Saturday night was a dark one for Sydney FC, but if there’s one bright spot from their 3-1 defeat to Adelaide United, it’s that Japanese midfielder Hirofumi Moriyasu proved he has what it takes to compete in the A-League.
Moriyasu came on with Sydney 2-0 down at half-time against the Reds, and the tenacious midfielder never stopped running even when the result was a foregone conclusion.
He’s come a long way from his birthplace in Kagawa on the small island of Shikoku, but clearly a player who nine months ago considered giving up his dreams of becoming a professional footballer has plenty to be enthusiastic about.
Last year, Moriyasu’s former club Mitsubishi Mizushima finished bottom of the Japan Football League – the equivalent of the third division – and he soon found himself in search of new employers.
“Yeah, the season ended about early December of last year and I went on a trial for one team, but I didn’t get the spot,” Moriyasu tells me by email.
“So, I decided to finish my soccer career and start my coaching. I went to Shimizu S-Pulse kids school for two weeks to see how things are, but when I was there, I felt it was too early to coach young kids.
“So, I decided to try for one last time. But I didn’t want to play soccer in Japan, so I was looking for a place that speaks English.”
The rest, as they say, is history: although Sydney FC fans can thank NSW Premier League club APIA Leichhardt for taking a punt on Moriyasu after he lobbed up in the city’s inner-west with little more than a change of clothes and an ambition to play at the highest level.
APIA supremo Tony Raciti was quick to tip off Sydney FC officials about Moriyasu’s potential – but only after he’d scored five goals as a defensive midfielder – and Moriyasu eventually found himself on the books of the defending A-League champions.
“To tell the truth, I couldn’t believe it,” Moriyasu says of his dream move, and considering how much effort he put in during a lost cause against the Reds, he’s clearly delighted with his new surroundings.
Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka will no doubt hope the diminutive midfielder can spark his struggling team over the coming weeks, and former A-League midfielder Naoki Imaya believes Moriyasu can become an integral component of the Sky Blues line-up.
“His technical ability will help him out and if he can learn the mental side of Australian football, he may turn out to be one of the key players for Sydney FC,” says the former New Zealand Knights midfielder.
Moriyasu lists Barcelona and Arsenal as his two favourite teams, but for now he’s clearly content to run out at the Sydney Football Stadium after finally fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Next on the agenda is firing his cellar-dwelling outfit up the standings, and Moriyasu is as hungry as anyone for success in the harbour city.
“I want to contribute to Sydney FC in some way in the future. Hopefully (I’ll) score a winning goal,” Moriyasu says.
Sydney FC fans everywhere are hoping he does exactly that, and it’s hard to imagine how Czech coach Lavicka will keep Moriyasu out of his starting line-up against Wellington Phoenix next weekend.
The hard-running midfielder has already moved all over the globe – including spending ten years in the United States in various spells – but he may have finally found a home in Sydney.
And if he can crack the Sky Blues starting eleven on a long-term basis, he may encourage more Japanese players to take a shot at the A-League, whilst solving some of Sydney FC’s midfield problems at the same time.
Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
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Michael Turner said | September 6th 2010 @ 7:28am | Report comment
Great Read,
Good to see more international players (apart from Brazilians) gracing our national team now.
Also good to see that the NSW Premier League Clubs (essentially feeder clubs) are playing a stronger role in strengthening our national league.
AndyRoo said | September 6th 2010 @ 9:02am | Report comment
I don’t think he is the answer to their current problems as it’s really the right and left sided midfielders than need to step up but it was a great article.
He must be close to being a lock for Sydney’s plus 1 import spot for the ACL which would be another great chapter in his story when they play against the J league opponent.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | September 6th 2010 @ 9:31am | Report comment
He certainly added some tenacity to what appeared a somewhat lacklustre Sydney midfield. He was asked to step up and did which bodes well. Certainly his is a feel good story that is well worth bringing to attention. ‘The little midfielder that could”.
Realfootball said | September 6th 2010 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Sydney have a very, very ordinary squad. Moriyasu would not even make the bench for any other A-League side. That he stands out is an indication of just what a poor job Lavicka has done with his off season recruiting. When nothing was happening in the off season player market from Sydney I thought there must be method in Lavicka’s madness. But, no, it was just madness.
Of the Sydney team that took the park against Adelaide, what players would have made the matchday squad for Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide? By any measure, the answer is Not One. And for this, Vitislav, the buck stops with you.
David V. said | September 6th 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
Even last season’s winning squad was by no means the best in the league, although better than what had won them the title in V1. In a league like this, a few outstanding players and a lot of luck can go a long way.
Derby County FC said | September 7th 2010 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Realfootball
Mate, i can’t agree with you. On CURRENT FORM there are no players that would possibly get in those teams you mention but they are not playing well now, in a few weeks time form could change and they could show they are not as bad as they are now. All this doom and gloom and histrionics is a knee jerk reaction, last season most Adelaide, Brisbane players would have struggled to get into the Sydney team but now those that survived the off season there are utter class? It’s all about form and belief.
I’m not saying Lavicka is blameless but to say we don’t have good players is just plain silly.
I agree with what David V says though, last year we didn’t have brilliant individuals but a very solid team with great team spirit and anyone that can write Sydney off this early in the season is either insane or has a fortune telling skill second to none.
Realfootball said | September 7th 2010 @ 9:40am | Report comment
I’ll take the fortune telling. Sorry, I disagree. The squad is relentlessly ordinary. Keller, I would exempt from that, Danning when he’s on form (but he is hopeless at the moment), and Brosque and Carle of course. Bridge does not and has never scored enough goals; Grant is a workman at best; Byun is consistently inconsistent; McFlynn, Cole and Gan are not A-League standard; Ryall is ordinary at best; Jamieson is terrible and apart from his first season has flattered to decieve – a wildly overrated player. Jurman and Golec have had chances and really don’t look up to standard.
I should have excepted Carle from my last post. A wonderful player currently playing without support.
The A League needs a strong Sydney team. Brosque will make a big difference,but there is a chronic lack of pace and width in this team.
AndyRoo said | September 7th 2010 @ 10:08am | Report comment
I think Byun and Jamo are pretty good fullbacks by A league standard and so I think they would be crazy to look at anything other than a back 4. Jamo isn’t a winger/midfielder though.
Obviously they have some problems with their central defensive pairing but I think eventaully they will settle on a partner for Keller.
Bridge might not be a super star but he’s a serviceable second striker and you can’t have stars everywhere.
It’s getting that balance right in the midfield that is their problem.
Derby County FC said | September 7th 2010 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Oddly enough I think Keller without Colosimo has been very average, he looks slow and tired. Jamison is a big disappointment for me, he looked good when i saw him against Blackburn but he’s been terrible since.
Danning is another disappointment for me, i had great hope the other season but he seems lost, maybe he isn’t getting the support.
McFlynn i think is easily good enough for the A-league, a solid midfielder. Gan is nothing special, and Cole although improved still struggles at times. Byun has been found wanting this season but i thought was great last season. Ryall i think is really good and stil very young. I’ve liked the look of Jurman in the past very much, Golec is a donkey.
Musialik, Brosque, Bridge, Carle (better than Corrica) are quality imho. Obviously something is wrong because their form is so bad. Lavicka needs to be less stubborn and experiment with formations and other players. I can see Brosque and Mc Flynn coming back, Ryall in with Keller, Moriyasu playing a defensive central midfield role and Bridge, Brosque and perhaps the new Brazilian chap working together up front. I’ve seen it a thousand times, one win, a bit of confidence and the wheels start rolling… and we’ll wonder what the fuss was about (i hope