Kawasaki Frontale

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kawasaki Frontale
川崎フロンターレ
Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium,
Nakahara, Kawasaki, Japan
Capacity26,232
OwnerFujitsu
ChairmanYoshihiro Warashina
ManagerToru Oniki
LeagueJ1 League
2023J1 League, 8th of 18
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Kawasaki Frontale (川崎フロンターレ, Kawasaki Furontāre) is a Japanese professional

Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium in Nakahara
Ward, located in the central area of Kawasaki.

Frontale co-founded the

J.League Division 2 (1999
).

The club have won J1 League title four times in span of 5 years between 2017 and 2021. Kawasaki also won Emperor's Cup twice, J.League Cup once, three Japanese Super Cup as well as three second division title, including J2 League in both 1999 and 2004.

History

Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium

Establishment and earlier years (1955–1977)

The club was founded in 1955 as

Consadole Sapporo) and NKK SC (now defunct). They first made the JSL Division 1 in 1977
, only to be relegated the next season.

Professional transition and relegations (1997–2000)

Fujitsu's club became professional in 1997, and changed its name to "Kawasaki Frontale", which means "frontal" in Italian. The club old crest and colours are based on those of Brazilian side

Grêmio, because both clubs have cooperated since 26 March 1997.[1]

The club joined the second division of the J.League in 1999 and went on to become the champion of the division. But in the next season, they sank to the bottom of J.League Division 1 and were relegated.

Frontale would not return to the top flight until 2000, when they were promoted to the rebranded J1. But, they were once again dropped to the J2 at the end of the season.

Back to the top flight and AFC Champions League debut (2004–2007)

In 2004, Frontale crowned champions of J2 and won promotion to J1 for the second time. With the former rival city clubs out of the way due to relocation or liquidation, they began building their power base in the city.

In 2006, the club achieved runners-up position in J1, their highest league position up to that time. As a result, they entered the AFC Champions League for the first time in 2007 from the group stage.

Kawasaki made important success in the competition, as they became the first Japanese club for qualifying its group stage before the eventual winners,

Sepahan
, in a penalty shoot-out, following two scoreless games.

Prominence era (2017–present)

After two more second-place finishes in 2008 and 2009, Kawasaki finally won the title in 2017, coming from behind to upstage bitter rivals Kashima Antlers after they were held to a draw at Júbilo Iwata, 16 seasons and 40 years after their first promotion to the top division.

Kawasaki started to create history on the J.League by became first team to ever won four J1 titles on a five-year span, something that previously never happened. And after came up short multiple times in 2000, 2007, 2009 and 2017, they finally won their first

J. League, per FIFA recommendation, instated after the COVID-19 outbreak. A good example was a breakout season by Kaoru Mitoma, who started more matches on the bench than in the starting XI.[2]

In 2021, Frontale continue to assert their dominance and display great performances throughout the season. They won their first title of the year in their very opening match of the season, after beating Gamba Osaka by 3–2 on the 2021 Japanese Super Cup.

Such rise of standards, eye-catching performances, and increase of national team level players coming from Frontale led foreign clubs to caught attention on their players. Among the most marking departures, Frontale saw two major talents leaving the club mid-season. The first one being

Brighton & Hove Albion of the Premier League. The second one was midfielder, Ao Tanaka. The 2020 J.League Rookie of the Year which quickly earned his spot on the starting XI after turning professional, transferring to Fortuna Düsseldorf of 2. Bundesliga on loan, which later would have his deal turning permanent. They weren't the only departures leaving a mark on the team, as they followed Hidemasa Morita to Europe, as the latter went on to sign for Santa Clara of the Primeira Liga
.

However, despite Frontale having their future performances being apparently threatened after these departures, the club went on to win the 2021 J1 League with a record-breaking season, which saw them: Winning the most points on a single J1 League season ever, with 92 points won on 38 matches; Achieving the least amount of losses on a J1 League season, registering only 2 losses in total (the first J1 loss only came 6 months after the season opening); Being the joint unbeaten team at home matches in a J1 League season, equalling Urawa Red Diamonds's tally in 2006; Being the first ever J1 team to win more than 80 points on consecutive seasons.[3]

2008 East Asian Cup. Shuhei Terada
, who played all of his 13-year professional career at Frontale, was also selected for the national team from 2008 to 2009.

