# 2014 Albirex Niigata Singapore FC season

The 2014 season was Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore)'s 11th season in the S.League.
Tatsuyuki Okuyama began the season as the White Swan's new head coach after taking over from Koichi Sugiyama, whose contracted ended after 4 years in charge.
Organised by Albirex Singapore Pte Ltd, in partnership with JAPAN Soccer College; the player selection for the coming season was held in Japan, 16 December at Saitama Stadium 2002 and 19 December at J-Green Sakai Stadium. The selected candidates will either earn a professional contract with Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) in the S.League, Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh in the Cambodian League or admission into JAPAN Soccer College.

## Sponsors

* Main Sponsor: Canon
* Uniform Sponsors for S.League: Yoppy, TDK-Lambda, RAIZZIN, Langrich
* Club Sponsors: COMM Pte Ltd, Mitsubishi Corporation, Kikkoman, Paris Miki, RGF Singapore, Daiho, WINN, SOODE, Kirin, CLEO, Nihon Assist Singapore, Sanpoutei Ramen, aguchi, ProtecA
* Apparel Sponsor: Mafro Sports
* Club Albirex: JTB, TAWARAYA, Shogakukan Asia, Konohana Kindergarten, Niigata Kenjinkai Singapore, Keihin Multi-Trans (S) Pte Ltd, IKYU, Hitachi, Taiyou Kouhatsuden Mura, IPPIN, CROWNLINE Singapore, Samurice, Porterhouse, NIKKEI, Zipan Resort Travel

## S.League Results

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 22 February 2014 | Brunei DPMM | H | 0-1 | |
| 27 February 2014 | Harimau Muda B | H | 3–0 | Yamada 59', Sakamoto 68', Okazaki 76'] |
| 12 March 2014 | Hougang United | A | 3–1 | Sakamoto 15' |
| 21 March 2014 | Balestier Khalsa | H | 1–0 | Sakamoto 44' |
| 26 March 2014 | Woodlands Wellington | A | 1–1 | Nishida 90+5' |
| 4 April 2014 | Tanjong Pagar United | H | 2–1 | Hotta 77', Sakamoto 83' |
| 10 April 2014 | Young Lions | A | 1–2 | El-Masri 18' (O.G.), Sakamoto 62' |
| 16 April 2014 | Warriors | H | 0–4 | |
| 27 April 2014 | Home United | H | 4–2 | Sakamoto (2) 10', 62', Okazaki 57', Hotta 68' |
| 1 May 2014 | Tampines Rovers | A | 1–1 | Hotta 68' |
| 8 May 2014 | Geylang International | H | 4–2 | Sakamoto 12', Hotta 55', Okazaki 71', Nagasaki 80' |
| 14 May 2014 | Brunei DPMM | A | 2–1 | Yamada 53' |
| 23 May 2014 | Harimau Muda B | A | 0–4 | Sakamoto (3) 28', 66', 76', Nishida 49' |
| 5 June 2014 | Hougang United | H | 0–1 | |
| 8 June 2014 | Balestier Khalsa | A | 1–1 | Tanaka 20' |
| 11 June 2014 | Woodlands Wellington | H | 7–1 | Matsuda 12', Sakamoto (3) 15', 31', 73' (Pen.), Kawakami 17', Yamada 45', Fukuzaki 87' |
| 18 June 2014 | Tanjong Pagar United | A | 1–2 | Nagasaki 3', Ota 59' |
| 22 June 2014 | Young Lions | H | 4–2 | Sakamoto 12', Tanaka 38', Nagasaki 63', Okazaki 67' |
| 1 August 2014 | Warriors | A | 1–3 | Ota 20', Sakamoto 42', Nagasaki 87' |
| 21 August 2014 | Home United | A | 4–2 | Okazaki 2', Sakamoto 73' |
| 25 August 2014 | Tampines Rovers | H | 2–2 | Sakamoto (2) 74', 88' |
| 28 August 2014 | Geylang International | A | 3–4 | Sakamoto 44', Akasaka 58', Ota 69', Kawakami 90' |
| 17 September 2014 | Tampines Rovers | A | 0–0 | |
| 6 October 2014 | Balestier Khalsa | A | 2–0 | |
| 24 October 2014 | Home United | H | 2–1 | Nagasaki 9', Sakamoto 31' |
| 28 October 2014 | Brunei DPMM | H | 0–1 | |
| 31 October 2014 | Warriors | A | 1–0 | |

