Kochi United SC

Kōchi United Sports Club, (高知ユナイテッドスポーツクラブ, Kōchi United SC) is a football club based in Kōchi, the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture in Japan. They played in the Shikoku Soccer League, one of the Japanese Regional Leagues from 2016–2019, winning it three times in a row from 2017–19. In 2019 they finished 2nd in the Japanese Regional Football League Competition, earning promotion to the Japan Football League from the 2020 season. In November 2021 they applied for J.League 100 Year Plan club status with the aim of becoming a fully professional club in the future. In February 2022 their application was approved.[1]

Kōchi United SC
高知ユナイテッドスポーツクラブ
Full nameKōchi United Sports Club
Founded2016 (2016)
GroundKochi Haruno Sports Ground (Kōchi Haruno Athletic Stadium)
Haruno, Kōchi
Capacity25,000
ChairmanShigekazu Takemasa
ManagerTakafumi Yoshimoto
LeagueJapan Football League
2021Japan Football League, 13th of 17
WebsiteClub website

History

On February 1st 2016, two established Shikoku League clubs; Igosso Kōchi FC (アイゴッソ高知FC) and Kōchi U Torastar FC (高知UトラスターFC) merged to form one club, whose aim was to be the first team from Kōchi Prefecture to play in the J. League. After officially changing the management company's name to Kōchi United Sports Club Ltd., Kochi United SC took Igosso Kōchi FC's place in the Shikoku League. For the many players at Kōchi U Torastar FC unable to join Kochi United SC, and wanting to continue playing as amateurs in the Shikoku League, Kochi Sports Club Ltd. and Kochi University established KUFC Nangoku on March 1st 2016, and this new club took Kōchi U Torastar FC's place in the Shikoku League. The club badge depicts the ceremonial Keshō-mawashi (化粧廻し) of a Tosa Fighting Dog on the outside, with the dark red colors of Igosso Kochi FC and the green of Kōchi U Torastar inside it and an image of a leaping bonito or skipjack tuna drawn in the center (a popular fish in Kochi prefecture). The club's home shirt also reflects the colors of the amalgamated teams from which Kochi United SC was formed.

As Igosso Kōchi FC

Postwar-1966: Kōchi Agricultural High School O.B. Club (高知農業高校OBクラブ).

1966-1996: Nangoku Soccer Club (Shikoku League Champions:1980).

1996-1999: Himawari Milk Nangoku F.C. (ひまわり牛乳南国FC).

1999-2014: Nangoku Kōchi F.C. (Shikoku League Champions: 2001, 2002. 2003, 2004, 2005).

2014-2016: Igosso Kōchi.

As Kōchi U Torastar FC

1998-2000: Transistor (トランジェスター).

2000-2006: Torastar (トラスター).

2006-2008: Beiling Torastar (北陵トラスター).

2008-2013: Nankoku Torastar (南国トラスターFC).

2013-2016: Kōchi U Torastar FC (Shikoku League Champions: 2014)

2016 season

In their inaugural 2016 season they finished runners up in the Shikoku League (W12-D1-L1) to FC Imabari (FC今治) . They also qualified for the All Japan Senior Football Championship (全国社会人サッカー選手権大会 Zenkoku Shakaijin Sakkā Senshuken Taikai), but lost 4–3 in the first round to eventual winners Mitsubishi Mizushima FC (三菱水島 FC). In addition, they represented Kōchi in the Emperor's Cup (天皇杯 Tennōhai) breaking Kochi University's 13 year streak, but lost 2–1 in the first round proper to V-Varen Nagasaki (V・ファーレン長崎) of the J2 League having taken a shock lead with a Kota Sugawara penalty. Takuya Kobayashi was the top goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions.

2017 season

In the 2017 season they won the Shikoku League with a W12-D2-L0 record, thus qualifying for the Japanese Regional Football League Competition (全国地域サッカーチャンピオンズリーグ Zenkoku Chiiki Sakkā Championzu Līgu). They were drawn in Group B for the tournament alongside Amitie SC Kyoto (now Ococias Kyoto AC おこしやす京都AC), FC TIAMO Hirakata (FCティアモ枚方) of the Kansai Soccer League, and Mitsubishi Mizushima FC of the Chūgoku Soccer League. They lost 1–0 against Kansai Champions Amitie SC Kyoto in their first match, but won their second game 2–1 against FC TIAMO Hirakata. In their final match they thrashed Mitsubishi Mizushima (6 times Chugoku League champions) 5–2, but it wasn't enough to win the group or qualify for the final stage as best runners up. Still, it was a fine overall performance in their first appearance in the tournament. In the Emperor's Cup they represented Kochi again, but went out in the first round proper for the second consecutive season, losing 2–1 to Verspah Oita (ヴェルスパ大分) of the Japan Football League, after leading with a Tsubasa Yokotake goal. In the All Japan Senior Football Championship first round, they led at half time but ended up losing 3–1 to Vonds Ichihara (VONDS市原). The top scorer for the season was Kota Sugawara with 23 goals in all competitions.

