A little bit about the team: Remember, a "circle" in Japanese Universities is like a club, except it's more about playing for fun than to win. A good way to think of it is it's not UCLA's "club soccer team" (the team that's not UCLA's, but not intramural), but it's UCLA's "soccer club". The guys are all really talented, but for whatever reason have chosen to have practices three times a week instead of five and to not enter as many tournaments or travel around as much. Our practices are Mon/Wed from 7:00AM-9:00AM (meet at 7-11 at 6:30AM) and Fridays at 7:00PM-9:00PM (meet at the school 6:30PM). On M/W we practice on a soccer field next to what I think is an junior high school, and on Fridays we practice on a different junior high school's field. It sucks having to wake up so early and be out playing soccer when it's freezing cold (both in the morning AND at night), but once I get warmed up, it's all worth it :) I always play keeper since they only have one full-time keeper...well, that and because I suck at every other position, I never really acquired my cousin's soccer talent outside of the goalbox ;-) What I mean by long shots is when someone from half way down the field takes a simple shot at goal...despite it being extremely basic to stop, with probably no opponents around me, I still get really nervous and can often mess up the simplest of saves. However, when the players are within the PK box or around that area, I feel like I can make the saves easier. I'm guessing it's the exact opposite for most people, but go figure =)
Ah, and as for the name Rosso Bianco, they said it means "Red White" in Italian (I'm sure my father, little bro, grandparents, or a quick Google search could confirms this). That didn't really answer why it's called Rosso Bianco, and the guy I asked didn't really know why either, but after going to the elementary school this week (which I'll update about later), I believe I know where it might have derived. In America, the two main colors that are used when you make two teams are usually red and blue. Apparently in Japan, it's red and white. I've seen this in a few places, such as in videogames, or at the tournament, when the Rosso Bianco players busted out reversible uniforms with red and white as the two colors. However, it finally clicked when at the elementary school we played dodgeball and all the kids used reversible hats to split into two teams, the colors of which were red and white.
The car ride was about an hour and a half, through about half I practiced my Japanese and the other half I slept. It was held in this area that seemed to be like a little resort dedicated to soccer, where they had a main field and a bunch of small practice fields around it. There was a fancy hotel you could stay at, as well as a few stores to shop at, including what must have been Japan's equivalent of Trader Joe's. (Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture of the map that conveniently showed where everything was located.)
Quick rules of the tournament: 8v8 (with keepers, so 7 men other than the keeper), two 15-minute halves, no offsides. Other than that, standard rules (there might have been no direct kicks since the field was only about half the size of a normal one, but I never bothered to ask). Ah, and speaking of fields, two games were played next to each other simultaneously, all on one big soccer field (played where the half-line of the regular-sized field was the sideline for both fields, except there was a little space in between each field for walking).
A picture from our home base. We were stationed at the hut farthest from the entrance, conveniently next to the bathrooms.
My team warming up. Since the tournament was an 8v8 tourney and our team, Rosso Bianco, has about 24 or so players, we split into three teams - A.C. Rosso, A.C. Bianco, and Kishipro. The guy I asked didn't know what the A.C. stood for. :-/ Kishipro, however, is derived from Kishi, the name of one of the older soccer players (who actually wasn't able to go), and pro, as in professional. I was on team A.C. Bianco.
The team warming up. Front and center is Rei. The teams were divided by year - my team (A.C. Bianco) were all second years (with the exception of me, of course), the other one was all third years, and the final one was a mix. There was also a team of sotsugyoushita nakama, whch means "graduated people", all of whom were graduates from Tsuru Bunka.
Our soccer HQ, constantly supplied with water bottles and Aquarius, the Japanese version of Gatorade.
One of our other two teams on the half opposite of our base, preparing for battle. I think there were about 12 teams in total that entered.
