It looked like Nagoya Grampus’ title chase was going to take a hit on Wednesday when they fell behind league leaders Vissel Kobe, 2-0, but Kenta Hasegawa’s side fought back for a dramatic draw with an equalizer eight minutes into stoppage time in a statement match for their pursuit of the crown. Now Nagoya’s attention turns to Gamba Osaka, who visit Toyota …

Urawa Reds stand a mere 90 minutes away from the AFC Champions League title.The Reds took care of business in the first leg of the final, drawing Al Hilal 1-1 in Saudi Arabia. Now they return to a raucous Saitama Stadium 2002 with an away goal in hand and simply needing to defend home turf for their third Asian crown.Urawa are Japan’s most successful contin…

Golden Week brought us a full slate of Meiji Yasuda J1 League action on a Wednesday afternoon. Let’s dive into all the games from Matchweek 11:Nagoya Grampus 2, Vissel Kobe 2The Ushi were 2-0 up and looked bound for full points, but Kasper Junker scored in the 73rd minute then Vissel picked up a stoppage time red card, setting Haruya Fujii up to equalize at…

The battle for Osaka is upon us. Cerezo Osaka and Gamba Osaka, squaring off for city pride. It’s one of the best rivalries in all of Japan and this week it comes to you on Wednesday at 2 pm JST live on the J.League International YouTube channel.The Sakura have been the better side of the two through the first 10 weeks of the season, sitting eighth in the ta…

Kashima Antlers and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo both put in terrific showings on Matchweek 10, setting them up for a tasty meeting at the Sapporo Dome on Wednesday at 2 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.Kashima left it late over the weekend, scoring four second half goals to run past Gamba Osaka, 4-0. …

Kawasaki Frontale’s season may have taken a big turn on Saturday. Toru Oniki’s side put in their best performance of the campaign in a 3-1 win at Avispa Fukuoka, flashing the terrific form that has led them to so many trophies in recent seasons and primed them for Wednesday’s 2 pm JST clash with Kyoto Sanga in a match that will be streamed live on the J.Lea…

Yokohama F·Marinos are back on the prowl for a second consecutive Meiji Yasuda J1 League title. They’ve gone four matches without a loss and are up to fourth place, just four points off the top of the league as they head to Sagan Tosu on Wednesday at 3 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.Marinos had a r…

Urawa Reds went to Saudi Arabia for the first leg of the AFC Champions League final against Al Hilal and came home with a big advantage in their quest to claim the continental crown.The Reds drew 1-1 at King Fahd International Stadium thanks to a Shinzo Koroki goal. Adding to Urawa’s outstanding night was the red card shown to goalscorer Salem Aldawsari lat…

Vissel Kobe are still top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League after picking up a win over the weekend, but there is a new second place team. Let’s check in on that and the rest of the action from Matchweek 10:Vissel Kobe 2, Shonan Bellmare 0Ryo Hatsuse scored the opener on a delicious long distance free kick, Hotaru Yamaguchi added a second and the Vissel defense…

Vissel Kobe are top of the Meiji Yasuda J.League, but Nagoya Grampus and Yokohama F·Marinos are right on their heels and those two teams are set for a massive clash on Saturday at 3 pm JST in a match that can be streamed on the J.League’s International YouTube channel.Nagoya are a mere one point off of the Ushi for the top spot in the league, while Marinos …

Urawa Reds are already the most successful Japanese club in the history of the AFC Champions League. They’ve conquered the continent on two occasions, reigning supreme in 2007 and 2017.Now, only 180 minutes stands between them and a third Asian championship.Urawa advanced out of their group along with South Korea’s Daegu FC way back in April of last year, t…

Vissel Kobe climbed to the top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League in Matchweek 3 and haven’t relinquished first place since. They’ve been the class of the first division, but the fight at the upper reaches of the table is tightening up and the Ushi are now under threat of losing their perch as Shonan Bellmare come to town on Saturday at 2 pm JST in a match that …

Yokohama FC have struggled in the early part of the season, but they have had a clear bright spot in Koki Ogawa. The striker has made the leap from the second division look easy, which is crucial for the Fulie as they need him to carry the team when Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo visit Yokohama on Saturday at 2 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on th…

Avispa Fukuoka got off to a terrific start to their 2023 season, going six unbeaten at one point to climb as high as third in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, but two matches without a win have dropped them down to sixth place.Meanwhile, Kawasaki Frontale have never really found their stride. They’ve won just two matches, have never climbed above eight in …

Only six Japanese clubs have ever worn the crown of Asian champions. Five of those clubs conquered the continent once, with JEF United Chiba, Tokyo Verdy and Júbilo Iwata winning the old Asian Club Championship, and Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers each winning the AFC Champions League, which became the premier competition in 2002.And then there is Urawa Red…

Urawa Reds are back in the AFC Champions League final. The two-time Asian champions are set for a rematch with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, who bested the Japanese club in the 2019 final, in a clash of two of the continent’s premier clubs.The Reds’ two Asian championships is more than any other Japanese side and tied for the third-most of any club in the compet…

Vissel Kobe have been at the top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League for weeks, and they still sit in first, but a loss this weekend has tightened up the fight for the summit. Five teams are now within two points of the Ushi.How did we get here? Let’s check out all the Matchweek 9 action:Vissel Kobe 2, Yokohama F·Marinos 3The Ushi jumped out to a 2-0 lead early o…

Vissel Kobe have been the best team in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League this season, racing to the top of the table through eight weeks, but on Saturday at 7 pm JST they will face their toughest test yet when they meet the defending champions, Yokohama F·Marinos, in a match that will be streamed on the J.League International YouTube channel.The Ushi are the leagu…

Urawa Reds have been fabulous of late, running an unbeaten streak up to six games, and they’ll try to make it seven in a row when they visit Kawasaki Frontale on Sunday at 4 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.The Reds haven’t just racked up points from teams for weeks now - they’ve been absolutely domi…

Avispa Fukuoka has an impressive six-match unbeaten streak snapped last week, but they are back and ready to start a new one when they play away to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on Sunday at 2 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.Avi were bested by the magical Ryotaro Ito last week, as the Albirex Niigata s…