J.LEAGUE: Rookie Nagatomo helps Gasmen reach lofty heights

A third of the way into the J.League season and no one would have expected lowly F.C. Tokyo to be sitting comfortably three points behind the front-running Urawa Reds.

But with a 6-2-3 record heading into Round 12 this weekend, the Gasmen are early contenders and a big part of their success lies in a 21-year-old rookie defender.

Boasting mobility and tireless stamina, Yuto Nagatomo has been a starter since the start of the season and netted his first goal as a professional last weekend against Omiya Ardija.

"I devoted my energy to defend in the first half," said the 170-centimeter attack-minded defender of the Omiya match. "I was looking for a scoring chance in the second half when Omiya got tired out."

Still a Meiji University senior, Nagatomo was quick to jump at the chance to play top flight professional soccer. Last year, he played a key role in Meiji's first Kanto University League title in 43 years before officially joining F.C. Tokyo before the start of the 2008 campaign.

Nagatomo plans on completing his sociology degree, but for now, football dominates his calendar.

"I'll surely graduate within a year," he said. "But I haven't had many opportunities to go to university after the season started."

This year might be one of Nagatomo's busiest terms when it comes to soccer. He is expected to be called up for the under-23 side for the Beijing Olympics, and he also has the potential to play for the A team in qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

After an impressive outing in a friendly against Angola for the Olympic team in March, national team coach Takeshi Okada had Nagatomo attend a three-day training camp last month.

"Nagatomo is currently having the best performance among J.League players," Okada said. "No other player can go up and down on the pitch repeatedly like him."

Training with the top players has been a big benefit for Nagatomo.

"I've gained a lot of confidence that my speed and mobility is an asset to the national team," he said. "But I also have a lot of things to improve such as accuracy of my crosses and developing quick judgment in play."

A one-on-one talent, Nagatomo's main position is at right flank, but he is playing as left defender for F.C. Tokyo because Japan international Yuhei Tokunaga is playing on right side.

"(Playing on left side) is a learning curve for me and makes me a more versatile soccer player," he said.

A month ago, he told reporters that his crosses from his left foot were sloppy. Now, he says: "I've got to know how to deal with that little by little."

When he faced Brazilian striker Hulk last month in a match against Tokyo Verdy, Nagatomo played a persistent defense on the Verdy attacker. A frustrated Hulk was cautioned twice in the game and sent off in the second half.

"I know he gets easily irritated when he isn't able to do what he wants to do," Nagatomo said after the Verdy match. "He may be the Hulk, but my nickname is 'Gorilla.' Today, Gorilla defeated the Hulk."(IHT/Asahi: May 10,2008)