Homare Sawa
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Homare Sawa | |||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | September 6, 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
1991–1999 | NTV Beleza | 136 | (79) | |||||||||||||||||
1999–2000 | Denver Diamonds | |||||||||||||||||||
2001–2003 | Atlanta Beat | 55 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||
2004–2008 | Nippon TV Beleza | 85 | (47) | |||||||||||||||||
2009–2010 | Washington Freedom | 41 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||
2009 | →Nippon TV Beleza | 4 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
2010 | Nippon TV Beleza | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2011–2015 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 94 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
Total | 415 | (159) | ||||||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
1993–2015 | Japan | 205 | (83) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Homare Sawa (澤 穂希, Sawa Homare, born 6 September 1978) is a former Japanese professional football player. She was captain of the Japan national team that won gold at the 2011 World Cup and led the team to the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2012, she was named the 2011 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. She previously played for the Atlanta Beat of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), Nippon TV Beleza, the Washington Freedom of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), and INAC Kobe Leonessa in the Nadeshiko League Division 1.
Early life
Sawa was born in Fuchū, Tokyo on September 6, 1978. She began playing football at the age of six. While watching her older brother train, she was invited by his coach to join the boys' team on the pitch.[2]
Club career
NTV Beleza
In 1991, long considered Japan's finest female footballer, Sawa was promoted to Yomiuri SC Ladies Beleza (later NTV Beleza) from youth team by manager Kazuhiko Takemoto. She made her debut in L.League, Japan's highest domestic league, at the young age of 12.[3] She played as forward and played 136 matches and scored 79 goals in League. She was also elected Best Eleven 5 times (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998).
Atlanta Beat
With the birth of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2001, Sawa found herself playing in the highest-level professional women's league in the United States, for the Atlanta Beat. She scored the first goal in the club's history, and was a centerpiece of the Beat's three seasons in the league, helping them into the playoffs each year. Despite her diminutive stature at 5'5" (165 cm) tall and 121 lbs. (55 kg), she held her own with the mostly larger and more physical players, and was regularly among the team and league leaders in fouls taken.[citation needed]
Nippon TV Beleza
Following the WUSA's demise in 2003, Sawa returned to Japan, where she played with powerhouse Nippon TV Beleza. In 2004, she was named Women's Player of the Year for the Asian Football Confederation.[citation needed] She played the club until 2008. The club won L.League championship for 4 years in a row (2005-2008). She also was elected L.League MVP awards in 2006 and 2008.
Washington Freedom
On 24 September 2008, Sawa was selected by the Washington Freedom in the first round of the 2008 WPS International Draft. She was a fixture in the Freedom midfield through the league's first two seasons in 2009 and 2010.
Nippon TV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa
In September 2009, Sawa returned to Japan temporarily end of 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, and joined Nippon TV Beleza on loan.[4] End of 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season, she returned to Nippon TV Beleza.
In January 2011, Sawa moved to INAC Kobe Leonessa for due to financial strain at Nippon TV Beleza, with international player, Shinobu Ohno, Yukari Kinga and Chiaki Minamiyama. The club won L.League championship for 3 years in a row (2011-2013). On December 16, 2015, she announced her retirement from playing career at the end of 2015 season. At her last tournament, 2015 Empress's Cup, INAC Kobe Leonessa reached the final. Her last match at final against Albirex Niigata on December 27, she scored a winning goal in the 78th minute, and INAC Kobe Leonessa won the championship, by defeating Albirex Niigata (1-0).[5]
National team career
On 6 December 1993, at age 15, Sawa made her Japanese international debut, scoring four goals in her first ever match, a win against the Philippines. She has subsequently remained a fixture for the Japanese national team, participating in the last six FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments and the 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics on her way to a Japanese record 201 caps, and a Japanese female-best 81 international goals, including a hat trick in a 2011 World Cup group stage match against Mexico.[m 1]
Sawa led the Japanese national team as captain to a world championship victory at the 2011 World Cup . After a 2–2 tie in front of a sellout crowd in Frankfurt, Germany (with one goal by Sawa in the 117th minute), Japan won the penalty shootout 3–1, defeating the United States to win their first ever World Cup. Sawa was also awarded the Golden Boot for being the tournament's leading scorer with five goals and the Golden Ball for being the tournament's MVP.
