Cerezo Osaka earned promotion to the Meiji Yasuda J1 League in 2017 and celebrated their reintroduction to the top flight with a third place finish and cup double. That remains the most accomplished season for the Sakura, but after a strong 2022, they have dreams of reaching the heights of six years ago in 2023.

Last season

The Sakura had a difficult 2021, but they bounced back in a big way last season. They were especially effective in the summer, losing only one of 11 matches at one point as they climbed the table en route to a fifth place finish.

A much-improved defense drove Cerezo’s improvement in 2022 as Akio Kogiku built a cohesive and organized team in his first full season in charge at Yodoko Sakura Stadium.

Goal for 2023

While Yokohama F·Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale enter the season as the favorites in J1, there is some buzz that Cerezo could be a team to take a leap forward and challenge last season’s top two.

The additions of Léo Ceará from Marinos and Jordy Croux from Avispa Fukuoka give them two attackers who have flashed brilliance in the J.League before. If they supercharge the attack, there is no ceiling on the Sakura’s ambition this season.

What to watch for

Cerezo brought back almost their entire team from last season, with Jean Patric the most notable departure. They didn’t simply retain the squad that played well in 2022, though.

Léo Ceará comes with the 11 goals he scored for Marinos last season, Croux is a passing wizard and Capixaba comes over from Brazil to help replace Jean Patric. It’s a majorly upgraded squad.

That alone would have expectations sky high on the pink side of Osaka, but then they made one more signing - Shinji Kagawa.

The brilliant midfielder who made his professional debut at Cerezo before leaving for Europe, where he won the Premier League with Manchester United and two Bundesliga titles in a Borussia Dortmund shirt, not to mention starring for the Samurai Blue. Now he’s back with the Sakura, bringing not just the talent that Cerezo fans remember fondly, but unmatched experience.