Meet the Club World Cup Teams: Kashiwa Reysol
Host representatives Kashiwa Reysol are coming into the tournament just days after claiming their first J-League title and could impress in their first international competition
The 2011 Club World Cup is fast approaching, and those taking part are keen to begin their run in the competition, with an eye on the ultimate prize.
The tournament, which runs from December 8 to 18 in Japan, sees the top clubs from all the world's football confederations battle it out for glory, and, while most fans are familiar with the likes of Barcelona and Santos, several of the other competitors need to be introduced.
Kashiwa Reysol's roots are based in Hitachi Soccer Club, which was founded in suburban Tokyo in 1940 and had moderate success before relocating to their present home in 1986. Reysol reached the top flight in 1995 and with former Olympic coach (and Gamba Osaka legend-to-be) Akira Nishino at the reins, the club won the J-League Cup in 1999 and achieved two consecutive third-place finishes.
Soon after, a series of front office mis-steps made Reysol a perennial punching bag and eventually resulted in their 2005 relegation. Despite returning to J1 in a year, Reysol continued to flounder and would again fall in 2009.
It was in this season that they rebuilt and cruised to the J2 championship with just two losses in 36 matches under manager Nelsinho. This year in their third J1 stint, Reysol surprised all expectations by leading the league for for nearly two-thirds of the season despite often being overshadowed in the media by larger, better-supported rivals. While it took them until the final day to claim the J1 championship, Reysol undoubtedly earned it. - http://www.goal.com
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