Mito-HollyHock.com

Emperor's Cup Match December 17

2011-12-07T08:27:00.000+09:00

Mito will take on J2 champions FC Tokyo at home on Saturday, December 17, in the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup.

Manager Hashiratani stated that his goal was to win the Cup this year. It's an odd goal as opposed to league placement prediction, but so far he's done something no Mito fan has seen... Two straight victories against teams playing in J1 next year (Sapporo and Gamba Osaka), and with the win at Osaka, it was Mito's first defeat of a J1 side in a sanctioned match in the club's history.

If anything, Tokyo shouldn't be as rough as the Osaka match, but Mito couldn't beat Tokyo this year (although the home match was close to a draw). Not many would expect Mito to win this match but the same could have been said for the previous two...

In any case, after an exciting year in Japan's leagues, those wanting more still have good matches to check out on the 17th and beyond in the tournament. Of course my recommendation would be to visit K's Stadium, or to catch the game on SkyPerfecTV! as matches from the 4th round will be televised. This will be the only match not to feature a 2011 J1 side so the winner could be the last representative from outside the top division remaining.

Mito 1 - 2 Chiba

2011-12-07T08:19:00.000+09:00

Mito finishes the season out in 17th place. Not good by any means, but there isn't much difference between the middle and bottom part of the table this year.

Next up, Mito tries to advance in the Emperor's Cup.

Mito 3 - 1 Tottori

2011-12-07T08:16:00.001+09:00

Mito 0 - 1 Tochigi

2011-12-07T08:15:00.002+09:00

With this win, Tochigi wins the North Kanto Derby trophy for the first time, following Mito winning the first two editions previously.

Mito 0 - 2 FC Tokyo

2011-12-07T08:14:00.001+09:00

Mito 1 - 0 Kitakyushu

2011-12-07T08:13:00.001+09:00

Mito 2 - 2 Kusatsu

2011-10-30T18:51:00.000+09:00

A very good match but rough for Mito fans. Kusatsu's drawing goal came in the 88th minute by Nakamura, who played for years for Mito until this season.

If Mito defeats Tochigi next month, Mito wins the North Kanto Derby. If it is a draw, Mito can still win if Kusatsu later beats Tochigi or draws at 1-1 or 0-0. If Tochigi wins they win it all.

Statistics are fun!

Mito 1 - 2 Kumamoto

2011-10-24T08:22:00.002+09:00

Not that it seemed so likely, but this loss mathematically eliminated Mito from promotion contention for 2011.

Honma Milestone

2011-10-21T11:14:00.000+09:00

With yesterday's win, long time keeper Koji Honma has become the first J-League goalkeeper to earn 100 shutouts.

Honma also has 399 league appearances, which is a record for J2. He'll break the J. League record with 10 more appearances. This seems almost a sure thing as he remains a top keeper even at age 34, and should be continuing in 2012 as long as he stays healthy.

Mito 1 - 0 Chiba

2011-10-21T10:44:00.001+09:00

Mito 1 - 1 Tokyo Verdy

2011-10-16T14:56:00.000+09:00

Mito and Tokyo just played out an incredibly entertaining game. Even knowing the result, you should go out of your way to catch it if you couldn't see it live.

Emperor's Cup: Mito 3 - 2 Sapporo

2011-10-09T07:47:00.000+09:00

Mito won in extra time to move onto the 3rd round, but to be fair, Sapporo is more focused on the promotion race and fielded many subs and youth members.

The next match will be in Osaka, against either Gamba Osaka (likely) or Sagawa Express (the team defeated by Mito last year in the 2nd round).

Mito 2 - 0 Kyoto

2011-10-09T07:40:00.001+09:00

Off to Kyoto

2011-10-01T20:13:00.000+09:00

Driving off to Kyoto in a few hours for a 9 hour journey to Mito's away game against Sanga.

First time to go to Nishikyogoku as an away spectator. I'll be incredibly sleepy!

