Cerezo Osaka
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| Full name | Cerezo Osaka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sakura | ||
| Founded | 1957 | ||
| Ground | Kincho Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 18,000 | ||
| Owner | Yanmar | ||
| Chairman | Minoru Tamada | ||
| Manager | Kiyoshi Okuma | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2016 | J2 League, 4th (promoted via playoffs) | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Cerezo Osaka (セレッソ大阪 Seresso Ōsaka) is a J. League football team, currently playing in the J2 League. The team name Cerezo (cherry tree in Spanish) is also the flower of Ōsaka city.[1] The official home towns for the team are Osaka City and Sakai City.
History
The team, originally called Yanmar Diesel, started in 1957 as the company team of Yanmar and was an original founder of the now-disbanded Japan Soccer League. With four Japanese league titles to its credit, it was a mainstay of the JSL First Division until 1990 when it was first relegated, and thus joined the former Japan Football League in 1992.
In 1993, the club incorporated as Osaka Football Club Ltd., and adopted the name Cerezo after a public contest.[2] In 1994, it won the JFL championship and was promoted to the J1 League in 1995. This also coincided with a run to the finals of the Emperor's Cup, which they lost to long-time league rivals Bellmare Hiratsuka.
In 2001, it finished in the last spot and was relegated to the J2 league. It managed to finish second in the 2002 season and returned to J1 in 2003.
In 2005 they came close to becoming J-League champions, and topped the league into the last match day. In their final match, they led F.C. Tokyo with minutes to go and were on course to win the title. However, Tokyo equalized in the 90th minute, and a number of other late goals around Japan meant they finished 5th. Arch-rivals Gamba Osaka, ended up winning the title. Cerezo returned to J2 for the 2007 season after finishing second to last in 2006. In 2009 they were promoted and returned to the top division. In 2014 they ended their season in 17th place. As a result, the team will be playing in Division 2 this 2015 season.
Colors
Cerezo's team color is pink, like the cherry blossom flowers the name is based on. Combination colors have been navy blue and black. This year, their uniform color is pink with navy (home) and white with navy stripes (away) for the field players, black (home) and pink with navy (away) for the goal keepers.
During the Yanmar Diesel days in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, the uniform was all-red reminiscent of Liverpool F.C.
Grounds
The home towns for the team are Osaka, and Sakai, Japan. The team plays at Kincho Stadium, with some bigger games played at Yanmar Stadium Nagai.[3]
The team practices at Minamitsumori Sakura Sports Park, Maishima Sports Island, and Amagasaki Yanmar Diesel Ground.
Team mascots
The main team mascot is a wolf, nicknamed Lobby.
His full name is Noble Valiente Hache Lobito de Cerezo, which roughly translates to "a noble and brave son of a wolf from the Cerezo family, of good lineage".
The other team mascot is Madame Lobina, Lobby’s mother, who supports her son and Cerezo Osaka enthusiastically at many of the matches. Her full name is Elegante Esplendida Madame Lobina de Cerezo, which roughly translates to "elegant and splendid Madam wolf from the Cerezo family, of good lineage".[4]
Rivalries
Cerezo's biggest rival is fellow local team Gamba Osaka. The matches played against Gamba are referred to as the Osaka derby.
Record as J. League member
| Season | Div. | Tms. | Pos. | Attendance/G | J. League Cup | Emperor's Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | J1 | 14 | 8 | 12,097 | - | 2nd Round |
| 1996 | J1 | 16 | 13 | 8,229 | Group Stage | 4th Round |
| 1997 | J1 | 17 | 11 | 9,153 | Group Stage | 4th Round |
| 1998 | J1 | 18 | 9 | 9,864 | Group Stage | 3rd Round |
| 1999 | J1 | 16 | 6 | 10,216 | 2nd Round | 4th Round |
| 2000 | J1 | 16 | 5 | 13,548 | 2nd Round | Quarter-Final |
| 2001 | J1 | 16 | 16 | 11,857 | 1st Round | Final |
| 2002 | J2 | 12 | 2 | 7,952 | - | 4th Round |
| 2003 | J1 | 16 | 9 | 13,854 | Group Stage | Final |
| 2004 | J1 | 16 | 15 | 14,323 | Group Stage | 4th Round |
| 2005 | J1 | 18 | 5 | 17,648 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final |
| 2006 | J1 | 18 | 17 | 13,026 | Quarter-Final | 4th Round |
| 2007 | J2 | 13 | 5 | 6,627 | - | 4th Round |
| 2008 | J2 | 15 | 4 | 10,554 | - | 4th Round |
| 2009 | J2 | 18 | 2 | 9,912 | - | 2nd Round |
| 2010 | J1 | 18 | 3 | 15,026 | Group Stage | 4th Round |
| 2011 | J1 | 18 | 12 | 14,145 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final |