After five consecutive seasons winning at least one major title from 2017 to 2021, Frontale tasted a season without winning any silverware for the entire 2022. Taking their previous overall season into account, the club went through an uninspired season, which saw early eliminations in all four competitions the club played that involved knockout-stage formats. On February, the club already saw their first match of the season resulting on a defeat, after losing 2–0 by

Johor Darul Ta'zim. On June, at the Emperor's Cup, Frontale were unexpectedly eliminated, at the third round of the competition, after being defeated by J2 League club Tokyo Verdy
by 1–0.

On the latter half of the season, Frontale continued an atypically poor run of form. On August, the club started their campaign at the J.League Cup, entering the competition late in the double-legged quarter-finals, after receiving a bye from the early stages of the competition due to their AFC Champions League qualification. The club played this quarter-finals against Cerezo Osaka, and was awarded the hosting rights of the tie's second leg. Despite not losing any of the two legs, Frontale didn't won any, either. At Cerezo, the match ended 1–1, giving a theoretical relief for Frontale ahead of the match, who only needed a 0–0 draw or a win to proceed in the competition. Frontale started the second leg winning 2–0, with Marcinho scoring two goals at the 40th and 53rd minute. Surprisingly, Frontale collapsed at the dying minutes of the match, conceding two heading goals at the 90th and 95th minute, respectively.

Following the elimination at the J.League Cup, only the J1 League title was then available for Frontale to chase. Oscillating placements throughout the campaign, the club still managed to finish five separate matchweeks at the top of the league in the first half of the season. In the second half of the season, though, never again did Frontale get past the second place. Serving as a minor consolation for their season, the club held to a hardly-fought title chase alongside Sanfrecce Hiroshima (until the closing matchweeks). On December, at the 38th round, the last round of the season, Frontale were narrow two points away from first-placed Yokohama F. Marinos. A 13-goal difference was also in Frontale's way, meaning that in the more realistic scenario, Frontale needed to win their match and expect Marinos to lose theirs. Playing the round against FC Tokyo, Frontale were early threatened with a red card, as Jung Sung-ryong was sent off a few minutes after Frontale's first goal. Despite playing the rest of the match with 10 players, Frontale still managed to win past FC Tokyo by 3–2. Playing against Vissel Kobe, Marinos won the match by 3–1, and then were handed the J1 League title. On the plus side, finishing as the league's runners-up led the club to qualify for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, entering the competition in the group stage.

On 9 December 2023, Kawasaki won another Emperor's Cup title, beating

2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite
, entering directly from the league stage.

On 17 February 2024, Frontale defeated 2023 J1 League champions, Vissel Kobe, in the 2024 Japanese Super Cup at Japan National Stadium to clinch their third title of the competition.[6][7]

Rivalries

Tamagawa Clásico

Frontale's rivalry with

Kanto Soccer League in 1967, but did not meet again until 1991 in the old Japan Soccer League Division 2 and were rivals for promotion to the J.League in the 1990s. They co-founded the new J2 League in 1999
and were promoted together the same year, and although Frontale were immediately relegated, they were promoted again in 2005 and have regularly met since then.

Frontale also has a Tamagawa rivalry with

Tokyo Verdy 1969, which was originally also based in Kawasaki and moved to Chofu, Tokyo in 2000. The two were co-founders of the JSL Division 2 in 1972
and, although spent 20 seasons (1979 to 1999) in separate tiers, rekindled the rivalry in the late 1990s as Kawasaki fans deserted Tokyo Verdy to support Frontale, seen as a more community-focused club, and since then their fortunes have reversed as Frontale is a top flight mainstay while Tokyo Verdy sunk into the second tier beginning in 2005.