Mito 0- 0 Oita

2011-10-01T20:11:00.003+09:00

Mito 1 - 1 Okayama

2011-10-01T20:11:00.001+09:00

Mito 2 - 3 Shonan

2011-10-01T20:10:00.004+09:00

Mito 0 - 2 Oita

2011-10-01T20:10:00.001+09:00

Mito 1 - 2 Sapporo

2011-10-01T20:09:00.004+09:00

Mito 1- 2 Tosu

2011-10-01T20:09:00.002+09:00

Mito 9 - 1 Chuo University

2011-08-23T22:36:00.000+09:00

A surprisingly good result by Mito's bench and subs against one of the Kanto university league's top teams. This might convince manager Hashiratani to put Kamimura (who scored a hat trick and has been playing well in practice lately) back into the lineup.

Mito 1 - 2 Gifu

2011-08-23T22:33:00.000+09:00

A last minute loss to the lowest placed team who hadn't scored in 5 matches...

Mito 1 - 1 Tokushima

2011-08-23T22:32:00.003+09:00

Mito 0 - 1 Yokahama

2011-08-09T08:27:00.000+09:00

Yokohama scores the winner at home in something like the 20th minute of a scheduled 4-minute injury time. This is the 3rd time this has happened at that stadium for Mito.

(Reminder) FREE HollyHock mail! 無料電子メールサービス！

2011-08-05T15:34:00.002+09:00

I can make, free of charge on request, a Mito-HollyHock.com e-mail address to anyone interested. I can accomodate 100 accounts. As an e-mail forward service, you would use your normal mail system to send mail, perhaps a convenient way for fans with complex mail addresses to simplify things.
Example / 例: x_tanaka_taro_1975_x@ezweb.ne.jp -> taro@mito-hollyhock.com

Mito-HollyHock.comメール送信サービスをしています。このまま使っている電子メールアカウントに自動転送サービスですので特に複雑のアドレスを持っている人におすすめ。最初の１００名まで出来ます。興味がある人は現在使用メールアドレスと希望する名前を下のアドレスにお伝え下さい。

Please mail me with your desired name and current address and I will set it up:

Vendo@Mito-HollyHock.com

Mito 3 - 1 Ehime

2011-08-01T08:21:00.000+09:00

The first win in a while featured Takayuki Suzuki and Kota Yoshihara in the front and making real impact. However, the real surprise is the other Suzuki, the rookie midfielder, who showed fantastic play coming off the bench.

Takayuki Suzuki scored the third goal in this home debut, and what could be considered his real debut (as he'd previously only come on very late in the game). He looked very good going the distance in the match.

Mito 0 - 2 Toyama

2011-07-26T08:14:00.002+09:00

Nothing to see here.

Shingo Takizawa to Mito HollyHock

2011-07-22T07:01:00.001+09:00

Goalkeeper Shingo Takizawa will join Mito for a short time. He is a senior at Saitama Industrial University and was selected by the JFA to be part of the club to get pro experience.

In the past, such players have sometimes gone on to return to Mito, like current players Kato and Kasahara. One, Yu Kobayashi, went on to become something pretty big at Kawasaki.

Mito 1 - 2 Sapporo

2011-07-22T06:58:00.002+09:00

Mito 0 - 1 Yokohama FC

2011-07-10T12:35:00.000+09:00

If the referee initially calls a dive, and then as a long discussion with the line judge calling it a PK, and then that PK gives the opponent the win, when it was neither a dive nor a foul and just incidental contact not worthy of a penalty for either side, it isn't nice.

After the match, Kota Yoshihara mentioned the lack of a foul. He also mentioned the worminess of the referee BEFORE the match.

Mito 2 - 1 Kusatsu

2011-07-04T08:32:00.000+09:00

Mito and Tochigi are now completely tied halfway through the North Kanto Derby, as Mito tries to win for the third year in a row. Here are the standings:

Tochigi 2 - 1 Kusatsu
Tochigi 0 - 0 Mito
Kusatsu 1 - 2 Mito

1) Mito with 1 win, 1 draw, 2 goals for, 1 against
1) Tochigi with 1 win, 1 draw, 2 goals for, 1 against

3) Kusatsu with 2 losses, 2 goals for, 4 against

Mito has both remaining matches at home, Tochigi have two away, and Kusatsu has one each.

