Brisbane Roar officials must have been rubbing their hands with glee when FC Tokyo lifted the Emperor’s Cup on New Year’s Day at a packed National Stadium in the Japanese capital.

After all, “the Gasmen” had just booked a place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League and a March 6 showdown at Suncorp Stadium with Ange Postecoglou’s all-conquering Roar.

It was a dream result for the Roar, not least because they avoided having to travel to Nishikyogoku Stadium – home of beaten Emperor’s Cup finalists Kyoto Sanga and one of the most hopelessly outdated venues in Asia.

Instead the Roar will travel to the cavernous Ajinomoto Stadium on the western outskirts of Tokyo, where they will play one of the genuine up-and-coming Asian sides.

It’s true FC Tokyo spent 2011 in the second tier but the gap between the first and second division in Japan is closer than one might think.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Cerezo Osaka both qualified for the ACL just a year after promotion, before Kashiwa Reysol went one better and lifted the J1 title in 2011 just a season after winning J2.

FC Tokyo will hope for similarly impressive results but first they will have to negotiate the trip to Queensland, where Australia’s best team awaits.

And the clash between a vibrant Roar and an FC Tokyo side brimming with talent should be a positive affirmation of all that’s good about the ACL.

How the two Matts – Smith and Jurman – cope with FC Tokyo’s strike force of veteran Lucas Severino and the towering Sota Hirayama will be fascinating to watch.

Will Thomas Broich get the better of the bruising Masato Morishige? Or will we see tricky Tokyo winger Naohiro Ishikawa unleash one of his trademark long-range specials?

The build-up to the game is intriguing and as the game draws near, hopefully it’s one Hyundai A-League fans begin to appreciate.

No sooner had FC Tokyo lifted the Emperor’s Cup than a prominent football journalist rang me to say how much he was looking forward to the game in Brisbane.

The interest in the ACL is there – at least within sections of the Australian media – but it will take some time yet for A-League fans to become familiar with Asian clubs.

Hopefully this season’s group stage helps speed up the process because Australia’s three representatives have drawn some tasty opponents.

FC Tokyo, Nagoya Grampus and Gamba Osaka are three of the biggest names in Japanese football but the likes of Uzbek giants Bunyodkor, Chinese side Beijing Guoan and 2010 ACL winners Seongnam Ilhwa from South Korea are nothing to sniff at either.

And with genuine stars like Gamba playmaker Yasuhito Endo, Ulsan Hyundai goal-sneak Lee Keun-Ho, legendary Tianjin Teda defender Li Weifeng and Nagoya’s dead-ball specialist Jungo Fujimoto all set to grace us with their presence – not to mention Socceroos stars Josh Kennedy and Sasa Ognenovski – A-League fans have every reason to be excited by the ACL.

That’s especially the case now that a team like the Roar has a genuine chance of progressing beyond the group stage.

Doing so would add to the A-League’s credibility on the continent and maybe even help entice some more Asian talent to our shores – if not for the salary, then at least for the enviable lifestyle on offer.

I can think of several Asian players who would help lift the standard of the A-League and several of them will be on show in the 2012 ACL.

Hopefully Adelaide United, Roar and Mariners fans have booked some trips away because watching your team play in a foreign country is an exhilarating experience.

And hopefully they’ll make some new friends along the way because if past campaigns have taught us anything, Asia and the ACL is always a fun place to be.

 
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect those of Football Federation Australia.
Comments (14)
 
There are some cheaper away packages available for Brisbane games that do not include match tickets from premierfootballtours for those that have asked the question.
Lucas  |  
14 Feb 2012 08:38 AM
 
 
That Roar strip is hideous. The club made the mistake of allowing the artwork to go out in a catalogue for A-Mart All Sports. If the club had invited members to submit designs they may have ended up with a winner like the Melbourne Heart 3rd. This one looks like a committee designed it.
Roon  |  
6 Feb 2012 12:52 PM
 
 
Apologies for taking over this blog as a Roar ACL blog, but I saw the ACL strip for the first time yesterday. Orangy botton fading to a light top with a strip across the chest. Can't say it was brilliant, but not bad. Would have preferred to keep the strong Orange theme. How come this hasn't been promoted on the Roar or any other site that I'e seen? (The release date is Feb 21 I think, but it's out in the public domain already...)
Ben of BNE  |  
3 Feb 2012 10:22 AM
 
 
Keep your eyes out for Jetstar flights from the Gold Coast. Return to Japan is fairly inexpensive - and with our strong dollar you should be able to have a good week there for less than $2,000 all up!
Chris  |  
2 Feb 2012 07:28 PM
 
