Kazuaki Tasaka facts for kids

Kazuaki Tasaka (田坂 和昭, Tasaka Kazuaki, born August 3, 1971) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played as a midfielder for various clubs and the Japan national team. After retiring as a player, he became a football manager. He last managed Giravanz Kitakyushu in 2023.

Playing Career: A Midfielder's Journey

Kazuaki Tasaka was born in Hiroshima on August 3, 1971. He loved football from a young age. He played for Tokai University Daiichi High School. Later, he continued playing while studying at Tokai University.

Starting in the J1 League

After finishing university, Tasaka joined Bellmare Hiratsuka in 1994. This team had just been promoted to the J1 League, Japan's top football league. He quickly became a regular player for the team. His talent was recognized, and he received the J1 League Young Player of the Year award in his first season. This award goes to the best young player in the league.

Tasaka stayed with Bellmare Hiratsuka for five seasons. He played many games for them. However, at the end of the 1998 season, the club faced money problems. Because of this, Tasaka and several other key players had to leave the team.

Moving to New Teams

After leaving Bellmare Hiratsuka, Tasaka moved to Shimizu S-Pulse in 1999. He played one season there. Then, from 2000 to 2002, he played for Cerezo Osaka. He finished his playing career at Cerezo Osaka. Throughout his career, he was known as a strong midfielder.

International Career: Playing for Japan

Kazuaki Tasaka also had the honor of playing for his country. He played for the Japan national team seven times between 1995 and 1999. When a player "gets capped," it means they have played a game for their national team.

His first game for Japan was on May 28, 1995. It was a friendly match against Ecuador in Tokyo. In 1999, he was called up to the national team again. He also played in the 1999 Copa América, a big international tournament.

Managerial Career: From Player to Coach

After ending his playing career, Kazuaki Tasaka decided to become a football coach. He wanted to share his knowledge and passion for the game.

Coaching Youth and Assistant Roles

In 2003, Tasaka started working as a coach for Cerezo Osaka's youth teams. He helped young players develop their skills. In 2004, he was promoted to an assistant coach for the club's main team. He helped the team stay in the J1 League that season.

Tasaka wanted to become a head manager. To do this, he needed a special S-Class Coaching License. He left Cerezo Osaka to get this license and study coaching abroad. He earned his S-Class License in 2005. In 2006, he joined Shimizu S-Pulse as a coach. He became an assistant coach for their top team in 2007.

Leading Teams as Manager

In 2011, Tasaka got his first big chance as a manager. He joined J2 League club Oita Trinita. In 2012, his team won a special playoff. This meant they were promoted to the J1 League! It was the first time Oita Trinita had been in J1 for four years.

However, managing in J1 was tough. Oita Trinita struggled and went back down to J2 after just one year. Tasaka continued to manage the team until June 2015. He was let go when the team was at the very bottom of the J2 league.

In July 2015, Tasaka returned to Shimizu S-Pulse, this time as an assistant coach. But the team was not doing well. The head manager resigned, and Tasaka took over as the new manager. Despite his efforts, S-Pulse was relegated to J2 for the first time in their history. Tasaka resigned at the end of that season.

After that, he worked as a coach for Matsumoto Yamaga FC in 2016. In 2017, he became the manager of Fukushima United FC in the J3 League. He managed them for two seasons. From 2019 to 2021, Tasaka managed Tochigi SC in the J2 League. Most recently, in 2023, he managed Giravanz Kitakyushu in the J3 League.

Honours and Awards

Kazuaki Tasaka received an important award early in his career:

• J.League Rookie of the Year - 1994

See also

In Spanish: Kazuaki Tasaka para niños