J1 League 2023 Team Guides
FC Tokyo
Introduction
FC Tokyo first participated in the Japan national league in 1991 but it was only in 2000 they made it into the J1 league where they have been a permanent fixture. Despite this, they have never won the league with their 2019 2nd place finish being their best result to date. The team has however been excellent in cup competitions winning multiple league cups in recent times.
In 2021, the Japanese social media juggernaut "MIXI" became the teams main shareholder and we have seen a change in approach with how the club is ran, especially with marketing and branding. The takeover also coincided with current manager Albert Puig taking over and implementing a more dynamic and passing led approach.
2022 Season
FC Tokyo had a decent season finishing the season 6th. The team lacked consistency over the season and 14 wins vs 13 losses illustrates this. There were moments in the season where they played free flowing football & players such as Matsuki, Watanabe and Adailton really shone. However, the lack of squad depth in particular, alternative striker options when Oliveira was unavailable led to some very poor defeats just as momentum was building. Early exits from both cups was also a big disappointment.
2022 Top Scorer: Adailton
2023 Squad Depth
Transfers in:
RW Teruhito Nakagawa (from Yokohama Marinos)
FW Pedro Perotti (from Chapecoense)
MF Kei Koizumi (from Sagan Tosu)
Transfers Out:
MF Kazuya Konno ( →Fukuoka)
FW Keita Yamashita(→ Shonan Bellmare)
MF Hirotaka Mita (→Yokohama FC)
(Please note these are the main transfers as of 25/01/2023. Squad depths for each team which are updated weekly can be found on Patreon here)
Notes
FC Tokyo have kept their core players including Slowik, Morishige, Matsuki and Oliveira. They have also made some very shrewd signings with the vastly experienced former league MVP Nakagawa and the highly impressive Koizumi who was the star player for Sagan last year.
I still am a little concerned by the lack of depth in the striker department with Perotti the only addition and Yamashita leaving on loan. The squad does feel more robust compared to last year and there is a few exciting young players coming through such as Hisatoshi Nishido who im looking to watch in action.
Key Players for Sorare
Name: Masato Morishige
Position: Defender
L15: 49
Notes
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Captain and leader of FC Tokyo
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Scores very good AA, in particular intercepts a lot.
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40% of scores >60 pts with homes games in particularly seeing him score well (average of 61pts). Decent capped mode option as good price point for a starter CB.
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Carried an injury in the second half of last season which saw a noticeable drop in performance. Looks fine in preseason but there is some rotation risk later in the season
Name: Kuryu Matsuki
Position: Midfielder
L15 average: 53
Notes
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Widely considered one of the best upcoming youth players in Japan. At the age of 18 he was a regular for FC Tokyo last season
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Box to Box midfielder who is involved with setting up a lot of the attacking play.
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20% of games >60 pts. Relatively low however improving as season went on and more expected next season
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u23 utility till July 2025
Name: Teruhito Nakagawa
Position: Forward
L15 average: 54
Notes
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2019 J1 League MVP & Top Scorer.
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Transferred from Yokohama Marinos this summer to FC Tokyo and will be one their main players/leaders
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35% of games >60 points with 14 decisive (goal or assist) last season
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Has been slightly injury prone so there is some risk of rotation/resting
J1 League and Sorare
I have done an introduction guide to Hiroshima which can be found here and an introduction guide for Nagoya here
I have also done an introduction guide to the J1 League and Sorare which can be found here
You can also find more about me and my Sorare SO5 record here. Posts I have made for Sorare and the J1 league here
I have a Patreon service which offers:
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J1 League Squad Depth info for each teams (live document updated with transfers and news!)
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In depth scouting including u21s
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Capped league analysis, strategy and tips
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Calendar analysis for all leagues on Sorare
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Predicted lineups and strategy info each GW in the J1 League
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Transfer Rumours and analysis
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Access to an Exclusive Discord Server
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Monthly giveaways including SRs, Rares and Limited cards!
More info about the Sorare Tactics Patreon can be found here !
Sorare Tactics Discord
Click above for the J1 League Sorare Discord channel, you can keep up to date with the latest info and get other peoples opinion in the community!