The Urawa Red Diamonds, one of 18 Japanese soccer teams in the J1 Division of the J.League, is more popularly known as the “Reds”. The team is based in the city of Saitama, Japan, and has had quite a colorful and eventful history where they have strived hard to carve a niche for themselves in the world of football.
Their growth as a professional football team is massive considering the fact that the Reds started out as a company based team all the way back in 1950. The staff of Shin-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries enjoyed playing soccer and continued to do so even when the company relocated to Tokyo eight years later. By 1964, the name of the company was changed to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries atw hich time they had a very powerful football team. A year later, there was an amateur group that went by the name, the Japan Soccer League (JSL) and the team from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was one of their prestigious founding members. In the initial years, the team was relegated to the background and was not considered a major soccer club.
Later, in 1968, four talented players from the company brought home a bronze Olympic medal from the Mexico Olympics. This success was greatly celebrated in Japan and the game of football was given a major boost in the country. The Mitsubishi players reigned supreme during the 1969-1982 period during which they won four league championships. It was in 1978 that their color was changed from blue to red and that in some way paved the way for the birth of the Urawa Red Diamonds in 1992. The team had their ups and downs but continued to hold together thanks to the talents of Masahiro Fukuda, a young striker.
The Urawa Red Diamonds went on to become one of the wealthiest clubs in Japan and have one of the most boisterous fan followings in the world. Even when the football team’s performance has fallen below expectations, their fans have remained strong and loyal all the time. The Reds settled their team in Urawa under the strong leadership of their coach Kenzo Yokoyama and won several championships eventually reaching 2nd place in the league.
Their hesitant beginnings in the league were forgotten when Guido Buchwald and Uwe Bein joined the team in 1994. The duo introduced new defense techniques and attack modes. Though the team suffered more setbacks the next year, they grew stronger in 1995.
A major portion of the success of the team can be attributed to the strong fan base they have enjoyed. Fans cheered and stood up for the club even when the team has fared poorly. They stayed true even when the Reds lost the 2003, 2004 and 2005 championships.
Guido Buchwald retired as a player and took over the Reds as coach. With him came his assistant Gert Engels who had led other teams to victory. One of the best achievements of the Reds undre their tenure was a victory in 1995 during the First Stage. They finished in the 4th place in the overall standings that same year. In 1996, the team did well during season playing good games that brought them closer to the title.
The team faced several trials and tribulations for the next couple of years until 1998 when Shinji Ono joined the team and became immensely popular. He was voted the best player and ranked in Japan’s Best XI. He was also the best player in AFC’s Asian Team. In 2003, the Reds won their first trophy when they played against the Antlers team which was a rematch of the 2002 game that they lost that year.
The Urawa Red Diamonds have won 6 Emperor’s Cups in total in the years of 1971, 1973, 1978, 1980, 2005 and 2006. The Reds also were the winners of the AFC Championship League in 2007 and 3 league cups in 1978, 1981 and 2003. The Reds also won a Super Cup in 2006.
The Urawa Red Diamonds most recently launched a ladies team that started in 2005. Originally, the Red’s ladies team was known as Saitama Reynas F.C which first began in 1998. They too had their share of disappointments in their early beginnings but soon emerged to be a major part of Japanese women’s football. Their manager, Yoshikazu Nagai, has been instrumental to herding the team to the victories they have enjoyed to date.