Quick Update on Takayuki Suzuki

2011-07-02T09:45:00.000+09:00

Takayuki Suzuki will be eligible to play from July 15. There is an away match in Sapporo the next day, and another in Toyama on the 23rd. While he could debut in either match if he is ready, it seems he may wait until the 31st for Mito's home match against Ehime.

Suzuki had an offer to coach at new MLS club Portland Timbers, but after the events of the massive earthquake in March, he wanted to do something for his home prefecture of Ibaraki, which was heavily affected. Originally from Hitachi, near Mito, he was moved by the efforts to return the team to its damaged stadium and wanted to help the community get its joy back. He hopes to help the team get promoted to division 1, which is a bit tough at the current stage of things.

His contract this year is fully amateur as he wished to receive no salary. It is already paying off for the club, and his choice has assisted the team as it attracted a new sponsor for the uniform back and shorts. The club was 30 million yen in debt to J. League to be repaid this year, which seemed impossible, and the new sponsors have brought in 50 million yen.

After this season, it seems he is likely to enter into coaching, either at Mito, his former club Kashima, or back in Portland if that offer remains.

Mito 2 - 3 Tokyo Verdy

2011-07-02T09:33:00.007+09:00

Mito 2 - 3 FC Tokyo

2011-07-02T09:33:00.005+09:00

Mito 1 - 0 Okayama

2011-07-02T09:33:00.003+09:00

Mito 3 - 0 Toyama

2011-07-02T09:33:00.001+09:00

Mito 0 - 0 Tochigi

2011-07-02T09:32:00.001+09:00

Mito 0 - 5 Tosu

2011-07-02T09:31:00.003+09:00

Mito 1 - 1 Tottori

2011-07-02T09:31:00.001+09:00

Takayuki Suzuki to Mito HollyHock?

2011-05-22T08:02:00.000+09:00

Former Japan international star Takayuki Suzuki may have already signed with the club. As a native of nearby Hitachi city (just like keeper Honma and former captain Owada), he may be looking to come home after playing 3 years in the US and wind down his career with the local team.

It should officially be announced today after the Tottori away game, or tomorrow.

Mito 0 - 0 Kumamoto

2011-05-19T22:17:00.001+09:00

500th post!

Mito 0 - 1 Kitakyushu

2011-05-14T11:27:00.000+09:00

A wonderfully played match by Mito with the most appaling officiating ever. FIVE yellow cards against Mito, largely undeserved, including one allowing a PK for Kitakyushu. Great breaks for the goal and potential shots called back by dubious fouls and offside calls.

Not a great day, and hopefully it was mere bias and not something more dubious.

Mito 0 - 0 Shonan

2011-05-14T11:23:00.001+09:00

Mito 1 - 2 Gifu

2011-05-02T12:48:00.000+09:00

After winning a thriller at home against Tokushima, Mito lost a thriller away at Gifu.

Looking to be ready to lose by two goals near the end of the match. But Ozawa's first professional goal near the final minute gave Mito the hope of a draw, which was snuffed out in the last play of the game as Romero Frank shot an almost-sure crossed ball over the cross bar at close range. He was visibly upset as the final whistle blew afterward.

Mito 2 - 1 Tokushima

2011-04-23T17:43:00.000+09:00

Mito won a thriller at quake-damaged K's Stadium with 2nd half goals from Okamoto and Tokiwa.

Tokushima took the lead early in the first half from a perfectly placed free kick, and the first half saw Mito play far too conservatively, with only 4 shots. Mito came back after the half time talk and tied it up with plenty of time left. All that time would be needed, as Tokiwa replaced his goal-scoring teammate to take the winning goal himself in the 4th minute of 4-minute extra time.

Tokiwa's backflips in celebration stunned the crowd as always, but the crowd was unfortunately small. With the covered main stand damaged from the earthquake and a strong rainstorm threatening those in attendance, only 1200 fans make the trip to the back stand this day.

Mito has held the 1st place spot in J2 since just before 3PM, but that could end in about 10 minutes with Shonan leading at Sapporo. Unless other front running teams have big wins, Mito has a good chance to finish in the promotion zone at the end of the round. Only 36 games to go!

Kang Lee Leaves, Returns to Korea

2011-04-20T23:11:00.000+09:00

After practicing extensively with the team over the long break, South Korean youth national team squad member Lee decided to cancel his contract after 2 months and return to his home country.

