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Serving As Your Voice of the Nikkei Community Since 1902
Vol. 63, Issue 17 / April 16, 2008
New Japanese Soccer Player Joins Northwest Soccer Scene
By The North American Post Staff
Photo by Traci Flitcraft
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Takayuki Suzuki, who played for the 2002 World Cup Soccer Japanese National Team, joined the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer Leagues for the 2008 season on Mar. 28. The 31-year-old forward has played 55 games and scored 11 goals for the Japanese National Team including a goal in the 2002 World Cup in the 2-2 draw game against Belgium in the group qualifier.
Suzuki debuted last Friday in a preseason match against the San Jose Earthquakes of the Major League Soccer. From Hitachi, Japan, Suzuki started his professional career in 1995 with the Kashima Antlers of the J-League Division I, Japanese professional soccer league. He has played for the Antlers, the JEF United Ichihara, the Kawasaki Frontale and the Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, the CFZ in Brazil and the Racing Genk and the Heusden-Zolder in Belgium. The Timbers are his ninth team in a 12-year career.
His international tournament appearance for Japan in addition to the 2002 World Cup includes, the 2001 and 2005 FIFA Confederation Cups. He led the team to the Asian Cup title in 2004 and also scored three goals in five qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup.
"It's an honor to be playing for the Timbers," Suzuki said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to come in, contribute up front and be a piece that helps this team win a championship."
The rival team, the Seattle Sounders, will meet the Timbers on Apr. 26 in Portland, May 10 in Seattle and Aug. 7 in Portland. The defending champion Sounders has won the league championships for four times since 1994.
The Sounders has also had a few Nikkei (Japanese American) players including midfielder Kei Kinoshita from Tottori, Japan, midfielder Kevin Sakuda from California and defender Kenji Treschuk from Hawaii.
Kinoshita, who played for the Vissel Kobe and other teams in Japan, joined the team as a player and a youth coach. Sakuda and Treschuk will play the 2008 season for the Sounders.
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