All that glitters was not gold for FC Tokyo, whose 20th anniversary celebrations in special gold uniforms were crashed by Shimizu S-Pulse in a 2-0 defeat at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday evening.
A steady stream of rain throughout the day threatened to put a damper on the various commemorative events, which included an exhibition match between retired legends including Amaral, the Brazilian striker whose 1994 arrival sparked the club's evolution from Tokyo Gas FC to a J. League side as one of the founding members of the league's second division in 1999.
While the weather may have discouraged indecisive fans making the trip, 33,789 fans did turn out to fill up the roof-covered portions of the stadium, many motivated by the chance to see their nostalgic heroes return to the pitch as well as a shirt giveaway that resulted in stands swathed in gold rather than traditional blue and red.