FC Machida Zelvia Director Tsuyoshi Kuroda reveals the work methods of a great general manager: “A single awareness can make a big difference in an organization.

Interview with NIKUSAKO
Aomori Yamada High School coach turned coach, leading his team from 15th place in J2 to promotion to J1 in one year.

A high school soccer coach becomes manager of the 15th-ranked J2 team, which wins the championship in its first year. A dramatic event took place at FC Machida Zelvia this season. At the center of the story is Tsuyoshi Kuroda, 53, who was the coach of the evergreen Aomori Yamada High School until last year.

How did the greatest high school soccer coach of all time, who won three high school championships and the “triple crown” of major titles in 2009, transform Machida? We took a closer look at his work ethic.

Unlike many coaches, I know about the world outside of soccer. This was also an advantage in the professional arena. My origin is as an educator.

After working as a hotelier and a teacher at a public high school, Kuroda became coach of Aomori Yamada in 1994, and from 1995, he was in charge of the team as manager for 28 years. Aomori Yamada, which had been unknown throughout Japan, won the top place in Japan seven times after Kuroda took over.

Susumu Fujita, president of Zelvia and its parent company, CyberAgent, was the man who gave Kuroda the opportunity.

When I was offered the job in November of 2010, I didn’t really believe in it from a practical standpoint,” he said. However, I felt Mr. Fujita’s sense and determination as a manager when he said, ‘We need to build a winning organization and have the know-how to keep winning,’ even in the area of high school soccer. Even though there was criticism from outside, I thought it was an attractive challenge for me, and I accepted the offer.

Kuroda was also a “coach who won too many games. He won titles, but it was not uncommon for him to be criticized for his defensive style and long-throw tactics.

It is true that even after he was announced as Machida’s new coach, he was viewed with skepticism. However, Kuroda’s style was consistent.

Although he tells the press that his style is a “trade secret,” he has been working hard in camp to thoroughly train the team’s defense from the very basics, winning all six of his preseason games against J1 opponents. In the league, the team made a strong start with six wins and a draw from the start of the season, and won the championship with overwhelming strength. The team was said to be defensive, but by the end of the season, they had scored the most goals in the league.

We were careful to make sure that our old ways would work as we entered the professional world. We used video to make the numbers more convincing and sorted out what worked and what didn’t. At first, the players were skeptical.

I think the players were skeptical at first, but after the results of the camp, they realized that this approach was very effective. We set a target of 90 points and 30 or fewer goals, clarified the team concept, and created a base of principles that would allow us to get back on track even in the event of a setback.

In soccer, offense and defense are two sides of the same coin. We tried to do more than any other team what is required in today’s soccer world, which is hard work and quick switching. As a result, good defense led to winning the ball and effective attack. This was the driving force behind the most goals in the league.

Kuroda had a great ability to answer any question in a logical manner and verbalize his answers. This style of communication with players and staff members is also evident.

In his 30 years of teaching, I have noticed that children’s tendencies change over a five-year span. I have to change the way I interact with them accordingly. For example, today’s children are known as “Generation Z.” They are highly capable and have a high sense of self-esteem, but you can’t scold them too hard or deny them one-sidedly.

However, what will always remain the same is human emotion. I am conscious of management that emphasizes a ‘sense of tragedy’ and communicates how my actions make the team feel. For example, I made a naive play at the edge of the ball and lost a goal. I dare to tell them in front of everyone at the meeting that this is the reason why my colleagues do not trust me. The emotions at that time are very painful, and by daring to share the points for improvement, the players become more disciplined. In this way, the perfection of the organization is enhanced.

In the Emperor’s Cup this season, Kuroda’s team proved that they can compete even against J1 teams, winning outright against Yokohama F. Marinos. However, Kuroda’s ideal is even higher.

We were able to do what we needed to do, but that is not enough to win in J1. We need to sublimate the rules into a habit and continue to do so. I also feel that I have a mission to continue to produce results in order to open the path from high school soccer coach to professional soccer player for future generations.

On the other hand, when the subject of his personal life came up, he made fun of it like this.

Even as a teacher, the most difficult thing is educating my own children. As a coach, I am given the most authority to make decisions regarding the team, but at home, the two decision makers are the husband and wife, so I don’t have the priority. I think I myself am the least appreciated at home (laughs).

With his pride as an educator and in the world of high school soccer in his heart, Kuroda is determined to make further progress on the J1 stage.

From the January 5 and 12, 2024 issue of FRIDAY