Plenty of Nothing

The Priory

The first building constructed in Guelph, Ontario was Priory House, built in 1827 by Charles Prior -- hence the name. By mid-century it was the railway station. It was moved in 1911 to make way for a new station but by its centenary it had been condemned and used for firewood. Source. Source.

Jack Kirby and Olmec Heads

Source. Source.

John Galt Statue

John Galt, outside the courthouse in Guelph, Ontario. Source.

Abruzzo Lion

Italy hasn't run out of archaeology yet. This sandstone lion from the 13th Century was uncovered in L'Aquila in 2014. Source.

Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction

A two-page spread from 『デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション』by Inio Asano. Source.

Wanderers Pavilion 1908

The Mito Bus

All your Japanese team buses are here.

Mito HollyHock visit Ehime. After sitting atop the table in week four Mito have drifted to a more familiar 17th place. Ehime are 21st, in the relegation zone. There are 22 teams in J2, and the bottom two will be relegated. At the moment both relegation spots are occupied by teams from Shikoku: Ehime and Kamatamare Sanuki. Last season there was only one relegation spot at the bottom of J2. The increase to two this year can be taken as a sign that J3 is now regarded as a quality league. [Ehime 0 - 1 Mito.]

Shikoku is a modestly-sized region of just four prefectures. The island separates the Pacific Ocean from the Inland Sea. How do you get to Shikoku by bus?  There are bridges at Naruto, Utazu and Imabari.

What teams come from Shikoku, and what divisions are they in?

J1    none

J2    Ehime FC, Kamatamare Sanuki, Tokushima Vortis

J3    none

JFL    FC Imabari

Shikoku Adult League:    Kōchi United SC, Kōchi University FC, Tadotsu FC, FC Tokushima Celeste, R.Velho Takamatsu, Llamas Kōchi FC, Niisho Club, Koyo Sealing Techno SC

Which teams play in Kyushu?

J1    Sagan Tosu

J2    Avispa Fukuoka, Oita Trinita, Roasso Kumamoto, V-Varen Nagasaki

J3    Kagoshima United, Giravanz Kitakyushu

JFL    Honda Lock, Verspah Oita, Tegevagaro Miyazaki

Kyushu Soccer League:    J.FC Miyazaki, Kaiho Bank SC, Kyushu Mitsubishi Motors SC, Nippon Steel Oita, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya SC, FC Nakatsu, Kumamoto Teacher Kickoff Foundation, Kawabe Club, Saga Lixil FC, Okinawa SV

Kyushu is the southernmost of the four big Japanese islands. Teams from Ryukyu get rolled into this league.

This is the 20th season of the J2 league. Which teams have spent the most years in it?

19        Mito HollyHock

17        Yokohama FC

16        Montedio Yamagata

14        Consadole Sapporo

14        Shonen Bellmare

14        Avispa Fukuoka

13        Sagan Tosu

13        Tokushima Vortis

13        Thespakusatsu Gunma

13        Ehima FC

Which teams are in J2 this year, when did they last join, and did they come from above or below?

2018    Albirex Niigata (above)

2018    Omiya Ardija (above)

2018    Ventforet Kofu (above)

2018    Tochigi FC (below)

2017    Avispa Fukuoka (above)

2017    Oita Trinita (above)

2016    Montedio Yamagata (above)

2016    Matsumoto Yamaga (above)

2016    Machida Zelvia (below)

2016    Renofa Yamaguchi (below)

2015    Tokushima Vortis (above)

2015    Zweigen Kanazawa (below)

2014    Kamatamare Sanuki (below)

2011    Kyoto Sanga (above)

2010    JEF United Chiba (above)

2009    Tokyo Verdy (above)

2009    Fagiano Okayama (below)

2008    Yokohama FC (above)

2008    Roasso Kumamoto (below)

2008    FC Gifu (below)

2006    Ehime FC (below)

2000    Mito HollyHock (below)

Mito HollyHock are a second-tier football club par excellence.

Morton watch: Lee Kilday has signed on for another year, as has Lewis Strapp. On Wednesday goalkeeper Ryan Scully signed with Morton. He has played for Partick Thistle, junior side Petershill, Albion Rovers and Dunfermline. And Morton got midfielder Ross MacLean on loan from Motherwell. Pre-season training began Thursday. Mark Russell won't be back with Morton. Jai Quitongo is training with Livingston, a pretty good sign that he won't be back with Morton.

[Douglas Rae has died. He was chairman of Greenock Morton from 2001 until this April. He's credited with rescuing the club from liquidation.]

World Cup group stage:

Group D: Nigeria 2 - 0 Iceland (at Volgograd Arena, June 22nd)

Group H: Japan [2 - 2] Senegal (at Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg, June 24th)

SWFL Division 1 South: Morton [5 - 3] Falkirk

[That's Morton's first win in SWFL Division 1.]

2018 Canadian Championship, 2QR, first leg:

AS Blainville 0 - 1 Ottawa Fury (June 20). Match report.

This is the eleventh year of the Canadian Championship. The first three years there were only three entrants; the next three years there were four; the next four there were five; and this year there are six. It sounds small-scale, but look at the early years of the Emperor's Cup.  The first four years of the Emperor's Cup there were only four entrants, and at no time before World War Two were there more than eight, and one year there were three. This year there are eighty-eight, out of the hundreds and hundreds that could qualify. From acorns oaks.

USL: New York Red Bulls II [0 - 3] Ottawa Fury (June 24)

JFL: Vanraure Hachinohe [1 - 2] Sony Sendai

Honda 2 - 0 Honda Lock

Kantō Soccer League: Tokyo 23 FC [2 - 0] Saitama SC

The Rebecca Cohn

Ukiyo-e Bowie

"UKIYO-E PROJECT presents David Bowie Ukiyo-e Exhibition" will be held at BOOKMARC in Harajuku, Tokyo from June 23 to July 1. Source.

From Darkness Pink