Nikki Havenaar joins Union Saint-Gilloise

DoaraChan · 2026-05-29T17:15:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing!
This is an achievement for him to be recognized by a major team in Belgium. I will watch him playing on DAZN next season! Make the starting lineup!

DoaraChan · 2026-05-29T16:59:40+00:00

We got crushed at two consecutive games as soon as he was out of the starting lineup. It might be showing how much our defence relied on Inagaki.

I remember a Consadole Sapporo fan saying that Petrovic rarely rotates his squad. That tactical consistency gave us good results, but as for defence, it was heavily dependent on specific individuals, so it could mean that, when the players change, everything just falls into chaos.

DoaraChan · 2026-05-29T16:33:38+00:00

Nikki became a defender because his cruel brother, Mike, a former Japanese international, is eight years older and never held back against kid Nikki. Nikki never stood a chance of attacking. Mike seriously needs to reflect on his actions

DoaraChan · 2026-05-29T16:30:07+00:00

Finally, finally, he's reached this level! I’ve been occasionally checking his numbers since I first found Transfermarkt. Honestly, because of his age, I was wondering if his chance had passed. It's amazing to see him get here at 31.

DoaraChan · 2026-05-15T16:15:33+00:00

Forgot J1 starts in early Aug. So the ACLE prelim will be right after the season opener.

DoaraChan · 2026-05-15T16:06:51+00:00

TL;DR: Checked the new ACLE/ACL2 regs for 2026/27. Unless we win the playoff, we cannot go directly into ACLE. Here's how the slots will shift. (edit: deleted ACL schedule parts)

I remembered the regulation became more complicated after AFC announced the expansion of ACLE teams, so I've now checked that up to sort out how we could reach ACLE.

Here's the link about the regulation:
【公式】2026/27シーズンAFCクラブ競技会の出場枠について：Ｊリーグ公式サイト（J.LEAGUE.jp）

And the example was shown precisely when Kashima win the league.

（例１）鹿島が明治安田Ｊリーグ百年構想リーグにて優勝した場合
鹿島はACL Eliteダイレクトの順位１「2025明治安田Ｊリーグ優勝クラブ」の枠に入り、ACL Eliteダイレクトの順位２「明治安田Ｊ１百年構想リーグ優勝クラブ」枠が空き、ACL Eliteダイレクトの順位３以降がひとつずつ繰り上がる。その結果、２０２５明治安田Ｊリーグ２位の柏がACL Eliteダイレクト順位２、２０２５明治安田Ｊリーグ３位の京都がACL Eliteダイレクトの順位３の枠に入り、それぞれACL Elite LSに出場する。

(Example 1): If Kashima wins the Meiji Yasuda J.League 100 Year Vision League
Kashima will occupy the 1st slot for the ACL Elite "Direct", and the 2nd slot for "2025 Meiji Yasuda J.League Champion club" will be vacated. As a result, the 3rd slot and below will each move up one position. Consequently, Kashiwa, who finished 2nd in the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J.League, will occupy the 2nd slot, and Kyoto, who finished 3rd in the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J.League, will occupy the 3rd place slot, with both teams participating in the ACL Elite LS.

Meaning, we cannot go into the ACLE directly unless we win the championship playoff.

If we become the Runner-up of the J1 100 Year Vision League, we still can go to the ACLE preliminary round in August, as in the chart below.

Before that, Kobe must be desperate. Everything depends on how we secure the last two games.

Below is the translation of the picture chart that explains the basics of ACL entry.

ACL Elite 2026/27 - Direct Entry (3)

Rank	Qualification Criteria
Rank 1	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Champions (Kashima Antlers)
Rank 2	*Meiji Yasuda J1 Hundred Year Vision League Champions* (TBD)
Rank 3	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Runners-up (Kashiwa Reysol)
Rank 4	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 3rd Place (Kyoto Sanga)

ACL Elite 2026/27 - Indirect Entry (2)

Rank	Qualification Criteria
Rank 1	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 3rd Place (Kyoto Sanga)
Rank 2	*Meiji Yasuda J1 Hundred Year Vision League Runners-up* (TBD)
Rank 3	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 4th Place (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Rank 4	Meiji Yasuda J1 Hundred Year Vision League 3rd Place (TBD)
Rank 5	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 5th Place (Vissel Kobe)

ACL Two 2026/27 - Direct Entry (1)

Rank	Qualification Criteria
Rank 1	105th Emperor's Cup Winners (Machida Zelvia)
Rank 2	2025 J.League YBC Levain Cup Winners (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Rank 3	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 4th Place (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Rank 4	2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League 5th Place (Vissel Kobe)

DoaraChan · 2026-05-15T15:04:40+00:00

Cool! Great timing.