2018 season

In the 2018 season they retained their Shikoku League title despite one loss to FC Tokushima, and won the Kochi Prefectual Football Championship again with a 3-0 win against KUFC Nangoku in the final. In the first round proper of the Emperor's Cup, they defeated Mitsubishi Mizushima FC 2-0 at home, then faced Albirex Niigata (アルビレックス新潟) of the J2 League away in the second round. After a 0-0 draw at Denka Big Swan Stadium, one of the venues for the 2002 World Cup, they lost 5-3 on penalties in front of 2241 fans. In the All Japan Senior Football Championship they lost 3-0 away in the first round to Suzuka Unlimited FC (鈴鹿アンリミテッドFC). Finally, in the season ending Japanese Regional Football League Competition they disappointingly lost all three matches in the group stages against Blancdieu Hirosaki FC: 3-2, Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth: 3-0 and FC Kariya: 2-1 respectively. The joint top scorers in all competitions were Kazuki Nakabayashi and Ryo Taguchi with 16 goals.

2019 season

The 2019 season was a breakthrough season for Kochi United. They won the Shikoku League for the third straight season with a 100% record and retained the Kochi Prefectual Football Championship, though they needed an extra-time winner to beat KUFC Nangoku in the final. In the first round proper they defeated MD Nagasaki (MD長崎) at home 1-0 in front of over 400 fans, but lost 2-1 away after extra-time to V-Varen Nagasaki of J2 in the second round. They failed to qualify for the first round proper of the All Japan Senior Football Championship after losing in the regional playoffs to FC Tokushima. However, in the Japanese Regional Football League Competition their luck changed. With home advantage in the group stages, they beat Blancdieu Hirosaki FC 2-1 in their opening group game. In their second match they thrashed SRC Hiroshima 7–0 and although they lost the final group game 2-0 to Ococias Kyoto AC, they still qualified for the final round. Things didn't look good when they lost the first game of the final stage 3-0 to Iwaki FC, but they responded well in the second match with a 3-1 victory over Fukui United FC. That meant they went into a winner-takes-all final match against Ococias Kyoto who they had lost to earlier on in the competition. This time, they emerged victorious with a stunning 3-1 win to get their revenge and finish second in the competition, thus earning promotion to the Japan Football League; the first time a team from Kochi had achieved that feat.

2020 season

Japan Football League

1. v Tokyo Musashino City FC H: D 1-1 (Shimodo). (First ever match in JFL)

2. v Nara Club A: D 1-1 (Nagao)

3. v Matsue City FC A: L 2-1 (Shimodo)

4. v FC Maruyasu Okazaki H: L 0-2

5. v Iwaki FC A: L 4-3 (Hirata, Nagao, Izumi)

6. v Honda Lock SC H: L 0-1.

7. v Suzuka Point Getters H: D 2-2 (Akahoshi, Fujisaki)

8. v Sony Sendai FC A: L 3-1 (Tsuboi)

9. v Verspah Oita H: L 0-1

10. v Honda F.C. A: W 0-1 (Akahoshi). (First JFL win)

11. v Tegevajaro Miyazaki H: L 0-2

12. v MIO Biwako Shiga H: W 3-0 (Yokotake (pen), Akahoshi, Taguchi). (First home JFL win)

13. v FC Osaka A: W 0-2 (Akahoshi 2). (First back-to-back JFL wins)

14. v ReinMeer Aomori H: D 1-1 (Akahoshi)

15. v Veertien Mie A: W 0-1 (Fujisaki)

Emperor's Cup

1. Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Final v Kochi University: W 2-0 (Maeda 2). Fifth consecutive title

2. Second Round Proper: v Takamatsu University: W 2-1 (Akahoshi, Izumi)

3. Third Round Proper: v F.C Tokushima: W 2-0 (Taguchi, Nagao)

4. Fourth Round Proper: v Tsukuba University: L 3-2 AET (Akahoshi 2)

2021 season

Japan Football League

1. v Verspah Oita (A) W 0-1 (Nishimura Yuta)

