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2014 J.League Division 1
The 2014 J.League Division 1 season was the 49th season of top-flight football in Japan, and the 22nd since the establishment of the J.League in 1993. The season began on 1 March and ended on 8 December. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were the defending champions. Due to Japan's participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, there was an extended break to allow for preparation after the 14th-week matches on 17 and 18 May, with the league resuming on 15 July for four clubs who participated in the 2014 AFC Champions League to play rescheduled 12th-week matches, and 19 July for other 14 clubs. 2014 saw the league played via a home and away system over a single season for the last time until at least 2020. From 2015 the league will revert to an Apertura and Clausura system, with a multi-team play-off 'super stage' to decide the champions, similar to the format used when the J.League began. The league was won by Gamba Osaka, who won their second J.League title following a 0–0 away draw against To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamba Osaka
is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". The club's home stadium is Panasonic Stadium Suita. They form a local rivalry with Osaka city-based Cerezo Osaka. Gamba Osaka is among the most accomplished Japanese clubs, having won several top-tier domestic titles, as well as the 2008 AFC Champions League. History It was founded in 1980 as Matsushita Electric SC by the company, now known as Panasonic, in Nara Prefecture and became a member of the Japan Soccer League. It was mostly made of remaining players and staff of the defunct Yanmar Club, the former B-team of Yanmar Diesel SC, later to be known as Cerezo Osaka. Gamba Osaka was an original member ("Original Ten") of the first J.League season. In 2005, the club claimed its first J.League championship on a dramatic f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apertura And Clausura
The ' and ' tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is divided in two sections per season, each with its own champion. ' and ' are the Spanish words for "opening" and "closing". In French-speaking Haiti, these are known as the ' and the ', while in English-speaking Belize, they are respectively the ''Opening'' and ''Closing'' seasons. When used in the United States and Canada, they are known as the ''Spring'' and ''Fall'' seasons. The Americas The ' is held in the first half of the calendar year in Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Paraguay and Uruguay while it is held in the second half of the calendar year in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. The words ' and ' are used in most Latin American countries. Some, however, use different terminology: * Colombia: ' an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vegalta Sendai
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after playing a few years in the JFL, with the nickname ''Brummell Sendai'', to which they had been promoted in 1995 from the Tohoku Regional League. When joining the J-League, the name Vegalta was chosen as a homage to the famous Tanabata festival in Sendai. The names of the two celestial stars of the Tanabata legend, ''Vega'' and ''Altair'' were combined to form ''Vegalta''. They were first promoted to the top flight in 2002 but in the following season the team went back down the following season. They were promoted again for the 2010 season. In 2011, despite the earthquake and tsunami, they achieved their highest position up to that time, 4th place in the top division. In 2012, despite leading the table for most of the season, Sanfrecce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokushima Vortis
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team is located in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture. Their home stadium is Naruto Otsuka Sports Park Pocari Sweat Stadium, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name, "Vortis" was named in 1997 (see below), and it was explained as a combination of Italian "''Vor''tice" (meaning whirlpool, after the famous Naruto whirlpool in Naruto Strait). History Founded in 1955 as ''Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Soccer Club'', VORTIS joined the J-League in 2005. They are still sponsored by Otsuka's best-known brand, Pocari Sweat sports drink. They were first promoted to the old Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1989, but the company's reluctance to professionalize the team forced it to compete in the former JFL and current JFL. In the 1997 old JFL season, they first sported a ''Vortis Tokushima'' name, but the lack of fan interest at the time forced them to go back to the corporate identity. They finally adopted the '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shimizu S-Pulse
is a professional Japanese football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J2 League (J2). 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 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 the Japanese Super Cup twice and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Club name The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for three, ''San'' and the Italian word ''frecce'', which means 'arrows'. This is based on the story of the feudal lord Mōri Motonari who told his three sons that while a single arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows held together would not be broken and urged them to work for the good of the clan and its retainers. Former names * 1938–70: ** 1943–46: Play was suspended during this period due to the Pacific War. * 1971–80: * 1981–83: * 1984–85: * 1986–92: Location The club's home town is Hiroshima and the side plays at Hiroshima Big Arch and Hiroshima Prefectural Stadium. It holds training sessions at Yoshida Soccer Park in Akitakata, Hiroshima and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sagan Tosu
