Just a flag to Bill Turianski's excellent site, Bill's Sports Maps, which here features an interesting and informative (and aesthetically pleasing) map of J1 teams, plus a handy collection of stats and data.

GGOA has been carrying out a little research following the shock arrival in Saitama of Slovenian international striker Klemen Lavric: given that Omiya have in recent seasons at least made a habit of buying Brazilian when it comes to their foreign squad members, just who was the last European to wear the orange shirt? And the answer to that question is none other than Fuat Usta, a midfielder of Dutch / Turkish origins, who played for Ardija during the latter half of the 2002 season, when the club were coached by Henk Duut.

Usta was born in Turkey and was thirty when he came to Japan, having enjoyed an extensive playing career with Fortuna Sittard - the club from which the legendary figure of Pim Verbeek joined Ardija - Cambuur Leeuwarden, Sparta Rotterdam and MVV Maastricht, as well as spells in Finland and at Turkish giants Besiktas. He played sixteen times in the league for Ardija, leaving at the end of 2002 in order to return to MVV.



The man himself