In 2002, the club played in J1 again, and although it lost four straight games from the very opening of the season, under Manager Gert Josef Arthur ENGELS, not only the above-mentioned three players, including KUROBE, but also the players up from the subordinate organization like Naohito HIRAI and Makoto KAKUDA did a very good job, and the team was splendidly positioned fifth in the annual standings of the league, not to speak of staying in J1.
再びJ1で戦うこととなった2002年は、開幕直後こそ4連敗するものの、ゲルト・エンゲルス監督のもと、黒部をはじめとする前述の3選手に加えて平井直人、角田誠といった下部組織出身の選手も活躍、J1残留どころか堂々のリーグ戦年間順位5位となる。