The Omiya Ardija Chronicle
Market21 Feb 2028
Ventforet Kofu come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Omiya Ardija did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad21 Feb 2028
A falling-out at Omiya Ardija
Yuta Toyokawa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market21 Feb 2028
Rikiya Uehara moves on
Albirex Niigata pay $370.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
5 academy graduates step up at Omiya Ardija
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Words at Omiya Ardija training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryuya Nishio is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market21 Feb 2028
One of our own: Junya Mitoma joins the Omiya Ardija first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Junya Mitoma is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market21 Feb 2028
Koji Morita steps up from the Omiya Ardija academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Koji Morita has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
A promise the Omiya Ardija board did not keep
There was a commitment, there was a date, and the date went past. Trust at a football club takes years to build and one afternoon to spend.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
No hiding place for Hajime Hidaka
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hajime Hidaka, and the manager let it.
In brief
- Boardroom Omiya Ardija bank $293.3K from an old deal
- Squad Registration rules keep Felipe Dias out at Omiya Ardija
- Looking ahead Kenyu Sugimoto goes back to face Jubilo Iwata