| 2012 | J1 | 18 | 14 | 16,815 | Quarter-Final | Quarter-Final |
| 2013 | J1 | 18 | 4 | 18,819 | Quarter-Final | 4th Round |
| 2014 | J1 | 18 | 17 | 21,627 | Quarter-Final | Quarter-Final |
| 2015 | J2 | 22 | 4 | 12,232 | - | 1st Round |
| 2016 | J2 | 22 | 4 | 12,509 | - | 3rd Round |
- Key
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Pos. = Position in league
- Attendance/G = Average league attendance
League history
- Division 1 (Japan Soccer League Div. 1): 1965–90 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Division 2 (Japan Soccer League Div. 2): 1991 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Division 2 (Japan Football League Div. 1): 1992–94 (as Yanmar Diesel until 1993; Cerezo Osaka since 1994)
- Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 1995–01
- Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2002
- Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2003–06
- Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2007–09
- Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2010–2014
- Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2015
Players
2016 Season Team Members
As of 29 September 2016.[5] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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World Cup Players
The following players have represented their country at the World Cup whilst playing for Cerezo Osaka:
Titles
Yanmar Osaka Soccer Club
- Japan Soccer League: (4) 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980
- JSL Cup: (3) 1973 (shared), 1983, 1984
- Emperor's Cup
Cerezo Osaka
- Japan Football League: (1) 1994 (as the company team)
Managers
| Manager | Nat. | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Paulo Emilio |  Brazil | 1994–96 |
| Hiroshi Sowa |  Japan | 1 Jan 1996–31 Dec 1996 |
| Levir Culpi | Brazil | 1 Feb 1997–31 Dec 1997 |
| Yasutaro Matsuki | Japan | 1998 |
| René Desaeyere | .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | 1999 |
| Hiroshi Soejima | Japan | 1 Jan 2000–1 Aug 2001 |
| João Carlos | Brazil | 2001 |
| Akihiro Nishimura | Japan | 2001–03 |
| Yuji Tsukada | Japan | 2003 |
| Petar Nadoveza |  Croatia | 2004 |
| Fuad Muzurović |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2004 |
| Albert Pobor | Croatia | 2004 |
| Shinji Kobayashi | Japan | 1 July 2004 – 17 April 2006 |
| Yuji Tsukada | Japan | 18 April 2006–31 Dec 2006 |
| Satoshi Tsunami | Japan | 1 Jan 2007–7 May 2007 |
| Levir Culpi | Brazil | 8 May 2007–31 Dec 2011 |
| Sérgio Soares | Brazil | 1 Jan 2012–26 Aug 2012 |
| Levir Culpi | Brazil | 27 Aug 2012–11 Dec 2013 |
| Ranko Popović |  Serbia | 1 Jan 2014–9 Jun 2014 |
| Marco Pezzaiuoli |  Germany | 16 Jun 2014–8 Sep 2014 |
| Yuji Okuma | Japan | 8 Sep 2014–16 Dec 2014 |
| Paulo Autuori | Brazil | 1 Jan 2015–17 Nov 2015 |
| Kiyoshi Okuma | Japan | 17 Nov 2015– |
History of uniform sponsors
| Year | Chest | Sleeve | Back | Pants | Supplier |
| 1994 | CAPCOM /Nippon Ham | Yanmar | Nippon Ham /CAPCOM | - | Mizuno |
| 1995 | Nippon Ham | CAPCOM | |||
| 1996 | |||||
| 1997 | Osaka Olympic Bid Committee 2008 | Yanmar | |||
| 1998 | |||||
| 1999 | - | ||||
| 2000 | Tamanoi Vinegar | ||||
| 2001 | |||||
| 2002 | Daiso House | ||||
| 2003 | Daiso | ||||
| 2004 | SPORTS DEPO | ||||
| 2005 | |||||
| 2006 | Yanmar | SUPER H2O | Nippon Ham | ||
| 2007 | OSAKA PiTaPa | ||||
| 2008 | |||||
| 2009 | - | ||||
| 2010 | KINCHO | SANYU | |||
| 2011 | |||||
| 2012 | |||||
| 2013 | |||||
| 2014 | |||||
| 2015 | PUMA |
Slogans
| Year | Slogan |
| 1994 | Jump To J！ |
| 1995 | To Be Professional (真のプロフェッショナルをめざして) |
| 2002 | Passion to the Top |
| 2003 | PASSION SOUL (情熱魂) |
| 2004 | Be ONE! |
| 2005 | 日々進化 (Evolving daily) |
| 2006 | さらなる挑戦 (A Further Challenge) |
| 2007 | 猛進 (Rush) |
| 2008 | YOU ARE MY HEART |
| 2009 | ユアマイハート (You Are my Heart) |
| 2010 | 攻めきる。~最後の笛が鳴るまで (Attack Until The Last Whistle Blows) |
| 2011 | 攻めきるMAXかかげよ桜冠 (Attack To The Max, Raise The Cherry Crown) |
| 2012 | 追球 THE CEREZO (Pursuit) |
| 2013 | 冒険 ココロ躍れ |
| 2014 | 史上最攻 時は、来た。 |
| 2015 | For The Top of Dreams (夢の頂に向かって) |
In popular culture
In the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, a character named Teppei Kisugi becomes a professional football player and joins Cerezo Osaka.
References
- ↑ Club Guide Profile, Link to official team profile site.
- ↑ "Cerezo Osaka Profile". Cerezo Osaka official website. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ↑ Stadium Information, Link to stadiums.
- ↑ "Club Guide".
- ↑ "Player/Staff List".
External links
- Cerezo Osaka official website (English)
- Cerezo Osaka official website (Thai)
- Cerezo Osaka official wbsite (Japanese)
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