SAITAMA, Japan — Their raucous fans are the self-styled bad boys of Japanese soccer and the team's red shirts, white shorts and black socks bear more than a passing resemblance to Manchester United.

But while the fallen English giant won't be at the Club World Cup, Urawa Reds will and are set to be roared on in the United States by more than 5,000 followers.

Japan's best-supported club face Inter Milan, River Plate and Monterrey in the opening round when the revamped competition starts on June 14.

Urawa is a nondescript suburb about an hour north of Tokyo and the team has been known to draw crowds of over 50,000 to its Saitama Stadium home.

Crowd trouble is extremely rare in Japan but Urawa was banned from last season's domestic cup after "ultra" supporters ripped down barriers and threatened opposition fans.

In 2014 it was forced to play a game behind closed doors after fans displayed a racist banner.

Supporters say they are misunderstood and are looking forward to hoisting their flags and belting out their songs in front of a global audience.

"People who aren't really interested in soccer think that we're scary people, but I always tell them that's not true," Urawa fan Kakeru Inoue told reporters before a recent game.

"I often bring workmates to games to show them what it's really like."

United link

Urawa began life as Mitsubishi's company team and its official name of Urawa Red Diamonds is a nod to the industrial behemoth's corporate logo.

It was originally called Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club, or MUFC, another link to the Premier League side.

Despite having been crowned Asian champion three times, Urawa has only won the domestic J-League once, in 2006 under German former player and 1990 World Cup winner Guido Buchwald.

Urawa has appeared at the Club World Cup three times, most recently losing 3-0 to Manchester City in the semifinals in 2023.

Veteran goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa says they are proud to be the only Japanese team at the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.

"The competition will get a lot of attention from around the world and it has a big meaning for us," he said.

"Who knows whether a Japanese team will play in it again because you need to become Asian champions to earn that right."

Professional soccer only started in Japan in 1993 but it took root quickly in Urawa.

The club signed overseas players including Buchwald and brought through homegrown internationals like Shinji Ono, Makoto Hasebe and current Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

The club's achievements have at times been overshadowed by their fans, who hung a banner reading "Japanese only" over an entrance to the stands before a 2014 game.

The incident earned Urawa the dubious distinction of becoming the first Japanese club to be ordered to play a game behind closed doors.

Urawa is coached by Poland's Maciej Skorza, who is back for a second spell after leading the club to the Asian Champions League title in 2023.

The Club World Cup is being played in the middle of the J-League season, which runs from February to December.

Urawa has made a strong start to its domestic campaign and looks poised to challenge for the title, having finished 13th last season.

Norwegian defender Marius Hoibraten says the Club World Cup is "a motivation rather than a distraction".

"Being able to meet the best teams from other countries is a nice experience for us, everyone is buzzing," said the 30-year-old, one of the few non-Japanese players in Urawa's squad.

"It's a little bit of unknown water. Everyone is really looking forward to it."

AFP