## S.League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 3 | Tampines Rovers | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 44 | 32 | +12 | 49 | |
| 4 | Home United | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 44 | |
| 5 | Albirex Niigata (S) | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 44 | |
| 6 | Balestier Khalsa | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 40 | Qualification to AFC Cup Group Stage |
| 7 | Hougang United | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 49 | 42 | +7 | 42 | |
* ↑ The three foreign clubs – Albirex Niigata (S), DPMM FC and Harimau Muda B – as well as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) under-23 team, Young Lions, are not eligible for any AFC competition spots.
* ↑ Qualified as 2014 Singapore Cup winners.

## Singapore Cup

Albirex Niigata (S) is drawn with Svay Rieng from the Cambodian League in the preliminary round of the Singapore Cup. The draw was made on 3 May 2014 at Jalan Besar Stadium. The tie took place on 28 May 2014. The White Swans won the Cambodian side 3-0, knocking them out of the competition. Over the 2-legged Quarter-finals, Albirex lost 3-4 and 1-2 to Brunei DPMM, resulting in their exit.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 28 May 2014 | Preliminary | Svay Rieng | A | 0–3 | Okazaki 9', Sakamoto 37', Fukuzaki 61' |
| 29 June 2014 | Quarter-final 1st leg | Brunei DPMM | H | 3–4 | Okazaki 34', Ota 56', Sakamoto 63' |
| 4 July 2014 | Quarter-final 2nd leg | Brunei DPMM | A | 2–1 | Kawakami 86' |

## Singapore League Cup

Albirex Niigata (S) came in 3rd in the 2013 S.League, hence were placed in Pot A together with Tampines Rovers, Home United and Balestier Khalsa. The draw took place at Jalan Besar Stadium on 20 June 2014. The White Swans were drawn into Group A; playing away to Tanjong Pagar United on 7 July 2014 and home to Police Sports Association on 10 July 2014. Albirex lost 4-0 to the Jaguars followed by the trashing of NFL side 13-0. Their next opponent in the quarter-final would be Geylang International. The game was played on 18 July 2014 at Jalan Besar Stadium. Former defender Kento Fukuda scored the opening goal in the 20th minute which the first half ended at 1-0 to the Eagles. 9 minutes after the break, Argentinian striker Leonel Felice doubled the lead. Former Eagle Norihiro Kawakami pulled one back on the 70th minute, but a late Hafiz Nor strike sealed the victory for Geylang, putting Albirex out of the competition.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 7 July 2014 | Preliminary 1st leg | Tanjong Pagar United | A | 4-0 | |
| 10 July 2014 | Preliminary 2nd leg | Police Sports Association | H | 13–0 | Fukuzaki (2) 5', 25', Kawakami (2) 22', 45', Sakamoto (3) 29', 65', 90', Yamada (2) 40', 74', Okazaki (2) 50', 54', Ota 88', Nishio 89' |
| 18 July 2014 | Quarter-final | Geylang International | A | 1–3 | Kawakami 70' |

