KURIHIRA, Kanagawa Pref. — For Kawasaki Frontale goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, Saturday will either mark the greatest day of his club career or the latest in a long line of painful failures.
Frontale have the chance to win their first-ever silverware when the J. League title goes on the line, but they will have to do it the hard way. Kawasaki trails Kashima Antlers by two points going into the final day, and a win for Kashima away to Urawa Reds would clinch a record third consecutive championship for the Ibaraki side.
Such a scenario would be a bitter pill for the 26-year-old Kawashima to swallow. This was supposed to be the year when the league's most stylish team broke its title hoodoo, but a quarterfinal exit from the Asian Champions League and defeat in last month's Nabisco Cup final have steadily whittled down the options.