And now he's back.
Soon after Naoki Soma was announced as a substitute for the Antlers in Saturday's game against the Urawa Reds, thousands of Kashima fans at Tokyo's National Stadium started chanting the name of the long-absent player. Soma was listed on the team sheet for the first time in nine months. The 30-year-old left-back had been sidelined with a knee ligament injury he suffered during an Emperor's Cup semifinal on Dec. 29, also at the National Stadium. He underwent surgery in February and then worked on rehabilitation at a sports training center in Tottori for five months before rejoining his team in Ibaraki Prefecture for further training.
On Saturday, Soma came off the bench at the beginning of extra time and helped his team edge the Reds 2-1 with his aggressive play down the left flank. Although it was a short outing, he looked sharp, earning two corners and a throw-in that led to the winning goal.