JapaneseFootballerNational teamManager

Hiroyuki Usui

Hiroyuki Usui is a former Japanese football player and manager known for his prolific scoring and leading Hitachi to a Japan Soccer League Second Division championship.

1. Life and Early Career

Hiroyuki Usui's personal background and early education laid the foundation for his distinguished football career.

1.1. Childhood and Education

Usui was born on August 4, 1953, in Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. His early football development took place in his hometown. He attended Shizuoka Prefectural Fujieda Higashi High School (Fujieda Higashi High School) before continuing his education and football career at Waseda University.

2. Playing Career

Hiroyuki Usui had a notable professional football career spanning over a decade, playing for his club and representing his country internationally. He was primarily known as a powerful striker who excelled at scoring from a right 45-degree angle.

2.1. Club Career

After graduating from Waseda University, Usui joined Hitachi (now Kashiwa Reysol) in 1976. During his time with the club, he became a key player and contributed significantly to their success. Hitachi won the 1976 JSL Cup during his debut season. He was a prolific goal scorer, earning the Japan Soccer League (JSL) Top Scorer award twice, in the 1980 and 1982 seasons. His contributions also extended to helping Hitachi secure the Emperor's Cup in its 55th edition. Usui remained with Hitachi until his retirement as a player in 1988. Over his career in the JSL Division 1, he played 200 games, scoring 85 goals and providing 28 assists.

2.2. National Team Career

Usui made his debut for the Japan national football team on February 12, 1974, in a match against Singapore. He went on to represent Japan in various significant international competitions. In 1977, he was selected for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He also participated in the 1978 Asian Games. Although he was not consistently selected for the national team after the 1980 Summer Olympics qualification matches, he made a return to the squad in 1984. His final appearances for the national team were during the 1984 Summer Olympics qualification matches. In total, Usui played 38 international A-matches for Japan, scoring 15 goals.

3. Coaching Career

Following his retirement as a player, Hiroyuki Usui transitioned into a coaching role. In 1989, he became the manager for his former club, Hitachi. His initial season, the 1989-90 season, saw the club finish in the last place, leading to their relegation to the JSL Division 2. However, under his management, Hitachi quickly bounced back, winning the JSL Division 2 championship in the 1990-91 season and securing promotion back to Division 1. He continued to manage the team through the 1991-92 season and the 1992 Old JFL Division 1, where the team finished as runner-up. Usui resigned from his managerial position in 1992.

4. Post-retirement Activities

After concluding his coaching career with Hitachi, Hiroyuki Usui remained involved in the football world. He served as a front staff member for Kashiwa Reysol, the rebranded successor to Hitachi. Currently, he is dedicated to youth football development as the master of the Pureness Soccer School.

5. Assessment and Honors

This section highlights the individual accolades and lasting impact of Hiroyuki Usui's career in Japanese football.

5.1. Individual Honors

During his playing career, Usui received the following major individual awards:

  • Japan Soccer League First Division Top Scorer: 1980, 1982

5.2. Legacy and Historical Assessment

Usui's impact on Japanese football is recognized through his nominations for significant honors. In 2017, he was nominated for induction into the Japan Soccer Hall of Fame, a testament to his prominent role in the sport's history in Japan, although he was not ultimately inducted.

6. Personal Life

Hiroyuki Usui is married and has a son, Kempei Usui, who has followed in his father's footsteps and is also a professional footballer, playing as a goalkeeper.

7. Career Statistics

Detailed statistical data for Hiroyuki Usui's career as both a player and a manager are provided below.

7.1. Club Statistics

These statistics reflect Hiroyuki Usui's league appearances and goals for Hitachi (now Kashiwa Reysol) during his professional playing career.

Club performanceLeagueJSL CupEmperor's CupTotal
SeasonClubLeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
JapanLeagueJSL CupEmperor's CupTotal
1976HitachiJSL Division 11813
1977188
1978147
1979181120432414
1980181442442620
198118820222210
1982181310312214
19831730000173
19841710021192
19852250021246
1986-872221011243
1987-88JSL Division 20000
Total (JSL Division 1)20085
Total (JSL Division 2)000000

7.2. National Team Statistics

This table provides a summary of Hiroyuki Usui's appearances and goals in international A-matches for the Japan national football team.

Japan national team
YearAppsGoals
197420
197500
197610
197740
1978147
197993
198053
198100
198200
198300
198432
Total3815


Usui also played 46 other matches for the national team, scoring 19 goals, bringing his total appearances across all national team matches to 84 with 34 goals.

