Season 8 Preview

It was a rather frustrating offseason for the two time defending champion Kobe Beef, as there were high expectations from the fans that the squad would capitalize upon it's title and draw in some major talent from the deep season 8 free agent pool.  But it was not to be, as the 2.5 million dollar payout Hyogo had at their disposal wasn't nearly enough to reel in the top tier talent, specifically superstar midfielder Ronaldo Mendez, who took a deal with the Spurs at the last minute leaving the Beef with seemingly nothing to show.  But all was not lost, as the Beef were able to suprise late in the signing period and land a very talented young midfielder, and also inked 2 very promising teenagers who can benefit from the veteran leadership on the team.  Here is a look at the three players signed by Hyogo Tajima-Ushi FC:

Free Agent Signings

Zé Marceneiro - M, 22 yrs old, 67 OV
--Marceneiro was suprisingly around after the initial flurry of signings on day four, and after being snubbed by Portuguese superstar midfielder Ronaldo Mendez after being #1 in the bidding for days, the Kobe Beef were left scrambling to find a replacement, and ended up throwing the entirety of their remaining budget after the nearly as talented and younger Marceneiro.  Zé, as he likes to be called, landed the biggest signing bonus and contract in franchise history, with a 654K annual salary and a million dollar signing bonus.  But Zé looks to be worth it as his vision on the pitch is nearly unequalled, he is solid in the air, and lethal around the net if he gets the chance to shoot.  He is a bit slow, but his distribution skills are supreme, and he could still improve upon them being only 22 years old. 

Zuriel Linie, F, 19 yrs old, 53 OV
--Linie is a very promising young striker, who at 19 years of age already has the core skills necessary to perform and start for many teams.  But with the Kobe Beef having 5 top tier strikers, all over the age of 30, he will be a substitute for a few years while he hones his game, and then when the veterans retire he is almost assured of a starting position in the next 3-4 seasons should he grow into the player he is projected to be.  His ceiling is very high, as his offensive instinct, shooting, heading, and ball striking skills are all in the 60-80 range already, and his dribbling and passing skills are in the mid 50's.  With enough playing time he could conceivably reach the 65-70 range in his peak years.

Habib Mündig, D, 18 yrs old, 53 OV
--The real gem of the free agency period for the Kobe Beef may ultimately be the young D-man Habib Mündig, an 18 year old who is already improving despite having yet played a game for Hyogo.  Mündig has the potential to grow into the ultimate lock down defender, as he already shows elite skills for the position with defensive instinct, player and zonal marking skills, and situational defense skills rated in the 50's to 70's, and he has great speed and agility.  Strong in the air and able to clear the ball well, with any amount of playing time it is hard to see him not reaching a 60 overall rating in a season or two, and a mid to high 70's peak isn't out of the question, as he is one of the highest rated 18 year old prospects to hit the league in many seasons. 

Season Preview

Prospects for the season are pretty good for Hyogo, and expectations are high after back to back championships.  But it will be a tough task to three-peat, as the Kobe Beef only signed one impact free agent while watching nearly every other team in the J-League open their pocketbooks in a major way and rapidly improve their squads.  But with a very talented core of experienced players returning there is no reason to think that Hyogo won't again compete for the league title.  The Beef are expected to run the 4-3-3 again as their favored formation, and have the elite talent up front, especially season 7 golden boot runner up Malachy Krautstok, to take full advantage of it, and also have a deep and deadly midfield.  In the back they sport two top tier D-men, but might be vulnerable on the flanks as Mündig develops.  GK Barnaby Lichteneger is as good as it gets, but backup Josh Boswell is only average.  While they may give up a few more goals than last seasons pretty solid defense, the midfields ability to move the ball and distribute coupled with the lethal capabilities of all 6 forwards means that the Kobe Beef could top last seasons 137 goals scored and +102 goal differential.  The local media fully expects another top 4 finish for the Beef this season, and anything less will be a disappointment.

Projected starting lineup:
GK: Barnaby Lichteneger (73 OV)
LD: Michinaga Matsuoka (61 OV)
LCD: Takeichi Miyagi (68 OV)
RCD: Masami Chiba (68OV)
RD: Habib Mündig (53 OV)
LM: Sancho Ferreira (64OV)
CM: Shinsaku Shinji (68OV)
RM: Zé Marceneiro (67OV)
LF: Togai Katsumoto (61 OV)
CF: Davi Gellbart (59 OV)
RF: Malachy Krautstok (69 OV)

Top Subs:
D Fujio Kobayashi, M Ilias Mohliwer, F Arata Takamine, F Zeshin Yoneda, F Zuriel Linie