Samurai Blue Dispatch Egypt 3-0

Japan's Men's Football Team the Samurai Blue defeated the Egyptian Team 3-0 at Old Trafford today in the Olympic quarter finals. The Samurai Blue have made it to the semi-finals for the first time in 44 years where they will face Mexico on Tuesday. We at American Mishima look forward to this match against our (USA) southern arch rival nemesis Mexico and say おめでとうございます! がんばれ 日本!

日本 がんばれ! Japan's Olympic Teams Impressive Start

In the span of 24 hours, the Japanese Men's & Women's Teams have opened up the 2012 London Olympics with twin victories. Starting July 25th at City of Coventry Stadium, Nadeshiko Japan took on the Canadian Women's team scoring twice first by Nahomi Kawasumi in the 33rd minute and later by Aya Miyama in the 44th minute. The final score was Japan 2-1 Canada putting the defending Women's World Cup Champions up on the leader board early for medal contention

And now for the men. Today in Glasgow Scotland, Japan's Samurai Blue once again showed the world the prowess and play of the up and coming skills of the Japanese J-League defeating odds on favorite Spain in an exhilarating fast paced game that no one could predict it's end. Spain suffering a red card and playing with ten men could not let their guard down. The battle for possession kept everyone on their toes. And then it came. Striker Yuki Otsu scored in the first half and maintained the attack until the bitter end. Japan opened up numerous chances but ended with a 1-0 win over the 10-man Spanish squad. If you were betting on Spanish gold, today's defeat at the hand of the Samurai Blue puts this confidence shaker in a psychological place no Spaniard wants to be hurting their chances for the gold medal and the Olympics have only just started. To both Nadeshiko Japan and their male counterparts Samurai Blue, we at American Mishima say  がんばれ!

Ljungberg Leaves Shimizu S-Pulse

Former Swedish national, Arsenal, & Seattle Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has left the J-League's Shimizu S-Pulse after only six months to return to europe. Ljungberg and Shimizu president Yasuhito Takeuchi mutally agreed to end his contract citing differences in vision. ほんと? Ljungberg scored some 46 goals for Arsenal and another two for Westham United before signing in 2009 to the MLS's newest team the Seattle Sounders FC. There he would go onto to score another two goals before being traded in 2010 to a brief stint with the Chicago Fire where he would score another two goals before leaving the MLS for Celtic where he didn't score at all. Ljungberg has had a history of injuries to his hamstring which has plaugued his more recent career. In Seattle he was regarded as prickly amoung his team mates which contributed to his trade for Columbian Striker Fredy Montero. In 2011, Freddie Ljungberg appeared in only eight J-League games and three cup matches with Shimizu S-Pulse without scoring. Nowhere on the net has the language barrier been cited as the issue just differences in vision. Ljungberg has stated his utmost respect for Japan and his team mates but it takes more than respect to be on top in the J-League. Shimizu finished 10th out of 18 teams during his tenure there. Shimizu S-Pulse has put out a statement moving forward with players that share the same vision. We are not sure if that was a swipe at Ljungberg or not but after not getting their 60 Million Yen per year's worth on an 18 month contract we can't blame them. Personally, Shimizu is being awfully polite - very Japanese. While Freddie may not have felt this was the right project for him all we can say is さよなら Swede!

残酷な Soccer Fan Cruelty

Heckling an opposing team is nothing new in Soccer Supporter Culture. But there are certain lines one should never cross. Well thanks to Japan Probe we came across this photo of  Korean Soccer fans of Jeonbuk diplaying a sign reading "Let's Celebrate Japan's Big Earhtquake" during the recent quaterfinal of the Asian Champions League against Cerezo Osaka.  なに? Yeah, that's what we said!