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J1 League. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. ''Sagan'' is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one formidable object, for example as a metaphor for a team. Also, ''Sagan Tosu'' can be interpreted as in the area's dialect. History In February 1997, Sagan was established as a new club which virtually took over Tosu Futures, which became insolvent in the previous month, and were admitted to participate Japan Football League from 1997 to 1998, as well as J. League Cup in 1997 as a preferential measure, although J. League Associate Membership status was not awarded to Sagan. In 1999 they were admitted to the new J. League Division 2 (J2) as one of the "Original Ten", which were the ten first members of the J2. They remained at the league until their promotion to J1 at the end of the 2011 season. Lit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagoya Grampus
(formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp. in 1939, the club shares its home games between Mizuho Athletic Stadium (capacity 27,000 and the J.League's oldest serving stadium) and the much larger Toyota Stadium in the suburb of Toyota (capacity 45,000). The team had its most successful season up to 1995 when it was managed by Arsène Wenger, well known for his subsequent exploits at Arsenal. They won the Emperor's Cup and finished second in the J.League, with Dragan Stojković and Gary Lineker on the team. The 1995 success was eclipsed on November 20, 2010, when the club won its first J.League trophy, under the management of Stojković. The team's name was derived from the two most prominent symbols of Nagoya: the two golden grampus dolphins on the top of Nagoya Castle, and the ''Maru-Hachi'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albirex Niigata
is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the first division after five seasons. History For many years it had been a local autonomous amateur club, ''Niigata 11'', that could never hope to see the light of day in an old Japan Soccer League dominated almost entirely by company teams. The creation of the J. League spurred the club to rise, and in the 1990s it began climbing fast through the divisions. In 1998, Albirex Niigata joined the Japan Football League, and was merged into the J2 league after its creation in 1999. The team gradually became competitive and in 2001 and 2002 it came close to getting promoted to J1 and in 2003, it became the champion of J2 and finally joined the top flight. The team name is made from combining the star ''Albireo'' of the constellation Cygnus (the Sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Júbilo Iwata
is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For big fixtures such as the Shizuoka Derby with Shimizu S-Pulse and against some of the top teams in J1, Júbilo play at the much larger Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi City, a venue built specifically for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. They practice at Okubo Ground in Iwata and Iwata Sports Park Yumeria. Between 1997 and 2003 Iwata were one of the most successful teams in the J. League. Over this seven-year spell Jubilo finished outside the top two of J1 just once, winning the league title on three occasions. This period also saw a number of cup final appearances, including winning the Emperor’s Cup, the J. League Cup, and the Asian Champions League once each. History Origins and rise to the top The team started out as the company team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shonan Bellmare
is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium. '' Shonan'' refers to a coastal area along Sagami Bay that includes Hiratsuka. ''Bellmare'' is a portmanteau of the Italian words ''bello'' and ''mare'', meaning "beautiful sea". History Early years as corporate team The club was founded in 1968 as Towa Real Estate SC in Nasu, Tochigi. They were promoted to the Japan Soccer League (JSL) Division 1 in 1972. They changed their name to Fujita Kogyo S.C. when Towa Estate Development gave up the ownership to their parent company Fujita Industries, which moved the club to Hiratsuka. They won the JSL three times (including two doubles with the Emperor's Cup) between 1977 and 1981. They were nevertheless relegated to the JSL's Division 2 in 1990. Although they won the last J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oita Trinita
is a Japanese football club currently playing in J2 League, having been relegated after the 2021 season after a three-year stint in J1 League. The club's home town is Ōita, Ōita, Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Ōita, Beppu, Saiki, Ōita, Saiki, and the entire Ōita Prefecture. The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ''trinity (trinità)'', which was the club's original name before being changed in 1999, and ''Ōita'', the club's home town. The combined word expresses the will of the local citizens, companies, and government to support the team. Another connection to the Italian culture can be found in the city nickname Azzurro ("light blue" in English). The club's home ground is Ōita Bank Dome, also known as the "Big Eye", which was one of the venues built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The club practices at the adjacent football and rugby field, and Ōita City Public Ground. History The club was formed as ''Ōita Trinity'' i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
