FC Tokyo

FC Tokyo (FC東京, Efushī Tōkyō) is a Japanese professional football club based in Chōfu, Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team is one of only four in the J.League to be simply called Football Club without an extended name.

For volleyball club, see FC Tokyo (volleyball).
FC Tokyo
Full nameFootball Club Tokyo
Founded1935 (1935), (as Tokyo Gas SC)
1999 (1999), (as FC Tokyo)
GroundAjinomoto Stadium
Chōfu, Tokyo
Capacity49,970
ChairmanNaoki Ogane
ManagerKenta Hasegawa
LeagueJ1 League
2020J1 League, 6th of 18
WebsiteClub website

History
Tokyo Gas F.C. crest

The team started as a company team, Tokyo Gas Soccer Club (東京ガスサッカー部) in 1933[1][2] Their first appearance in the national leagues was in 1991, the last season of the old Japan Soccer League.[3] With addition of the Brazilian football player Amaral and the manager Kiyoshi Okuma at the helm, the team gradually became competitive and in 1997, the team finished second, winning the JFL championship the next year. However, at the time the team lacked the necessary qualifications for a promotion to the J1 league and so stayed in J2.

Following this, on 1 October 1998, companies like Tokyo Gas, TEPCO, ampm, TV Tokyo, and Culture Convenience Club, set up a joint company Tokyo Football Club Company with the aim of making the team eligible for joining the J.League. In 1999, the same year the team became eligible, they finished second in the J2 league and were automatically promoted to J1 beginning in the 2000 season. Despite a widespread belief that the team would barely win enough to stay in the J1, the team won four games in a row since its opening game and managed to finish at the 7th spot.

Helped by its winning record, the attendance shot up and it is still above that of well-known Tokyo Verdy 1969 that moved its home town from Kawasaki, Kanagawa in 2001. Since 2002, the team welcomed Hiromi Hara as its manager and aimed for a championship with a strong offense. The 2003 season had the team finish in 4th, its highest ever. In August of the same year, it held a friendly match against one of the greatest football clubs, Real Madrid losing 3–0 but gaining valuable experiences both on and off the field for what it takes to be a great football club.

Long-time leader Amaral, nicknamed The King of Tokyo by his fans, departed the team to join Shonan Bellmare in 2004. He was replaced by Athens Olympics national football team player Yasuyuki Konno from Consadole Sapporo. In November of the same year, it won the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup for its first major title since joining the J.League.

After 10 years of participation in the J.League without a mascot character, the team adopted Tokyo Dorompa, a tanuki-like figure, as its mascot in January, 2009.

On December 4, 2010 FC Tokyo had to win their final game of the season away to already relegated Kyoto Sanga FC. FC Tokyo lost 2–0 and went back down to the second tier for the first time in 11 years. Nevertheless, they bounced back at the first attempt, winning the J2 title in November 2011.

Before their 2011 Emperor's Cup win, FC Tokyo reached the semifinals of the competition three times: in 1997 (as Tokyo Gas), 2008, and 2010. Their 2011 win was remarkable in that the club was a second division team during the season. They became the first J2 champions, and third second-tier champions overall (after NKK SC in 1981 and Júbilo Iwata in 1982), to accomplish the feat.

Stadium
Main article: Ajinomoto Stadium
Ajinomoto Stadium

FC Tokyo uses Ajinomoto Stadium as its home ground (the official name of this stadium is Tokyo Stadium). For a long time it did not have a home stadium of its own and played at various football fields such as the National Olympic Stadium, the National Nishigaoka Football Field, Edogawa Special Ward Stadium, and the Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, but in 2001 it finally found a permanent home. The club's training grounds are Sarue Ground in Koto, Tokyo, and Kodaira Ground in Kodaira, Tokyo.

Players

Current squad
As of 10 January 2020[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  JPN Tsuyoshi Kodama
3 DF  JPN Masato Morishige
4 DF  JPN Tsuyoshi Watanabe
5 DF  JPN Daiki Niwa
6 DF  JPN Ryoya Ogawa
7 MF  JPN Hirotaka Mita
8 MF  JPN Yojiro Takahagi
9 FW  BRA Diego Oliveira
10 MF  JPN Keigo Higashi (captain)
11 FW  JPN Kensuke Nagai
13 GK  JPN Go Hatano
15 MF  BRA Adaílton
19 MF  JPN Kiwara Miyazaki
20 MF  BRA Leandro
22 DF  JPN Takumi Nakamura
23 FW  JPN Kiichi Yajima
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 FW  JPN Taichi Hara
27 FW  JPN Kyosuke Tagawa
28 MF  JPN Takuya Uchida
31 MF  JPN Shuto Abe
32 DF  LBN Joan Oumari
33 GK  JPN Akihiro Hayashi
35 MF  JPN Yoshitake Suzuki
36 DF  JPN Takahiro Yanagi
37 DF  JPN Hotaka Nakamura
38 MF  JPN Kazuya Konno
40 MF  JPN Rei Hirakawa
41 GK  JPN Taishi Brandon Nozawa
44 MF  JPN Manato Shinada
45 MF  BRA Arthur Silva
47 DF  JPN Seiji Kimura
49 DF  JPN Kashifu Bangunagande