On 9 January 2012, Sawa was awarded the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year in Zurich, Switzerland.[6] She announced her immediate retirement from international football in August 2012, after helping Japan win a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.[7]
Sawa returned to international competition[8] in 2014 to help Japan win the 2014 Asian Cup, scoring her 82nd international goal in the process.[9] In 2015, she returned to the national team from injury after a one-year absence and marked the occasion by scoring the winning goal, on an assist by Aya Miyama, in a warm-up match against New Zealand.[10] Sawa and Brazil's Formiga became the first footballers to appear for a record sixth World Cup at the 2015 World Cup in Canada. However Japan went on to lose 5-2 to the US in the final.[11]
Career statistics
Club career
- As of 11 November 2012
Team | Season | League | Domestic league | Domestic playoffs | Total | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Starts | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Apps | Starts | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Apps | Starts | Minutes | Goals | Assists | |||
Washington Freedom | 2009 | WPS | 20 | 20 | 1800 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 1890 | 3 | 0 |
Total | 20 | 20 | 1800 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 1890 | 3 | 0 | ||
Career total | – | 20 | 20 | 1800 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 1890 | 3 | 0 |
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Yomiuri Beleza | 1991 | 13 | 5 | - | |||||
1992 | 20 | 3 | - | ||||||
1993 | 17 | 5 | - | ||||||
1994 | 17 | 11 | - | ||||||
1995 | 18 | 16 | - | ||||||
1996 | 17 | 14 | - | ||||||
1997 | 18 | 14 | - | ||||||
1998 | 16 | 11 | - | ||||||
1999 | 0 | 0 | - | ||||||
Total | 136 | 79 | - | ||||||
Denver Diamonds | 1999 | ||||||||
2000 | |||||||||
Total | |||||||||
Atlanta Beat | 2001 | 19 | 3 | - | - | 19 | 3 | ||
2002 | 21 | 7 | - | - | 21 | 7 | |||
2003 | 15 | 3 | - | - | 15 | 3 | |||
Total | 55 | 13 | - | - | 55 | 13 | |||
Nippon TV Beleza | 2004 | 6 | 5 | - | |||||
2005 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 3 | - | 26 | 19 | ||
2006 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 2 | - | 20 | 15 | ||
2007 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 11 | |
2008 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 1 | - | 25 | 8 | ||
Total | 85 | 47 | 2 | 0 | |||||
Washington Freedom | 2009 | 20 | 3 | - | - | 20 | 3 | ||
Total | 20 | 3 | - | - | 20 | 3 | |||
Nippon TV Beleza | 2009 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | 8 | 3 | |
Total | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | 8 | 3 | ||
Washington Freedom | 2010 | 21 | 3 | - | - | 21 | 3 | ||
Total | 21 | 3 | - | - | 21 | 3 | |||
Nippon TV Beleza | 2010 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | - | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |||
INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2011 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 0 | - | 20 | 4 | |
2012 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
2013 | 6 | 0 | |||||||
Total | 33 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 50 | 6 | |
Career total |
National team
Japan national team | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
1993 | 4 | 4 |
1994 | 6 | 1 |
1995 | 8 | 0 |
1996 | 10 | 3 |
1997 | 7 | 13 |
1998 | 10 | 4 |
1999 | 8 | 0 |
2000 | 1 | 1 |
2001 | 8 | 6 |
2002 | 8 | 5 |
2003 | 12 | 10 |
2004 | 8 | 2 |
2005 | 9 | 3 |
2006 | 17 | 7 |
2007 | 14 | 6 |
2008 | 15 | 7 |
2009 | 1 | 0 |
2010 | 15 | 3 |
2011 | 14 | 5 |
2012 | 10 | 1 |
2013 | 2 | 0 |
2014 | 8 | 1 |
2015 | 8 | 1 |
Total | 205 | 83 |
International goals
Matches and goals scored at World Cup and Olympic tournaments
Sawa has competed in six FIFA Women's World Cups (Sweden 1995, USA 1999, USA 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011, and Canada 2015); she and Brazil's Formiga, who competed at the same Women's World Cups, are the only players of either sex to appear in six World Cup final tournaments. Sawa has also represented Japan in four Olympics: Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. In all, she played 41 matches and scored 11 goals at those ten global tournaments.[14] Sawa was a member of the Japanese teams that won the 2011 Women's World Cup, and were runners-up at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2015 Women's World Cup.