Detailed list of International A-matches and goals:

No.DateCityStadiumOpponentResultCoachTournament
1.February 12, 1974SingaporeSingaporeWin 1-0Ken NaganumaInternational Friendly
2.February 20, 1974Hong KongHong KongDraw 0-0International Friendly
3.December 4, 1976TokyoNational StadiumSouth KoreaLoss 1-2Hiroshi NinomiyaJapan-Korea Regular Match
4.March 6, 1977Tel AvivIsraelLoss 0-2World Cup Qualifier
5.March 10, 1977Tel AvivIsraelLoss 0-2World Cup Qualifier
6.March 26, 1977TokyoNational StadiumSouth KoreaDraw 0-0World Cup Qualifier
7.April 3, 1977SeoulSouth KoreaLoss 0-1World Cup Qualifier
8.May 23, 1978AichiMizuho Park Rugby GroundThailandWin 3-1Japan Cup
9.July 13, 1978Kuala LumpurIraqDraw 0-0Merdeka Tournament
10.July 15, 1978Kuala LumpurIndonesiaLoss 1-2Merdeka Tournament
11.July 17, 1978Kuala LumpurSyriaWin 3-2Merdeka Tournament
12.July 19, 1978Kuala LumpurSouth KoreaLoss 0-4Merdeka Tournament
13.July 21, 1978Kuala LumpurMalaysiaLoss 1-4Merdeka Tournament
14.July 23, 1978Kuala LumpurSingaporeLoss 1-2Merdeka Tournament
15.July 26, 1978Kuala LumpurThailandWin 4-0Merdeka Tournament
16.November 19, 1978TokyoNational StadiumSoviet UnionLoss 1-4International Friendly
17.November 23, 1978TokyoNational StadiumSoviet UnionLoss 1-4International Friendly
18.November 26, 1978OsakaNagai StadiumSoviet UnionLoss 0-3International Friendly
19.December 11, 1978BangkokKuwaitLoss 0-2Asian Games
20.December 13, 1978BangkokBahrainWin 4-0Asian Games
21.December 15, 1978BangkokSouth KoreaLoss 1-3Asian Games
22.March 4, 1979TokyoNishigaoka Soccer StadiumSouth KoreaWin 2-1Yukio ShimomuraJapan-Korea Regular Match
23.May 31, 1979TokyoNishigaoka Soccer StadiumIndonesiaWin 4-0Japan Cup
24.June 16, 1979SeoulSouth KoreaLoss 1-4Japan-Korea Regular Match
25.June 27, 1979Kuala LumpurMalaysiaDraw 1-1Merdeka Tournament
26.June 29, 1979Kuala LumpurThailandWin 2-1Merdeka Tournament
27.July 1, 1979Kuala LumpurMyanmarWin 1-0Merdeka Tournament
28.July 11, 1979Kuala LumpurIndonesiaDraw 0-0Merdeka Tournament
29.July 13, 1979Kuala LumpurSingaporeWin 3-1Merdeka Tournament
30.August 23, 1979PyongyangNorth KoreaDraw 0-0International Friendly
31.March 22, 1980Kuala LumpurSouth KoreaLoss 1-3Olympic Qualifiers
32.March 24, 1980Kuala LumpurPhilippinesWin 10-0Olympic Qualifiers
33.March 28, 1980Kuala LumpurIndonesiaWin 2-0Olympic Qualifiers
34.March 30, 1980Kuala LumpurMalaysiaDraw 1-1Olympic Qualifiers
35.April 2, 1980Kuala LumpurBruneiWin 2-1Olympic Qualifiers
36.March 6, 1984Bandar Seri BegawanBruneiWin 7-1Takaji MoriInternational Friendly
37.April 15, 1984SingaporeThailandLoss 2-5Olympic Qualifiers
38.April 26, 1984SingaporeQatarLoss 1-2Olympic Qualifiers



Goals scored in International A-matches:

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultMatch Type
1May 23, 1978Japan, NagoyaThailand3-0WinJapan Cup
2July 17, 1978Malaysia, Kuala LumpurSyria3-2WinMerdeka Tournament
3July 17, 19783-2Win
4July 23, 1978Singapore1-2Loss
5July 26, 1978Thailand4-0Win
6December 13, 1978Thailand, BangkokBahrain4-0WinAsian Games
7December 13, 19784-0Win
8March 4, 1979Japan, TokyoSouth Korea2-1WinJapan-Korea Regular Match
9June 29, 1979Malaysia, Kuala LumpurThailand2-1WinMerdeka Tournament
10July 13, 1979Singapore3-1Win
11March 24, 1980Philippines10-0WinMoscow Olympic Qualifiers
12March 30, 198010-0Win
13April 2, 1980Malaysia2-1Win
14March 6, 1984Brunei, Bandar Seri BegawanBrunei7-1WinFriendly Match
15March 6, 19847-1WinFriendly Match

7.3. Managerial Statistics

This table details Hiroyuki Usui's coaching record, including league performance and cup competition results for Hitachi.

SeasonLeagueClubLeague PerformanceCup Competitions
PositionMatchesPointsWinsDrawsLossesJSL CupEmperor's Cup
1989-90JSL Division 1Hitachi12th22133415First RoundSecond Round
1990-91JSL Division 2Champions30822712First RoundFirst Round
1991-92JSL Division 19th2225679Quarter-finalsSemi-finals
1992 Old JFL Division 1Old JFL Division 1Runner-up18401242-Eliminated in Qualifiers