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  JPN Riku Hirosue (at Renofa Yamaguchi FC)
— DF  JPN Masayuki Yamada (at Machida Zelvia)
— DF  JPN Takahiro Yanagi (at Montedio Yamagata)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  JPN Kazunori Yoshimoto (at Avispa Fukuoka)
— MF  JPN Hideyuki Nozawa (at Ehime FC)

Under-23 Squad
See also: FC Tokyo U-23

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  JPN Yoshihito Iizutka
— GK  JPN Yu Kanoshima
— GK  JPN Taishi Brandon Nozawa
— GK  JPN Hiroto Takahashi
— DF  JPN Kashifu Bangunagande
— DF  JPN Seiji Kimura
— DF  JPN Shingo Morita
— DF  JPN Teppei Oka
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  JPN Rio Omori
— DF  JPN Soya Yumoto
— MF  PRK Kim Song-min
— MF  JPN Riku Kobayashi
— MF  JPN Koshiro Sumi
— FW  JPN Seiichiro Kubo
— FW  JPN Izumi Miyata
— MF  THA Chayathorn Tapsuvanavon

World Cup players

The following players have represented their country at the World Cup whilst playing for FC Tokyo:

Olympic players

The following players have represented their country at the Summer Olympic Games whilst playing for FC Tokyo:

Managers
ManagerNat.Tenure
Kiyoshi Okuma JapanJan 1, 1995 – Dec 31, 2001
Hiromi Hara JapanJan 1, 2002 – Dec 19, 2005
Alexandre Gallo BrazilDec 20, 2005 – Aug 14, 2006
Hisao Kuramata JapanAug 15, 2006 – Dec 6, 2006
Hiromi Hara JapanDec 7, 2006 – Dec 31, 2007
Hiroshi Jofuku JapanJan 1, 2008 – Sept 19, 2010
Kiyoshi Okuma JapanSept 20, 2010 – Jan 2, 2011
Ranko Popović SerbiaJan 2, 2012 – Dec 31, 2013
Massimo Ficcadenti ItalyJan 2, 2014 – Dec 31, 2015
Hiroshi Jofuku JapanJan 1, 2016 – Jul 24, 2016
Yoshiyuki Shinoda JapanJul 26, 2016 – Sep 10, 2017
Takayoshi Amma JapanSep 11, 2017 – Dec 3, 2017
Kenta Hasegawa JapanDec 3, 2017 –

Record as J.League member
Season Div. Tms. Pos. Attendance/G J.League Cup Emperor's Cup AFC CL
1999 J2 10 2 3,498 Semi-final 4th round -
2000 J1 16 7 11,807 2nd round 3rd round -
2001 J1 16 8 22,313 2nd round 3rd round -
2002 J1 16 9 22,173 Quarter-final 3rd round -
2003 J1 16 4 24,932 Quarter-final 4th round -
2004 J1 16 8 25,438 Winner Quarter-final -
2005 J1 18 10 27,101 Group Stage 5th round -
2006 J1 18 13 24,096 Group Stage 5th round -
2007 J1 18 12 25,290 Group Stage Quarter-final -
2008 J1 18 6 25,716 Quarter-final Semi-final -
2009 J1 18 5 25,884 Winner 4th round -
2010 J1 18 16 25,112 Quarter-final Semi-final -
2011 J2 20 1 17,562 - Winner -
2012 J1 18 10 23,955 Semi-final 2nd round Round of 16
2013 J1 18 8 25,073 Group Stage Semi-final -
2014 J1 18 9 25,187 Group Stage Round of 16 -
2015 J1 18 4 28,784 Quarter-final Quarter-final -
2016 J1 18 9 24,037 Semi-final Quarter-final Round of 16
2017 J1 18 13 26,490 Quarter-final 2nd round -
2018 J1 18 6 25,745 Group Stage 4th round -
2019 J1 18 2 31,540 Quarter-final 3rd round -
2020 J1 18 6 - Winner - Round of 16
Key
  • Tms. = Number of teams
  • Pos. = Position in league
  • Attendance/G = Average league attendance

Honours

Domestic

FC Tokyo

Tokyo Gas Football Club (Amateur era)

International

FC Tokyo

Continental record
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2012 AFC Champions League Group F Brisbane Roar 4–2 0–2 2nd
Ulsan Hyundai 2–2 1–0
Beijing Guoan 3–0 1–1
Round of 16 Guangzhou Evergrande
1–0
2016 AFC Champions League Play-off round Chonburi
9–0
Group E Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0–3 2–1 2nd
Becamex Bình Dương 3–1 1–2
Jiangsu Suning 0–0 1–2
Round of 16 Shanghai SIPG 2–1 1–0 2–2 (a)
2020 AFC Champions League Play-off round Ceres-Negros
2–0
Group F Ulsan Hyundai 1–2 1–1 2nd
Perth Golory 1–0 0–1
Shanghai Shenhua 0–1 1–2
Round of 16 Beijing F.C.
1–0

Personnel awards

In the Captain Tsubasa manga series, one character played for FC Tokyo. The midfielder Jun Misugi, which also was player of Bellmare Hiratsuka (today Shonan Bellmare) in the manga.

See also

References
  1. FC Tokyo Profile at J.League Official Website
  2. http://www.jfa.or.jp/jfa/history/.
  3. Basic infos and history of FC Tokyo
  4. "ニュース｜FC東京オフィシャルホームページ". www.fctokyo.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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