Kawasaki Frontale 5-0 Kanto Gakuin University

A plucky Kanto Gakuin University XI went down 5-0 in a friendly of four quarters at Frontale's training ground on Saturday. (No box score for this one...mainly because I can't find a logo for the opposition...and it's only a friendly).

The students faced a Frontale A-team (barring injuries and internationals) for the first two 35-minute periods and a B-team (including several trainees) for the latter two.

Stand-out performances were said to come from Taniguchi, Tasaka and the exciting 19-year-old, Kyohei Noborizato.

Another pre-season fixture has now been added against Senshu University on the 19th February, with further opponents yet to be decided for the 28th.

Scorers:
KUROTSU 30'
TANIGUCHI 32'
NOBORIZATO 67'
ANONYMOUS TRAINEE 71'
KUSUKAMI 136'

Juninho Joins Vitor on the Sidelines

Juninho is likely to be out for two weeks with a calf injury sustained in training on the 25th January.

2010 J1 Match Schedule

#	Date	Opponent	Venue
1	06/03/2010 Sat. @ 16:00	Albirex Niigata	Todoroki
2	13/03/2010 Sat. @ 16:00	Nagoya Grampus	Toyota
3	20/03/2010 Sat. @ 14:00	Yokohama F Marinos	Nissan
4	27/03/2010 Sat. @ 13:00	Shimizu S-Pulse	Todoroki
5	04/04/2010 Sun. @ 16:00	FC Tokyo	Todoroki
6	10/04/2010 Sat. @ 14:00	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Big Arch
7	18/04/2010 Sun. @ 16:00	Urawa Reds	Saitama
8	24/04/2010 Sat. @ 14:00	Vissel Kobe	Todoroki
9	01/05/2010 Sat. @ 16:00	Shonan Bellmare	Todoroki
10	05/05/2010 Wed. @ 19:00	Gamba Osaka	Expo'70
11	16/05/2010 Sun. @ 14:00	Jubilo Iwata	Yamaha
12	14/07/2010 Wed. @ 19:00	Omiya Ardija	Todoroki
13	17/07/2010 Sat. @ 19:00	Kashima Antlers	Kashima
14	25/07/2010 Sun. @ 19:00	Kyoto Sanga FC	Todoroki
15	28/07/2010 Wed. @ 19:00	Montedio Yamagata	ND Soft
16	01/08/2010 Sun. @ 19:00	Vegalta Sendai	Todoroki
17	08/08/2010 Sun. @ 18:00	Cerezo Osaka	Nagai
18	15/08/2010 Sun. @ 19:00	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Todoroki
19	18/08/2010 Wed. @ 19:00	Nagoya Grampus	Todoroki
20	21/08/2010 Sat. @ 19:00	Albirex Niigata	Big Swan
21	29/08/2010 Sun. @ 18:30	Shimizu S-Pulse	OUTSOURCING
22	11/09/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Yokohama F Marinos	Todoroki
23	18/09/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Shonan Bellmare	Hiratsuka
24	25/09/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Gamba Osaka	Todoroki
25	02/10/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Vissel Kobe	HOME'S
26	16/10/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Montedio Yamagata	Todoroki
27	24/10/2010 Sun. @ TBC	Omiya Ardija	NACK5
28	30/10/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Jubilo Iwata	Todoroki
29	06/11/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Kyoto Sanga FC	Nishikyogoku
30	14/11/2010 Sun. @ TBC	Kashima Antlers	Todoroki
31	20/11/2010 Sat. @ TBC	FC Tokyo	Ajinomoto
32	23/11/2010 Tue. @ TBC	Cerezo Osaka	Todoroki
33	27/11/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Urawa Reds	Todoroki
34	04/12/2010 Sat. @ TBC	Vegalta Sendai	Yurtec

Kawasaki Frontale v HOYO Atletico ELAN

Pre-season friendly: Mon, 1st February 2010

	1 - 0
KIKUCHI 59'

Venue: Nishikibaru, Miyazaki

Frontale's first practice game of 2010 was a soggy encounter against HOYO Atletico ELAN of the Kyushu League.

The playing conditions were so poor that only two of the intended four 35-minute periods could be played. But a team featuring a mixture of youth and experience splashed their way to a 1-0 victory.

Update: Despite the HOYO website claiming that the score was 2-0, the official Frontale site has now confirmed there was just a single goal - with Kosuke Kikuchi the unlikely source.

Vitor on the Mend

Vitor Junior returns from Brazil on Tuesday following surgery on the groin injury that kept him out of action for most of 2009.

The problem first flared up around the end of May and wouldn't go away, despite a short-lived return to action in July.

The club's official announcement gives a rehabilitation period of 5 weeks (from the date of the surgery), which could see him training again by the end of February. But it's likely to be a few weeks longer before we see him back in the blue and black.

In other news, three more pre-season friendlies have been announced:

• Kanto Gakuin University (6th Feb)
• Yokohama FC (12th Feb)
• Ventforet Kofu (15th Feb)

J.League 2010 Opening Fixtures

The first two weeks of J.League fixtures for the 2010 season have been announced.

Frontale start with a home tie against Albirex Niigata on Saturday 6th March. Then a week later, on the 13th, they travel to Nagoya to face a sturdy Grampus side freshly reinforced by Japanese internationals, Marcus Tulio Tanaka (signed from Urawa Reds) and Mu Kanazaki (from Oita Trinita).

In the meantime, pre-season starts on Thursday (21st January) with the first of two training camps in Miyazaki prefecture.