Satoshi Tsunami
Encyclopedia
is a former Japanese international football (soccer) player. He was a left full back.
) youth system. He played for Japan Soccer League
side Yomiuri Club, which was transformed to Verdy Kawasaki when J. League
was founded, between 1980 and 1996. Toward the end of his career, he played for Avispa Fukuoka
(1996–1997) and Bellmare Hiratsuka (1997–1998).
He was capped 80 times and scored 2 goals for the Japanese national team
between 1980 and 1995. He made his first international appearance on December 22, 1980 in a World Cup qualifier against Singapore
in Hong Kong
. He scored his first international goal on September 20, 1986 in an Asian Games
match against Nepal
in Daejeon
, South Korea
.
He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
. He played all the Japan games except one for which he wasn't eligible due to suspension.
He was such a key player that national coach Hans Ooft
named him a member of the Japan squad for the AFC
's final qualifying stage for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
in spite of his injury. However, he could not play any game in the competition that was centrally held in Doha
, Qatar
as his recovery wasn't as good as Ooft had wished it to be. Japan's hope to qualify for the finals was dashed by a stoppage time Iraqi equaliser in the last qualifying match. The Japanese fans now refer to this match as the Agony of Doha
, and his absence was one of the main reasons why Japan's campaign ended up unsuccessful.
In 2005, he was appointed the manager of J. League Division 2 side Vegalta Sendai
. Vegalta finished fourth and failed to gain the promotion. Tsunami was dismissed after one season. In 2006, he became an assistant coach to new manager Ruy Ramos
at another J2 side Tokyo Verdy. Again the team failed to move up and he was sacked after one season. In 2007, he became the manager of newly relegated J2 side Cerezo Osaka
but was dismissed in May after a bad start.
In 2008, he was appointed as the manager of Division 2 club Yokohama FC
but was fired at the end of the 2008 season.
|1980||rowspan="12"|Yomiuri||rowspan="12"|JSL Division 1
||12||2||||||||||12||2
|-
|1981||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|1982||17||0||||||||||17||0
|-
|1983||18||0||||||||||18||0
|-
|1984||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|1985/86||21||0||||||||||21||0
|-
|1986/87||19||0||||||||||19||0
|-
|1987/88||10||0||||||||||10||0
|-
|1988/89||20||0||||||||||20||0
|-
|1989/90||10||0||||||4||0||14||0
|-
|1990/91||21||1||||||2||0||23||1
|-
|1991/92||17||0||||||5||0||22||0
|-
|1992||rowspan="4"|Verdy Kawasaki||rowspan="4"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||||||11||1||11||1
|-
|1993||5||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|1994||8||0||2||1||0||0||10||1
|-
|1995||16||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|1996||rowspan="2"|Avispa Fukuoka
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||21||0||1||0||11||0||33||0
|-
|1997||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1997||rowspan="2"|Bellmare Hiratsuka
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|1998||5||0||0||0||4||0||9||0
266||5||3||1||37||1||306||7
266||5||3||1||37||1||306||7
|}
|1980||3||0
|-
|1981||7||0
|-
|1982||8||0
|-
|1983||10||0
|-
|1984||5||0
|-
|1985||7||0
|-
|1986||5||2
|-
|1987||10||0
|-
|1988||0||0
|-
|1989||0||0
|-
|1990||0||0
|-
|1991||0||0
|-
|1992||10||0
|-
|1993||10||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||3||0
|-
!Total||78||2
|}
Playing career
Tsunami was a product of Yomiuri Club's (current Tokyo Verdy 1969Tokyo Verdy 1969
, is a Japanese professional football club, based in Tokyo, Japan, that plays in J. League Division 2.Founded as Yomiuri F.C. in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the most decorated teams in the J. League, with honours including 7 league titles , 5 Emperor's Cups, 6 JSL Cup / J...
) youth system. He played for Japan Soccer League
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
side Yomiuri Club, which was transformed to Verdy Kawasaki when J. League
J. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
was founded, between 1980 and 1996. Toward the end of his career, he played for Avispa Fukuoka
Avispa Fukuoka
For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1 having been promoted from J. League Division 2 in the 2010 season. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish.-In Fujieda:The club was founded as...
(1996–1997) and Bellmare Hiratsuka (1997–1998).
He was capped 80 times and scored 2 goals for the Japanese national team
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
between 1980 and 1995. He made his first international appearance on December 22, 1980 in a World Cup qualifier against Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He scored his first international goal on September 20, 1986 in an Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
match against Nepal
Nepal national football team
The Nepal national football team is the national team of Nepal and is controlled by the All Nepal Football Association. A member of the Asian Football Confederation , the Nepalese football team play their home games at Dasarath Rangasala Stadium located at Tripureswhor in Kathmandu. The All Nepal...
in Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
He was a member of the Japan team that won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup
1992 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 1992 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan between October 29 and November 8. The host nation, Japan, defeated the defending champion Saudi Arabia in the final in Hiroshima.-Stadiums:...