Affiliated clubs

Kit and colours

Kit

Season(s) Main Shirt Sponsor Collarbone Sponsor Additional Sponsor(s) Kit Manufacturer
2018 Fujitsu - /
RENOSY		 - /
Fujitsu BSC		 SMBC Nikko Securities Fujitsu Fsas Fujitsu Marketing PFU Puma
2019
2020 Fujitsu Marketing /
Fujitsu Japan
2021 Anker Japan Fujitsu Japan - /
Matsuo Komuten
2022 Kawasaki Shinkin Bank Matsuo Corporation
2023 Ebara Food Industry PwC Consulting

Kit evolution

Players

Current squad

As of 12 March 2024.[9][10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK South Korea KOR Jung Sung-ryong
2 DF Japan JPN Kota Takai
3 DF Japan JPN Takuma Ominami
4 DF Brazil BRA Jesiel
5 DF Japan JPN Asahi Sasaki
6 MF Brazil BRA Zé Ricardo
7 DF Japan JPN Shintaro Kurumaya
8 MF Japan JPN Kento Tachibanada
9 FW Brazil BRA Erison
10 MF Japan JPN Ryota Oshima
11 FW Japan JPN
vice-captain
)
13 DF Japan JPN Sota Miura
14 MF Japan JPN Yasuto Wakizaka (captain)
15 DF Japan JPN Shuto Tanabe
16 MF Japan JPN
vice-captain
)
17 FW Japan JPN Daiya Tono
18 FW France FRA Bafétimbi Gomis
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW Japan JPN
vice-captain
)
21 GK Japan JPN Shunsuke Andō
22 GK Japan JPN Yuki Hayasaka
23 FW Brazil BRA Marcinho
24 FW Japan JPN Ten Miyagi
26 MF Japan JPN Hinata Yamauchi
28 MF Brazil BRA Patrick Verhon
30 MF Japan JPN Yusuke Segawa
31 DF Japan JPN Sai van Wermeskerken
32 FW Japan JPN Soma Kanda
34 MF Japan JPN Kota Yui
35 DF Japan JPN
vice-captain
)
39 DF Japan JPN Kaito Tsuchiya Type 2
41 MF Japan JPN Akihiro Ienaga
77 MF Japan JPN Yuki Yamamoto
99 GK Japan JPN Naoto Kamifukumoto

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
25 MF Japan JPN Renji Matsui (on loan at Vegalta Sendai)
— DF Japan JPN Yuto Matsunagane (on loan at Fukushima United)
— MF Japan JPN Takatora Einaga (on loan at Thespa Gunma)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Japan JPN Toya Myogan (on loan at Vegalta Sendai)
— MF Japan JPN Yuto Ozeki (on loan at Fukushima United)
— FW Japan JPN Taiyo Igarashi (on loan at Renofa Yamaguchi)

Kawasaki Frontale U-18

As of 7 April 2024.

The main U-18 team of Kawasaki Frontale currently plays in 2024 Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed.[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan JPN Kensho Yamamoto
2 DF Japan JPN Shotaro Shibata
3 DF Japan JPN Daiki Yamanaka
4 DF Japan JPN Shunsuke Hayashi
5 DF Japan JPN Kaito Tsuchiya (captain)[12]
6 DF Japan JPN Yuta Saina
7 DF Japan JPN Umi Kajisa (
vice-captain
)
8 MF Japan JPN Haruki Chiku
9 FW Japan JPN Takeshi Katori
10 MF Japan JPN Mikito Yagoshi
11 MF Japan JPN Shotaro Kodama
13 FW Japan JPN Hinata Masuda
14 FW Japan JPN Shuto Hatta
15 DF Japan JPN Noriharu Kan
16 GK Japan JPN Naoto Matsuzawa
17 FW Japan JPN Yutaro Onda
19 GK Japan JPN Haruki Izawa
20 MF Japan JPN Rensuke Fujii
21 GK Japan JPN Kantaro Iwata
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 DF Japan JPN Patience Kaito Luca
23 MF Japan JPN Haruki Kusuda
24 MF Japan JPN Ryota Kashimura
25 MF Japan JPN Issei Hirauchi
26 MF Japan JPN Kakeru Shinbori
27 MF Japan JPN Luka Hiroto Stemper
28 MF Japan JPN Hayato Hiratsuka
29 DF Japan JPN Asuto Fujita
30 DF Japan JPN Kyo Kikuchi
31 MF Japan JPN Yohei Yamakawa
32 MF Japan JPN Kosuke Nagasaki
33 GK Japan JPN Kanta Okamoto
34 MF Japan JPN Hiroto Ogawa
35 MF Japan JPN Katsuyoshi Kinoshita
36 DF Japan JPN Shota Ogawa
37 FW Japan JPN Eita Mikami
38 FW Japan JPN Yuma Okuda
39 FW Japan JPN Neo Hirose

