Kazuaki Tasaka facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kazuaki Tasaka | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 3, 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Tokai University Daiichi High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1993 | Tokai University | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Bellmare Hiratsuka | 176 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Cerezo Osaka | 76 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 265 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Japan | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Oita Trinita | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Shimizu S-Pulse | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Fukushima United FC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Tochigi SC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Giravanz Kitakyushu | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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. He was part of the Japan national team until 1999. As of 2023, he became the manager of Giravanz Kitakyushu.
Contents
Playing Career: A Midfielder's Journey
Kazuaki Tasaka was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on August 3, 1971. He loved football from a young age. He played for his high school team, Tokai University Daiichi High School. After that, he continued playing football at Tokai University.
Starting in the J1 League
After finishing university, Tasaka joined Bellmare Hiratsuka in 1994. This team had just moved up to the J1 League, which is Japan's top football league. Kazuaki quickly became a key player for the team. His skills were so impressive that he won the J1 League Young Player of the Year award in his first season. This award is given to the best young player in the league.
Moving to New Teams
Tasaka played for Bellmare Hiratsuka for several years. However, at the end of the 1998 season, the club faced some money problems. Because of this, Kazuaki and several other important players left the team. He then moved to Shimizu S-Pulse in 1999. After one season there, he joined Cerezo Osaka in 2000. He played for Cerezo Osaka until 2002, which was when he finished his career as a professional football player.
Playing for Japan: International Matches
Kazuaki Tasaka also had the honor of playing for his country. He played 7 times for the Japan national team between 1995 and 1999. When a player is "capped," it means they have played in an official international match for their country.
First International Game
His very first game for Japan was on May 28, 1995. It was a friendly match against Ecuador. The game took place at the Tokyo National Stadium. In March 1999, he was chosen to play for Japan again. This was the first time in four years he had been called up. He also played in the 1999 Copa América, which is a big football tournament for national teams in South America.
Managerial Career: From Player to Coach
After retiring as a player, Kazuaki Tasaka decided to stay in football. He wanted to share his knowledge and experience with new players. He started working as a coach.
Coaching at Youth and Senior Levels
In 2003, Tasaka began coaching young players at Cerezo Osaka. He helped train the club's youth teams. In the middle of the 2004 season, he was promoted to an assistant coach for the club's main team. He helped them stay in the J1 League. He then decided to get a special S-Class Coaching License. This license is needed to manage a J.League club. He also studied coaching skills abroad. He earned his S-Class License in 2005. In 2006, he became a coach for Shimizu S-Pulse's reserve team. By 2007, he was an assistant coach for their main team.
Managing J.League Clubs
In 2011, Tasaka became the manager of Oita Trinita, a team in the J2 League. In 2012, his team won a special playoff. This win helped them get promoted back to the J1 League after four years. However, the team struggled in J1 and went back down to J2 after just one year. Tasaka continued to manage Oita Trinita until June 2015. He left the club when they were at the bottom of the J2 League.
In July 2015, Tasaka returned to Shimizu S-Pulse as an assistant coach. Soon after, the main manager resigned, and Tasaka took over as the new manager. Unfortunately, the team's performance did not improve. Shimizu S-Pulse was relegated to the J2 League for the first time in their history. Tasaka resigned at the end of that season.
In 2016, he joined Matsumoto Yamaga FC as a coach. Then, in 2017, he became the manager of Fukushima United FC in the J3 League. He managed this club for two seasons. In 2019, he moved to Tochigi SC, a J2 League club, and managed them until 2021.
Most recently, on December 8, 2022, Kazuaki Tasaka signed with Giravanz Kitakyushu. He became their manager for the 2023 season.
Awards and Achievements
Kazuaki Tasaka received a special award early in his playing career.
- J.League Rookie of the Year - 1994
See also
In Spanish: Kazuaki Tasaka para niños
