Kochi United SC
Kōchi United Sports Club, is a football club based in Kōchi, the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture in Japan. They played in the Shikoku Soccer League, one of the Japanese Regional Leagues from 2016–2019, winning it three times in a row from 2017–19. In 2019 they finished 2nd in the Japanese Regional Football League Competition, earning promotion to the Japan Football League for the 2020 season.
History
On February 1st 2016, two established Shikoku League clubs; Igosso Kōchi FC and Kōchi U Torastar FC merged to form one club, whose aim was to be the first team from Kōchi Prefecture to play in the J. League.After officially changing the management company's name to Kōchi United Sports Club Ltd., Kochi United SC took Igosso Kōchi FC's place in the Shikoku League. For the many players at Kōchi U Torastar FC unable to join Kochi United SC, and wanting to continue playing as amateurs in the Shikoku League, Kochi Sports Club Ltd. and Kochi University established KUFC Nangoku on March 1st 2016, and this new club took Kōchi U Torastar FC's place in the Shikoku League.
The club badge depicts the ceremonial Keshō-mawashi of a Tosa Fighting Dog on the outside, with the dark red colors of Igosso Kochi FC and the green of Kōchi U Torastar inside it and an image of a leaping bonito or skipjack tuna drawn in the center. The club's home shirt also reflects the colors of the amalgamated teams from which Kochi United SC was formed.
As Igosso Kōchi FC
Postwar-1966: Kōchi Agricultural High School O.B. Club.1966-1996: Nangoku Soccer Club.
1996-1999: Himawari Milk Nangoku F.C..
1999-2014: Nangoku Kōchi F.C..
2014-2016: Igosso Kōchi.
As Kōchi U Torastar FC
1998-2000: Transistor.2000-2006: Torastar.
2006-2008: Beiling Torastar.
2008-2013: Nankoku Torastar.
2013-2016: Kōchi U Torastar FC
2016 season
In their inaugural 2016 season they finished runners up in the Shikoku League to FC Imabari . They also qualified for the All Japan Senior Football Championship, but lost 4–3 in the first round to eventual winners Mitsubishi Mizushima FC. In addition, they represented Kōchi in the Emperor's Cup breaking Kochi University's 13 year streak, but lost 2–1 in the first round proper to V-Varen Nagasaki of the J2 League having taken a shock lead with a Kota Sugawara penalty. Takuya Kobayashi was the top goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions.2017 season
In the 2017 season they won the Shikoku League with a W12-D2-L0 record, thus qualifying for the Japanese Regional Football League Competition. They were drawn in Group B for the tournament alongside Amitie SC Kyoto, FC TIAMO Hirakata of the Kansai Soccer League, and Mitsubishi Mizushima FC of the Chūgoku Soccer League. They lost 1–0 against Kansai Champions Amitie SC Kyoto in their first match, but won their second game 2–1 against FC TIAMO Hirakata. In their final match they thrashed Mitsubishi Mizushima 5–2, but it wasn't enough to win the group or qualify for the final stage as best runners up. Still, it was a fine overall performance in their first appearance in the tournament. In the Emperor's Cup they represented Kochi again, but went out in the first round proper for the second consecutive season, losing 2–1 to Verspah Oita of the Japan Football League, after leading with a Tsubasa Yokotake goal. In the All Japan Senior Football Championship first round, they led at half time but ended up losing 3–1 to Vonds Ichihara. The top scorer for the season was Kota Sugawara with 23 goals in all competitions.2018 season
Emperor's Cup
Regional Rounds:Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Quarter-Final v Showa Club : W 6–0.
Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Semi-Final v Rossorise KFC : W 5–1.
Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Final v KUFC Nangoku : W 3–0.
Main Draw:
First Round Proper v Mitsubishi Mizushima FC: W 2-0. Attendance: 621.
Second Round Proper v Albirex Niigata : D 0-0. Venue: Denka Big Swan Stadium. Attendance: 2241.
All Japan Senior Football Championship
Kochi Prefecture Play-Off v Rossorise KFC:W 4–0.Shikoku Playoff Tournament First Round v Koyo Sealing Techno :W 9–0.
Shikoku Playoff Semi-Final v Tadotsu FC : W 5–0.
First Round Proper v Suzuka Unlimited FC : L 0–3.
Shikoku Soccer League
1. v Koyo Sealing Techno: W 6–0.2. v Llamas Kochi FC : W 8–0.
3. v Niisho Club : W 3–0.
4. v R.Velho Takamatsu : W 0–8.
5. v Tadotsu FC: W 8–0.
6. v KUFC Nangoku: W 3–1.
7. v FC Tokushima : L 1–0.
8. v Koyo Sealing Techno: W 0–8.
9. v Llamas Kochi FC: W 0–6.
10. v R.Velho Takamatsu: W 10–0.
11. v Tadotsu FC: W 1–5.
12. v KUFC Nangoku: W 0–1.
13. v FC Tokushima: D 3–3..
14. v Niisho Club: W 0-11.
