Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka (セレッソ大阪, Seresso Ōsaka) are 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 team name Cerezo (Spanish for cherry tree) is also the flower of the city of Osaka.[1] The official hometowns for the team are Osaka and Sakai.
| Full name | Cerezo Osaka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sakura (cherry blossoms) | ||
| Founded | 1957 | ||
| Ground | Yanmar Stadium Nagai | ||
| Capacity | 47,853 | ||
| Owner | Yanmar | ||
| Chairman | Hiroaki Morishima | ||
| Manager | Miguel Ángel Lotina | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2019 | J1 League, 5th of 18 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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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 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, they 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 Bellmare Hiratsuka.
Cerezo has relegated from J1 to J2 three times, but are currently playing in the J1 league. The team had an impressive third-place finish in the 2017 season.
On 4 November 2017 they won the J.League YBC Levain Cup, the first major title for Cerezo Osaka. The final match was against Kawasaki Frontale.
On 1 January 2018, Cerezo Osaka won the Emperor's Cup, securing their second major title. The final match was against Yokohama F. Marinos.
On 10 February 2018, they won the Xerox Super Cup, playing against Kawasaki Frontale.
In May 2018, the club changed its incorporated name from Osaka Soccer Club, Co. Ltd. to Cerezo Osaka Co., Ltd.
Colors
Cerezo's team colour is pink, like the cherry blossom flowers that the name is based on. Combination colours have been navy blue and black. This year, the uniform colour is pink (home) and white (away) for the field players, black (home) and pink (away) or green for the goal keepers.
During the Yanmar Diesel days in the late 1970s to mid-1980s, the uniform was all-red reminiscent of Deportivo Toluca.
Colour, sponsors and manufacturers
| Season(s) | Main Shirt Sponsor | Collarbone Sponsor | Additional Sponsor(s) | Kit Manufacturer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | YANMAR | - | - | Nipponham | SINGHA | KINCHO | Nakabayashi | PUMA |
| 2020 | SHARP | |||||||
Grounds
The hometown 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 Minami Tsumori Sakura Sports Park, Maishima Sports Island, and Amagasaki Yanmar Diesel Ground.
Team mascots
The main team mascot is a wolf, named Lobby. The other team mascot is Madame Lobina, Lobby's mother.[4]
Rivalries
Cerezo's biggest rival is fellow Osaka 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 | ACL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Quarter-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 | Round of 16 |
| 2015 | J2 | 22 | 4 | 12,232 | – | 1st round | – |
| 2016 | J2 | 22 | 4 | 12,509 | – | 3rd round | – |
| 2017 | J1 | 18 | 3 | 20,970 | Winner | Winner | – |
| 2018 | J1 | 18 | 7 | 18,542 | Quarter-final | 4th round | Group stage |
| 2019 | J1 | 18 | 5 | 21,518 | Play-offs | 4th round | – |
- Key
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Pos. = Position in league
- Attendance/G = Average league attendance
League history
- Japan Soccer League Division 1: 1965–1990 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Japan Soccer League Division 2: 1991 (as Yanmar Diesel)
- Japan Football League Division 1: 1992–94 (as Yanmar Diesel until 1993; Cerezo Osaka since 1994)
- J1 League: 1995–2001
- J2 League: 2002
- J1 League: 2003–2006
- J2 League: 2007–2009
- J1 League: 2010–2014
- J2 League: 2015–2016
- J1 League: 2017–present
Players
Current squad
As of 23 February 2020.[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
Last updated 11 July 2019.[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Under-23 Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
Yanmar Osaka Soccer Club
Contiental record
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | AFC Champions League | Group G |  |
2–1 | 0–4 | 2nd |
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4–0 | 2–0 | ||||
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1–0 | 1–0 | ||||
| Round of 16 |  |
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| Quarter-finals | |
4–3 | 6–1 | 5–9 | ||
| 2014 | AFC Champions League | Group F | |
0–2 | 1–1 | 2nd |
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1–3 | 1–2 | ||||
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4–0 | 2–2 | ||||
| Round of 16 | |
1–5 | 0–1 | 2–5 | ||
| 2018 | AFC Champions League | Group G | |
2–1 | 0–1 | 3rd |
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0–0 | 3–1 | ||||
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2–2 | 2–0 | ||||
Managers
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Paulo Emilio |  | 1 January 1994 – 31 December 1995 |
| Hiroshi Sowa | | 1 January 1996 – 31 December 1996 |
| Levir Culpi | | 1 February 1997 – 31 December 1997 |
| Yasutaro Matsuki | | 1 January 1998 – 31 December 1999 |
| René Desaeyere | .svg.png){kind=small} | 1 February 1999 – 31 January 2000 |
| Hiroshi Soejima | | 1 February 2000 – 19 August 2001 |
| João Carlos | | 20 August 2001 – 4 November 2001 |
| Akihiro Nishimura | | 5 November 2001 – 6 October 2003 |
| Yuji Tsukada | | 7 October 2003 – 1 January 2004 |
| Petar Nadoveza |  | 2 January 2004 – 1 February 2004 |
| Fuad Muzurović |  | 1 February 2004 – 22 March 2004 |
| Albert Pobor | | 23 March 2004 – 28 June 2004 |
| Shinji Kobayashi | | 1 July 2004 – 17 April 2006 |
| Yuji Tsukada | | 18 April 2006 – 31 December 2006 |
| Satoshi Tsunami | | 1 January 2007 – 7 May 2007 |
| Levir Culpi | | 8 May 2007 – 31 December 2011 |
| Sérgio Soares | | 1 January 2012 – 26 August 2012 |
| Levir Culpi | | 27 August 2012 – 11 December 2013 |
| Ranko Popović |  | 1 January 2014 – 9 June 2014 |
| Marco Pezzaiuoli |  | 16 June 2014 – 8 September 2014 |
| Yuji Okuma | | 8 September 2014 – 16 December 2014 |
| Paulo Autuori | | 1 January 2015 – 17 November 2015 |
| Kiyoshi Okuma | | 17 November 2015 – 31 January 2017 |
| Yoon Jong-hwan | | 1 February 2017 – 31 December 2018 |
| Miguel Ángel Lotina |  | 1 February 2019 – present |
In popular culture
In the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, a character named Teppei Kisugi becomes a professional football player and joins Cerezo Osaka.
Former players
References
- Club Guide Profile, Link to official team profile site.
- "Cerezo Osaka Profile". Cerezo Osaka official website. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- Stadium Information, Link to stadiums.
- セレッソ大阪とは (in Japanese). Cerezo Osaka. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- "トップチーム選手".
- "ニュース". セレッソ大阪HP. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- "Club history". セレッソ大阪 沿革. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
External links
- Cerezo Osaka official website
- Cerezo Osaka on Facebook (in Thai)
- Cerezo Osaka official website (in Japanese)
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