Sagan Tosu

Sagan Tosu (サガン鳥栖, Sagan Tosu) is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J1 League. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture.

Sagan Tosu
Full nameSagan Tosu Football Club
Nickname(s)Sagan
Founded1997 (1997)
GroundTosu Stadium
Tosu, Saga
Capacity24,130
ChairmanMinoru Takehara
ManagerKim Myung-hwi
LeagueJ1 League
2021J1 League, 7th of 20
WebsiteClub website

Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is sandstone (砂岩, sagan) in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one formidable object, for example as a metaphor for a team. Also, Sagan Tosu can be interpreted as "Tosu of Saga (Prefecture)" (佐賀ん鳥栖, Saga-n Tosu) in the area's dialect.

History

In February 1997, Sagan was established as a new club which virtually takes over Tosu Futures, which became insolvent in the previous month, and admitted to participate Japan Football League from 1997 to 1998, as well as J. League Cup in 1997 as a preferential measure, although J. League Associate Membership status is not awarded to Sagan. In 1999 they were admitted to the new J. League Division 2 (J2) as the original ten teams, where they remained until their promotion to J1 at the end of the 2011 season. Things have changed and started to turn positive with the new President & Chief Operating Officer Minoru Takehara, who is also part owner of the club.[1]

old crest

In their first season at the J. League Division 1 in 2012, confounding the prediction of many critics about their immediate relegation to J2, they have been maintaining their position between 5th and 11th places all the way through the season, only except after the 2nd week in which they were ranked as 13th. They were ranked third after the 33rd week, having a chance to qualify for the 2013 AFC Champions League if they would not lose to Yokohama F. Marinos in the last match of the 2012 season. However, they have lost to Yokohama 0–1 then ended up in 5th, while Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Nagoya Grampus and ranked in 3rd. They also became the first club in Asia to sign a partnership with Warrior Sports[2] who also sponsors English side Liverpool FC and others.

In 2013, they made it to the semifinal of the 2013 Emperor's Cup first time in the club's history, becoming the first club based in Kyushu to make it to the semifinal of the Emperor's Cup since Nippon Steel Yawata SC had done in the 1981 edition. In 2013, they also invited Sydney FC from the A-League along with the former Italian national team player Alessandro Del Piero for a Japan Tour for the first time.[3]

In 2014, the club have been in the most successful season in J. League Division 1, as being ranked on the top of 2014 J. League Division 1 after the 1st, 2nd, 13th, and 18th week. However, the club made an announcement on 8 August, several days after the 18th week match when Sagan moved back to the top of the league, to terminate the contract with the head coach Yoon Jung-Hwan as of 7 August all by sudden.[4] In 2014, they continued on its international expansion and initiated a relationship with Italian side Juventus FC for its Juventus Under-16 Japan Tour 2014.[5] On July 10th, 2018, the club reached an agreement with former World Cup, UCL and Europa League winner, Fernando Torres. The aging star would play 35 games for the side netting 5 goals before finally hanging up his boots on his star studded career.

Record in the J-League
Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
LeagueJ. League CupEmperor's Cup
SeasonDiv.TeamsPos.PW (OTW)DL (OTL)FAGDPtsAttendance/G
1999 J2108th3611 (1)220 (2)5264-12373,3851st round3rd round
2000 116th4013 (2)515 (5)4152-11483,7141st round3rd round
2001 1210th448 (2)428 (2)4582-37323,4791st round4th round
2002 129th44914214164-23413,890–3rd round
2003 1212th44311304089-49203,1721st round
2004 1211th44811253266-34353,6104th round
2005 128th4414102058580527,8554th round
2006 134th48221313644915797,4654th round
2007 138th48219186366-3726,1145th round
2008 156th42197165051-1647,261Quarter final
2009 185th51251313715120885,9394th round
2010 199th3613121142411516,6333rd round
2011 202nd3819127683434697,7312nd round
2012 J1185th3415811483995311,991Group stage2nd round
2013 1812th34137145463-94611,515Group stageSemi-final
2014 185th3419312413386014,137Group stage4th round
2015 1811th34913123754-174013,450Group stageQuarter final
2016 1811th341210123637-14612,636Group stage4th round
2017 188th34138134144-34714,194Group stage3rd round
2018 1814th341011132934-54115,000Group stageQuarter-final
2019 1815th34106183253-213615,050Group stageQuarter-final
2020 † 1813th34715123743-6364,675Group stageDid not qualify
2021 207th3816111153358597,276Group stage4th round
Key

