reserves 4 (-2)
12. New Wave Kitakyushu 2 (-1)
13. Sagawa Shiga FC 2 (-2)
14. TDK SC 2 (-2)
15. Mitsubishi Mizushima 2 (-5)
16. Sagawa Printing 2 (-6)
17. Arte Takasaki 1 (-5)
18. FC Ryukyu 0 (-4)

As well as JFL sides Mio Biwako Kusatsu and Sagawa Shiga FC, several Regional League teams have announced a change of name in the 2007 / 2008 close season. Here's an updated list of the modifications that have so far been made, a few weeks before the Regional League seasons get underway:

Kansai
Banditonce Kobe changed to Banditonce Kakogawa
Takada FC changed to Diablossa Takada FC

Kanto
Furukawa Electrics Chiba changed to SAI Ichihara SC
Yaita SC changed to Vertfee Takahara Nasu

Shikoku
Tokushima Vortis Amateur changed to Tokushima Vortis 2nd

Tohoku
FC Perada Fukushima changed to Fukushima United

A Youtube clip of Kataller Toyama against New Wave Kitakyushu can be found here, while highlights of Gainare Tottori's defeat at home to JEF Reserves are here. There is also a clip of Hokushinetsu League champions Matsumoto Yamaga Club launching their 2008 campaign, here.

Tochigi SC and new boys Fagiano Okayama maintained their perfect starts to the JFL season on Sunday, Tochigi destroying Mitsubishi Mizushima 5-0 to go top on goal difference. Fagiano's achievement is all the more impressive when one considers how difficult their fixtures have been - they came from behind to win away at 2007 champions Sagawa Shiga FC... the individual performance of the day came at Sony Sendai, for whom Goshi Okubo scored four times against Sagawa Printing...

Sun 23 Mar: Gainare Tottori 0-1 JEF Reserves
Sun 23 Mar: Honda FC 1-0 FC Ryukyu
Sun 23 Mar: Kataller Toyama 2-1 Arte Takasaki
Sun 23 Mar: Mio Biwako Kusatsu 1-0 New Wave Kitakyushu
Sun 23 Mar: Ryutsu Keizai University 1-1 TDK SC
Sun 23 Mar: Sagawa Shiga FC 1-2 Fagiano Okayama
Sun 23 Mar: Sony Sendai 5-1 Sagawa Printing
Sun 23 Mar: Tochigi SC 5-0 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sun 23 Mar: Yokogawa Musashino 2-2 FC Kariya

1. Tochigi SC 9 (+8)
2. Fagiano Okayama 9 (+3)
3. Yokogawa Musashino 7 (+2)
4. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 7 (+2)
5. Sony Sendai 6 (+5)
6. Honda FC 6 (+3)
7. Gainare Tottori 6 (+2)
8. FC Kariya 4 (+2)
9. Kataller Toyama 4 (-)
10. JEF Reserves 4 (-2)
11. New Wave Kitakyushu 2 (-1)
12. Ryutsu Keizai University 2 (-2)
13. TDK SC 2 (-2)
14. Sagawa Printing 2 (-4)
15. Mitsubishi Mizushima 2 (-5)
16. Sagawa Shiga FC 1 (-2)
17. FC Ryukyu 0 (-4)
18. Arte Takasaki 0 (-5)

Youtube highlights of Gainare Tottori's win over Ryutsu Keizai University can be found here. Fagiano Okayama's clash with Kataller Toyama is here.

Gainare Tottori are surprise early leaders of the JFL after the second round of matches on Thursday. They beat Ryutsu Keizai University thanks to two goals from ex-Albirex Niigata Singapore defender Eiichiro Ozaki... Yokogawa Musashino, Tochigi SC and newcomers Fagiano Okayama also have maximum points, Hideaki Takeda netting a last-minute winner for Fagiano in a thriller against Kataller Toyama... New Wave Kitakyushu also scored in the dying seconds to prevent 2007 champions Sagawa Shiga FC from recording their first win of the new season...

Thu 20 Mar: Arte Takasaki 0-3 Honda FC
Thu 20 Mar: Fagiano Okayama 3-2 Kataller Toyama
Thu 20 Mar: FC Kariya 0-1 Tochigi SC
Thu 20 Mar: FC Ryukyu 1-2 Yokogawa Musashino
Thu 20 Mar: Gainare Tottori 3-1 Ryutsu Keizai University
Thu 20 Mar: Mio Biwako Kusatsu 1-1 Sagawa Printing
Thu 20 Mar: Mitsubishi Mizushima 1-1 JEF Reserves
Thu 20 Mar: New Wave Kitakyushu 1-1 Sagawa Shiga FC
Thu 20 Mar: TDK SC 0-2 Sony Sendai

1. Gainare Tottori 6 (+3)
2. Tochigi SC 6 (+3)
3. Fagiano Okayama 6 (+2)
4. Yokogawa Musashino 6 (+2)
5. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 4 (+1)
6. Honda FC 3 (+2)
7. FC Kariya 3 (+2)
8. Sony Sendai 3 (+1)
9. New Wave Kitakyushu 2 (-)
10. Sagawa Printing 2 (-)
11. Mitsubishi Mizushima 2 (-)
12. Kataller Toyama 1 (-1)
13. Sagawa Shiga FC 1 (-1)
14. Ryutsu Keizai University 1 (-2)
15. TDK SC 1 (-2)
16. JEF Reserves 1 (-3)
17. FC Ryukyu 0 (-3)
18. Arte Takasaki 0 (-4)

There is a Youtube video clip from the Honda FC - Fagiano Okayama match here. All of the Tochigi SC - FC Ryukyu match can be viewed in eleven different sections, of which the first one is here.

All the newcomers to the JFL began the season impressively as the 2008 campaign kicked off with a ful programme on Sunday. Allan was the hero for Mio Biwako Kusatsu, scoring twice as they defeated champions and neighbours Sagawa Shiga FC. New Wave Kitakyushu drew at Kataller Toyama and Fagiano Okayama beat Honda FC... Gainare Tottori will be delighted to have started with a win at Sony Sendai and FC Kariya pulled off a shock 3-0 defeat of JEF Reserves...

Sun 16 Mar: Honda FC 2-3 Fagiano Okayama
Sun 16 Mar: JEF Reserves 0-3 FC Kariya
Sun 16 Mar: Kataller Toyama 2-2 New Wave Kitakyushu
Sun 16 Mar: Ryutsu Keizai University 1-1 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sun 16 Mar: Sagawa Printing 1-1 TDK SC
Sun 16 Mar: Sagawa Shiga FC 1-2 Mio Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 16 Mar: Sony Sendai 1-2 Gainare Tottori
Sun 16 Mar: Tochigi SC 3-1 FC Ryukyu
Sun 16 Mar: Yokogawa Musashino 2-1 Arte Takasaki