The2011 J.League Division 1 seasonwas the 46th season of professionalfootballinJapan,and the 19th since the establishment of theJ.League.The season began on March 5 and concluded on December 3. The season was put on hold from March 12 to April 23 due to the aftermath of the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,[1]therefore canceling a planned five-week summer break between June 27–July 29 in order to allow preparation of theJapan national teamfor the2011 Copa América.[2]
| Season | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kashiwa Reysol 1stJ. League title 2ndJapanese title |
| Relegated | Ventforet Kofu Avispa Fukuoka Montedio Yamagata |
| Champions League | Kashiwa Reysol Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka FC Tokyo |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 869 (2.84 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Joshua Kennedy(19 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 54,441 RedsvsReysol |
| Lowest attendance | 4,028 AvispavsArdija |
| Average attendance | 15,797 |
←2010 2012→ | |
The 2011 J.League Division 1 champion also qualified to the2011 FIFA Club World Cupas the host team, entering the qualifying play-off round.
Kashiwa Reysolwon a secondleague title,their first in 39 years and first in the professional J.League era. They also became the first League champions to win the title the season after being promoted assecond division champions.
Clubs
editFC Tokyo,Kyoto Sanga FCandShonan Bellmarewere relegated at the end of the2010 seasonafter finishing in the bottom three places of the table. Shonan had only played one season in Division 1 while Kyoto had enjoyed a three-year stay. FC Tokyo had been in the top flight for eleven seasons.
The three relegated teams were replaced by2010 J.League Division 2championsKashiwa Reysol,runners-upVentforet Kofuand third-placed teamAvispa Fukuoka.Kashiwa had made an immediate return to the top division, while Kofu and Fukuoka ended three- and four-year absences respectively.
| Club Name | Home Town(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albirex Niigata | Niigata&Seirō, Niigata | |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Cerezo Osaka | Osaka | 2011 ACLParticipant |
| Gamba Osaka | Suita, Osaka | 2011 ACLParticipant |
| Júbilo Iwata | Iwata, Shizuoka | |
| Kashima Antlers | Southwestern cities/towns ofIbaraki | 2011 ACLParticipant |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Kashiwa, Chiba | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | |
| Montedio Yamagata | All cities/towns inYamagata | |
| Nagoya Grampus | Nagoya, Aichi | 2011 ACLParticipant 2010 Defending Champions |
| Omiya Ardija | Omiya, Saitama | |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Hiroshima | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Urawa, Saitama | |
| Vegalta Sendai | Sendai,Miyagi | |
| Ventforet Kofu | All cities/towns inYamanashi | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Vissel Kobe | Kobe,Hyōgo | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Yokohama&Yokosuka |
Personnel and kits
edit
1Subject to change during the season.
Foreign players
edit
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kashiwa Reysol(C) | 34 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 65 | 42 | +23 | 72 | Qualification to2011 Club World Cupand2012 Champions League |
| 2 | Nagoya Grampus | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 71 | Qualification to2012 Champions League |
| 3 | Gamba Osaka | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 70 | |
| 4 | Vegalta Sendai | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 39 | 25 | +14 | 56 | |
| 5 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 40 | +6 | 56 | |
| 6 | Kashima Antlers | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 53 | 40 | +13 | 50 | |
| 7 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 50 | |
| 8 | Júbilo Iwata | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 47 | |
| 9 | Vissel Kobe | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 46 | |
| 10 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 42 | 51 | −9 | 45 | |
| 11 | Kawasaki Frontale | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 52 | 53 | −1 | 44 | |
| 12 | Cerezo Osaka | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 67 | 53 | +14 | 43 | |
| 13 | Omiya Ardija | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 42 | |
| 14 | Albirex Niigata | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 38 | 46 | −8 | 39 | |
| 15 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 36 | 43 | −7 | 36 | |
| 16 | Ventforet Kofu(R) | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 33 | Relegation to2012 J.League Division 2 |
| 17 | Avispa Fukuoka(R) | 34 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 34 | 75 | −41 | 22 | |
| 18 | Montedio Yamagata(R) | 34 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 23 | 64 | −41 | 21 |
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal differential; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head results; 5th disciplinary points; 6th draw. The winners of the2011 Emperor's Cup,FC Tokyo,which played in the2011 J.League Division 2,also qualified for thegroup stageof the2012 AFC Champions League.If two clubs are tied for first place, both clubs will be declared champions.