 
Still waiting for the information for buying or booking of tickets at Ulsan stadium on 4 April 2012.
Hasherb  |  
2 Feb 2012 02:49 PM
 
 
Japan away trip added to Roar site today. Basic package - 5 nights again - is $3300 (plus $400 single supplement). More than the China trip - which was expected - but still no sign of a budget version. The ACL is a fun place to be. But it could be a whole lot more fun with a bit more thought and better options.
Ben of BNE  |  
2 Feb 2012 12:27 PM
 
 
At the risk of sounding like a whinger, I've just read the Roar's Home package deals for the ACL games and once again I'm disappointed. The ticketed packages start at $250 per game ($650 for all three) and go up to $700 per game. You can buy individual seats for the same as HAL prices, which is good. But where are the options for the fans? Where is the 3 game option with hat or scarf or flag or shirt (must be a special strip for these games surely) for $200-ish?? As a typical fan-in-the-street I feel quite excluded by these packages.
Ben of BNE  |  
1 Feb 2012 12:03 PM
 
 
Roon is right. I've been to China a few times and $2500 is over the top for only 5 days. Sure travel agents will show it compares well with package tours but you can confidently book online and save heaps. The cheaper it is the fewer obstacles to Roar fans making the effort to go. The ACL is a huge chance .
mike d  |  
31 Jan 2012 01:47 PM
 
 
An away trip doesn't have to cost the earth! You should be able to get to the Beijing game for under $800 return at the moment. A Chinese visa costs almost $100 but is really no hassle at all, especially if you live in Brisbane. A bed in a quality hostel near the city centre/stadium goes for $10-20 per night. You can eat well and cheaply at hostels, local restaurants, food courts, markets and food stalls, Beer is cheap, plentiful & at this time of the year - always cold! Ticket to the game for less than Suncorp; souvenir match shirt & scarf - $30; Forbidden City - $10; Great Wall - $15; Summer Palace - $10; Temple of Heaven - $5; Tiananmen Tower - $2 (all include bus/train/subway fares) Borrow a Smart card from your hostel and you get cheaper bus travel and can use it on subways & trains; even pay for your taxi fares - $2-3 locally. You could get away to the Beijing away quite comfortably for about $1200 for 7 nights.
Roon  |  
30 Jan 2012 05:20 PM
 
 
The game is not even mentioned on any of the official BNE websites and no fixtures are posted. No promotion, it seems. How do you expect to get a crowd of more than 10k at the game on a Wednesday evening in 6 weeks time?
James  |  
29 Jan 2012 12:21 PM
 
 
I have book the Ulsan tour. I wanted to wait until Roar reached the semi-final. However, they are not playing well recently. And they may not be in the ACL next year. That is why I go enen jut to see the group match. Cherry blossom happens in early April. So a good tour to see the flowers too. They flights have become demanding. Book earlier. But I still cannot find where to book the tickets for the match.
Hasherb  |  
29 Jan 2012 12:16 AM
 
 
the $2500 tour ben is brilliant value, im a travel agent and i honestly dont think there marking it up by much at all. theres heaps of tours to the interesting places plus its all inclusive of your meals as well as chinese visa(which can be a hassle). ive just booked to go with my dad and my son, gonna be an awesome away trip! i remember looking when mvfc were in the acl last season, and their trip to japan was nearly $4000, so the $2500 for this one seems alot more affordable by comparison. ive read up on ulsan, sounds like a shipping port...i dont think that one will get many takers! premier sports tours is doing a cheaper package, but trust me when i say that in travel, you get what you pay for. see you on the official one if you come mate!
sexyfootball  |  
27 Jan 2012 07:44 AM
 
 
Ben, just go yourself and forget about the package. You can probably get flights for around $1000 and you could easily find a good hotel for $100 a night........
Kit  |  
25 Jan 2012 07:46 PM
 
 
Too right. The ACL is the highlight of the year for me. Much bigger than the HAL. I'll be buying a Platinum package for the Roar's home games. And I'm really tempted to do at least one of the away trip being organised. I just wish they'd do a 2 or 3 day version of the trip as well as the 7 day, $2500 one on offer for the first game. Are you listening Roar management?
Ben of BNE  |  
25 Jan 2012 11:47 AM
 
Poll
Which opening round fixture are you most looking forward to?




Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman is a freelance football journalist who has covered Qantas Socceroos and the Hyundai A-League, and has built a reputation on his excellent knowledge of football in Asia.