Takuya Yamada facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Takuya Yamada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 24, 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender, Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Toin Gakuen High School | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1996 | Komazawa University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2005 | Tokyo Verdy | 235 | (22) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Cerezo Osaka | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Yokohama FC | 50 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Sagan Tosu | 43 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 113 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | FC Imabari | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Nara Club | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | FC Imabari | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 478 | (33) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Japan | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Takuya Yamada (山田 卓也, Yamada Takuya, born August 24, 1974) is a former Japanese football player. He played as a defender and midfielder. Yamada also proudly represented the Japan national team.
Contents
Takuya Yamada's Club Career
Early Football Days
Takuya Yamada started his football journey in high school. He played for Toin Gakuen High School. He helped his school reach the final four in the National Championship. Later, he played at Komazawa University. While there, he won several national titles. A big achievement was winning a gold medal for Japan at the 1995 Summer Universiade.
Starting as a Professional Player
Yamada became a professional player in 1997. He joined Verdy Kawasaki, which later became Tokyo Verdy. This was when the J1 League was still quite new. He played as a right-side defender and a midfielder. Yamada stayed with Verdy for eight years. He played almost 300 games for the club.
Becoming "Mr. Verdy"
Takuya Yamada was a very important player in the early years of the J1 League. He was known for his strong and exciting play on the field. Fans even called him "Mr. Verdy" because he was so dedicated. He was the team captain for three years. People also nicknamed him "The Terminator" because of his tough playing style.
Moving to New Teams
In 2006, Yamada moved to Cerezo Osaka. He didn't stay there for long. He then tried out for a team in Australia, Adelaide United. After that, he went to the United States. He tried out for some Major League Soccer clubs, like New England Revolution.
Playing for Yokohama FC and Sagan Tosu
When he returned to Japan, Yokohama FC signed him in 2007. Yamada became the captain for Yokohama FC in 2008. In 2009, he moved to Sagan Tosu. The coach, Yasuyuki Kishino, really wanted him on the team.
Adventures in the United States
On January 1, 2010, Yamada signed with FC Tampa Bay. This team later became the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He was part of their first-ever team roster. He made history as the first Japanese player to be a co-captain in the USSF Division 2 league.
Yamada continued to play for Tampa Bay in the North American Soccer League. He was a key player for them. In 2012, he played in all 28 regular season games. He also played in two post-season games. He played the most minutes in the NASL that year. Yamada helped his team win the NASL Soccer Bowl in 2012. He was also chosen for the NASL 2012 Best XI team. He played his 100th game for the Rowdies on August 24, 2013. He left the club at the end of the 2014 season.
Returning to Japan and Retirement
In 2015, Takuya Yamada returned to Japan. He joined FC Imabari in July. In 2016, he moved to Nara Club. He played there until the end of the season. He went back to FC Imabari in August 2017. Yamada officially retired from playing football in November 2017.
Takuya Yamada's National Team Career
Yamada was a world champion with the Japanese college national team. This happened at the 1995 Summer Universiade.
In December 2003, he was chosen for the Japan national team. This was for the 2003 East Asian Football Championship. He played his first game for Japan on December 7 against Hong Kong. He was also part of the Japan team for the 2004 Asian Cup. Japan won the championship that year. Yamada played as a defensive midfielder. He played a total of 4 games for Japan until 2004.
Takuya Yamada's Playing Style
Takuya Yamada was a very smart player on the field. He was great at making accurate short and long passes. He could play in many different positions. He was a utility player, meaning he could play as a midfielder or a defender. He was good on the sides of the field and in the middle.
Yamada was also a tough player. He would go hard against anyone he was playing against. He was also good at making sharp runs forward to score goals when needed. He was a natural leader both on and off the field. He was captain for three different clubs during his career.
Takuya Yamada's Awards and Honors
Takuya Yamada won several awards and honors during his football career.
Team Achievements
- North American Soccer League:
- Champion (1) in 2012 with Tampa Bay Rowdies.
- J.League Emperor's Cup Champion in 2004 with Tokyo Verdy.
- AFC Asian Cup Champions in 2004 with Japan.
- J.League XEROX Super Cup Champion in 2005 with Tokyo Verdy.
- Universiade Fukuoka (World University Games) Gold Medal in 1995 with the Japanese College National Team.
Individual Honors
- Selected for the NASL Best XI in 2012.
- Co-Captain of FC Tampa Bay in 2010.
- Captain of Yokohama FC in 2008.
- Captain of Tokyo Verdy from 2002 to 2005.
- Named to the All-Japan University Best 11 in 1995 and 1996.
- Selected for the All-Japan High School Select Team in 1993.
See also
In Spanish: Takuya Yamada para niños