Key (expand for notes on "world cup and olympic goals") | |
---|---|
Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred |
Lineup | Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time |
Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
penalty or pk | Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
Score | The match score after the goal was scored. |
Result | The final score. W – match was won |
aet | The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parentheses; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
Orange background color – Olympic women's football tournament | |
Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament |
Honors
Club
- Nadeshiko.League (8): 1991, 1992, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
- Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament (7): 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Nadeshiko.League Cup: 2007
- Nadeshiko.League: 2011, 2012, 2013
- Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Football Tournament: 2011
- International Women's Club Championship (1): 2013
- Nadeshiko.League Cup: 2013
International
- East Asian Football Championship: 2008, 2010
- Asian Games Gold Medal: 2010
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2011
- Olympic Silver Medal: 2012
- AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2014
Individual
- Nadeshiko.League Best Eleven (11): 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
- AFC Women's Player of the Year: 2004, 2008
- Nadeshiko.League MVP: 2006, 2008
- EAFF Women's Football Championship Best Player: 2008, 2010
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2011
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Shoe: 2011
- FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2011
- Asian Football Hall of Fame: 2014
References
- ^ 2015 World Cup
- ^ "Homare Sawa". 2012 London Olympics Committee. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Star bio: Japan's Homare Sawa". CBC Sports. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ nikkansports.comTemplate:Ja
- ^ Match Report at Japan Football AssociationTemplate:Ja
- ^ "Japan's Homare Sawa is FIFA women's player of the year". BBC News. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Japan's Sawa set to quit international football". Reuters. 11 August 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Lesser lights eye share of the spotlight". FIFA. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Matildas fall short in Women's Asian Cup final". The Guardian. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Sawa returns with winning goal as Nadeshiko beat New Zealand". The Japan Times. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ "Japan legend Sawa makes cut for sixth World Cup". Reuters. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ Japan Football AssociationTemplate:Ja
- ^ List of match in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 at Japan Football Association Template:Ja
- ^ "FIFA Player Statistics: Homare SAWA". FIFA.
- Match reports
- ^ a b "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: Japan – Mexico". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Sweden 1995: MATCH Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Sweden 1995: MATCH Report: Brazil – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Sweden 1995: MATCH Report: Sweden – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Atlanta 1996: Match Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Atlanta 1996: Match Report: Brazil – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Atlanta 1996: Match Report: Norway – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 1999: MATCH Report: Japan – Canada". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 1999: MATCH Report: Japan – Russia". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 1999: MATCH Report: Norway – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 2003: MATCH Report: Japan – Argentina". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 2003: MATCH Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: USA 2003: MATCH Report: Canada – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004: Match Report: Sweden – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004: Match Report: Japan – Nigeria". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004: Match Report: USA – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: China PR 2007: MATCH Report: Japan – England". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: China PR 2007: MATCH Report: Argentina – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: China PR 2007: MATCH Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: Japan – New Zealand". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: USA – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: Norway – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: China PR – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: Japan – USA". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008: Match Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: Japan – New Zealand". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: England – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: Germany – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: Japan – Sweden". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Germany 2011: MATCH Report: Japan – USA". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012: Match Report: Japan – Canada". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012: Match Report: Japan – Sweden". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012: Match Report: Brazil – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012: Match Report: France – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012: Match Report: USA – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: Japan – Switzerland". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: Japan – Cameroon". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: Ecuador – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: Japan – Netherlands". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: Australia – Japan". FIFA.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup: Canada 2015: MATCH Report: USA – Japan". FIFA.
External links
- Homare Sawa – FIFA competition record (archived)
- JFA players' Information
- FIFA 2007 Women's World Cup bio page
- 2012 London Olympics player profile
- WPS Press Release
- Use dmy dates from August 2013
- 1978 births
- Living people
- Japanese women's footballers
- Japan women's international footballers
- Olympic footballers of Japan
- Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- People from Western Tokyo
- Association football people from Tokyo
- Washington Freedom players
- FIFA Century Club
- FIFA World Player of the Year winners
- Olympic silver medalists for Japan
- Olympic medalists in football
- INAC Kobe Leonessa players
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- FIFA Women's World Cup-winning captains
- FIFA Women's World Cup-winning players
- Asian Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
- Japanese expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- L.League players
- Atlanta Beat (WUSA) players
- Women's United Soccer Association players
- Nippon TV Beleza players
- United Soccer Leagues W-League players
- Women's Professional Soccer players
- Women's association football midfielders
- Asian Games medalists in football
- Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games
- Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games
- Footballers at the 2006 Asian Games
- Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games
- Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan