advertisement

Tsubaki joins A-League's Sydney FC on loan from Yokohama

SYDNEY (AP) - Japanese midfielder Naoki Tsubaki has joined Melbourne City for the 2020-21 A-League season on a loan arrangement with J-League side Yokohama F Marinos.

The 20-year-old Tsubaki has spent his past two seasons on loan at J-2 side Giravanz Kitakyushu, where he made 39 appearances. He represented Japan at under-17 level during the 2017 U17 FIFA World Cup and was a graduate of the Yokohama F Marinos academy.

Melbourne City director of football Michael Petrillo said Ange Postecoglou, the former Australia national coach who is now coaching Yokohama, had been instrumental in recommending Tsubaki for an Australian stint.

'œHe comes to us in high regard from Ange Postecoglou and his coaching team at Yokohama and we believe he'll be a great addition to our final third,'ť Petrillo said Saturday.

___

More AP soccer https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.