He made it clear that it was not due to the recent disasters in the country, but rather his play not being of enough quality to make the main squad.

Games Back On From the 23rd

2011-04-01T19:22:00.000+09:00

Mito will host Tokushima at K's Stadium on April 23rd for the first game back after the earthquake. The game, and most afterward for the forseeable future, will be held at 1PM to help conserve power.

Some parts of the stadium that were damaged will be roped away, but most of the sections will allow fans at nearly full capacity.

This will be a UFJC title match.

A Giftu from FC Gifu

2011-03-31T18:41:00.000+09:00

The FC Gifu club will be sending a club van with lots of bottled drinking water to Mito's Twin Field on Sunday, along with 500 free tickets for Mito fans to attend an upcoming away game in Gifu.

To be fair, I've been drinking and showering with Mito water and haven't yet gained any new eyes or limbs from radiation... But it's the thought and gesture that counts!

And conspiracy theorists may wonder if the tickets would be an attempt to pad Gifu's numbers just enough to force Mito back down as the least attended club in J. League, after the club overtook Gifu in attendance last year... But it's the thought and gesture that counts!

I'll try to be at Twin Field on Sunday to welcome the shipment.

Mito Mentioned on CNN

2011-03-24T21:20:00.000+09:00

CNN International's World Sport segment mentions the return of J. League fixtures in about a month. The written article is at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/football/03/22/football.japan.jleague.fixtures/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Mito is mentioned along with Kashima and Sendai as locations unsure about stadium conditions following the earthquake.

Next 3 Matches Called Off

2011-03-23T06:57:00.000+09:00

The April matches are being postponed as well.

No games in March

2011-03-14T16:37:00.000+09:00

In addition to the last leg, the two next legs of matches will not be played due to the continued recovery of Friday's natural disasters.

Survive! To cancel!

2011-03-12T16:59:00.000+09:00

I'm happy to have made it through the quake that hit Mito HARD yesterday and still reverberates.

Tomorrow's match at Tokyo Verdy, along with all matches in Japan this weekend, are called off.

Mito 2 - 1 Kyoto

2011-03-06T11:28:00.000+09:00

In the home opener, Mito beat Kyoto for the first time in a surprising result.

An early goal by defender Kato (his first) set the pace and another debut goal by rookie Okamoto was just enough to take the win over a tough Kyoto side.

Looking towards 2011

2011-03-03T08:40:00.000+09:00

The home game kickoff is in two days, as Kyoto visits K's Stadium for the first time.

The team has been finalized with a new player from Tsukuba University coming in to the squad on Monday, and this is the first year of no rented players in recent memory. Almost all the new players are from high school or university sides. The two who are not have come from Mito's main rivals, Tochigi and Kusatsu, each of whom also received previously Mito players (and unfortunately, good ones) in return.

A lot is unknown about how the team will play but hope can be taken in Sunday's preseason match. Mito defeated Kashiwa 1-0 in a great game with both sides throwing out their best. Mito's youth seems able to provide strong challenges and if all goes well, we could see a 2008-style run of quality that nobody was expecting beforehand.

Knowing league success would be difficult, new coach Hashiratani set a still lofty and somewhat more unorthodox goal: winning the Emperor's Cup. The prize money and publicity theoretically bringing more possibility to the club than a good but not promotion-attaining league finish.

New Updates Coming Soon

2011-01-13T12:15:00.000+09:00

It's been a perfect storm for me with the club, work, and responsibilities over the break.

An update on the end of 2010 and the start of 2011 coming up.

Coach Kiyama to Step Down

2010-11-02T10:49:00.000+09:00

Mito chose to wait until after the Kashiwa match to announce the departure of Kiyama as the team's leader following the end of the season.

He led Mito to be promotion contenders last year for half the season, and otherwise vastly improved the quality of play. But whether his fault or not, Mito is ready to finish in the lower half of the table as was historically the case.

Coincidentally, Shimizu's manager Kobayashi was also announced as finishing his tenure on the same day. This is likely just a coincidence, though. Kiyama would most likely go on to coach a team in the lower levels, a university squad as he did before, or perhaps even Kobe if they are relegated, as he previously successfully worked as part of that team's coaching staff.