Club officials

Position Name
Manager Japan Toru Oniki
Assistant manager Japan Shuhei Terada
First-Team coach Japan Tatsuya Murata
Japan Yu Nikaido
Japan Keita Kano
Goalkeeper coach Japan Tomoaki Ishino
Physical coach Japan Takanori Ishii
Analyst Japan Ryoga Matsuno
Trainer Japan Toshiyuki Tokorozawa
Japan Yoji Hirahara
Japan Tomohisa Seki
Japan Katsuhiro Suzuki
Physiotherapist Japan Hiroshi Nishimura
Japan Ryota Kudo
Interpreter Japan Daigo Terasaki
Japan Kazuya Nakayama
Japan Hiroto Furukawa
South Korea Kim Myong-ho
Roupeiro Japan Hiroyuki Ito
Side manager Japan Takashi Seto
Japan Akito Kobayashi
Scouting Japan Tatsuru Mukojima
Doctor Japan Hiroshi Iwaso
Japan Hidetaka Goto
Japan Yutaro Ishida
Japan Ryota Kuzuhara
Japan Eisaburo Honda
Japan Kensuke Kimura

Honours

As Fujitsu SC (1955–1996) and Kawasaki Frontale (1997–present) :

League

Cup

Personnel awards

  • J.League Player of the Year
  • J.League Rookie of the Year

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup, while playing for Kawasaki Frontale:

Olympic players

The following players have represented their country at the Summer Olympic Games whilst playing for Kawasaki Frontale:

Managerial history

Managers of the club since 1997

Manager Nat. Tenure
Kazuo Saito  Japan 1997 (resigned in halfway)
Everaldo Pierrotti  Brazil 1997 (till the season end)
Beto
  Brazil 1998–99 (resigned in halfway)
Ikuo Matsumoto  Japan 1999 (till the season end)
Zeca
  Brazil 2000 (resigned in halfway)
Toshiaki Imai  Japan 2000 (after Zeca, resigned)
Hiroshi Kobayashi
  Japan 2000 (till the season end)
Yoshiharu Horii  Japan January 2001 – June 2001 (resigned in halfway)
Nobuhiro Ishizaki  Japan July 2001 – December 2003 (after Horii)
Takashi Sekizuka  Japan January 2004 – April 2008 (resigned in halfway due to illness)
Tsutomu Takahata  Japan May 2008 – December 2008 (till the season end)
Takashi Sekizuka  Japan January 2009 – December 2009 (returned)
Tsutomu Takahata  Japan January 2010 – December 2010 (returned)
Naoki Soma  Japan January 2011 – 11 April 2012 (sacked in halfway)
Tatsuya Mochizuki  Japan 12 April 2012 – 22 April 2012 (interim)
Yahiro Kazama  Japan 23 April 2012 – 31 December 2016
Toru Oniki  Japan 1 February 2017 – present

