Takuya Yamada
Encyclopedia
Takuya Yamada is a Japan
ese footballer currently playing for FC Tampa Bay in the North American Soccer League.
before turning professional where he won variety of different national titles.
He turned professional in 1997, playing for Verdy Kawasaki in the then-fledgling J. League
. Yamada stayed with Verdy for the next 8 years, clocking up almost 300 appearances for the club. He was one of the iconic players of J-League's early years, known for his physical and charismatic strength on the field. The supporters' group honored him with the name of "Mr. Verdy” when he served as Verdy's captain for 3 years. He was also nicknamed "The Terminator", due to his combative style.
He moved to Cerezo Osaka
for the 2006 season, but never fully settled with the club. In December 2006, Yamada surprised the Australian football community by arriving unannounced for a trial with Adelaide United
. However, in January, 2007, Adelaide United signed with a Brazil
ian attacking midfield Diego Walsh
from Miami FC
who had a more advanced VISA
status meaning Walsh was likely to be available sooner to play for the Reds.
From Australia, Yamada flew to the United States for an invitational tryout with several Major League Soccer
clubs, including New England Revolution
, but was not offered a contract. After returning to Japan, Yokohama FC
of the J.League immediately announced its interest towards Yamada and signed him on 3 June 2007. Yamada served as captain for the 2008 season.
For the 2009 season, Yamada transferred to Sagan Tosu
due to the head coach Yasuyuki Kishino
's strong recruitment. On January 1, 2010 Yamada signed with FC Tampa Bay for their 2010 inaugural team roster. He became the first Japanese player to serve as co-captain in USSF Division 2. Yamada re-signed with the club, now playing in the North American Soccer League
, on December 27, 2010.
Yamada remained with Tampa Bay through the 2011 season. On October 5, 2011, the club announced that Yamada would return for the 2012 season.
|1997||rowspan="4"|Verdy Kawasaki||rowspan="4"|J. League 1||22||1||0||0||3||0||25||1
|-
|1998||7||0||3||0||4||0||14||0
|-
|1999||29||3||4||0||4||0||37||3
|-
|2000||30||4||2||0||5||0||37||4
|-
|2001||rowspan="5"|Tokyo Verdy||rowspan="5"|J. League 1||29||2||3||0||2||0||34||0
|-
|2002||28||1||1||0||6||1||35||2
|-
|2003||30||10||3||0||6||0||39||10
|-
|2004||27||1||5||2||4||2||36||5
|-
|2005||33||0||1||0||5||1||39||1
|-
|2006||Cerezo Osaka
||J. League 1||20||0||0||0||6||0||26||0
|-
|2007||rowspan="2"|Yokohama||J. League 1||19||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||21||1
|-
|2008||J. League 2
||31||4||2||0||colspan="2"|-||33||4
|-
|2009||Sagan Tosu
||J. League 2
||43||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||45||1
|-
|2010||Tampa Bay||D2 Pro League
||29||0||||||||||29||0
|-
|2011||Tampa Bay||NASL
||||||||||||||||
348||28||28||2||45||4||421||34
29||0||0||0||0||0||29||0
377||28||28||2||45||4||450||34
|}
|-
|2003||1||0
|-
|2004||3||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
He is a utility player as a mid-fielder, and defender, who is also capable both on the flank and middle. Takuya is also a hard nose player to go tight, and tough against whoever he is matching up with. Also, equipped with sharp overlaps to score when needed. Natural leader on and off the field who served as captain in three clubs.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese footballer currently playing for FC Tampa Bay in the North American Soccer League.
Club
Yamada attended Toin Gakuen High School, where he led the school to the final 4 in the National Championship. Played at Komazawa UniversityKomazawa University
Komazawa University is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young monks of the Sōtō sect, one of the two main Zen Buddhist traditions in Japan.The university in Tokyo campus comprises eight faculties...
before turning professional where he won variety of different national titles.
He turned professional in 1997, playing for Verdy Kawasaki in the then-fledgling 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...
. Yamada stayed with Verdy for the next 8 years, clocking up almost 300 appearances for the club. He was one of the iconic players of J-League's early years, known for his physical and charismatic strength on the field. The supporters' group honored him with the name of "Mr. Verdy” when he served as Verdy's captain for 3 years. He was also nicknamed "The Terminator", due to his combative style.