Mito 1 - 4 Kashiwa

2010-11-02T10:39:00.000+09:00

Mito fought bravely and took the lead after 2 minutes through a Katayama goal. Kashiwa equalized soon after, but both sides played as equals until about the 70th minute, when J1-bound Kashiwa's strength showed through.

In the bigger story, Mito's efforts to host a match for 10,000 fans finally succeeded as the final tally for the day was 10,181. The story of the match will be shown on NHK in early January.

Mito 0 - 0 Kusatsu

2010-11-02T10:18:00.000+09:00

Despite Mito losing 2 players to red cards, Mito fought to hold on to the draw.

A win or a draw at Tochigi this month will assure Mito of winning the North Kanto Derby trophy for the second year in a row. A loss means Kusatsu will take it this time around.

Mito 0 - 1 Chiba

2010-11-02T10:11:00.001+09:00

Forward Yoshihara Injured

2010-10-13T10:57:00.000+09:00

Mito's top scorer Kota Yoshihara was injured in the last match against Ehime. It is an ACL injury that will have him out for 6 months.

If his contract is renewed for 2011, he would likely be fit for the start of the season.

Mito 1 - 1 Ehime

2010-10-13T10:55:00.001+09:00

BIGGEST MATCH EVER

2010-09-28T13:19:00.000+09:00

Mito is pulling out all possible stops to try and reach the dream in place for years: to draw 10,000 fans to a home game. The closest chance came in 2006 when Kashiwa's huge fan base brought the home match to more than 9,500. Mito hopes the same nearby away team, this time for a match in which that team could clinch promotion or the title, will similarly bring big numbers.

Events in place to try and draw fans:

-Ticket prices will be reduced substantially, with the most expensive seats at 1500 yen and the rest at 500 or 1000 yen depending on the age.

-Area producers will have an open farmers market in front of the stadium. (This promotional tactic seems a bit weak.)

-Fans can try usually closed athletic training facilities at the stadium.

-As the third and final part of the series on Mito's poor fan numbers, "Kin-chan's Worst" TV show shown nationally on NHK will have the entire show cast in attendance and filming with fans to be shown in January.

-Kin-chan's own Ibaraki Golden Golds barnstorming baseball team will provide discount admission to those who attended the Mito-Kashiwa match.

-That schoolgirl who is creepily popular as the 2010 promotional PR Manager for J. League affairs will be in attendance.

-The new Mito HollyHock song will debut live at the stadium.

-The 7/11 convenience store chain will have heavy promotion throughout Ibaraki, including banners, stickers promoting the match on packages of soccer ball shaped bread for sale, and from October 2nd, the first 300 fans to buy tickets through the 7/11 ticketing machine can get them for only 711 yen.

As much as I want this to succeed, it will be VERY tough and may rely on Kashiwa homejacking the stadium. In any case, I'll be there... Only 9999 more to go!

Mito Unbeaten in September

2010-09-28T13:02:00.000+09:00

While not making much of an impact in the league table, Mito had a better than expected month in the results department, winning or drawing all sanctioned matches.

Mito won 2 league matches and 1 Emperor's Cup match, and drew 3 league matches.

With next month including matches against Kashiwa, Chiba, and the Emperor's Cup tie against Shimizu, saying the same thing in November would be a much more positive accomplishment.

Mito 1 - 1 Oita

2010-09-28T12:58:00.001+09:00

Mito 1 - 1 Okayama

2010-09-28T12:57:00.001+09:00

Mito 3 - 1 Toyama

2010-09-28T12:56:00.005+09:00

Mito 0 - 0 Kumamoto

2010-09-28T12:56:00.002+09:00

A Bit of a Break for Mito

2010-09-11T15:22:00.000+09:00

Mito's next Emperor's Cup match against Shimizu S-Pulse has been changed to Wednesday, October 13. Shimizu is still in the Nabisco Cup tournament and must play the previous weekend.

Mito will have a week and a half to rest and prepare after a home game as opposed to Shimizu who will have needed to play many more matches in the same schedule, including the second match of the Nabisco bracket the Sunday earlier.

