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Australia's Tim Cahill wins the ball against Abe Yuki of Japan. AAP Image/Joe Castro
The same day New Zealand international Shane Smeltz was turning his back on Chinese side Shandong Luneng, Socceroos striker Josh Kennedy was doing what he does best – scoring for Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus in the J. League.
Kennedy stooped to head home a superb cross from Japan international Marcus Tulio Tanaka with just under a quarter of an hour remaining in Nagoya’s 1-0 win over Omiya Ardija at a packed Omiya Park, as the lanky target man once again proved the difference for his side.
Kennedy is clearly enjoying his football in Nagoya, and why wouldn’t he, if the capacity crowds and constant adulation are anything to go by?
Of the nine games played in the Japanese top flight last weekend, four drew capacity attendances while the other five fixtures all saw healthy crowds pile through the turnstiles on a stiflingly hot summer weekend.
After a near-catastrophic drop in crowd figures during the mid-nineties, J. League officials have worked hard on marketing to ensure that local games are well attended, and Japan’s disappointing penalty shoot-out exit at the 2010 World Cup doesn’t appear to have quashed support for the domestic game.
Foreign stars like Kennedy and Shimizu S-Pulse defender Eddy Bosnar play their part, and how wonderful it would be to see more Australians ply their trade in Asia’s premier domestic competition.
The myth that the J. League is somehow an inherently inferior league is just that – a myth – and it seems to me that Kennedy’s team-mates at club level play to his strengths far more than his colleagues in the Socceroos ever have.
Both Kennedy and his in-form compatriot Bosnar – whose Shimizu S-Pulse side were held to a scoreless draw by Jubilo Iwata in the Shizuoka derby – have proved that it takes a battle-harded exterior to succeed in Japan.
Just ask Matthew Spiranovic, who wasn’t even in the squad as Urawa Reds went down to their hated foes Gamba Osaka in a typically frenetic clash that featured two red cards, an own goal and a Yasuhito Endo winner four minutes into stoppage-time – which arrived just seconds after Edmilson had equalised for the Reds!
Even J2 can prove a hard slog, with Mark Milligan’s JEF United thrashed 3-0 at home by northern outfit Consadole Sapporo in front of just under 16,000 fans at Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba.
Milligan’s dream of leading JEF United straight back to the top flight is already looking shaky, with local rivals Kashiwa Reysol streaking away in the division, leaving a promotion dogfight ahead of Milligan and his popular club.
It’s just a shame that access to Japanese football is so limited in Australia, although last weekend Setanta screened Kashima Antlers’ enthralling 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale, and will broadcast another fascinating clash between Yokohama F. Marinos and a fired up Gamba Osaka next time around.
Maybe it will simply take more Australians joining J. League clubs to convince fans both here and in Japan that there is a market for increased exposure to the Japanese game.
I’ll almost certainly be back in Japan before the end of the season, and I’m looking forward to watching some of the most technically adept and skillful teams in the region strut their stuff.
I regularly hear from fans that it will take “10 to 15 years for Australia to reach the level of the J. League,” but such a simplistic viewpoint fails to take into account the aspects of Japanese culture which make the league so unique.
The fanatical dedication to training, the emphasis on technical skills and the sheer loyalty of fans towards their clubs are all aspects that we can learn from in Australia.
What better way to learn than by a few more Australians heading over to Japan and experiencing it for themselves.