WhitecapsFC.com - Men - Takashi Hirano

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Takashi Hirano

Number

Position

D/M

Height

5-11

Weight

160

D.O.B.

1974.07.15

Birthplace

Shimizu City, Japan

Hometown

Shimizu City, Japan

Citizenship

Japanese

Years with Whitecaps

2008, 2009, 2010

Acquired

2008.03.12

Previous Club

Omiya Ardija (2007)

Youth Club

Shimizu FC

Secondary

Shimizu Commercial High

Elementary

Iida Elementary

BIOGRAPHY | STATISTICS

BIOGRAPHY

PROFILE
An experienced defender/midfielder who developed into one of Japanese soccer's top left-sided attacking players, Takashi Hirano enters his third season with the Whitecaps after two successful years with the club.

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION DIVISION-2 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
2010: After making a dozen substitute appearances in USSF D-2 and Nutrilite Canadian Championship play, Hirano made his first start of the season at left fullback during a 0-0 away draw versus Athletic Club of St. Louis on Aug. 6.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES FIRST DIVISION
2008: Hirano's first season in North America was a highly successful one. He claimed the Whitecaps Newcomer of the Year award and was one of three Vancouver players to be named on the USL-1 All-League Second Team after starting in all but three of his 22 regular season appearances that year. His USL-1 debut came in the season-opening win over Canadian rivals Montreal Impact at Swangard Stadium in Apr. 12. The left fullback then earned a spot in the USL-1 Team of the Week after his performance in a 1-0 home win over Rochester Rhinos on May 10. His only goal for the club came on Aug. 31, as his exquisite free kick earned the Whitecaps a 1-1 draw at Puerto Rico Islanders, with his strike earning him a spot in the league's Team of the Week for Week 20. Hirano also made four substitute appearances during the club's successful playoff run to the USL-1 championship title, while he started in all four Nutrilite Canadian Championship matches. He also played 78 minutes of Vancouver's 2-1 international friendly win over Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 13. As the only Japanese player in the squad that season, Hirano's popularity among local Japanese soccer fans brought about the creation of the "Taka Fan Club". With over 150 members in the fan club by season's end, the group had a major presence at Whitecaps home matches, as members occupied "Ta'K'a's Seat" (Section K) at Swangard. 2009: Hirano was named the club's Outstanding Defender of the season after starting all but one of his 28 regular season appearances that year. On May 20, he assisted on Charles Gbeke's goal in the Whitecaps 2-0 away win over Montreal Impact in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Hirano then earned a spot in the USL-1 Team of the Week for Week 20 for his defensive performances in the 1-1 draw at Carolina RailHawks on Aug. 18 and the 2-0 home win over Miami FC Blues on Aug. 23. The defender's first point in USL-1 that season came on Sept. 2, as Hirano assisted on Gbeke's second goal during a 3-2 home win over Austin Aztex. Hirano then assisted on Gbeke's goal during the first leg of the playoff semifinal series versus Portland Timbers, as the Whitecaps advanced to the USL-1 Championship Series following a 5-4 aggregate victory.