The Japanese have a few different customs when it comes to soccer etiquette. First is the initial shinguards and cleats check by the ref. I was suprised at how chicchai (small) their shinguards were. They're basically like little inserts that are placed in the socks after they put their socks on. I'm used to the ones where you actually "wear" them, putting them on before your socks, where you have some kind of fabric around the ankle that keeps it in place, and the protective plastic is relatively tall. I forgot to learn the word for shinguards, but I do know that they call cleats "supaiku" (spike). Funny enough, when one of the guys taught me the word supaiku, he wondered why they all them that. I told him that the things on the bottom of the shoe in English are called spikes - at least, I imagine that's the reason behind it ;-)
So after the check in you line up behind the captain, bow to the field and say "onegaishimasu" (please), and walk in a straight line to the center of the field. There the ref either flipped a coin (he never did the "you're the home team so you get to call it in the air" thing, he just told the teams what side of the coin they were) or he made them do Jan-Ken-Po (Japanese for rock-paper-scissors, which is used surprisingly abundantly here to determine teams, order, and the such). The winner got to choose which side to defend, I think (wasn't sure on the Japanese at that part). After that you bow to your opponent and shake hands. We then would do the usual group hands-in-the-center-and-shout routine.
During the game the only difference I noticed in etiquette was that when a player is seriously injured everyone just stands normally as opposed to taking a knee. I later taught them about taking a knee when someone's injured, though I was always the only person to do it - it felt like I was showing disrespect if I wasn't.
The after game is also very different. As opposed to lining up and giving everyone hi-fives while monotonously and tediously chanting "good game", you first go with your teammates and line up backin the center of the field. The ref reads off the score, then you bow to the opponent across from you and shake hands again. After that you hustle to the front of the opponents bench (in this case, wherever the most of their spectators were), the captain gives the command to straighten up (which for some strange reason I'm blanking on), then shouts "rei!", which means bow. After that, you go in front of your own fans and do the same thing. Now you were allowed to celebrate and cool off :)
First day's game results:
Game 1: W, 2-0
Game 2: W, 2-1
Substitute Game: L, 0-3
Game 3: W, 2-1
(Coolest goal for Game 3 was a goal off of a direct kick made from our captain, Ozawa. A little past the PK box, he curves it beautifully around the wall and into the corner of the goal of a much surprised keeper)
For the "Substitute Game" I had gone in for A.C. Rosso's keeper who had been hurt from a challenge for the ball (note that I normally wouldn't have been able to, but the ref figured it was better I go in and do 8v8 than have the other team volunteer to do 7v7). We played against a team all in yellow and blue, and damn, were they good. The previous keeper had already allowed one goal, so we were down 0-1 when I started. Unfortunately, my team couldn't put anything in the back of the opponent's net, and they scored twice more on me (actually, one was an own goal header, and the other was due to me accidentally kicking the ball off of a goal kick to the striker right in front of the goal, who then proceeded to kick it in before I even had a chance to re-center myself). I could tell that this was the team to beat - I knew that from watching them before I even went in. I felt like this would be the uber pro team dressed in all black that the ragtag protagonist team must first fight in all soccer (/sports) movies, only to get their asses kicked, then they reface them in the final and come out champions. I used this is a time to study my opponents' moves (noticed that #10 was especially dangerous) so if / when my team played them, we could come out victorious. But, would any of that matter? Would we ever get to play them?...
After the first day was over we went to our hotel. Being a soccer-oriented basho (place), this hotel was not only garnished with professional soccer players' jerseys and other soccer memorabilia on the wall, but also had a bunch of washers and dryers to clean your uniform for the next day! Very cool.
For dinner we went to a "bikingu" restaurant (a Viking Restaurant, which apparently in English means an all-you-can-eat buffet). They had a copious amount of high quality delicious food, ranging from yakitori (cooked chicken) to ika (squid) to miso soup (miso soup...) to sushi.
My first round of food. I went back and tried a little bit of everything, save for the sushi, which I by that time I was so full I could hardly move. Apparently it's customary to eat all the food on your plate at a restaurant...I wasn't able to finish some of my food, so I secretly pawned it off on people's plates while they were up getting dessert...mwahahaha ^_<
I don't really know what this is, but it was really pretty. After dinner we went to the onsen (a hot spring / bath area...I don't think it's called an onsen since it's inside and not natural occurring, but I forget what else to call it). Really nafter a long day of soccer.
Me and Ryouta, the shortest guy on the team. Also, I think it's funny that all the pictures I had Japanese people take are all at a noticeable angle ;)
Guys being guys...rough-housing is universal :D
Our room before we went to bed. It was washitsu (Japanese style) room, which basically meant it was simply a large open space with a TV and a closet that contained a futons, comforters, blankets, and pillows. There was a communal bathroom down the hall. Despite being done in the washitsu style, I don't think you could consider it a ryokan (Japanese-style inn), which I still have yet to stay in.
