Latest news with #Urawa
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Big spending Al-Hilal fly Asian standard at Club World Cup
* Al-Hilal head Asian quartet at revamped tournament * Urawa look to transfer domestic form to big stage * Al-Ain and Ulsan unlikely to make a major impact HONG KONG, - Al-Hilal will be the standard bearers for Asian football at the revamped Club World Cup after appointing Simone Inzaghi to coach a squad bristling with playing talent from Saudi Arabia and around the world. Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have all joined Saudi captain Salem Al-Dawsari at the Riyadh-based club since it received major investment from the nation's Public Investment Fund. Former Inter Milan coach Inzaghi takes over a squad that fell short of their lofty standards by failing to win a fifth Asian Champions League title in May, a misstep that cost Jorge Jesus the chance to lead the team to the Club World Cup. While Al-Hilal head to the tournament with ambitions of making a big impact in a group also featuring Real Madrid, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg, the expectations for Asia's three other clubs are likely to be more modest. Emirati side Al-Ain won the 2024 Asian Champions League to secure their berth but have endured a dismal 13 months since, and the defence of their continental title ended in ignominy with no wins from eight matches. Hernan Crespo, who had led the club to their second Asian title, paid the price in November but his replacement Leonardo Jardim lasted only two months before Serbian Vladimir Ivic was drafted in to try to stop the rot. Togolese striker Kodjo Laba, who was top scorer in the UAE Pro League last season, and Moroccan winger Soufiane Rahimi will be Al-Ain's biggest attacking threats when they take on Manchester City, Juventus and Wydad in the group stage. At least one Asian team will go into the competition in decent form with Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds showing improved domestic performances under Maciej Skorza. The Pole led Urawa to the Asian Champions League title in 2023, five months after replacing Ricardo Rodriguez, only to leave at the end of that season for personal reasons. He returned in late 2024 and has developed a side that are contenders to win the for the first time since their sole title in 2006. Former Japan midfielder Genki Haraguchi has returned to Urawa after a decade in Germany to lead the club's resurgence alongside the experienced Takahiro Sekine, who was instrumental in the club's Asian Champions League wins in 2017 and 2022. Urawa have been drawn with River Plate, Inter Milan and Monterrey at the Club World Cup. South Korea's Ulsan HD will be playing in the competition for the third time after featuring in the earlier iteration in 2012 and 2020. Kim Pan-gon's side qualified due to the club's record in Asian competition over the last four years, during which Ulsan reach the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League in 2021 and 2023. Both of those runs, though, were achieved under former coach Hong Myung-bo, now the South Korea national team boss, with the team's performances becoming more inconsistent after Kim's arrival last summer. The former Malaysia coach took over with minimal exposure to top-level club football and his side, who will play Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns in Group F, face a stiff challenge to make a positive impact in the United States. Jung Woo-young played at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and brings stability to the Ulsan midfield, while goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo played a key role as South Korea eliminated world champions Germany in 2018.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
With shades of Man United, Urawa Reds vow to bring the noise at Club World Cup
Despite having been crowned Asian champions three times, Urawa have only won the domestic J. League once, in 2006. PHOTO: AFP With shades of Man United, Urawa Reds vow to bring the noise at Club World Cup SAITAMA – Their raucous fans are the self-styled bad boys of Japanese football and the team's red shirts, white shorts and black socks bear more than a passing resemblance to Manchester United. But while the fallen English giants won't be at the Club World Cup, Urawa Reds will and are set to be roared on in the United States by more than 5,000 followers. Japan's best-supported club face Inter Milan, River Plate and Monterrey in the opening round when the revamped competition starts on June 14. Urawa is a nondescript suburb about an hour north of Tokyo and the team have been known to draw crowds of over 50,000 to their Saitama Stadium home. Crowd trouble is extremely rare in Japan but Urawa were banned from last season's domestic cup after 'ultra' supporters ripped down barriers and threatened opposition fans. In 2014 they were forced to play a game behind closed doors after fans displayed a racist banner. Supporters say they are misunderstood and are looking forward to hoisting their flags and belting out their songs in front of a global audience. 'People who aren't really interested in football think that we're scary people, but I always tell them that's not true,' Urawa fan Kakeru Inoue said. 'I often bring workmates to games to show them what it's really like.' Urawa began life as Mitsubishi's company team and their official name of Urawa Red Diamonds is a nod to the industrial behemoth's corporate logo. They were originally called Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club, or MUFC, another link to the Premier League side. Despite having been crowned Asian champions three times, Urawa have only won the domestic J. League once, in 2006. But they have appeared at the Club World Cup three times, most recently losing 3-0 to Manchester City in the semi-finals in 2023. Veteran goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa says they are proud to be the only Japanese team at the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup. 'The competition will get a lot of attention from around the world and it has a big meaning for us,' he said. 'Who knows whether a Japanese team will play in it again because you need to become Asian champions to earn that right.' The club's achievements have at times been overshadowed by their fans, who hung a banner reading 'Japanese only' over an entrance to the stands before a 2014 game. The incident earned Urawa the dubious distinction of becoming the first Japanese club to be ordered to play a game behind closed doors. One Urawa fan who has attended games since the J. League began said the club were 'all about ultra culture'. 'That's something you can only get in Urawa,' said the supporter, who gave his name only as Nakaji. 'No other club can match us.' Urawa are coached by Poland's Maciej Skorza, who is back for a second spell after leading the club to the Asian Champions League title in 2023. The Club World Cup is being played in the middle of the J. League season, which runs from February to December. Urawa have made a strong start to their domestic campaign and look poised to challenge for the title, having finished 13th last season. Norwegian defender Marius Hoibraten says the Club World Cup is 'a motivation rather than a distraction'. 'Being able to meet the best teams from other countries is a nice experience for us, everyone is buzzing,' said the 30-year-old, one of the few non-Japanese players in Urawa's squad. 'It's a little bit of unknown water. Everyone is really looking forward to it.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
