The Japan Super Cup is the 29th edition of the J-League season, and last season's champions Kawasaki Frontale and Emperor's Cup winners Urawa Red Diamonds will clash with each other in a showdown of supremacy at the Yokohama International Arena on Saturday. (Live on Cable TV 601/661 on Saturday at 12:15pm)
The Japan Super Cup was first organized in 1994, the year after the establishment of the JSL, and was won by Kawasaki Yomiuri, the first year champion of the JSL (the predecessor of the current JSL B team Tokyo Green). In the past 28 editions of the tournament, Kashima Antlers have won the Super Cup 6 times, followed by Urawa Red Diamonds, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Green with 4 titles each.
The two sides are no strangers to the Japan Super Cup. Apart from the aforementioned Urawa Red Diamonds, who have won the title four times, Kawasaki Frontale, who have emerged as the dominant club in the JSL in recent years, have also participated in the tournament for three times, winning the title in 2019 and 2021, which means that this is Kawasaki's defense of the title. It is worth mentioning that the 2019 Japan Super Cup is being contested by Kawasaki Striker and Urawa Red Diamonds, and Kawasaki Striker won the Cup for the first time at that time, so this year's tournament will be a vengeance for Urawa Red Diamonds.
As a matter of fact, Urawa Red Diamonds has been in a disadvantageous position against Kawasaki Frontale in recent years. In the last 9 official meetings, Urawa Red Diamonds has not won a single match and only recorded 4 draws. This statistic also reflects the fact that Kawasaki Frontale has been dominating the JLF in recent years, and a number of traditional strong teams can only hope to be the back of it.
Although Kawasaki Strikers have let go of young stars such as Tanaka Bi, Mitaka Kawasaki, and Reio Kawasaki in recent years to make a living in Europe, the team has remained strong in the JLF, and the supervisor, Onigi Tatsuki, is to be credited for that. During the off-season, although Reio moved to Zoloft, they managed to get Thailand's number one player, Chainatip Sangsing (Chainat) from Gonzaga Sapporo in Hokkaido to join the team and fill the vacancy of the attacking midfield position.
Last season's Nippon Professional League Player of the Year and Points Scorer, Lee Ando Damiao, has high praise for his new teammates, saying that Chainat has the speed and skill to make a positive contribution to the team. In addition to the two players mentioned above, Kawasaki Strikers also have Kobayashi Yoru, Taniguchi Akihiro and Parent Akihiro in the team, so there is no loss of strength.
Urawa Red Diamonds, coached by Spanish supervisor Ricardo Rodriguez, have managed to clean up their recent form, winning the Emperor's Cup last season and finishing sixth in the JFL, their best ranking in the last three seasons. During the off-season, Urawa Red Diamonds continued their rejuvenation policy, sending away veterans such as Makino, Hoshinzo, Tomoya Ugami, and Nishi Daiwu to make the team more energetic. In addition, David Karlsson, who has played for the Swedish national football team and has just joined from Sparta Prague, is the most notable addition of Urawa Red Diamonds during the off-season, and he will wear the No.10 jersey in the match, and his performance is expected to be highly anticipated.
After the spring training, Lecardo Rodriguez, who once led Tokushima Whirlpool to win the Japanese B Championship, expressed his confidence in the effect of the big change, and now the most important work is to do a good job for the team to integrate as soon as possible, and hope to win all the tournaments in the new season.
