00:12.3 - 00:18.1 Hello and welcome to this week's edition of J.Chan! 00:18.2 - 00:20.9 I'm your MC, Asami. Thank you for watching! 00:21.0 - 00:26.0 And back for the first time in a while is our favorite commentator, Cesare! 00:27.3 - 00:31.4 What was that? You're not cool at all! Don't do that! 00:31.5 - 00:35.3 This is how I'm welcomed back... aren't you glad to see me? 00:35.4 - 00:36.6 How have you been? 00:36.7 - 00:41.0 I'm good, but I've been working hard! I went all the way to Osaka... 00:41.2 - 00:42.9 Lots of girls? No no no... 00:43.1 - 00:45.5 I did... um... lots of things! 00:45.6 - 00:48.3 You were actually working, right? This wasn't a vacation? 00:48.4 - 00:49.0 Promise! 00:49.1 - 00:50.1 Alright! 00:51.4 - 00:54.2 Everyone says Italians do nothing but play... 00:54.3 - 00:58.1 ...but I'm from Milan and we work hard because we love it! 00:58.3 - 01:02.2 Really? Really! Speaking of that, let's get to work. 01:03.7 - 01:04.3 As you can see... 01:04.8 - 01:06.2 That's right! 01:07.0 - 01:11.6 By the color you might mistake it for a Vegalta Sendai uniform... 01:11.7 - 01:13.9 If you look quickly, they're that same yellow-orange... 01:14.0 - 01:18.7 Vegalta lost so I'm not wearing their uniform. Whose uniform is this? 01:18.8 - 01:28.9 That's Shimizu S-Pulse from 19...96? 1995? It's from the early days of the J.League. 01:29.2 - 01:38.3 It has the map of Asia, so when play is stopped the players can study geography! 01:41.9 - 01:49.4 It's all there! Mongolia, Singapore... it's a very unique uniform and popular overseas. 01:49.5 - 01:58.5 It's a cool uniform, and you can study geography, but the team isn't doing very well right now. 01:58.6 - 02:03.4 But in the beginning of the season when Kashima Antlers were struggling, 02:03.5 - 02:11.0 You wore their uniform and then they started to improve! Maybe you're a lucky charm! 02:11.2 - 02:15.7 Maybe I am! Here's hoping their results improve. 02:16.9 - 02:18.7 Speaking of results, let's look at the scores for this round! 02:20.3 - 02:27.5 The end of the sixth round means we're a third of the way through the First Stage. 02:27.7 - 02:34.9 Speaking of Antlers, I went to see their 3-1 win over Kashiwa Reysol and it was a great match. 02:35.0 - 02:39.6 You go to a lot of Reysol games! I do, I like them a lot. 02:39.7 - 02:49.4 Antlers continue to rise in the standings, and as for the other matches this weekend... 02:50.3 - 02:59.4 Gamba Osaka won their fourth in a row. Their form has been fantastic lately, perhaps the best in the league. 02:59.5 - 03:01.3 Takashi Usami scored another goal! 03:01.7 - 03:07.2 Then there's the match I went to, FC Tokyo vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima! 03:08.6 - 03:15.4 Of course I wanted my compatriot Massimo Ficcadenti to get a good result for Tokyo... 03:16.7 - 03:22.3 But in the end I was still glad to see Sanfrecce win. Takuma Asano's goal was fantastic. 03:22.4 - 03:23.1 It was! 03:23.2 - 03:27.0 It reminded me of Wayne Rooney; he couldn't be stopped. 03:27.1 - 03:32.5 Last year he had so many scoring chances that went wasted because he'd aim wide or straight at the goalkeeper. 03:32.8 - 03:38.8 This time I almost couldn't watch but then I heard Hiroshima supporters cheering... 03:39.8 - 03:50.9 In any case it was a good match! Tough luck for Tokyo, but it was good to see Sanfrecce bounce back after their loss to Nagoya Grampus. 03:51.0 - 03:54.4 Hiroshima did struggle in their last few matches. 03:58.3 - 04:09.0 It's important to point out that two weeks ago they lost to a struggling Vissel Kobe, then again last week to a struggling Grampus... 04:09.5 - 04:16.6 But then they played away at FC Tokyo, who were tied for first place with Urawa Reds, and they won! 04:18.4 - 04:21.8 After the match Sanfrecce manager Hajime Moriyasu said it too, 04:22.2 - 04:30.1 "You never know what will happen in the J.League." There's really not a big gap between the stronger and weaker clubs. 04:30.5 - 04:35.0 J.League matches are entertaining because you never know what the result will be! 04:39.8 - 04:44.9 The same thing happened to Vegalta too; they've been winning a lot lately and then they lost at home. 04:46.0 - 04:47.7 Now, let's look at the standings! 