is Japanese professional association football club based in Tendo, Yamagata. The club currently playing in

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

, the Japanese second tier of professional football.

Name origin

Montedio is a coined word combining the Italian word for "mountain" (Monte) and the word for "God" (Dio).

History

The club based in Tsuruoka was founded in 1984 as NEC Yamagata Soccer Club. It gained the promotion to the

Japan Football League (former) The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership am ...

in 1994. After renaming itself as Montedio Yamagata in 1996, it has been playing in

J. League Division 2 The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Ya ...

since its inaugural 1999 season. On 30 November 2008, they were promoted to

J. League Division 1 The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian Football Confederation, Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promot ...

for the first time. They achieved their highest league placing of 13th in 2010. However, in 2011, two strong rental players from

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...

go back to their own team. This weakened the squad which also suffered many injuries through the year and Montedio were relegated back to J.League Division 2 at the end of 2011. At the end of the season, the manager,

Shinji Kobayashi is a Japanese football manager and a former player. Playing career Kobayashi was born in Unzen on August 24, 1960. After graduating from Osaka University of Commerce, he joined Mazda in 1983. He played until 1992. Coaching career After retireme ...

, stepped down even though many fans glorified his accomplishment for the past 4 years. Yamagata returned to the J1 after spending three seasons in the J2 by winning the J1/J2 promotion playoff final in 2014. They returned to the J2 for the 2016 season, having spent only one season at the J1. The club is currently playing their 8th consecutive season in the J2 on 2023.

Record as J.League member

;Key

Current squad

''As of 13 August 2024.''

Out on loan

Club officials

Managerial history

General managers

* Shigetoshi Nakaigawa – 1986–1997, 2007–2019

Honours

Kit evolution

Rivalries

Ōu Honsen (Dewa derby)

NEC Yamagata and TDK first met in 1990 in old Tohoku regional football league. The two clubs have been based in former Dewa Province, and their rivalry is renamed as

Ōu Honsen The Ōu Honsen (奥羽本戦, ''Main battle of Ōu'', a pun on the Ou Line railroad traversing the prefectures) is a footballing rivalry played between Blaublitz Akita and Montedio Yamagata, both professional J.League teams from the citie ...

(奥羽本戦) after the

Japan Railways The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as the or simply JR, consists of seven for-profit stock companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. Mo ...

Ōu Main Line (奥羽本線) in 2021. *

Battle of Ōshū The Battle of Ōshū (奥州合戦, ''Ōshū-kassen'') was a major battle between the Kamakura government and the Northern Fujiwara that took place in the Tōhoku region of Japan from September 1 to October 14, 1189. It resulted in the downfall o ...

References

External links

*
Montedio Squad
{{Authority control J.League clubs Football clubs in Japan Association football clubs established in 1984 Sports clubs and teams in Yamagata Prefecture Tendō, Yamagata 1984 establishments in Japan Japan Football League (1992–1998) clubs