Mito 4 - 2 Sagawa Shiga

2010-09-06T07:03:00.000+09:00

Mito fans were scared to be defeated by yet another non-League team in the Emperor's Cup, falling behind by 2 in the second half to seeded JFL team Sagawa. But after being outmatched due to scouting errors, Mito turned it around well enough and scored 4 to take the win.

Owada '65
Shimada '80
Katayama '83
Hozaki '91 PK

Hozaki was about to score when, lacking any other option, the keeper grabbed his ankle and
pulled him down. He took the resulting PK to guarantee Mito's win.

Mito 2 - 1 Oita

2010-09-02T06:51:00.000+09:00

Mito defeated Oita in the game making up the lightning shortened game earlier in the season.

Mito won with a fantastic goal from Koike and a fantastic set of acrobatic backflips after an average goal from Tokiwa.

Mito 0 - 0 Tosu

2010-08-29T23:06:00.000+09:00

Mito finally played a great match today. Lots of great play on all parts of the field. Still no win, though.

Mito's last win was against Chiba, and the team will have gone 3 months without a win with the next chance coming up on Wednesday in the Oita makeup match.

MITO MILK!

2010-08-28T10:16:00.000+09:00

All the public elementary and middle schools in Mito city, Hitachi city, and their 12 suburbs will now receive Mito HollyHock branded milk carton with each student lunch.

If any OCD-level J. League collectors are out there, you shouldn't consider this a rare item... More than 100,000 will be given out each day, which means more than 6 million will be distributed this term, and the arrangement may be continued afterward.

It will also be available in certain stores in north Ibaraki.

Mito 0 - 5 Fukuoka

2010-08-28T10:01:00.000+09:00

Mito crashed pretty hard in the last match against a powerful Fukuoka. This was very painful payback at Mito for winning by the same margin in a meeting last year.

Mito 1 - 2 Gifu

2010-08-28T09:56:00.003+09:00

Mito 1 - 1 Kitakyushu

2010-08-28T09:56:00.001+09:00

Mito X - X Oita

2010-07-26T22:15:00.000+09:00

Mito's first time hosting Oita in a long time was called off after less than 40 minutes due to severe lightning. It's only the 4th match to be called off in the history of J. League.

The game will be made up later in the season from the beginning and yesterday's ticket stubs will be honored.

Endo and Murata, who were suspended from this match due to accumulated cautions, will instead miss out the next match away at Kitakyushu.

It is somewhat good news for Mito, as injured keeper Honma may only need to miss one league match while recovering.

Mito 1 - 2 Okayama

2010-07-26T22:06:00.000+09:00

Keeper Honma was injured early in the match and this led to allowing two goals that could have been stopped easily. He subbed himself out but the damage had been done.

Not Dead Yet!

2010-07-09T15:33:00.002+09:00

Although it might have appeared to be for anyone trying to reach me!

Back when the season starts back up.

Kento Shiratani to Fagiano Okayama

2010-06-01T22:30:00.000+09:00

Forward Shiratani, who showed very little motivation for Mito since the start of his rental, was cut lose. His home club, Cerezo Osaka, didn't seem to want him, and he was bought by Fagiano Okayama. His final message to the fans was basically an apology, and his first message to Okayama was asking the fans to help him have a new start.

Mito 1 - 0 Chiba

2010-06-01T22:26:00.000+09:00

Mito now has a perfect record against Chiba, having won every match ever played in a league matchup!

Chiba was missing Australia representative Milligan but still had a largely intact lineup of strong players. Chiba Brazilian forward Neto, for example, receives a salary greater than all of Mito's players combined.

Mito outplayed and outshot the visitors to the astonishment of the visiting fans, who almost outnumbered the 3000 or so home fans. It all paid off with Katayama scoring his second of the season off of a quality free kick. Defender Hozaki also had a fantastic match, holding off most of Chiba's offense, and keeper Honma had a great day as well. Before the match I talked with many of the players in the waiting area and they all seemed focused to win against this opponent. Mito fans should hope this focus continues; if Mito can play this way against Chiba, there isn't a team in the division that can't be beaten.

Mito 0 - 1 Gifu

2010-06-01T22:10:00.000+09:00

Mito played well but was beaten by Gifu who fought much harder. The next match would see Mito fight even harder to win.