04:48.5 - 04:51.5 Urawa Reds are on top! 04:51.6 - 04:54.4 They're the only team without a loss this season! 04:55.2 - 04:57.0 And they've only given up three goals. 04:57.9 - 05:02.6 That means they've only allowed one goal every two games. 05:03.5 - 05:05.9 This goalkeeper is working hard, isn't he! 05:06.6 - 05:08.1 You know him well, don't you! 05:08.2 - 05:19.4 Who else but Shusaku Nishikawa! He's not only a good shot-stopper but great at managing his defenders. 05:19.7 - 05:27.4 Urawa didn't give up many goals early last season either, but faded down the stretch... 05:27.5 - 05:35.4 But because of the new two-stage format, they're in prime position to contend for the title. 05:36.7 - 05:41.7 Before we get to Gamba, let's talk about Sagan Tosu in third place! 05:41.8 - 05:47.5 We always say we never expect it but they're doing very well this year too. 05:49.9 - 05:53.4 Then we have Nagoya Grampus in eighth place after winning two straight. 05:53.5 - 05:56.6 Until a couple weeks ago they were near the bottom of the table. 05:59.4 - 06:09.0 I think they've been able to play more compactly since they switched to a three-back system. 06:09.1 - 06:12.5 And they've finally figured out how to score goals as well. 06:12.6 - 06:15.0 As you'd expect from Akira Nishino's team! 06:15.1 - 06:20.1 Antlers also have eight points, but if we look at the bottom of the table... 06:20.9 - 06:25.4 It's hard not to worry about Ventforet Kofu. They only have three points... 06:25.5 - 06:31.0 They won their home opener opener against Grampus, but lost all of their other matches. 06:31.1 - 06:35.0 More troubling than anything is that they've only scored two goals. 06:36.1 - 06:44.0 Montedio Yamagata have also only scored twice. Win or lose, supporters want to see goals... 06:44.4 - 06:49.5 Kofu and Yamagata's strikers, please work hard! 06:49.8 - 06:54.4 And of course the team with the most goals is Kawasaki Frontale. 06:55.5 - 06:58.2 They scored another three goals this weekend. 06:59.7 - 07:06.5 Gamba scored two goals, so these two teams are averaging about two goals per match. 07:06.6 - 07:16.5 The First Stage is a third through, but the top of the table looks about how we'd expect! 07:16.6 - 07:19.9 It does look like that, doesn't it. 07:21.3 - 07:29.0 I think Reysol are capable of doing better than 12th, but they're putting a lot of effort into the ACL. 07:34.4 - 07:36.8 I bet you're glad that Sanfrecce won! Of course! 07:36.9 - 07:39.5 And I bet you're glad that Vegalta... oh. 07:40.0 - 07:42.4 That wraps up the results and current standings! 07:48.2 - 07:50.2 Coming up, this week's Best XI! 07:56.5 - 07:59.6 Have a look at our Best XI for Round 6. 08:01.2 - 08:03.0 What do you think, Cesare? 08:03.1 - 08:07.9 Well first we have veteran goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogohata. 08:08.7 - 08:12.8 On defense there's a name we haven't seen before. 08:12.9 - 08:18.7 Montedio Yamagata kept a clean sheet thanks to Shogo Nishikawa. 08:18.8 - 08:22.3 His last name is different from Shusaku Nishikawa's by one character. 08:22.4 - 08:24.3 That's right, it's a different character for 'kawa' (river) 08:24.4 - 08:29.2 Aren't you impressed a foreigner knows that? No? Never mind, then. 08:29.3 - 08:38.6 He marked Matsumoto Yamaga's Obina very well throughout the match. 08:38.7 - 08:44.4 There were a few occasions where Yamaga would have scored if Nishikawa wasn't there. I thought he played very well this week. 08:47.8 - 08:54.2 I think everyone is familiar with our midfielders. That said, Toshihiro Aoyama was fantastic, wasn't he! 08:54.3 - 08:57.6 Just as I'd expect you to say! 08:57.7 - 09:02.5 One player who intrigues me is Kisho Yano. 09:02.6 - 09:08.0 He was originally a striker, but now he's being used as a fullback. 09:08.1 - 09:15.4 Now with Grampus' three-back system he's changed to a 'wing-back' role, which I think suits him better. 09:15.5 - 09:17.0 He runs quite a bit! 09:17.3 - 09:21.0 He's formed a great combination with Kensuke Nagai. 09:22.2 - 09:24.3 What do you think of these three strikers, Asami? 09:24.5 - 09:30.7 All three are national team players, so it would be a scary line to face as a defender! 