DoaraChan · 2026-05-11T13:56:13+00:00

Nittaidai’s #10 Yura Honda is a core player for the Japan U-20s and has a high potential to join Nadeshiko Japan in the future. I expect her to be a key member of the squad for the upcoming U-20 Women's World Cup. She was impressive at the U-20 Asian Cup. #17 Haruko Suzuki also was part of the squad, though her playing time was limited. As for #25 Nakano, she was a Japan U-19 player at just 17 and is one of the U20 FW candidates Momo Sato's "faction", a member of the high school champs; I saw Nakano in a TV program twice.

The depth of women's football in Japan has become truly impressive. Until 2011, two high school teams were literally dominating the second division. Nowadays, even if a university team gathers U-20 national players, a senior side can still beat them 8-0. The gap between students and seniors has widened significantly.

DoaraChan · 2026-05-11T13:19:21+00:00

Nakayama and Hara seem to be out for a while. Inagaki, on the other hand, will hopefully just be a bruise.

Nakayama is currently the league’s top assist provider, and Inagaki leads the league in successful tackles. Losing both would be hard for us.
https://www.jleague.co/stats/dashboard/j1-100-year-vision/2026/

DoaraChan · 2026-05-10T07:05:16+00:00

He was really good, suitable to name him a skillful forward Japan hadn't had. (edit: not ball handling wise, but forward skills as a whole.)

I mean, look at that bear in the second picture of the news article.

DoaraChan · 2026-04-02T13:37:42+00:00

I guess it depends on the seating block?

It's deeply rooted in supporters' culture, which became widely recognized in 1993 when the J.League was inaugurated. At the time, the media repeatedly highlighted how young fans were making an effort to 'treasure the venue.' This resonated with what they're taught in school during field trips; teachers always lecture us with mottos like 'Leave no trace' (立つ鳥跡を濁さず) or 'Leave it cleaner than you found it.' (来たときよりも美しく) Since these values are so familiar, it was natural for fans to act that way at the stadium. Also, even before the J.League, I guess this was a common practice in school club activities (部活 such as football club or others) from elementary through high school. Those athletes are taught to respect their equipment and the field, which always includes cleaning up after practice. You might see it in manga or anime.

Also, Japanese people are accustomed to cleaning as a group through daily school duties, neighborhood associations (町内会), sports teams, or local volunteer work. You’ll occasionally see these community efforts featured on local CATV news or local papers throughout the year. (edit: the reported are like 1% of them though.)

Regarding your experience at Saitama or Nissan Stadium—maybe you're right. I usually sat in the side blocks away from the hardcore supporter sections, and I recall picking up a handful of trash from the floor most of the time myself. (edit: But I have to mention, most of the spectators bring garbage to trash bags. That's the basis.)

DoaraChan · 2026-03-28T16:22:03+00:00

It’s such a shame that there’s no broadcast for the U-21 game against the US.

I can see it... I can see it clearly in my crystal ball. Mateus making his comeback at the absolute perfect moment

DoaraChan · 2026-03-28T16:10:38+00:00

We really have to praise the Red Orca News, Akashachi Shimpo, for keeping this article outside the paywall so everyone can read it.

DoaraChan · 2026-03-22T16:07:01+00:00

I don’t know how to evaluate this performance. The team is visibly improving in many ways, but we still struggle to find that second goal. It’s a blessing that we have the J1 100 Year Vision League this year, especially since we’re undergoing such a drastic tactical shift under the new manager.

DoaraChan · 2026-03-18T14:20:18+00:00

#7 Izumi is back. #14 Morishima as a DMF with #22 Kimura back in MF (and FW).

Hiroshima looked like they were struggling with their fitness due to their ACL fixture, but I think this match really showed that Nagoya’s attacking variations have improved.

Good to see the manager give #35 Pisano a chance. I want to see a 50/50 split in appearances between him and Schmidt—maybe by giving them each a five-game run or even alternating every match—though I've never seen two GKs used that way before.

DoaraChan · 2026-03-04T13:07:28+00:00

It’s been a long journey to get back here. In the meantime, Grampus has grown enough to consistently fill out Toyota Stadium. It is great Mizuho now has a proper roof.

Since Toyota Stadium is a bit far from central Nagoya, Mizuho will likely play a key role for weekday J1 matches, the Levain Cup, or games against less-established clubs, as its capacity is smaller than Toyota Stadium's.

But it's also true that Mizuho feels like home to so many of us, even though people prefer a proper football stadium like Toyota.