  • Pos. = Position in league; GP = Games Played; W = Games won; D = Games Drawn; L = Games Lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals Difference; Pts = Points gained
  • Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
  • † 2020 season attendance reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
  • Source: J.League Data Site


Players

Current squad
As of 19 August 2021[6]

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  JPN Tatsuya Morita
3 DF  BRA Eduardo
4 MF  JPN Toshio Shimakawa
6 DF  JPN Yuto Uchida
7 MF  JPN Yoshihiro Nakano (on loan from Consadole Sapporo)
9 FW  JPN Keita Yamashita
10 MF  JPN Yuta Higuchi
12 GK  JPN Yosei Itahashi
13 MF  JPN Ryōhei Shirasaki (on loan from Kashima Antlers)
14 MF  JPN Yoshiki Takahashi
15 MF  JPN Noriyoshi Sakai
18 FW  JPN Ryo Wada
20 DF  KOR Hwang Seok-ho
21 GK  KOR Ueom Ye-hoon
22 MF  JPN Tomoya Koyamatsu
23 MF  JPN Fuchi Honda
24 DF  JPN Nanasei Iino
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 FW  NGA Chikeluba Ofoedu
27 MF  JPN Ryunosuke Sagara
29 FW  JPN Yuto Iwasaki (on loan from Consadole Sapporo)
30 DF  JPN Masaya Tashiro
31 DF  JPN Ayumu Ohata
32 MF  JPN Yosuke Yuzawa
33 FW  KEN Ismael Dunga
37 DF  JPN Kei Koizumi
39 DF  JPN Daisuke Matsumoto
40 GK  KOR Park Iru-gyu
43 MF  JPN Taichi Fukui
44 MF  JPN Keiya Sento
45 DF  JPN Toshiki Ando
46 DF  JPN Hideki Oka
47 DF  JPN Shinya Nakano
48 DF  KOR Taiga Son
50 MF  PRK Ryang Yong-gi

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
— DF  JPN Koki Imakake (on loan at Mito Hollyhock)
— FW  JPN Rio Nitta (on loan at FC Wacker Innsbruck II)
— DF  JPN Kazuki Anzai (at Tokyo Verdy)
— GK  KOR Kim Min-ho (at Nagano Parceiro)
— FW  JPN Reoto Kodama (at SC Sagamihara)
— FW  JPN Kaisei Ishii (at Ehime FC)

Retired number
  • 17 Sakata Michitaka – A former professor of Saga University and the person which backed up in both the establishment of Tosu Futures and the team's revival as Sagan Tosu. He died due to kidney cancer on January 7, 2000. The number 17 indicates his day of death.

Managers

Kit Evolution
FP 1st
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003 - 2004
2005
2006 - 2007
2008 - 2010
2011 - 2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021 -
FP 2nd
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003 - 2004
2005
2006 - 2007
2008 - 2010
2011 - 2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021 -
FP Other
2015
Hawk Festival Memorial
2016
Ladies Day
2016
Hawk Festival Memorial
2017
Hawk Festival Memorial
2018
Hawk Festival Memorial
2019
Hawk Festival Memorial
2019
F. Torres
Retirement Game Memorial 1[7]
2019
F. Torres
Retirement Game Memorial 2[8]

References
  1. [サガン、竹原氏が社長就任　「Ｊ１昇格と健全な経営」 http://www1.saga-s.co.jp/news/saga.0.1913106.article.html]
  2. [Warrior Football – Sagan Tosu http://www.warriorfootball.com/teams/sagan-tosu]
  3. [Sagan Tosu outlast Sydney FC in J-League friendly https://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/24/4551614/sydney-sagan-tosu-j-league]
  4. "尹晶煥監督　契約解除のお知らせ" [Annulment of the contract with Head Coach Yoon Jung-Hwan]. Sagan Tosu. 2014-08-08. Archived from the original on 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  5. [The Bianconeri Allievi fly to Japan ]
  6. "Top Team Player". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  7. Worn at the entrance to the pitch against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.
  8. Worn during the match against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.
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