(C)Champions;(R)Relegated
Results
editTop scorers
editAwards
editMVP
editBest XI
edit| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK |  Seigo Narazaki
|
| DF | Naoya Kondo
|
| DF | Hiroki Sakai
|
| DF | Marcus Tulio Tanaka
|
| MF |  Jorge Wagner
|
| MF | Leandro Domingues
|
| MF | Jungo Fujimoto
|
| MF | Yasuhito Endō
|
| MF | Hiroshi Kiyotake
|
| FW |  Joshua Kennedy
|
| FW | Mike Havenaar
|
Attendance
edit| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 576,477 | 54,441 | 20,240 | 33,910 | −15.1% |
| 2 | Albirex Niigata | 442,836 | 37,830 | 13,644 | 26,049 | −14.7% |
| 3 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 357,647 | 37,725 | 7,104 | 21,038 | −18.1% |
| 4 | Kawasaki Frontale | 294,776 | 20,973 | 13,111 | 17,340 | −6.6% |
| 5 | Nagoya Grampus | 284,590 | 28,515 | 6,793 | 16,741 | −16.2% |
| 6 | Gamba Osaka | 278,981 | 20,991 | 11,364 | 16,411 | −1.5% |
| 7 | Kashima Antlers | 274,6551 | 25,061 | 7,810 | 16,156 | −22.9% |
| 8 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 268,614 | 21,524 | 10,745 | 15,801 | −12.2% |
| 9 | Vegalta Sendai | 266,144 | 19,224 | 11,356 | 15,656 | −9.7% |
| 10 | Cerezo Osaka | 240,465 | 37,172 | 5,351 | 14,145 | −5.9% |
| 11 | Vissel Kobe | 224,962 | 19,913 | 6,151 | 13,233 | +3.2% |
| 12 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 224,447 | 18,788 | 7,099 | 13,203 | −9.3% |
| 13 | Ventforet Kofu | 205,808 | 21,589 | 6,893 | 12,106 | −2.4%† |
| 14 | Kashiwa Reysol | 202,593 | 30,807 | 6,855 | 11,917 | +47.2%† |
| 15 | Júbilo Iwata | 200,525 | 30,516 | 6,386 | 11,796 | −2.8% |
| 16 | Avispa Fukuoka | 177,054 | 19,421 | 4,028 | 10,415 | +18.1%† |
| 17 | Montedio Yamagata | 158,527 | 18,008 | 5,053 | 9,325 | −20.4% |
| 18 | Omiya Ardija | 154,681 | 12,221 | 5,627 | 9,099 | −17.8% |
| League total | 4,833,782 | 54,441 | 4,028 | 15,797 | −14.3% |
Updated to games played on December 3, 2011
Source:J. League Division 1
Notes:
†Team played previous season in J2.
- Notes
- Note 1: Kashima Antlers played one game at theNational Olympic Stadiumin Tokyo as theKashima Soccer StadiuminKashimawas damaged in the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
In popular culture
editThis particular season was used as reference in the movieDetective Conan: The Eleventh Striker.Many players in real life actually provide cameo roles for the film, including Kazuyoshi Miura (Yokohama FC), Yasuhito Endō (Gamba Osaka), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), and Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus). In the movie, a bomber threatens to bomb all the stadiums unless certain conditions are met. The main character, Conan Edogawa, must solve the case and find the culprit. In the movie, two additional fictional teams are added to the squad: Tokyo Spirits and Big Osaka, making the league with 20 teams.
References
edit- ^"J.League agrees to resume games on April 23".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2012.Retrieved27 March2011.
- ^"2011 J.League tournament details"(in Japanese). J.League official website. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-12-24.
- ^"J1 Top Scorers".j-league.or.jp.J-League. Archived fromthe originalon 9 February 2013.Retrieved13 March2010.