Vissel Kobe is a football club which plays in Japan . In 1994 , the city of Kobe reached an agreement with Kawasaki Steel , the parent company , to move the club to Kobe and compete for a spot in the professional J. League as Vissel Kobe . Vissel is a combination of the words `` victory '' and `` vessel '' , a nod to Kobe 's history as a port city .