JAPANESE J.LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Hirano is one of 11 players to have surpassed the mark of 350 total appearances in a 15-year career in J.League Division One (J1), with the midfielder scoring 54 career goals in that time. The majority of those appearances came during his eight seasons at Nagoya Grampus Eight after he was discovered by former head coach, and current Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. 1993-2000: Hirano made 222 appearances and scored 43 goals with his first club Nagoya Grampus Eight, having played for the likes of Wenger and current Portuguese national team head coach Carlos Queiroz. His J1 debut came against Kashima Antlers on June 19, 1993, while his first goal in J1 was scored against Yokohama Flugels on June 23, 1993. He helped Grampus to a third-place league finish in 1995, and the runners-up spot in 1996. In 1999, Hirano and Nagoya claimed fourth place overall after the club finished runners-up in the league's second stage, which took place during the latter part of the calendar year. The defender/midfielder also won the Emperor's Cup competition with Nagoya in both the 1995 and 1999 seasons, and the Japanese Super Cup in 1996. In 1997, Hirano was part of the Grampus side that reached the final of the Asian Cup Winners Cup before losing 3-1 to Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia. 2000: Hirano ended his distinguished spell at Nagoya when he joined Kyoto Purple Sanga. He played just a handful of games for Kyoto, but was unable to prevent the club's relegation to J.League Division Two (J2) at the end of the season. 2001: The midfielder was on the move again when he joined Jubilo Iwata. Despite the club's success in winning the league's first-stage championship and claiming second place overall, Hirano made just three appearances for his third club. 2002: The midfielder joined his fourth club in Vissel Kobe and played a more prominent role, even though the team struggled through most of the campaign. 2003-05: Hirano then spent three seasons in the Japanese capital with Tokyo Verdy 1969. He helped the club to the 2004 Emperor's Cup and 2005 Japanese Super Cup titles. Verdy finished mid-table in J1 during Hirano's first two seasons in Tokyo, but his final year with Verdy saw them relegated to J2 after a second-from-bottom finish in the standings. 2006: Hirano joined his sixth J.League club in Yokohama F. Marinos and made nine appearances for the club, as they finished mid-table in J1 that year. 2007: The midfielder played 12 times for Omiya Ardija, as the Saitama-based club avoided relegation from J1 by just three points.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
In 2000 and 2005, Hirano trained with English Premier League giants Arsenal after being invited to the club by former Nagoya head coach Arsene Wenger. In each spell, the midfielder spent two weeks with the North London outfit.

INTERNATIONAL
Hirano appeared for Japan at the 1998 World Cup finals in France. He was also part of his country's U-20 and U-23 Olympic teams. Senior: Hirano made Japan's 22-player squad for the 1998 World Cup after making 10 international appearances in 1997 and 1998 for his country. Drawn in Group H at France '98, the defender was an 84th-minute substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Toulouse on June 14, with Hirano receiving a booking in injury time from Dutch referee Mario van der Ende. On June 26, Hirano played the final 32 minutes of the 2-1 defeat to Jamaica in Lyon, as Japan went out of their first-ever World Cup finals at the group stage. He was also part of the squad that won the 1998 Dynasty Cup and that finished as runners-up in the 1998 Kirin Cup tournament. In 2000, he was involved in Asian Cup qualifying and the squad that finished third at the Carlsberg Cup tournament in Hong Kong. U-23: Though he was part of the team's camps in 1994 and 1995, injury prevented Hirano from making the trip to the Men's Olympic Football Tournament in Atlanta 1996. U-20: The midfielder was part of Japan's U-20 squad that finished third at the 1992 Asian Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

HIGH SCHOOL/AMATEUR
The midfielder is one of several top Japanese players that attended Shimizu Commercial High School. The list of graduates include Japan internationals Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and Shinji Ono, as well as former Minnesota Thunder forward Keisuke Ota. Though he did not appear for the school team that year, Shimizu Commercial won the 1991 All-Japan High School Championship. They reached the semifinals the following year before Hirano graduated in 1993. Before attending Shimizu Commercial, he was a student at Iida Elementary School in Shimizu City. He also played youth soccer for both Iida FC and Shimizu FC.

PERSONAL
Hirano is married to wife Akane, and has a daughter named Mihane and a son named Kanata. His parents are Toshie and Yukihiro Hirano. He has an older brother named Masaki and a younger sister named Tomomi. For the past decade, the midfielder has given back to the game in Japan by running a soccer clinic in Takayama City every January.

INTERESTING FACTS
Hirano enjoys shopping, surfing the internet, and taking his daughter to the zoo. He enjoys watching English giants Arsenal, as well as the sports of hockey and baseball. He lists Arsene Wenger and former Nagoya Grampus Eight teammate Dragan Stojkovic as huge influences in his career. He enjoys the music of Japanese band 'Thee Out Mods', while his favourite food is sushi. In Japan, Hirano has been referred to by the nickname 'Lefty Monster'.