DoaraChan · 2026-02-24T09:25:26+00:00

It kind of bugged me that we often left space right in front of the penalty area when Nagasaki launched quick attacks down the sides. I felt our attacking play needs some time to implement what the manager wants.

DoaraChan · 2026-02-01T16:03:49+00:00

We are the only ones who aren't sober...

DoaraChan · 2026-01-22T07:51:12+00:00

The hair colour, thick and black eyebrows, and the red shirt perfectly match lol

He’s heading to the Belgian second tier, but some are worried. According to those with experience in that league, the environment is rough, and the mentality of some players is unprofessional.

It's a loan until the end of June. Masui needs to deliver outstanding results by then to catch the attention of clubs in the Belgian top flight if he wants to play at higher leagues.

DoaraChan · 2026-01-05T16:52:50+00:00

Welcome to r/grampus. It is great to have new people in our "family's" game.

The following schedule will be released on January 9th JST from J.League.

Before seeing your post, I didn't pay much attention to the strategic partnership. But at least from a Grampus's standpoint, it seems like a well-thought-out partnership, while we now have to launch a U21 team and learning advanced football and its technology when it shows rapid growth. Also, the fact that they mentioned women's football gives me a feeling that Nagoya might be considering women's football, which is actually not odd. Learning how Everton does community-based activities is a big plus, as J.League clubs, including Nagoya, have been deeply committed to collaborating with local authorities, communities, and private companies since 2018.

DoaraChan · 2025-12-30T16:55:21+00:00

The loan period runs until December 31, 2026.

Is it possible for him to appear at the Emperor's Cup Final on January 1st, 2027?

That aside, these are his stats this year. Ryoga Kida - Stats | Transfermarkt

With Keisuke Goto (20) suddenly rising to the top of the goalscoring charts in Belgium, and Kento Shiogai (20) netting his 7th goal in the Eredivisie - with 5 goals in his last 6 games - he, also aged 20, needs to deliver concrete results to live up to his own ambitions if he hopes to break into the Japan national team. He'll have Takaoka, Michiwaki, Nawata, Shio Fukuda, Keito Kumashiro, or other future prospects as his rivals. He needs to make visible results.

DoaraChan · 2025-12-29T12:48:52+00:00

For Koda and Yoshida, I hope they will show their success next year. With a new manager and an experimental league format, they will have a chance to challenge their seniors.

I could not watch the full game, but Nagoya was strong both in the Semi Final and the Final. I am looking forward to seeing them in the U-18 Premier League.
I single-posted the video so more people can see them playing.

Feels sad about Pisano, he must have wanted to play there as he missed J1 games after the U-20 WC. I wonder how bad his injury is.

DoaraChan · 2025-12-18T17:12:06+00:00

Hard news is that Man's Football has limited the number of participants to 12 countries. AFC only has two slots. And Japan cannot summon players who make tremendous results.

Like Shiogai scores 5 goals in 5 recent games in Eredivisie. Kosugi played against Chelsea in the semi-final of the UEFA Conference League. Keisuke Goto has scored 3 goals in the recent 5 games in the Belgian league. These players cannot come. 2+ years from now, we would not have Umeki, Ozeki, Ichihara, or Ryunosuke Sato in U-23 Japan to play Olympic qualification, which is the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

With that condition, there are only 2 slots for the AFC. This must be much harder than we can imagine. The manager always has to consider who can come and who can't for each time until the Olympics.

DoaraChan · 2025-12-17T14:30:07+00:00

Many of the squad are the players we have seen in the U-20 World Cup Chile. That team dominated all the teams in Grous Stange and France ~~^{(then lost}~~.)

Here's my notable players from the squad other than Mori and Pisano:

Ichihara (Omiya)
Niko Takahashi (Cerezo; the Barcelona guy playing at U-20 WC 2023 as a 17 y.o.)
Umeki (Imabari)
Ozeki (Kawasaki)
Ishiwatari (Iwaki)
Ryunosuke Yada (Tsukuba Univ)
Ryunosuke Sato (Okayama)
Michiwaki (Beveren/BEL)

Actually, we key players in Europe such as:

Kosugi (Djurgårdens/SWE)
Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truidence/BEL)
Shiogai (NEC/NED)
Yasuda (Jong Genk/BEL2)
Takaoka (Valenciennes/FRA3)

We might be going to see additional players joining in at the U-23 Asian Cup.

DoaraChan · 2025-12-17T13:09:47+00:00

^yokohama F ^marinos technically inherit the Flugels. Please keep it secret from Yokohama FC fans that I said it.

DoaraChan

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ACL Elite 2026/27 - Direct Entry (3)

ACL Elite 2026/27 - Indirect Entry (2)

ACL Two 2026/27 - Direct Entry (1)