2. v ReinMeer Aomori (H) W 2-1 (Nagao, Izumi)

3. v FC Osaka (A) L 2-1 (Akahoshi)

4. v Sony Sendai FC (H) L 1-2 (Tanaka Shoma)

5. v Suzuka Point Getters (A) L 2-1 (Shimodo)

6. v Iwaki FC (A) L 3-2 (Nishimura Koji 2)

7. v FC TIAMO Hirakata (H) W 1-0 (Shimodo)

8. v FC Maruyasu Okazaki (A) W 1-2 (Nishimura Yuta, Akahoshi)

9. v Veertien Mie (H) W 3-1 (Fujii, Nagao, Nishimura Yuta)

10.v MIO Biwako Shiga (A) L 1-0

11.v Honda Lock SC (H) W 1-0 (Nishimura Yuta)

12.v Nara Club (H) L 0-2

13. v Honda FC (A) L 5-0

14. v FC Kariya (H) L 1-4 (Lucas)

15. v Matsue City FC (A) L 4-0

16. v Tokyo Musashino City FC (H) W 1-0 (Nishimura Yuta)

17. v ReinMeer Aomori (A) D 2-2 (Nagao, Hosoyama)

18. v Verspah Oita (H) L 1-2 (Akahoshi)

19. v Iwaki FC (H) D 0-0

20. v FC TIAMO Hirakata (A) L 2-1 (Tanaka Shoma)

21. v FC Maruyasu Okazaki (H) D 1-1 (Lucas)

22. v Veertien Mie (A) W 0-3 (Nishimura Yuta 2, Nakamasu). (Biggest away win in JFL. First double)

23. v MIO Biwako Shiga (H) D 0-0

24. v Honda Lock SC (A) L 3-2 (Akahoshi, Lucas)

25. v FC Kariya (A) L 2-1 (Shimodo)

26. v Honda FC (H) D 0-0

27. v Sony Sendai FC (A) W 0-1 (OG)

28. v FC Osaka (H) L 0-1

29. v Tokyo Musashino City FC (A) L 2-0

30. v Matsue City FC (H) L 0-1

31. v Nara Club (A) D 0-0. (Secured JFL safety)

32. v Suzuka Point Getters (H) L 1-5 (Akahoshi)

Emperor's Cup

1. Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Final v Kochi University (H): W 2-1 (Nishimura Yuta 2). Sixth consecutive title

2. First Round v Kamatamare Sanuki (H): W 1-0 (Fujii). First ever win over J-League opposition

3. Second Round v Tokushima Vortis (A): L 1-2 (Shimodo). First goal scored against J1 opposition

2022 season

Japan Football League

1. v Tokyo Musashino United FC (H) D 1-1 (Koji Nishimura)

2. v Honda Lock SC (A) W 0-1 (Yuta Nishimura)

3. v Sony Sendai FC (H) D 0-0

4. v FC TIAMO Hirakata (A) D 1-1 (Higuchi)

5. v Honda FC (H) L 0-2

6. v Verspah Oita (A) W 0-1 (Koji Nishimura)

Current squad

Updated to Apr 2022.[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  AUS Tando Velaphi
2 MF  JPN Kento Nakamasu
3 DF  JPN Shota Fujisaki
4 DF  JPN Ryota Okada
5 DF  JPN Mizuki Aiba
6 MF  JPN Kosei Tajiri
7 FW  JPN Kakeru Higuchi
8 FW  JPN Yuta Nishimura
9 FW  JPN Kaima Akahoshi
10 MF  JPN Tsubasa Yokotake
11 FW  JPN Koji Nishimura
13 MF  JPN Fuyuto Kanai
14 MF  JPN Junya Kurihara
15 FW  JPN Masaki Shintani
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF  JPN Daisuke Inazumi
17 MF  JPN Shoma Tanaka
18 MF  KOR Yu Yong-hyeon (on loan from Fagiano Okayama)
19 MF  JPN Kaito Hosoyama
20 MF  JPN Hiroka Mutsuki
21 DF  JPN Yuki Fukai
23 DF  JPN Haruki Yoshida
25 MF  JPN Daisuke Okada
26 DF  JPN Eichi Nakata
28 MF  JPN Kyoya Yamada (on loan from Fagiano Okayama)
29 DF  JPN Haruto Kawamai
30 GK  JPN Seiya Inoue
31 GK  JPN Ryo Hasegawa

