Kashiwa Reysol facts for kids
 |
|||
| Full name | Kashiwa Reysol | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Taiyō-Ō (Sun King) Aurinegro (gold-and-black) |
||
| Short name | REY | ||
| Founded | 1940 as Hitachi S.C. | ||
| Stadium | Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium ("Hitachidai") Kashiwa, Chiba |
||
| Stadium capacity |
15,900 | ||
| Owner | Hitachi | ||
| Chairman | Ryuichiro Takikawa | ||
| Manager | Ricardo Rodríguez | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 7th of 18 | ||
|
|
|||
Kashiwa Reysol (柏レイソル, Kashiwa Reisoru) is a professional football team from Japan. They are based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, which is near Tokyo. The team plays in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. Their home games are played at Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, also called "Hitachidai". The name Reysol comes from Spanish words Rey (King) and Sol (Sun). This name connects to their main company, Hitachi, whose name means "rising sun" in Japanese.
The club started in 1940 and was one of the first teams in the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. They have spent most of their time playing in Japan's top football league. Kashiwa Reysol has won the Japanese League championship twice, in 1972 and 2011. They have also won the J.League Cup three times (1976, 1999, 2013) and the Emperor's Cup three times (1972, 1975, 2012).
Contents
Team History and Achievements
Early Years as Hitachi SC
The club began in 1939 and officially became the Hitachi, Ltd. Soccer Club in 1940. This was a company team located in Kodaira, Tokyo. In 1965, they helped start the Japan Soccer League (JSL). They were one of the "Original Eight" teams. In the mid-1970s, the club had some great success. They won the Emperor's Cup and JSL titles. Many of their players also played for the Japan national football team.
In 1986, the club moved from Kodaira to Kashiwa. It took some time for them to get used to the new city. They were moved down to JSL Division 2 that year. They went up and down between the first and second divisions for a few years. When the J.League was formed, they were not strong enough to be a founding member. Instead, they joined the Japan Football League Division 1 in 1992. This was the second-highest league at the time.
Becoming Kashiwa Reysol
The club changed its name to Kashiwa Reysol in 1993. They brought in famous players like Careca from the Brazil national football team. Their goal was to win the JFL and move up to the J1 League. In 1994, with help from Careca and Brazilian manager Zé Sérgio, they finished second in the JFL. This earned them a spot in the top league.
Reysol started playing in the J1 League in 1995. In 1998, Akira Nishino became their new manager. They also added star player Hristo Stoichkov from the Bulgaria national football team. In 1999, Hong Myung-bo from the Korean national team joined the squad. That year, the team won the J.League Cup. This was their first major title as Kashiwa Reysol.
After some tough years, the club was moved down to the J2 League in 2005. But they quickly bounced back! A new manager, Nobuhiro Ishizaki, led a new team in 2006. They won promotion back to the J1 League in their very last game of the season.
Recent Successes
Kashiwa Reysol was moved down again in 2009. However, in 2010, they won the J2 League under manager Nelsinho Baptista. They returned to the top league and did something amazing. In 2011, they immediately won the J1 League! This made them the first Japanese club to win the second tier and then the top tier in back-to-back seasons. They even played in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's champion. They reached the semi-finals, beating teams like Auckland City and Monterrey.
From 2010 to 2014, Reysol won six different titles. These included the J2 League in 2010, the J1 League in 2011, and the Emperor's Cup in 2012. They also won the Japanese Super Cup in 2012, the J.League Cup in 2013, and the Suruga Bank Championship in 2014.
Team Rivalries
Marunouchi Big Three
Kashiwa Reysol has had strong rivalries with JEF United Chiba and the Urawa Reds. These teams are close neighbors. All three clubs helped start the Japan Soccer League in 1965. They were known as the Marunouchi Gosanke (Marunouchi Big Three). This was because their former main companies were all based in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Games between them were called Marunouchi derbies.
Chiba Derby
Reysol and JEF United Chiba first played each other in 1941. Both clubs are now based in Chiba Prefecture. Their rivalry is called the Chiba derby. They play a friendly match every year before the season starts. This game is known as the Chibagin Cup.
Other Rivalries
Reysol also has rivalries with Kashima Antlers (called the Tonegawa clásico), FC Tokyo (called the Kanamachi derby), and Omiya Ardija (called the Nodasen derby).
Team Anthem
Kashiwa Reysol's team song is "We Are Reysol." It is sung by anime singer Hironobu Kageyama. The song was released in 1994, the same year Reysol moved up to the J1 League.
League History Overview
Kashiwa Reysol has moved between the top and second divisions of Japanese football.
- Division 1 (JSL): 1965–1971 (as Hitachi SC)
- Division 1 (JSL Div. 1): 1972 to 1986–87
- Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1987–88 to 1988–89
- Division 1 (JSL Div. 1): 1989–90
- Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1990–91
- Division 1 (JSL Div. 1): 1991–92
- Division 2 (former JFL Div. 1): 1992–1993
- Division 2 (former JFL): 1994 (as Kashiwa Reysol)
- Division 1 (J.League): 1995–1998
- Division 1 (J1): 1999–2005
- Division 2 (J2): 2006
- Division 1 (J1): 2007–2009
- Division 2 (J2): 2010
- Division 1 (J1): 2011–2018
- Division 2 (J2): 2019
- Division 1 (J1): 2020–present
Team Honours
Kashiwa Reysol has won several important titles:
- Japan Soccer League Division 1/J1 League
- Winners (2): 1972, 2011
- Japan Soccer League Division 2/J2 League
- Winners (3): 1990–91, 2010, 2019
- All Japan Works Football Championship
- Winners (2): 1958, 1960
- All Japan Inter-City Football Championship
- Winners (1): 1963
- Emperor's Cup
- Winners (3): 1972, 1975, 2012
- JSL Cup/J.League Cup
- Winners (3): 1976, 1999, 2013
- Japanese Super Cup
- Winners (1): 2012
- Suruga Bank Championship
- Winners (1): 2014
Current Players
|
|
Players on Loan
These players are currently playing for other teams:
|
|
Team Captains
Here are the players who have been team captain:
| Captain | Nationality | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Takahiro Shimotaira |  Japan |
–1998 |
| Hong Myung-bo |  Korea |
1999 |
| Tomokazu Myojin | Japan |
2000–2005 |
| Yuta Minami | Japan |
2006–2007 |
| Hidekazu Otani | Japan |
2008–2022 |
| Taiyo Koga | Japan |
2023–present |
Club Staff
Here are some of the club's staff members for 2025:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Ricardo Rodríguez |
| Assistant manager | Ryoichi Kurisawa |
| Coaches | Hidekazu Otani Yuta Someya |
| Coaches & Physical coach | Naoya Matsubara |
| Goalkeeping coach | Keita Inoue |
| Technical | Yasushi Okamura |
| Doctor | Kojiro Hyodo |
| Medical | Kaoru Arakawa Hiroyuki Akai Toshiya Itagaki Hisao Iwaki Fabiano |
| Interpreter | Isao Yakita Masayoshi Edson Hayakawa Michinori Katsuta |
| Scout and support coach |  Lee Chang-won |
| Equipment | Masafumi Kimura |
| Competent | Takumi Miyamoto |
Team Colours
Kashiwa Reysol's main colour is yellow, like the sun. This matches the club's name, "Sun King." Their uniform is yellow and black, which is called Aurinegro in Spanish. This is similar to teams like Peñarol or Borussia Dortmund. Reysol is the only top-division club in Japan that wears yellow and black.
See also
In Spanish: Kashiwa Reysol para niños