Satoshi Nakayama to Mito HollyHock

2010-05-18T16:35:00.001+09:00

Mito has brought on board forward Satoshi Nakayama. He was a free agent practicing with the team for some time before being offered the spot.

He spent 10 years under contract to Gamba Osaka through 2008, and was contracted to Kumamoto last season. He's appeared in 179 J. League games and has scored 23 times. He played in the 2006 ACL with Osaka and previously played for several national youth and Olympic qualifying teams.

His strongest talent is scoring off set plays and crosses, so he fits in well with the current attacking system. He'll wear number 26.

Mito 0 - 1 Kumamoto

2010-05-18T16:31:00.000+09:00

Mito played very poorly after the bye round to lose at home to Kumamoto. Honma had some great saves but the forwards were lagging.

Also unfortunately, even after having been featured on NHK and being on a nice Saturday afternoon, the crowd did not break 3000.

The next home match will be in an away atmosphere. JEF United Chiba plays its first match against Mito and will bring enough fans to homejack the stadium. Sponsor JR Railways has actually created a high speed train connecting Mito to a station near Chiba's home ground to run back and forth only for this match.

Practice match: Mito 1 - 5 Kashima

2010-05-08T08:19:00.000+09:00

Mito took a selection of players, mostly subs, to play a private practice match against Kashima yesterday. Mito lost, as tends to happen.

Mito's goal was scored by Koike.

3 Times in 10 Games

2010-05-07T06:31:00.000+09:00

Mito keeper Honma was again named the best J2 player for his role in the Toyama match. It's the 3rd time he's been so named in the still new season.

The last player with the same recognition was Tokyo Verdy's Hulk in 2007, although that took many more matches in the season to be accomplished.

It would be safe to assume that this will occur many more times this year.

http://www.jsgoal.jp/ss/index2.html

Mito 3 - 1 Yokohama

2010-05-07T06:24:00.003+09:00

Mito 0 - 0 Toyama

2010-05-07T06:24:00.001+09:00

Mito 0 - 4 Tokyo

2010-05-07T06:23:00.001+09:00

No, It Isn't an Error

2010-04-28T09:07:00.000+09:00

You might think the picture was neglected to be changed, but Mito's goalkeeping performance remains amazing.

In all the players in the 9 J2 games played last weekend, Mito keeper Koji Honma was considered player of the round by a healthy margin, again.

In addition, defender Sakuda, who scored both of Mito's goals in addition to providing quality defense, was named in the top 11 team. Mito's opponent in the last round, Sapporo, had 4 players in the top 11 team, which shows how well that team's offense played along with Mito's defense quality. The game was exciting, but there is always the chance that it just means the other matches were poorly played!

http://www.jsgoal.jp/ss/index2.html

We're in the Money!

2010-04-27T13:53:00.000+09:00

Ibaraki Newspaper report

Mito makes money. Unlike many teams, Mito was able to pull off its best season ever and make money at the same time.

2009 left Mito with 6,000,000 yen in the plus column.

Former Mito Captain Injured

2010-04-27T11:00:00.000+09:00

FC Tokyo defender Daishi Hiramatsu, who played several years for Mito and was captain of the 2008 team, suffered a severe ACL injury in Tokyo's practice match on Sunday. He will be undergoing surgery tomorrow.

Mito 2 -1 Sapporo

2010-04-26T08:48:00.000+09:00

Mito scored 2 goals for only the second time this year as the team hung on to beat a dominant Sapporo side at Sapporo Dome. Sapporo clearly played better and had an amazing medium range goal to show for that effort, but Mito's catenaccio style is proving successful so far. In most games Mito has been outshot massively and has been behind strongly in possession as well, and this was no different, having less than a third of each in the match.

As has been the case since game 3, Mito has only been dangerous during set plays, and the only goals scored against other teams have been during free kicks or corner kicks. In this match, Mito would take four corner kicks and the two goals would result from two of these. Both would have the ball bounce around a bit before falling luckily in front of defender Sakuda, who would knock it in for his first 2 pro goals. They lacked the finesse of Sapporo's fine strike, but no fan prefers a pretty loss over an ugly win.