09:31.0 - 09:37.9 That's right. Okubo had one goal and one assist, and he was involved in all three goals for Frontale. 09:38.0 - 09:38.4 Yes. 09:38.5 - 09:43.0 He was--- oh, right, they played Vegalta... 09:43.1 - 09:44.5 Then we have Yohei Toyoda, who scored two goals. 09:44.6 - 09:50.1 His second goal was fantastic; I don't even think Gianluigi Buffon could have stopped it. 09:50.2 - 09:57.0 Last but not least is Takashi Usami. His body fat percentage gained attention this week but boy can he score goals! 09:57.1 - 09:59.6 What happens if he loses weight and stops scoring? 09:59.7 - 10:01.8 That would be Vahid Halilhodzic's fault, wouldn't it? 10:01.9 - 10:05.6 You're right! At any rate, Usami is playing very well. 10:05.7 - 10:12.5 Yoshinori Muto also scored a great goal, but unfortunately didn't make our Best XI for this round. 10:12.6 - 10:17.2 What an incredible group of strikers that is! 10:18.7 - 10:19.7 That's it for our Best XI! 10:28.3 - 10:32.0 Next up, this round's MVP! 10:37.1 - 10:42.2 It's time to announce J.Chan's MVP for Round 6! 10:48.5 - 10:52.9 Gamba Osaka forward, #39 Takashi Usami! 10:53.8 - 10:57.8 He's been chosen again... but what a fantastic player! 10:57.9 - 10:59.8 This is Usami's second week in a row as MVP. 11:00.2 - 11:05.5 After he came back from Germany he worked very hard in the J2 League, which is of course the second division. 11:05.6 - 11:16.3 Last season he contributed to Gamba Osaka's treble, but this season he's played better than ever before. 11:16.4 - 11:19.3 He's scored in four straight matches. 11:19.4 - 11:27.8 He was criticized somewhat by Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic, but he did play in both of Japan's games and scored a goal. 11:27.9 - 11:36.0 I think being called up to the Samurai Blue has boosted Usami's confidence and improved his form tremendously. 11:37.0 - 11:43.6 He's grown into a true striker but he can continue to improve and I'm looking forward to seeing how good he can become. 11:43.7 - 11:46.7 He's definitely become more aware on the pitch. Did you see his goal? 11:46.8 - 11:47.8 I did! 11:48.3 - 11:56.8 It wasn't the sort of goal we're used to seeing from him; he didn't score with his feet but really powered in and finished with a header. 11:56.9 - 11:59.0 But it's important to be able to score those sorts of goals. 11:59.4 - 12:06.7 He said something along those lines after the match; it's not the kind of goal he usually scores but it's the kind he needs to be able to score. 12:06.8 - 12:11.6 He was proud of it especially *because* it was the kind of goal he didn't usually score. 12:11.8 - 12:18.7 He's absolutely grown as a person since he went to Germany. 12:19.0 - 12:20.5 He's matured considerably. 12:20.6 - 12:26.9 Usami has a bright future ahead of him. Congratulations on earning two straight J.Chan MVPs! 12:27.0 - 12:34.6 Last week he earned 50% of the MVP vote. This week he earned 30%, which is still a great figure. 12:34.7 - 12:37.9 Don't worry, Aoyama received a lot of votes too! 12:38.8 - 12:43.0 And of course nobody from Vegalta Sendai made the Best XI. 12:43.1 - 12:48.5 To recap, Takashi Usami was our MVP for Round 6! Congratulations! 12:54.9 - 12:59.0 That brings us to the end of our Tuesday show. 13:00.6 - 13:07.8 Cesare, it might be because you went on vacation, but you forgot how to do the J... 13:08.1 - 13:09.3 Don't worry, I remember. Look! 13:09.5 - 13:10.6 Are you sure? 13:10.7 - 13:11.6 Absolutely! 13:12.1 - 13:17.1 If you can't get it right we may need to replace you again so please work hard. 13:20.4 - 13:32.0 Our next video will air on Wednesday, featuring my personally-selected Handsome Footballer Corner and Cesare's oh-so-serious... 13:32.1 - 13:35.0 It won't be *too* serious! Well, maybe a little. 13:35.1 - 13:37.7 Serious or not, tomorrow will also feature Cesare's Key Moment. 13:37.8 - 13:39.4 Please don't forget to watch tomorrow! 13:40.7 - 13:41.9 Okay, Cesare, are you ready? 13:42.0 - 13:43.3 I'm ready! I've practiced. 13:43.4 - 13:45.2 Get out of vacation mode, this one's for real! 13:46.6 - 13:48.8 See you again tomorrow! 13:49.3 - 13:50.0 Bye bye! 13:50.1 - 13:53.6 See? Wasn't that perfect?