F.C. Japan

Football Club Japan, based in New York, is the largest Japanese American soccer club in the United States. The team has 70 players registered, most of whom are Japanese, and has a first team and a reserve team. F.C. Japan currently plays in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League Second Division.
The level of play, backgrounds, and ages vary. There are players who almost made it to the professional level, all the way to beginners. The oldest player is 53 years old, and the youngest is 16 years old (as of 2010). There are students, business men, artists, chefs, business owners, freelancers, and many more. The club serves more as a Japanese society in NY, rather than a soccer club.
Football Club Japan was originally formed in 1992 by Kenichi Yatsuhashi who had just retired from playing in the Brazilian Second Division. Joined the Cosmopolitan Soccer League as the first Japanese team in 1993. In 2000 it acquired another Japanese team named JAMS. In 2000, finished 2nd in the Third division and was promoted to the Second division. So far, the best record for the club was the 2007-08 season, where they finished in the 4th place in the league, and advanced to the final 4 in the State Cup tournament, but not as good enough to be promoted to the First division yet.
In 2009, for the first time in its club history, Football Club Japan entered a sponsorship deal with WIST TV, Inc., which is a New York based Japanese IT company. BEAMS a renowned Japanese select shop became the club's second sponsor in 2010.
2011, Team Japan NYC, a NY-Japanese select team was formed for the first time to participate in Cosmos Copa NYC. 7 players from FC Japan were selected, and was the team that provided the most within the NYC Japanese teams. FC Japan also won the inaugural Japan CUP which was a tournament among all major Japanese soccer clubs based in NY.
Managers
1992: Kenichi Yatsuhashi
1993: Kenichi Yatsuhashi
1994/95: Etsu Taniguchi/Giampiero Ambrosi
1995/96: Hiroshi Ishiguro
1996/97: Akihiro Inoue
1997/98: Ken Suzuki
1998/99: Ken Suzuki
1999/00: Takeshi Kawaguchi
2000/01: Takeshi Kawaguchi
2001/02: Takeshi Kawaguchi
2002/03: Takeshi Kawaguchi
2003/04: Tosh Tatezawa
2004/05: Tosh Tatezawa
2005/06: Tosh Tatezawa
2006/07: Tosh Tatezawa
2007/08: Takehiko Nakamura
2008/09: Kimihiro Obata (Asst. Takehiko Nakamura)
2009/10: Kimihiro Obata
2010/11: Kimihiro Obata
2011/12: Kimihiro Obata
Ranking
1994/95: 3rd Division - State Cup Final 8
1999/00: 3rd Division - 2nd Place - Promotion
2003/04: 2nd Division - 6th Place
2004/05: 2nd Division - 5th Place
2005/06: 2nd Division - 5th Place
2006/07: 2nd Division - 10th Place
2007/08: 2nd Division - 4th Place (State Cup Final 4)
2008/09: 2nd Division - 9th Place
2009/10: 2nd Division - 12th Place
2010/11: 2nd Division - 13th Place
2011/12: 2nd Division - (Champion Japan Cup 2011)
Captains
2000/01: Tosh Tatezawa
2001/02: Tosh Tatezawa
2002/03: Tosh Tatezawa
2003/04: Takeshi Hirai
2004/05: Takeshi Hirai
2005/06: Tomohiro Tsuchiya
2006/07: Tomohiro Tsuchiya
2007/08: Shinobu Ninomiya
2008/09: Shinobu Ninomiya
2009/10: Shigeru Aoe
2010/11: Shigeru Aoe
2011/12: Keita Hanyuda
Awards
2011:
Most Valuable Player: Shigeru Aoe
Most Improved Player: Hiromi Yamamoto
New Comer of the Year: Kazuhide Kosugi
A-Team:
Golden Boot: Shigeru Aoe
Most Valuable GK: Lyle Slander
Most Valuable DF: Keita Hanyuda
Most Valuable MF: Takehiko Nakamura
Most Valuable FW: Koji Tsurumi
B-Team:
Golden Boot: Noriyuki Shimizu
Most Valuable GK: Lyle Slander
Most Valuable DF: Masaki Ohnuma
Most Valuable MF: Naoki Akazawa
Most Valuable FW: Noriyuki Shimizu
Japan Cup 2011: Most Valuable Player: Takehiko Nakamura

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