is a former

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player. He played for Japan national team.

Club career

Yamada attended Toin Gakuen High School, where he led the school to the final four in the National Championship. Played at

Komazawa University , abbreviated as 駒大 ''Komadai'', is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young monks of the Sōtō sect, one of the two main Zen Buddhist trad ...

before turning professional where he won a variety of different national titles, including the gold medal for Japan at the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bot ...

. He turned professional in 1997, playing for

Verdy Kawasaki is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of football in the country. Founded as Yomiuri F.C. in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most decorated clubs in the J.League, with ...

(later ''Tokyo Verdy'') in the then-fledgling

J1 League 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 club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

. He played as right side-back and midfielder. Yamada stayed with Verdy for the next eight years, clocking up almost 300 appearances for the club. He was one of the iconic players of

's early years, known for his physical and charismatic strength on the field. The supporters' group honored him with the name of "Mr. Verdy" when he served as Verdy's captain for three years. He was also nicknamed "The Terminator", due to his combative style. He moved to

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka. ...

for the 2006 season, but never fully settled with the club. In December 2006, Yamada surprised the Australian football community by arriving unannounced for a trial with Adelaide United. However, in January, 2007, Adelaide United signed with a

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian attacking midfielder

Diego Walsh Diego Costa Bastos Walsh (born 8 December 1979 in Santos) is a Brazilian footballer who last played for TOT S.C. in the Thai Premier League. Career Youth and College While growing up in Brazil, Diego played in the youth system of Santos FC, ...

from Miami FC who had a more advanced

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

status meaning Walsh was likely to be available sooner to play for Adelaide United. From Australia, Yamada flew to the United States for an invitational tryout with several

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

clubs, including

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

, but was not offered a contract. After returning to Japan, Yokohama FC of the J.League immediately announced its interest towards Yamada and signed him on 3 June 2007. Yamada served as captain for the 2008 season. For the 2009 season, Yamada transferred to Sagan Tosu due to the head coach Yasuyuki Kishino's strong recruitment. On January 1, 2010, Yamada signed with

FC Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

(later ''Tampa Bay Rowdies'') for their 2010 inaugural team roster. He became the first Japanese player to serve as co-captain in USSF Division 2. Yamada re-signed with Tampa Bay, now playing in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, on December 27, 2010. Yamada remained with Tampa Bay through the 2011 season. On October 5, 2011, the club announced that Yamada would return for the 2012 season. It was the second straight season Yamada scored the game-winner in the home opener. Started all 28 regular season matches and 2 post-season matches... Played in all 2,520 regular season minutes, the most in the NASL, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl 2012, he was also selected to the NASL 2012 Best XI. Yamada continued to play for Tampa Bay for the 2013 season where he started in 22 matches in NASL season. Played in 1966 minutes and played in 100th official match for Rowdies on August 24, 2013. On February 10, 2014, the club announced that Yamada will return for the 2014 season as the club's longest tenured player.LONGEST TENURED ROWDIE TAKUYA YAMADA AND FORWARD DEVIN DEL DO RETURN FOR THE 2014 SEASON
He left the club end of 2014 season. He returned to Japan in 2015 and he joined

FC Imabari FC Imabari (''FC今治'') is a Japanese football club based in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. They play in the J3 League. History The club was founded in 1976 and were promoted to the Shikoku Football League in 2001. From 2009 to 2011 they were owne ...

in July. He moved to

Nara Club is a Japanese football (soccer) club based in the city of Nara, capital of Nara Prefecture. They currently play in J3 League, the third tier professional in the Japanese football league system. History The club was originally established ...

in 2016 and played until end of the season. He returned to FC Imabari in August 2017. He retired in November 2017.

National team career

Yamada was the world champion for the

. In December 2003, he was selected Japan national team for

2003 East Asian Football Championship The 2003 East Asian Football Championship was the 1st edition of the East Asian Football Championship, an international football tournament for East Asian countries and territories organized by the EAFF. The qualifiers were held in February and ...

. At this tournament, on December 7, he debuted against

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. He was also selected Japan for

2004 Asian Cup The 2004 AFC Asian Cup was the 13th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held from 17 July to 7 August 2004 in China. The defending champio ...

. Although he did play in the match, Japan won the champions. He played as defensive midfielder. He played 4 games for Japan until 2004.Japan National Football Team Database
/ref>

Playing style

The organizer on the pitch with his computerized accurate short, and long passes. He is a utility player as a midfielder, and defender, who is also capable both on the flank and middle. Yamada is also a hard nose player to go tight, and tough against whoever he is matching up with. Also, equipped with sharp overlaps to score when needed. Natural leader on and off the field who served as captain in three clubs.

Club statistics

National team statistics

Honors and awards

Tampa Bay Rowdies

: ** Champion (1) 2012

Personal

* 2010: Co-Captain of

* 2008: Captain of Yokohama FC * 2002-2005: Captain of Tokyo Verdy

Club

* 2012: NASL Best XI * 2005: J.League XEROX Super Cup Champion * 2004: J.League Emperor's Cup Champion *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

Champions * 1996: All-Japan University Best 11 * 1995: Universiade Fukuoka (World University Games), Japanese College National Team – World Champion (Gold Medal) * 1995: All-Japan University Best 11 * 1993: All-Japan High School Select Team

International

(Champion)

References

External links

*
Japan National Football Team Database
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamada, Takuya 1974 births Living people Komazawa University alumni Association football people from Tokyo Japanese footballers Japan international footballers J1 League players J2 League players Japan Football League players Tokyo Verdy players Cerezo Osaka players Yokohama FC players Sagan Tosu players FC Imabari players Nara Club players Japanese expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States North American Soccer League players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the United States 2004 AFC Asian Cup players AFC Asian Cup-winning players Association football defenders Association football midfielders