He moved to 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....
for the 2006 season, but never fully settled with the club. In December 2006, Yamada surprised the Australian football community by arriving unannounced for a trial with Adelaide United
. However, in January, 2007, Adelaide United signed with a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian attacking midfield Diego Walsh
Diego Walsh
Diego Walsh is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for TOT S.C. in the Thai Premier League.-Youth and College:...
from Miami FC
Miami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
who had a more advanced VISA
Visa
Visa or VISA may refer to:* Visa , a document issued by a country's government allowing the holder to enter or to leave that country...
status meaning Walsh was likely to be available sooner to play for the Reds.
From Australia, Yamada flew to the United States for an invitational tryout with several Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
clubs, including New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
, but was not offered a contract. After returning to Japan, 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...
of the J.League immediately announced its interest towards Yamada and signed him on 3 June 2007. Yamada served as captain for the 2008 season.
For the 2009 season, Yamada transferred to Sagan Tosu
Sagan Tosu
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture.Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one...
due to the head coach Yasuyuki Kishino
Yasuyuki Kishino
Yasuyuki Kishino is a former Japanese football player. He currently coaches Japanese club Yokohama FC.- References :...
's strong recruitment. On January 1, 2010 Yamada signed with FC Tampa Bay for their 2010 inaugural team roster. He became the first Japanese player to serve as co-captain in USSF Division 2. Yamada re-signed with the club, now playing in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League (2010)
The North American Soccer League is a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began league play on April 9, 2011. It has been provisionally sanctioned as the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, behind Major League Soccer in the...
, on December 27, 2010.
Yamada remained with Tampa Bay through the 2011 season. On October 5, 2011, the club announced that Yamada would return for the 2012 season.
International
Yamada was capped four times for the ese national team between 2003 and 2004. He was also the world champion for the Universiade Fukuoka (World University Games) in 1995.Career statistics
|-|1997||rowspan="4"|Verdy Kawasaki||rowspan="4"|J. League 1||22||1||0||0||3||0||25||1
|-
|1998||7||0||3||0||4||0||14||0
|-
|1999||29||3||4||0||4||0||37||3
|-
|2000||30||4||2||0||5||0||37||4
|-
|2001||rowspan="5"|Tokyo Verdy||rowspan="5"|J. League 1||29||2||3||0||2||0||34||0
|-
|2002||28||1||1||0||6||1||35||2
|-
|2003||30||10||3||0||6||0||39||10
|-
|2004||27||1||5||2||4||2||36||5
|-
|2005||33||0||1||0||5||1||39||1
|-
|2006||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....
||J. League 1||20||0||0||0||6||0||26||0
|-
|2007||rowspan="2"|Yokohama||J. League 1||19||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||21||1
|-
|2008||J. League 2
J. League Division 2
The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...
||31||4||2||0||colspan="2"|-||33||4
|-
|2009||Sagan Tosu
Sagan Tosu
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture.Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one...
||J. League 2
J. League Division 2
The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...
||43||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||45||1
|-
|2010||Tampa Bay||D2 Pro League
USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
||29||0||||||||||29||0
|-
|2011||Tampa Bay||NASL
NASL
- Soccer :* North American Soccer League, a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.* North American Soccer League , a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico which began play in 2011.- Starcraft II...
||||||||||||||||
348||28||28||2||45||4||421||34
29||0||0||0||0||0||29||0
377||28||28||2||45||4||450||34
|}
|-
|2003||1||0
|-
|2004||3||0
|-
!Total||4||0
|}
Playing style
The organizer on the pitch with his computerized accurate short, and long passes.He is a utility player as a mid-fielder, and defender, who is also capable both on the flank and middle. Takuya is also a hard nose player to go tight, and tough against whoever he is matching up with. Also, equipped with sharp overlaps to score when needed. Natural leader on and off the field who served as captain in three clubs.
Personal
- 2010: Co-Captain of FC Tampa Bay
- 2008: Captain of Yokohama F.C.
- 2002-2005: Captain of Tokyo Verdy 1969
Club
- 2005: J.League XEROX Super Cup Champion
- 2004: J.League Emperor's Cup Champion
- Asian Cup Champions: 2004
- 1996: All-Japan University Best 11
- 1995: Universiade Fukuoka (World University Games), Japanese College National Team – World Champion (Gold Medal)
- 1995: All-Japan University Best 11
- 1993: All-Japan High School Select Team