League and Cup Record

LeagueEmperor's
Cup
AJSFCCCLTop Goalscorer (All Competitions)
SeasonDivisionPos.GPWDLFAGDPts
2016 Shikoku Soccer League2nd14121170664371st round1st roundDid not qualifyTakuya Kobayashi (17)
2017 1st14122083578381st round1st roundGroup stagesKota Sugawara (23)
2018 1st14121180674372nd round1st roundGroup stagesKazuki Nakabayashi / Ryo Taguchi (16)
2019 1st14140092488422nd roundDid not qualify2ndRyo Taguchi (19)
2020JFL 14th154471726-9164th round--Kaima Akahoshi (9)
2021 13th3296173049-19332nd round--Yuta Nishimura (9)
Key

Note: AJSFC=All Japan Senior Football Championship. CCL=Chiiki Champions League.

  • Pos. = Position in league; GP = Games Played; W = Games won; D = Games Drawn; L = Games Lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goal Difference; Pts = Points gained
  • Source: J.League Data Site

All-time Competitive Record Table

Updated to Apr 2022

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD
Albirex Niigata1001000
Aso FC1100120+12
Blancdieu Hirosaki FC2101440
Fukui United FC110031+2
Hisaeda FC2200150+15
Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth100103-3
Honda F.C.411217-6
Honda Lock SC4202440
FC Imabari210143+1
Iwaki FC4013510-5
Kamatamare Sanuki110010+1
FC Kariya300338-5
Kochi University440094+5
Koyo Sealing Techno Soccer Club7700671+66
KUFC Nangoku111100427+35
Llamas Kochi FC111100612+59
FC Maruyasu Okazaki311134-1
FC Kagura Shimane4004110-9
MD Nagasaki110010+1
MIO Biwako Shiga311131+2
Mitsubishi Mizushima FC3201106+4
Nara Club302113-2
Nakamura Club2200140+14
Niisho Club6600480+48
Ococias Kyoto AC310234-1
FC Osaka3102330
ReinMeer Aomori312054+1
Rossorise KFC4400261+25
FC RSG1100100+10
R.Velho Takamatsu9900560+56
Shinnitte Tsusumikin Oita Soccer Club110031+2
Showa Club110060+6
Sony Sendai FC411235-2
SRC Hiroshima110070+7
Suzuka Point Getters4013412-8
Tadotsu FC9810554+51
Takamatsu University110021+1
Tegevajaro Miyazaki100102-2
FC TIAMO Hirakata421154+1
FC Tokushima116323510+25
Tokushima Vortis100112-1
Tokyo Musashino United FC412134-1
Tsukuba University100123-1
Verspah Oita520345-1
Veertien Mie330071+6
Vonds Ichihara100113-2
V-Varen Nagasaki200224-2

All-time Top Ten Record Goalscorers

Updated to Mar 2022

Name Ranking Active League Cup Other Total Hat-tricks
Hiroki Maehara12016-202037164575
Ryo Taguchi22017-202039122535
Kota Sugawara32016-201835131495
Tsubasa Yokotake42016-2062280
Kazuki Nakabayashi52017-201813111251
On Byung-Hoon62016-201813100230
Kai Murakami72017-20191470210
Yuta Nishimura82019-1441190
Koki Izumi92018-20211223172
Takuya Kobayashi92016980173

Honours

2017, 2018, 2019
  • Kochi Prefectural Football Championship: Winners (6)
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
2019

Records

  • Record home victory: 11-0 v Rossorise KFC (Emperor's Cup Regional Round, 2017) & v Koyo Sealing Techno (Shikoku Soccer League, 2019).
  • Record away victory: 0-14 v Koyo Sealing Techno (Shikoku Soccer League 2019).
  • Record away defeat: 5-0 v Honda FC (JFL 2021).
  • Record home defeat: 1-5 v Suzuka Point Getters (JFL 2021).
  • Longest winning streak (all comps): 13 games (2017–18 and 2019 season).
  • Longest losing streak (all comps): 4 games (Oct-Nov 2018, JFL 2020 and JFL 2021 x2).
  • Most goals by one player in a game: 4 (Takuya Kobayashi: SSL 2016, Kazuki Nakabayashi: AJSFC 2017, Paulo Sousa: SSL 2018, Ryo Taguchi: SSL 2019, Hiroki Maehara: SSL 2019).
  • Most career goals for Kochi United SC: 57 (Hiroki Maehara).
  • Most hat-tricks for Kochi United SC: 5 (Kota Sugawara, Ryo Taguchi, Hiroki Maehara).

References

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