Like fellow title chasers Nagoya and Cerezo, Shimizu have never won the J. League title, and coach Kenta Hasegawa is desperate satta king to collect some silverware on the back of a fruitless five-year stint in charge.
Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale are lurking just behind the trophy-hungry S-Pulse, but after three years of utter Kashima dominance, J. League fans could be forgiven for hoping to see a different name on the trophy this season.
At the other end of the table, yo-yo club Kyoto Sanga and the hapless Shonan Bellmare look doomed, but the fight to avoid the third relegation place could boil down to a four-way tussle.
Omiya Ardija, Vissel Kobe, Vegalta Sendai and incredibly FC Tokyo are all locked on 21 points going into the resumption of league football, with none of the four showing signs that they’re capable of skipping clear of the bottom three any time soon.
Kashiwa Reysol are streaking away with the J2 title, but the battle for the remaining promotion places could be a three-horse race between Ventforet Kofu, JEF United and Avispa Fukuoka in the J. League’s second tier.
League Cup
An all-Shizuoka League Cup final remains a possibility after Shimizu S-Pulse and Jubilo Iwata both scraped through to the semi-finals of this year’s competition.
Shimizu edged past defending champions FC Tokyo on the away goals rule after the pair drew 1-1 in Tokyo, before playing out a scoreless draw at Nihondaira Stadium.
Jubilo Iwata knocked out Vegalta Sendai, while Kawasaki Frontale impressively dispatched Kashima Antlers and Sanfrecce Hiroshima knocked out Gamba Osaka, with Japan’s four AFC Champions League representatives parachuting into the tournament at the quarter-final stage.
The first leg of the semi-finals will be held on September 29, with Jubilo Iwata hosting Kawasaki Frontale and Sanfrecce Hiroshima welcoming Shimizu S-Pulse to Big Arch Stadium.
Emperor’s Cup
There’s always one every season, and this year it was the turn of Vegalta Sendai to suffer the embarrassment of going out to a lower-tier side in the second round of the Emperor’s Cup.
To make matters worse for Vegalta coach Makoto Teguramori, it was city rivals Sony Sendai who knocked his team out, with the Japan Football League side triumphing in extra-time over a Vegalta outfit who reached the semi-finals last season.
Elsewhere, the only other major casualty was embattled J2 side Tokyo Verdy, who went out at the hands of neighbours Machida Zelvia.
The third round kicks off on October 9, with Sony Sendai hosting Cerezo Osaka, while JFL side Machida Zelvia face a daunting trip to Big Swan Stadium to take on Albirex Niigata.
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