Over the years I have heard many cruel taunts from Soccer Supporters even some from my own LA Galaxy Supporter Groups that I felt was in bad taste. But to call for the celebration of over 15,000 peoples deaths and the countless livelyhoods that were destroyed by the combined earthquake & tsunami of March 12, 2011? That is just fucked up and downright cruel. The JFA (Japan Football Association) has lodged a protest with the Asian Football Confederation and I hope they take this up with FIFA. If there is one thing I do not like about Football/Soccer is ばかやろ posing as fans whose sole purpose in being there is to use the "Beautiful Game" as a venue to be a dick. Needless to say the banner went down after 20 minutes following complaints by the Osaka team to organizers. Embarrased, the owners of South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors soccer team did the right thing and apologized for the incident but by then the damage was already done. It's unknown what became of those dickheads who displayed that banner. Hopefully they were escorted out and banned from the game. If they are smart they will never visit Osaka Japan because Fuji TV aired these ばかやろ faces repeatedly on Japanese TV. There are some who may argue "well that's just Jeonbuk fans." It does not matter if it is Jeonbuk, Mexico, or MAN UTD fans. It's just bad taste and poor sportmanship on the part of these "so-called fans." It ultimately displays a total lack of character by the people who engage in such off the pitch cruelty. I am a real Football/Soccer fan and I will not tolerate it and neither should you. Now let's get back to our "Beautiful Game."

突然死 Former Samurai Blue 2002 World Cup Star Dies.

2011 has been a rollercoaster year for Soccer in Japan. First being the triple tragedy in March. Then  came the Victory of Nadeshiko Japan in the Women's World Cup final. But once again tragedy has returned to Japan. We are saddened to announce the passing of one of Japan's Blue Samurai Blue defenders Naoki Matsuda. It is reported that he suffered a heart attack and collapsed while training with his current team Matsumoto Yamaga FC. Matsuda was rushed to a hospital where he slipped into a coma and was pronounced dead two days later. During his career with the Japan National Team the Samurai Blue, he played 40 caps with one goal to his credit in a friendly match against Kazakhstan played in Yokohama, Japan. Matsuda's sudden death has left many grieving in the Japanese Soccer Community and a world wide outpouring of sympathy and support have been sent including one from FIFA President Sepp Blatter. We at American Mishima would also like to send Matsuda's family our most sincere condolences. Matsuda was a popular player and too young to die. Matsuda was only 34 years old.

Soma Transfer Update

While all eyes are on Nadeshiko Japan's big match against Sweden in the FIFA 2011 Women's World Cup, another Japanese soccer story taking place in Germany all but nearly slipped under the radar. Earlier this year we wrote about the former Urawa Reds defender Takahito Soma's transfer announcement from the Bundesliga 2 Energie Cottbus to an undisclosed franchise in the MLS. This would make his the 2nd Issei player in the MLS alongside Kosuke Kimura of the Colorado Rapids As of this month it has now been confirmed on Goal.com that this deal will not go through. Instead, Takahito Soma will return to the J-League to play for Vissel Kobe. This is understandable given Soma had requested to leave his German team for family reasons. Given our great enthusiasm for the potential move we are a little dissappointed but shigata na gai. Family is important and we more than understand this. We wish Soma-San well and hope that he one day considers another run to the United States to play in the MLS. We love J-League players here in the United States and hope we shall soon see more of them in the ever growing MLS.

日本サッカー J-League Defender Takahito Soma to come to MLS

Former Urawa Reds and current Second Division Bundesliga Energie Cottbus defender Takahito Soma has announced he has accepted an offer to move to an undisclosed Major League Soccer team here in the United States. This move is slated to take place during this summers transfer window. The 29 year old former J-League defender will join Colorado Rapids star Kosuke Kimura as the second player from Japan to join the MLS. "I have had an offer from an MLS club and want to move in the summer," Soma was quoted as saying Thursday. We at American Mishima are very happy to see the MLS invest in J-League players instead of retiring European players in decline. I have always argued the point about the logic of paying millions for the Beckhams of the world when the J-League has many talented players in their prime who would love to come play in the US. It's a wise descision to consider more J-League talent scouting. After all, who set up the winning goals in the last MLS Cup at BMO Field? It sure wasn't the likes of Thierry Henry or the over-hyped David Beckham. No, it was Kosuke Kimura - a man who was initially rejected by the J-League who has since become a superstar in his home country of Japan. I rest my case! I give kudos to the MLS for finally waking up and smelling that sashimi! We at American Mishima would like to offer Soma-San a nice よこそ ことしも よろしく おねがいします! & がんばって ください! Now show the MLS what the J-League players can bring to the pitch! Ganbare!