Japanese Regional Football League Competition
1. Group A: v Blancdieu Hirosaki FC: L 2–3.2. Group A: v Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth: L 0–3.
3. Group A: v FC Kariya L 1–2.
2019 season
Emperor's Cup
Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Semi-Final v Llamas Kochi FC: W 5–0.Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Final v KUFC Nangoku: W 3-2.
First Round Proper v MD Nagasaki : W 0-1. Attendance: 462.
Second Round Proper v V.Varen Nagasaki: L 1-2 . Attendance: 1498.
All Japan Senior Football Championship
Kochi Prefecture Play-Off v KUFC Nangoku: W 5-0.Shikoku Playoff Tournament First Round v Hisaeda FC : W 9–0.
Shikoku Playoff Semi-Final v FC Tokushima: L 1–2.
Shikoku Soccer League
1. v Koyo Sealing Techno: W 11-0.2. v Niisho Club: W 10–0.
3. v Llamas Kochi FC: W 4–0.
4. v R.Velho Takamatsu: W 0–9.
5. v Tadotsu FC: W 7–0.
6. v KUFC Nangoku: W 4-0.
7. v FC Tokushima: W 1–2.
8. v Niisho Club: W 0-7.
9. v Koyo Sealing Techno: W 0-14.
10. v Llamas Kochi FC: W 0–6.
11. v R.Velho Takamatsu: W 5–0.
12. v Tadotsu FC: W 2–7.
13. v KUFC Nangoku: W 1–2.
14. v FC Tokushima: W 4-0.
Japanese Regional Football League Competition
Group C: v Blancdieu Hirosaki: W 2–1.Group C: v SRC Hiroshima: W 7–0.
Group C: v Ococias Kyoto AC: L 0–2.
Final Round: v Iwaki FC: L 3–0.
Final Round: v Fukui United FC: W 3–1.
Final Round: v Ococias Kyoto: W 3–1.
2020 season
Japan Football League
1. v Tokyo Musashino City FC H: D 1-1.Emperor's Cup
1. Kochi Prefectual Football Championship Final v Kochi University: W 2-0.Current squad
Updated to May 4th, 2020.League and Cup Record
Note: AJSFC=All Japan Senior Football Championship. CCL=Chiiki Champions LeagueAll-time Competitive Record Table
Updated to Nov 2019| Opponent | |||||||
| Albirex Niigata | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aso FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 |
| Blancdieu Hirosaki FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Fukui United FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Hisaeda FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 |
| Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| FC Imabari | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Iwaki FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| FC Kariya | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Kochi University | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| Koyo Sealing Techno Soccer Club | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 1 | +66 |
| KUFC Nangoku | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 7 | +35 |
| Llamas Kochi FC | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 2 | +59 |
| Matsue City FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| MD Nagasaki | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Mitsubishi Mizushima FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 |
| Nakamura Club | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 |
| Niisho Club | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | +48 |
| Ococias Kyoto AC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Rossorise KFC | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | +25 |
| FC RSG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 |
| R.Velho Takamatsu | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 0 | +56 |
| Shinnitte Tsusumikin Oita Soccer Club | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Showa Club | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 |
| SRC Hiroshima | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 |
| Suzuka Unlimited FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Tadotsu FC | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 4 | +51 |
| FC TIAMO Hirakata | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| FC Tokushima | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 9 | +24 |
| Tokyo Musashino City FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Verspah Oita | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Vonds Ichihara | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
All-time Top Ten Record Goalscorers
Updated to Nov 2019| Name | |||||||
| Hiroki Maehara | 1 | 2016- | 37 | 16 | 4 | 57 | 5 |
| Ryo Taguchi | 2 | 2017- | 38 | 11 | 2 | 51 | 5 |
| Kota Sugawara | 3 | 2016-2018 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 49 | 5 |
| Tsubasa Yokotake | 4 | 2016- | 19 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| Kazuki Nakabayashi | 5 | 2017-2018 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| On Byung-Hoon | 6 | 2016-2018 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Kai Murakami | 7 | 2017-2019 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Takuya Kobayashi | 8 | 2016 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| Shuhei Horie | 9 | 2017-2018 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Jun Kanebashi | 10 | 2016 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Koki Izumi | 10 | 2018- | 10 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 2 |
Honours
- Shikoku Soccer League: Champions
- Kochi Prefectural Football Championship: Winners
- Japanese Regional Football League Competition: Runners Up
Records
- Record home victory: 11-0 v Rossorise KFC & v Koyo Sealing Techno.
- Record away victory: 0-14 v Koyo Sealing Techno.
- Record defeat: 0-3 v Matsue City FC, 0-3 v Suzuka Unlimited FC, 0-3 v Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth, 0-3 v Iwaki FC.
- Record away league defeat: 2-1 v FC Imabari & 1-0 v FC Tokushima.
- Note: Kochi United SC have never lost a home game in the league.
- Longest winning streak : 13 games.
- Longest losing streak : 4 games.
- Most goals by one player in a game: 4.
- Most career goals for Kochi United SC: 57.
- Most hat-tricks for Kochi United SC: 5.