Finally, on Apr 29 (Fri, Holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the National Stadium before renovation, we have played many official matches since our first year in the J.League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving our long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
This is TOKYO.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at the previous National Stadium with photos from that time.
1999: The first step that gathered 40,000 people and the elusive 3rd uniform
[Match Information]
1999 J-League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round 2
FC Tokyo 1-1 Kashima Antlers
Under the emblem, the words "HERE WE ARE! "KOKURITSU" 6th Oct '99" were engraved. I wonder how the players who wore that vertical striped third uniform and the people who held it in their hands are doing now on that day.
FC Tokyo was established and fought in the J2 League in the 1999 season, the first year of J.League membership. In the final match, they achieved promotion to the J1 League and also accomplished the remarkable feat of reaching the semi-finals in their first participation in the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup.
In the previous Tokyo Gas Football Club era, they advanced to the semifinals in the Emperor's Cup. They gave the impression of being particularly strong in cup competitions, and in this Nabisco Cup, they defeated J1's Vissel Kobe, JEF United Chiba, and Yokohama F.Marinos one after another. They proved that their success in the J2 league was not a fluke.
The semifinal opponent is Kashima Antlers. They are the previous year's J-League champions and also the team that stood in Tokyo's way in the 1997 Emperor's Cup. The team's determination for this match was significant. The first match was played on September 26th at away, and Kashima won 2-0. In the second match, Tokyo needed to win by a margin of 3 points or more.
The first big game to be held as a home game. The venue is Japan National Stadium. The club created a third uniform, but at that time, registration was not allowed in the middle of the season, so it was only worn at the time of entry. That is why it is called a "phantom".
On October 6th, a cloudy day at Kokuritsu Stadium where 40,885 spectators gathered.
Tokyo aggressively took advantage of their opponent's weaknesses and kept the score level in the first half against Kashima, who were trying to protect their two-goal lead from the first match. In the 54th minute of the second half, Amaral scored an overhead goal from a free kick sent by Almir. Go Kaburaki then powerfully kicked in the loose ball, scoring the first goal. With the momentum on their side, Yukihiko Sato, who was the starting point on the right side, continued to attack multiple times. The absence of their goalkeeper Hiromitsu Horiike allowed Takayuki Suzuki, who stepped onto the National Stadium pitch for the first time, to make some impressive plays that couldn't be ignored.
Still, in the 81st minute, "serious Kashima" allowed a goal from Yutaka AKITA's CK and ended in a draw.
Although we were unable to advance to the final round, the fact that we gave Kashima a hard time until the very end gave us great confidence. On the other hand, this hard-fought battle did not have any impact on the following league match. We may struggle towards promotion to the J1 league, but all of these experiences should serve as a solid foundation for the club.
The appropriate team to the appropriate place――. It was also a match where the feeling and expectation grew significantly.
Text by Yū Fujiwara (Freelance Writer)