The upcoming holiday week has 3 matches with 2 being home for Mito. The first will be on Thursday with Tokyo Verdy making the short trip north.

New Sponsorships are Always Good

2010-04-22T06:34:00.000+09:00

Siffler, a luggage company in Saitama, has become a supporting partner not for the uniform, or stadium advertising, but... suitcases! 30 suitcases to be used on away games have been given to the club!

http://www.mito-hollyhock.net/www/news/index.cgi?no=96

Future J. Leaguers on Mito Turf

2010-04-22T06:29:00.000+09:00

The 2010 Regional League championship, which decides the teams to enter JFL, the last proving ground before entering J2, will have one qualifying group take place in Hitachinaka Stadium in November. 10 minutes away from Mito city, this stadium has hosted many JFL, J2, Emperor's Cup, and even a few J1 matches, and was the main ground for Mito at one point. 2010 is the first year that the ground is not scheduled for use by the club.

http://www.jfa.or.jp/match/matches/2010/chiiki_league/index.html

Along with supporters from around the country, team staff will be attending and scouting.

Keeper Honma Named Player of the Round

2010-04-21T20:25:00.000+09:00

In all the players in the 9 J2 games played last weekend, Mito keeper Koji Honma was considered player of the round by a healthy margin.

http://www.jsgoal.jp/ss/index2.html

Fukuoka attempted 21 shots and none could get through, and he had plenty of great saves among them.

This isn't a first; Honma has been keeper of the round more than any other since the statistics have been kept, and was player of the round many times over the last 2 seasons.

Exhibition Match: Mito 3 - 1 Arte Takasaki

2010-04-20T09:52:00.000+09:00

Mito's reserves took on scrappy JFL side Takasaki at Holly Pitch on Sunday. Mito would score 3 goals in the first half and concede one in the second.

Shiratani scored 2 for Mito, with the other taken by Katayama, who seems to score in every team practice or exhibition match.

Mito 1 - 0 Fukuoka

2010-04-20T09:46:00.000+09:00

Mito got the first win since the first round and the first goal since the second at home on Saturday. The same style play has been implemented from the beginning and it has relied almost totally on defense. Even in this match, defender Owada was the one who scored the goal with a header from a cross in front of the keeper.

Mito now has a flat, even record. 2 wins, 2 losses, and 3 draws, with neutral goal difference.

The only negative point was the fan number, which was barely over 6000. This was due to a snowstorm in the morning, and at almost exactly freezing temperature, the roads and grass were covered. After 8AM or so this switched to freezing rain, then very cold rain, and it remained chilly and partly cloudy for the rest of the day. As most of the tickets for the day were free (and 10000 had been given out), half of the potential crowd with no money invested in the match chose to stay home.

After the match, thousands stayed in the stands for an hour to be part of filming an NHK episode involving the "worst of" Japan. This one focused on the worst-supported pro club. TV stars were at the stadium and connected live on the screen to banter with the fans, and it all will be shown on May 7th.

The next match is on Sunday at Sapporo.

Takashi Kasahara to Mito HollyHock

2010-04-14T20:36:00.000+09:00

190 cm Meiji University starting keeper Kasahara is joining Mito for the summer as a JFA special talent for pro experience. He'll wear number 28.

Mito 0 - 1 Tosu

2010-04-14T20:31:00.000+09:00

Mito played another great game away but lost in the same way as against Kashiwa. Simply put, the ball must be pushed forward and forwards must take shots. That's it, folks. Mito can't scoreless draw into J1.

Mito 0 - 1 Kashiwa, Then 2 - 7

2010-04-09T16:01:00.000+09:00

Mito's entire squad went to Kashiwa on Sunday. The top team fought incredibly hard but came away with the season's first loss. Captain Owada was red carded for a challenge, probably fairly, just before the break. Mito kept the game scoreless until the last minute, when Kashiwa's Otsu (born and raised in Mito) took the what should have been inevitable win.

Despite the loss, keeper Honma took keeper of the round honors for his typically great defense.

This game-saving defense was highlighted the next day, as the reserve squads of both clubs faced each other and backup keeper Ono took the duty. The home side won by a score rarely seen in Japanese pro matches, with Mito's two goals from backup forwards Katayama and Shiratani.