Masanari Omura

Masanari Omura (大村 真也, Ōmura Masanari, born 14 July 1984^[3]), nicknamed Masa, is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent the majority of his career with Filipino club Kaya. He was awarded the United Football League Cup Golden Ball in 2015 and had also captained his club.

Masanari Omura

Personal information
Full name	Masanari Omura
Date of birth	(1984-07-14) 14 July 1984 (age 39)
Place of birth	Komaki, Aichi, Japan
Position(s)	Defender
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Chukyo University^[1]^[2]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	Fraser Park
2011–2022	Kaya	73^[a]	(4^[b])
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

Masanari Omura was born on 14 July 1984 in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.^[3] He started playing football at the age of 10, although he originally liked baseball better but chose football as it was more popular in his school.^[2] He went on to captain the football team of Chukyo University.^[4] After graduating, he spent three years working for a warehouse company and was also a part-time football coach for elementary school students.^[5]

Career

Fraser Park

Deciding to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer but unable to find opportunities in Japan, Omura headed to Australia. He joined NSW Super League club Fraser Park FC and played in almost every match of the 2011 season. However, difficulties renewing his working holiday visa made it unlikely for him to return for another season. Opting to continue his career in another country, his Fraser Park teammate, former Philippines national team player Leigh Gunn, suggested he tryout in the Philippines.^[1][4][5]

Kaya

Omura joined Filipino United Football League (UFL) club Kaya in September 2011 and made his debut in that year's UFL Cup.^[2] He scored a goal in their 3–0 round of 16 win over Team Socceroo on 20 November.^[6] In the 2015 UFL Cup, wherein Kaya won the title, Omura received the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament.^[7] In the 2016 UFL Cup quarter-finals, he scored the equaliser in their 2–1 win over Loyola Meralco Sparks.^[8] However, Kaya finished third place in what turned out to be the last UFL Cup.^[9] That same year, he participated in Kaya's first-ever campaign in the AFC Cup, wherein they reached the round of 16.^[10][11]

In 2017, the Philippines Football League (PFL) supplanted the UFL.^[12] During the PFL's inaugural season, Omura shared Kaya's captaincy with Aly Borromeo.^[13] In 2018, Kaya won the inaugural Copa Paulino Alcantara, the new domestic cup competition of the Philippines. The cup win qualified them for the 2019 AFC Cup.^[14] In the 2019 Copa Paulino Alcantara, he scored the second goal in their 3–0 semi-final win over Mendiola.^[15] However, they failed to defend their title, falling to Ceres–Negros in the final. Nonetheless, they still qualified for the 2020 AFC Cup.^[16]

In 2021, he played in Kaya's first-ever AFC Champions League campaign. In their last group match, a 1–0 loss to Vietnamese champions Viettel, Omura was sent off for a foul on Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng.^[17] Later, in the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara, Kaya regained their title.^[18]

On 31 January 2022, Omura announced his retirement from professional football, having spent 10 years with Kaya. The club's president and general manager, Paul Tolentino, referred to him as a "true club legend".^[4]

Style of play

Omura mostly played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. In Australia, most of the centre-backs were taller than him, so he opted for the latter position.^[5] In Kaya, in addition to his defensive roles, he has also played as a winger or forward.^[4]

Honours

Kaya

• United Football League Cup: 2015;^[7] third place: 2016^[9]
• Copa Paulino Alcantara: 2018, 2021; runner-up: 2019

Individual

• United Football League Cup Golden Ball: 2015^[7]

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Kaya–Iloilo	2017	PFL	28	0	–		–		28	0
	2018		23	2	6	0	–		29	2
	2019		20	2	4	1	6	0	30	3
	2020		2	0	–		3	0	5	0
	2021		–		4	0	6	0	10	0
Career total			73	4	14	1	15	0	102	5

References

Notes

1. League appearances in the Philippines Football League (PFL) only, from 2017 to 2020. This does not include his league appearances in the United Football League (UFL).
2. League goals in the Philippines Football League (PFL) only, from 2017 to 2020. This does not include his league goals in the United Football League (UFL).

References

1. "はじめまして、大村真也です。". ameblo.jp (in Japanese). Ameba. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
2. . 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
3. "Masanari Omura". Kaya FC–Iloilo. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
4. . kayafc.com. Kaya F.C.–Iloilo. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
5. 池田宣雄 (23 May 2018). "名門大学体育会サッカー部主将が26歳で海外挑戦した物語　前編". equalizer11.com (in Japanese). Equalizer. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
6. Tupas, Cedelf P. (24 November 2011). . Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
7. . The Manila Times. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
8. Tupas, Cedelf P. (4 April 2016). "Kaya kicks out Loyola; Stallion up". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
9. Francisco, Rodolfo (16 April 2016). . GMA News. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
10. Fenix, Ryan (12 May 2016). "Ceres and Kaya give Philippines fans reason to cheer in AFC Cup". ESPN. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
11. "2016 AFC Cup: KAYA FC suffers blowout to Malaysian team". ABS-CBN News. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
12. Mañalac, Katrina; Mendoza, Jose Rafael (31 August 2017). . The LaSallian. De La Salle University. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
13. Saldajeno, Ivan (16 August 2017). . Dugout Philippines. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022. For a long time, the captain's armband of Kaya Makati has been on either Aly Borromeo or Masa Omura.
14. Del Carmen, Lorenzo (28 October 2018). . Tiebreaker Times. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
15. Murillo, Michael Angelo S. (11 November 2019). . BusinessWorld. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
16. Sevilla, Jeremiah M. (18 November 2019). "Ceres Negros FC rules 2019 Copa Paulino Alcantara". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
17. Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (12 July 2021). . Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
18. Micaller, Bea (19 November 2021). "Kaya FC beats Azkals Development Team, reigns supreme in 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara". GMA News. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.

External links

• Omura lifts Kaya FC to UFL Cup semifinals
• Masanari Omura has message for Kaya-heads after loss
• at Soccerway