In the morning, ready for the next day!
The next day's results:
Game 1 (Semi-Finals) (against Kishpro)
This was one of my favorite games played in the entire tournament. Not only did I have a spectacular save, but I also got to do PKs. First off, the save: So, as I said before, I hate long shots, even if they're the most simplest thing in the world. For some reason I get nervous and don't always run out to grab the ball before it lands. This was one of those times. I sort of started, then stopped, which put me at an awkward position between where the ball would land, and where the goal was. So, the scenario: The striker kicks a long ball from center field. The ball comes flying at me, I run to about halfway into the PK box (near the PK kick spot), the ball lands near the top of the PK box and (of course) bounces. It bounces just high enough to get over my reach. So, now I am standing in the middle of the PK box, with the ball bouncing towards the wide-open goal behind me. Oh. Fuck. Not one to ever give up (much less to let such a pathetic goal in on such an important game - the winner would advance to the finals), I suddenly sprinted towards the goal. By this point I was in full instinct mode - I really don't remember ever thinking "okay, sprint to the goal and get there before the ball!". Anyways, the ball bounces at around the top of the goalbox, and is now about to enter the goal. Suddenly, carried from a half-second adrenalin-filled mad dash, the 6'4" foreigner dives head first into the goal, making a photo-finish arrival before the ball. During mid-dive he turns his body and bats the ball away with his right paw, just inches before it crosses the goal line. As the ball spirals away from the goal (merely inches in front of the goalpost) the keeper flies straight into the back of the goal, managing to protect his head by rotating his shoulder to take most of the impact, just in the knick of time. The string stretches as the biggest projectile it's ever taken slides as far back into the net as possible. The crowd gives an "uuaaa", and the ball rolls safely out of bounds.
So yeah, that was a lot of fun ^^
So after preventing a humiliating goal with an extremely fun and interesting save, the game eventually ends in a tie, 1-1. Thus, being the last day of the tournament, we move on to PKs. Now I know most keepers hate PKs, but I personally love them. As a keeper, we're not expected to prevent a goal. No one shakes their head in shame at the keeper if a goal goes by, but if a keeper stops one, everyone cheers, and suddenly it's thanks to the skilled keeper and not the unlucky kicker that the ball didn't penetrate. It's basically a reversal of a regular game when a goal gets by me (usually they're the easy ones that I feel guilty for >_<). That being said, I don't think I'm too terrible at PKs either. So, first up is my team, A.C. Bianco. Shoot. Score. Up 1-0. Next is A.C. Rosso's first kicker. Although my positioning was decent, my poise was off, and I let the first goal get by. 1-1. Next it's our turn again. Kick. Close, but a score. 2-1. I'm back in goal. I bend my knees, adjust myself just slightly to the left, and wait. The kicker runs forward. Thwwwp, he kicks the ball. Just as I'm about to leap right, I realize the ball is barreling towards me, so I stay my ground and stop the ball. 2-1, excellent, one more goal and we win. Our next guy (our captain) comes up to bat. Kicks. A perfect pocket corner kick, we win the PKs, 3-1, and advance to the finals.
Game 2: Final Game
We warm up and head to our usual field for our final match. The wind was so intense, most of the goal kicks took longer since the wind would push the ball before I'd kick it, nearly resulting in a Charlie Brown-effect. I check out our opponent, and low and behold, it's the yellow-and-blue clad uber team from before. Their average height was probably a good two or three inches taller than ours (even when you count the gaijin outlier), and their builds all looked sturdier. It would certainly be an uphill battle.