## Squad statistics

| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | Singapore Cup | Singapore Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | Kenjiro Ogino | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Taiyo Nishida | 13(5) | 2 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Hayato Nokata | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Kento Fujihara | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | FW | Yusuke Ueda | 1(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Norihiro Kawakami | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Koki Akasaka | 26 | 1 | 2(1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Itsuki Yamada | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Keisuke Ota | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Kosuke Matsuda | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | Kazuya Okazaki | 20(4) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Kento Nagasaki | 22(5) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Kazuki Sakamoto | 26(1) | 21 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | Koya Yoshida | 0(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Kazuya Fukuzaki | 2(8) | 1 | 0(2) | 1 | 2(1) | 1 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Soichiro Tanaka | 17(1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0(3) | 0 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Hiroki Morisaki | 4(12) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Ikuma Osaka | 0(5) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Niji Sasadaira | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | Shota Muto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Kentaro Miyakawa | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | Yoshinaga Arima | 0(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | Kazuki Kishigami | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Shuhei Hotta | 22 | 4 | 1(1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Kaoru Nishio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Seiji Yamaguchi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | Junki Kato | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | Mizuki Ito | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | – |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 26 December 2013 | MF | Kosuke Matsuda | Kyoto Sangyo University | Undisclosed |
| 28 December 2013 | GK | Kazuki Kishigami | Ritsumeikan University | Undisclosed |
| 29 December 2013 | MF | Keisuka Ota | Kamatamare Sanuki | Undisclosed |
| 29 December 2013 | DF | Hayato Nokata | FC Gifu SECOND | Undisclosed |
| 1 January 2014 | MF | Koki Akasaka | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | MF | Koya Yoshida | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | DF | Soichiro Tanaka | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | FW | Niji Sasadaira | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | DF | Shota Muto | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | DF | Kentaro Miyakawa | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | MF | Kaoru Nishio | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 1 January 2014 | MF | Seiji Yamaguchi | JAPAN Soccer College | JAPAN Soccer College |
| 24 January 2014 | DF | Kento Fujihara | Kansai University | Undisclosed |
| 29 January 2014 | DF | Taiyo Nishida | Osaka Sangyo University | Undisclosed |
| 17 February 2014 | FW | Yusuke Ueda | Sagawa Printing Kyoto SC | Undisclosed |
| 13 March 2014 | Coach | Tomoaki Sasaki | Unattached | Undisclosed |
| 7 June 2014 | DF | Norihiro Kawakami | Tampines Rovers | Undisclosed |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 December 2013 | DF | Kento Fukuda | Geylang International | Undisclosed |
| 1 December 2013 | DF | Yuki Ichikawa | Geylang International | Undisclosed |
| 3 December 2013 | MF | Gentaro Murakami | Msida Saint-Joseph F.C. | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | DF | Tatsuya Sase | Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | DF | Takaaki Usami | Released | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | FW | Kazuki Hiroshi | Released | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | DF | Yuya Nagae | Released | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | DF | Naotoshi Ito | Released | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | DF | Yu Takano | Released | Free |
| 3 December 2013 | FW | Katsumi Takahashi | Released | Free |
| 1 January 2014 | DF | Masahiro Ishikawa | Grulla Morioka | Free |
| 5 January 2014 | FW | Bruno Castanheira | Home United | Undisclosed |
| 14 January 2014 | MF | Takeshi Nagasawa | Released | Free |
| 14 January 2014 | MF | Masatake Sato | JAPAN Soccer College | Free |
| 16 January 2013 | GK | Hiroaki Hara | Arterivo Wakayama | Free |
| 25 January 2014 | DF | Hayato Nokata | Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh | Undisclosed |
| 12 March 2014 | GK | Junki Kato | Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh | Undisclosed |
| 2 April 2014 | MF | Shingo Suzuki | Retired | Retired |
| 10 April 2014 | Coach | Yuki Matsuda | Release | Free |
| 15 May 2014 | FW | Yusuke Ueda | Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh | Undisclosed |

### Loan in

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | From |
| 1 January 2014 | 30 November 2014 | MF | Kazuya Okazaki | Fagiano Okayama Next |

## Team Staff

Team Manager: Yeo Junxian Coach: Tomoaki Sasaki Goalkeeper Coach: Mizuki Ito Trainer: Kohei Tanaka