Yohei Takaoka (高丘 陽平, Takaoka Yohei, born March 16, 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps.[1]

Yohei Takaoka
高丘 陽平
Personal information
Full name Yohei Takaoka
Date of birth (1996-03-16) 16 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+12 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Vancouver Whitecaps
Number 18
Youth career
2004–2007 Azamino FC
2008–2013 Yokohama FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Yokohama FC 41 (0)
2014–2015J.League U-22 Selection (loan) 4 (0)
2018Sagan Tosu (loan) 0 (0)
2019–2020 Sagan Tosu 40 (0)
2020–2022 Yokohama F. Marinos 71 (0)
2023– Vancouver Whitecaps 33 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 October 2023

Club career

edit

Youth

edit

Takaoka was born in Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.[citation needed]

Takaoka begin his first youth career with Azamino FC from 2004 until 2007.[citation needed] He joined Yokohama FC Junior in 2008.[citation needed]

Yokohama FC

edit

Takaoka was promoted to youth in 2011 after playing for Yokohama FC Junior. [citation needed]On 10 May 2013, he registered with the top team as a type 2 register player.[2]

From the 2014 season, Takaoka was officially promoted to the first team.[3] In February of the same year, he was registered as a player in the J League U-22 selection to participate in J3 League.[4] After the promotion, Yuta Minami was the regular goalkeeper and Tsubasa Shibuya, who was one year older than him, served as a backup. Takaoka changed his uniform number from 26 to 1, took the regular goalkeeper from Minami and participated in 41 games.

Sagan Tosu

edit

On 26 March 2018, Takaoka joined J1 Club, Sagan Tosu on loan.[5] After the transfer, he became a backup for Shuichi Gonda and ended up participating in J. League Cup 3 games, but after the season ended, he was officially permanently transferred to Sagan Tosu.[6]

In 2019, when Gonda left the team, Takuo Ōkubo, a new member from FC Tokyo, was appointed in the early stages of the game, so he was on the reserve, but when Okubo transferred to Shimizu S-Pulse in the summer, he became a regular.[citation needed] After that, he scored in every game. In 2020, Tatsuya Morita joined Matsumoto Yamaga FC and the opportunity to participate decreased compared to last season, but he showed good saves in the games he participated in and competed for the position.[citation needed]

Yokohama F. Marinos

edit

On 23 October 2020, Takaoka announced his official permanent transfer to Yokohama F. Marinos.[7][8] After joining, he became a regular player by suppressing Yuji Kajikawa and Hirotsugu Nakabayashi, but suffered three consecutive losses, including losing three goals in two consecutive games from the match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Matchweek 28, which he participated in for the first time after the transfer and returned from rental in subsequent games.[citation needed] Lost position to Powell Obinna Obi. Takaoka returned to the starting lineup in Matchweek 30 facing against Kawasaki Frontale in the battle, he committed a hand outside the penalty area just before the end of the first half and was sent off. Obi was mainly used in the 2020 AFC Champions League and after deciding to advance to the round of 16, he only participated in one game against Sydney FC and the game he participated in after joining ended in a bitter result of not winning.[citation needed]

In 2021, when his uniform number was changed to 1, Takaoka handed over the starting lineup for the opening of the league to Obi, but was selected as the starting lineup in the J. League Cup group stage match against Vegalta Sendai. [citation needed]The game won 1-0, marking his first victory and first shutout since joining. After that, he mainly participated in cup matches, but when he was selected as the starting lineup in the league match against Shonan Bellmare in Section 7, he took the position from Obi and played an active role as a regular.

The 2022 season is the only team to participate in all games in the league match. He showed a performance in which he conceded 35 goals, the lowest tie in the league and contributed to the team's fifth league championship in three years. [citation needed]He was selected in the Best Eleven. It was the first time in 29 years since Shigetatsu Matsunaga (currently Yokohama F. Marinos Goalkeeper coach) was established in 1993 that a Goalkeeper belonging to Yokohama F. Marinos was selected as the best eleven.[9]

Vancouver Whitecaps

edit

On 18 February 2023, Takaoka officially announced his transfer to a Major League Soccer club, Vancouver Whitecaps ahead of the 2023 season.[10] Takaoka currently has 8 clean sheets and a rate of 100% for penalty saves in his MLS career.

Career statistics

edit
As of 5 November 2023[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Yokohama FC 2014 J2 League 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 0 0 1 0 1 0
2017 41 0 0 0 41 0
2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 41 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 0
Sagan Tosu (loan) 2018 J1 League 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0
Sagan Tosu 2019 24 0 2 0 6 0 32 0
2020 16 0 0 0 1 0 17 0
Total 40 0 2 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 52 0
Yokohama F. Marinos 2020 J1 League 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 0
2021 33 0 1 0 4 0 38 0
2022 34 0 0 0 7 0 7 0 48 0
Total 71 0 1 0 12 0 8 0 0 0 92 0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2023 Major League Soccer 33 0 3 0 2 0 4 0 42 0
Career total 185 0 7 0 22 0 10 0 4 0 228 0

Honours

edit

Yokohama F. Marinos

Vancouver Whitecaps

Individual

References

edit
  1. ^ "高丘 陽平 | 選手・スタッフ". 横浜F・マリノス 公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  2. ^ 横浜FCユースGK高丘陽平選手トップチーム登録のお知らせ 横浜FC オフィシャルサイト、2013年5月10日
  3. ^ 横浜FCユースMF石井圭太選手・GK高丘陽平選手トップチーム昇格内定お知らせ 横浜FC オフィシャルサイト、2013年11月18日
  4. ^ Jリーグ・アンダー22選抜 登録選手決定 J3リーグ公式サイト、2014年2月24日
  5. ^ 高丘陽平選手 横浜FCより期限付き移籍加入のお知らせ サガン鳥栖 オフィシャルサイト、2018年3月26日
  6. ^ 高丘陽平選手 完全移籍加入のお知らせ サガン鳥栖 オフィシャルサイト、2019年1月5日
  7. ^ 高丘陽平選手 完全移籍加入のお知らせ 横浜F・マリノス オフィシャルサイト、2020年10月23日
  8. ^ 異例のGKトレード!! J1鳥栖が横浜MのGK朴一圭をレンタルで獲得へ 中日スポーツ 2020年10月25日
  9. ^ 横浜FM29年ぶりの快挙 GK高丘陽平が見据えるさらなる高み「もっと突き詰めていきたい」 THE ANSWER 2022年11月10日
  10. ^ 高丘 陽平選手 バンクーバー・ホワイトキャップスFCへ完全移籍のお知らせ 2023年2月18日 横浜F・マリノス
  11. ^ "Japan - Y. Takaoka - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b "2022 Jリーグアウォーズ受賞者一覧". Football Channel. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
edit