Well, I want to write this as best I can, but really, there's not much to say. We were outplayed in pretty much every way. Despite a few good saves (using my signature sliding save, of course), goal after goal poured in. Many of them were excellent goals, with no chance of me being able to stop them - I'd probably only contribute one of the *ahem* 5 goals scored against me to be my own fault. The end result? L, 0-5. Ouch, my pride. So much for your Disney ending. And so much for the "Best Keeper" award that I had been favored to win up till that game. At least we'd get second place.And so, the final ceremonies began. The teams that had stuck around till the end all lined up, listened to a quick "thank you" from the refs and coordinators, then the top three prepared for their gifts. First place got really nice blue Umbro jerseys, second place (us) got nice black Nike jerseys, and third place got some other brand of mediocre jerseys. MVP went to #10 on the winner's team (yappari - just as I figured), and the prize for the highest scoring team went to one of the lower ranking teams (they had to do Jan-Ken-Pon (rock paper scissors) with the first place team who also had the same amount of goals scored...again, showing the Japanese obsession of using Rock-Paper-Scissors as the decider for nearly all situations), and the Best Keeper award went to A.C. Bianco's keeper. Wait...that means...
...me! When it was announced I won the Best Keeper award, the entire Rosso Bianco team exploded into applause and cheer. I think I saw the other teams smirk too :) The prize? A new pair of Umbro goalie gloves! And just in time, too - my old pair has been starting to tear. The size? Size 10, out of a possible 11. So apparently the coordinators must have judged me as the best keeper before the final game, since I doubt they were able to run out within 10 minutes and find a soccer store, much less one that carried size 10 gloves (I feel sorry for whoever had to soccer shop hop, trying to find the largest gloves they had). And the verdict?...they fit! And I'd argue even better than my old ones, which were an American size 13 I believe, just ever so slightly large. These ones I don't have to fight for a minute to push my hand in. However, I have yet to use either my jersey or goalie gloves - I'm still contemplating whether or not I should wear them, or keep them in their pristine condition as some of my best souvenirs, possibly to hang on my wall later on. Thoughts?
Ozawa-kyaputen
The 2nd place and team of the Best Keeper, A.C. Bianco!
Our ever-faithful managers. The Japanese sport team "managers" are just a group of girls who go where the team goes, kind of like groupies, except they're a lot more than that. During practice they'll set up the cones, pump and fetch balls, keep time, fill water bottles, and bring us water bottles during each break. When we go to tournaments the come too, preparing drinks for halftime and help manage all sorts of other things (they did all of our laundry on Saturday night). When I asked one of them why they do it (note it includes going to our 6:30 AM practices twice a week), she said it's because she likes to watch high level soccer. I also later found out that most of them have a boyfriend on the team - perhaps the real reason :-p
Me and Guchi, the other (nearly) full-time keeper. He hurt his knee during one of the games pretty badly when he tried to do a Xander-ppoi (Xander-like) sliding save, but was able to keep playing. He's a really good keeper - I consider him my teacher.
The entire Rosso Bianco team!
Poor Yuki...people stripped him of his pants and jacket, then threw it against one of the large nets keeping balls inside the field and out of the streets. Due to the strong winds they stayed up there, and he had to scale the net to get them back (only for them to be thrown up again ^_<).
Somethingsa o'er datta way!
Giving out pens to the 7th place team, A.C. Rosso. The guy with the red-tipped jacket on was giving them out, and when he was trying to think of something to say for himself, someone chimed in "For the best own goal!" (he was the one that headed a ball into my goal when I was substituting)
"hikitsugi" means "inheriting". This was the party on Sunday night where everyone gave a speech about how what Rosso Bianco meant to them. It's important for the 3rd years, who are considered the "heart" of the team, because they'll be fourth years once spring rolls around, and during the fourth year of college most Japanese students become very studious, looking for and applying to potential employers (also working on their senior thesis).
Oishii niku! (Delicious meat!)
And of course, a party wouldn't be a party here without some Karaoke at the end :)
The soccer tournament was one of my best experiences I've had here in Japan. I'm extremely glad that I went. Not only did my bonds with my teammates grow exponentially stronger, but I also walked away with some cool schwag. And hey, look, who's that on this Japanese soccer site? (Note: Click "Photo Gallery" to see a few more of me, one of which I appear to be crawling on the ground for some reason...)
Favorite one from there:
GO TEAM A.C. BIANCO!!!
Favorite one from there:
GO TEAM A.C. BIANCO!!!
1 comments:
A.C. stands for Associazione Calcio (Italian for "Football (soccer) Association"). Also, Japan uses the red and white because those are their national colors in the same way as we use red and blue because our colors are rw&b.
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