. He played all the Japan games except one for which he wasn't eligible due to suspension.
He was such a key player that national coach Hans Ooft
Hans Ooft
Marius Johan Ooft is a Dutch football manager who is the first foreigner to coach Japan national football team. Under Ooft, Japan won AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 1992.-Honors:*AFC Asian Cup Champions - 1992*J. League Cup Champions - 2003...
named him a member of the Japan squad for the AFC
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
's final qualifying stage for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
in spite of his injury. However, he could not play any game in the competition that was centrally held in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
as his recovery wasn't as good as Ooft had wished it to be. Japan's hope to qualify for the finals was dashed by a stoppage time Iraqi equaliser in the last qualifying match. The Japanese fans now refer to this match as the Agony of Doha
Agony of Doha
The Agony of Doha is a term used by fans of the Japanese national football team to refer to the qualification match for their 1994 FIFA World Cup match with Iraq, held in Doha, Qatar on October 28, 1993....
, and his absence was one of the main reasons why Japan's campaign ended up unsuccessful.
Managerial career
After finishing his playing career, Tsunami worked as a pundit on television and as a coach at Tokyo Verdy's youth setup. He acquired the S-Class Coaching License that was a prerequisite to manage a J. League club in 2004.In 2005, he was appointed the manager of J. League Division 2 side Vegalta Sendai
Vegalta Sendai
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J. League Division 1. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Their home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai, in Izumi-ku, Sendai, although a few home games have also been played at nearby Miyagi Stadium.-History:Founded in 1988...
. Vegalta finished fourth and failed to gain the promotion. Tsunami was dismissed after one season. In 2006, he became an assistant coach to new manager Ruy Ramos
Ruy Ramos
, formerly Ruy Gonçalves Ramos Sobrinho , is a Brazilian-born football player, who became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1989. He was one of the first foreign players in Japanese professional soccer, joining Yomiuri in 1977 at the age of 20...
at another J2 side Tokyo Verdy. Again the team failed to move up and he was sacked after one season. In 2007, he became the manager of newly relegated J2 side Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....
but was dismissed in May after a bad start.
In 2008, he was appointed as the manager of Division 2 club Yokohama FC
Yokohama FC
are a Japanese football club based in the city of Yokohama.-History:The club was formed in 1999, following the merger of the city's two J. League clubs, Yokohama Flügels and Yokohama Marinos the previous year. Flügels supporters, whose club was essentially dissolved, rejected the suggestion that...
but was fired at the end of the 2008 season.
Club career statistics
|-|1980||rowspan="12"|Yomiuri||rowspan="12"|JSL Division 1
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
||12||2||||||||||12||2
|-
|1981||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|1982||17||0||||||||||17||0
|-
|1983||18||0||||||||||18||0
|-
|1984||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|1985/86||21||0||||||||||21||0
|-
|1986/87||19||0||||||||||19||0
|-
|1987/88||10||0||||||||||10||0
|-
|1988/89||20||0||||||||||20||0
|-
|1989/90||10||0||||||4||0||14||0
|-
|1990/91||21||1||||||2||0||23||1
|-
|1991/92||17||0||||||5||0||22||0
|-
|1992||rowspan="4"|Verdy Kawasaki||rowspan="4"|J. League 1||colspan="2"|-||||||11||1||11||1
|-
|1993||5||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|1994||8||0||2||1||0||0||10||1
|-
|1995||16||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|1996||rowspan="2"|Avispa Fukuoka
Avispa Fukuoka
For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1 having been promoted from J. League Division 2 in the 2010 season. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish.-In Fujieda:The club was founded as...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||21||0||1||0||11||0||33||0
|-
|1997||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1997||rowspan="2"|Bellmare Hiratsuka
Shonan Bellmare
are a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture; their home stadium is Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium in Hiratsuka. The name Bellmare is derived from the Latin "bellum" for "war" and "mare"...
||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|1998||5||0||0||0||4||0||9||0
266||5||3||1||37||1||306||7
266||5||3||1||37||1||306||7
|}
International career statistics
|-|1980||3||0
|-
|1981||7||0
|-
|1982||8||0
|-
|1983||10||0
|-
|1984||5||0
|-
|1985||7||0
|-
|1986||5||2
|-
|1987||10||0
|-
|1988||0||0
|-
|1989||0||0
|-
|1990||0||0
|-
|1991||0||0
|-
|1992||10||0
|-
|1993||10||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||3||0
|-
!Total||78||2
|}