Kashiwa Reysol pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning the J. League only a year after claiming the second-division title last season, but FC Tokyo manager Ranko Popovic is hoping history will repeat itself with his newly promoted team.
Tokyo bounced back from relegation in 2010 to cruise to the J2 title last season, and wrapped up a successful year by capturing the Emperor's Cup for the first time with a 4-2 victory over Kyoto Sanga.
Promotion-winning manager Kiyoshi Okuma took the Jan. 1 final as his cue to step aside, but Popovic has no intention of letting the momentum tail off now that he has taken over and believes Tokyo has the potential to emulate Kashiwa's championship achievement.