Yuya Kuriyama

Yuya Kuriyama
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-03-29) 29 March 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Tokyo, Japan
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Manila Digger
Number 37
Youth career
FC Proud
Sundai Gakuen High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Shizuoka Sangyo University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 APF Club 14 (0)
2023–2024 Thimphu City 18 (0)
2024– Manila Digger 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7:05, July 10, 2024 (UTC)

Yuya Kuriyama (栗山優也, Kuriyama Yūya, born 29 March 2000) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Philippines Football League club Manila Digger.[1][2]

Youth career

Kuriyama was born in Tokyo and started playing football at a very young age. In his childhood, he played for a youth team named FC Proud[3][4] while playing for Sundai Gakuen High School. Up until 2022, he also played college football for the team of Shizuoka Sangyo University.[5] While he was playing, he was diagnosed with cataracts and had to get surgery to remove them.[6]

Club career

APF Club

With help from the non-profit organization Reale World, Kuriyama was able to play abroad in 2021 during his last year of college,[7] where he signed for Nepal's APF Club.[8][9] In doing so, he became the first-ever foreign player to play for a Departmental team in the Nepal Super League.[10] At the end of the season, he won the Golden Glove Award at the Aaha! Gold Cup in 2022 after making a vital penalty save during the shootout that handed AFP the title.[11] He signed on for another season from 2022 to 2023.[12]

Thimphu City

In 2023, he moved from Nepal to nearby Bhutan where he played for league heavyweights Thimphu City FC of the Bhutan Premier League.[13][3] At the season's end, though Thimphu didn't win the league,[14][15] Kuriyama won the Golden Glove Award for Best Goalkeeper.[16] He left the team at the end of the season to pursue a career elsewhere.

Manila Digger

Kuriyama moved to the Philippines in early 2024 to play for Manila Digger, a club that was joining the Philippines Football League for the 2024 season.[2][17] Kuriyama made his debut on the opening matchday at Digger narrowly scraped through against Philippine Army, 3–2.[18] He would go on to be the club's starting keeper that season, appearing more than 11 appearances during the brief season.[19][20][21]

References

  1. ^ "Yuya Kuriyama - Global Sports Archive". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Manila Digger FC - Team Roster". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b "We are pleased to announce that Yuya Kuriyama, a 22 -year old Japanese goalkeeper will soon be joining us for the upcoming Bhutan Premier League". Thimphu City FC on Facebook. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ "選手紹介(2012年度)". FC Proud. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ "卒業生の栗山優也さんがネパールAPFとのシーズン契約を終えて、学長に活動報告". ssu.ac.jp. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  6. ^ "目の疾患乗り越えた静産大・栗山さん プロサッカー選手へ ネパールで挑戦". Tokyo Shimbun. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  7. ^ "栗山優也選手が、ブータンのティンプーシティFCと契約!今期も海外チャレンジで、さらにキャリアを磨く". Reale World. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Police, APF play dull 1-1 draw". All Nepal Football Association. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Himalayan Sherpa, Satdobato, Manang register wins". All Nepal Football Association. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  10. ^ Humagain, Subash (20 September 2021). "APF's Japanese goalkeeper Yuya Kuriyama is the first foreign player to play for a departmental team". Hamro Khelkud. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ^ Pariyar, Deepak (30 January 2022). "APF win historic Aaha Rara title". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Tamang leads Army fightback against Sankata". The Kathmandu Post. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ "We are pleased to announce the arrival of our foreign recruits, Yuya Kuriyama from Japan and Armand Beadoum from Chad". Thimphu City FC on Facebook. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Paro FC Crowned The BoB Bhutan Premier League Champions". Bhutan Football. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  15. ^ Herison, Joni (12 December 2023). "Paro FC Clinches Third Consecutive Victory in BOB Bhutan Premier League". Daily Bhutan. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  16. ^ Jigme, Karma (13 December 2023). "Paro FC Clinches BoB Bhutan Premier League 2023 Title in Dominant Fashion". Paro FC. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  17. ^ Rosal, Glendale (17 June 2024). "Ho-A-Tham scores Cebu FC's lone goal to beat Manila Digger in PFL". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Digger outflanks Army 3-2 as 2024 PFL Season kicks off". pfl.org.ph. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Manila Digger 2-1 Maharlika Taguig: Late Shin strike settles thriller". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Dynamic Herb Cebu FC 1-0 Manila Digger FC: Cebu maintain pace with Kaya". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Stallion Laguna FC 2-1 Manila Digger FC: McDaniel bags brace". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved 10 July 2024.