Records and statistics

Further information: List of Kawasaki Frontale records and statistics
Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. Avg. Attd. J.League Cup Emperor's Cup Super Cup AFC CL
1997 JFL 16 3rd Did not enter 3rd round – –
1998 16 2nd Group stage 3rd round – –
1999 J2 10 1st 5,396 1st round 4th round – –
2000 J1 16 16th 7,439 Runners-up 3rd round – –
2001 J2 12 7th 3,784 Quarter finals Semi-finals – –
2002 12 4th 5,247 Did not qualify Quarter finals – –
2003 12 3rd 7,258 4th round – –
2004 12 1st 9,148 5th round – –
2005 J1 18 8th 13,658 Group stage Quarter finals – –
2006 18 2nd 14,340 Semi-finals 5th round – –
2007 18 5th 17,338 Runners-up Semi-finals – Quarter finals
2008 18 2nd 17,565 Group stage 5th round – –
2009 18 2nd 18,847 Runners-up Quarter finals – Quarter finals
2010 18 5th 18,562 Semi-finals 4th round – Group stage
2011 18 11th 17,340 2nd round 4th round – –
2012 18 8th 17,807 Group stage 4th round – –
2013 18 3rd 16,644 Semi-finals Quarter finals – –
2014 18 6th 16,661 Semi-finals 3rd round – Round of 16
2015 18 5th 20,999 Group stage 4th round – –
2016 18 3rd 22,136 Group stage Runners-up – –
2017 18 1st 22,112 Runners-up Quarter finals – Quarter finals
2018 18 1st 23,218 Quarter finals Quarter finals Runners-up Group stage
2019 18 4th 23,272 Winners 4th round Winners Group stage
2020 † 18 1st 7,862 Semi final Winners – –
2021 † 20 1st 7,342 Quarter finals Semi-finals Winners Round of 16
2022 18 2nd 17,939 Quarter finals 3rd round Runners-up Group stage
2023 18 8th 19,840 Group Stage Winners – Round of 16

League history

  • Regional (Kanto Soccer League): 1967–71 (as Fujitsu)
  • Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–76 (as Fujitsu)
  • Division 1 (JSL Div. 1): 1977–78
  • Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1979–91
  • Division 2 (former JFL Div. 1): 1992–98 (as Fujitsu 1992–95; Fujitsu Kawasaki 1996; Kawasaki Frontale 1997–present)
  • Division 2 (J2): 1999
  • Division 1 (J1): 2000
  • Division 2 (J2): 2001–04
  • Division 1 (J1): 2005–present

Total (as of 2021): 20 seasons in the top tier, 30 seasons in the second tier and 5 seasons in the Regional Leagues.

References

  1. ^ "川崎フロンターレ、「グレミオ」と姉妹クラブ関係を締結". pr.fujitsu.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Football: J-League wraps up season of obstacles, new records". english.kyodonews.net. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Five things to watch for in the 2022 Meiji Yasuda J1 League". jleague.co. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Kawasaki Frontale Season Preview: Can these J.League giants bring another title home?". jleague.co. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. ^ "川崎Ｆが3大会ぶり2度目の優勝！柏とのPK戦にもつれ込む激闘を制す【サマリー：天皇杯 決勝】". www.jleague.jp (in Japanese). J.League. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  6. ^ "スーパーカップパートナー・対戦カード・開催日・キックオフ時刻・テレビ放送決定【ＦＵＪＩＦＩＬＭ ＳＵＰＥＲ ＣＵＰ ２０２４】". www.jleague.jp (in Japanese). J.League. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Kawasaki capture Fujifilm Super Cup 2024". www.jleague.co. J.League. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  8. ^ "福島ユナイテッドFCとの業務提携のお知らせ". www.frontale.co.jp (in Japanese). Kawasaki Frontale. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  9. ^ "選手・スタッフ". frontale.co.jp (in Japanese). Kawasaki Frontale. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Announcement of club's captaincy structure for 2024 season". www.frontale.co.jp (in Japanese). Kawasaki Frontale. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  11. ^ "2024シーズンU-18選手プロフィール". Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  12. ^ "高円宮杯 JFA U-18 サッカープレミアリーグ2024の日程が発表". X (in Japanese). Kawasaki Frontale. Retrieved 7 April 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kawasaki Frontale.