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Yokohama F·Marinos have won five straight, a run that has pushed them to the top of the table.Sanfrecce Hiroshima have been victorious in five of their last six, lifting them into the title chase in fourth place.On Wednesday, the Meiji Yasuda J1 League’s two hottest teams meet, as the Viola travel to Yokohama in a massive battle between two teams at the top…

Ueda's departure impacts more than title raceAyase Ueda leads the Meiji Yasuda J1 League scoring chart with 10 goals and he has been a key ingredient in Kashima Antlers' success this season. His move last week to Cercle Brugge in Belgium not only has a big impact on his former club's J1 title ambitions, though, but also the Top Scorer race.Ky…

Matchweek 19 gave us goals and thrills. Here are all the results from J1:Shimizu S-Pulse 3, Yokohama F·Marinos 5Léo Ceará continued his outstanding run of form with a hat trick to lead high-flying Marinos to yet another win that keeps them top of the table. Kashiwa Reysol 1, Kashima Antlers 2Reysol and Kashima traded goals and look destined to a draw …

Kashima Antlers and Kashiwa Reysol have spent the entire season in the title race, with both getting off to fast starts and sitting near the top of the table throughout 2022. Now, the two of them will clash in Kashiwa on Saturday, with three crucial points on the line for a pair of clubs with championship ambitions.Through 18 matches, Kashima are second in …

A change at VisselVissel Kobe have made their second manager change of the season, parting ways with Miguel Ángel Lotina and putting Takayuki Yoshida in charge. Yoshida has managed the Ushi before, but now he takes over a team that is bottom of the table and in need of a jolt to make a push for safety. One thing that will be required is more goals and this …

The draw for the 2022 J.League YBC Levain Cup Prime Stage has been made, with the final eight teams remaining in the competition now aware of their path to the prestigious trophy.This year’s AFC Champions League representatives from the J.League — Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F·Marinos, Vissel Kobe, and Urawa Reds — have entered the competition and will duke…

Shonan Bellmare’s Shuto Machino is now firmly in the Top Scorer race after scoring his eighth goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Kyoto Sanga that took his club out of the relegation zone. The forward sits second on the scoring chart, just two goals behind Kashima Antlers’ Ayase Ueda, another one of the J.League's rising stars.Machino’s latest goal wa…

Matchweek 18 in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League is in the books! Let’s dive into all the action across the league.Yokohama F·Marinos 4, Kashiwa Reysol 0This title challenger showdown turned into a showcase for Marinos, who were led by two goals from Léo Ceará in a dominant win to stay top of the table. Nagoya Grampus 1, Kashima Antlers 1Kashima could not k…

Vissel Kobe and Urawa Reds were two of the best teams in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League last season. Both qualified for the AFC Champions League and, earlier this year, they advanced out of their groups in the continental championship. As ever, though, Japanese football is full of surprises — and top of the list this season is seeing Vissel bottom of the J1 tab…

A top four clash in YokohamaYokohama F·Marinos have risen to the top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, but they are hardly comfortable. Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale are only a point back of the Tricolor, while Kashiwa Reysol are within four points. It makes for a terrific title race and that fight will take centerstage on Saturday when Marinos a…

The Emperor’s Cup delivered a series of big upsets on Wednesday, with the holders and defending Meiji Yasuda J1 League champions both falling to opposition from a lower division.Urawa Reds won the Emperor's Cup in thrilling fashion last December but their dreams of a repeat were dashed by Thespakusatsu Gunma, who came into the third round match winless…

The 2022 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season has reached its halfway point, with 17 matchweeks in the books and 17 still yet to be played.How has each club fared so far and what do they have to do in the second half of the season?Yokohama F·MarinosThe Tricolor find themselves top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table midway through the campaign and to get there the…

The Meiji Yasuda J1 League returned from a long international break with Matchweek 17 and we got some great games.Gamba Osaka 1, Yokohama F·Marinos 2Dawhan gave Gamba an early lead, but Takuma Nishimura and Kota Mizunuma scored five minutes apart in the second half to keep Marinos top of the table. Kashima Antlers 1, Kyoto Sanga 0A goal by Arthur Caik…

Japan had a busy June, playing four games against top quality opponents to prepare for this winter's World Cup, with an array of Meiji Yasuda J.League stars present and past starring in a productive month.The Samurai Blue defeated Paraguay, 4-1, to kick off the run of games, with four former J1 players scoring the goals. Takuma Asano, who came up at Sa…

Australia are going to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and a couple Meiji Yasuda J.League players contributed to the successful qualifying cycle. Mitchell Duke and Adam Taggart were part of the Socceroos team that leapt over the final hurdle, beating Peru on penalty kicks on Monday in the FIFA inter-confederation play-off, which booked their ticket to November’s fi…

Seiya Maikuma has been named the KONAMI Monthly MVP for May.The Cerezo Osaka man was outstanding, helping his club to a 13-point month with three goals and two assists in six matches.Maikuma was out for the early part of the season, making his season debut off the bench on March 12 and his first start came on April 29. He started all six matches in May, tho…

Kawasaki Frontale are just a point back of first place Yokohama F·Marinos, putting them in the mix for their fourth title in the last five years. That’s an astounding chase that would be arguably the greatest run in the history of the league, and that chase picks up against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on Saturday after a two-week break for international game…

International stars returnThe Meiji Yasuda J1 League has been off since May for the FIFA international break, but all of its players were not idle. Some of the league’s biggest stars were playing for their countries and are coming back in terrific form.Kawasaki Frontale’s Miki Yamane suited up for Japan as part of their 2022 World Cup preparations and playe…

Yokohama F·Marinos used the month of May to take over first place in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, and Kevin Muscat has been named Manager of the Month for his work guiding them to that top spot.Marinos had four wins and a draw in six May matches. Their fearsome attack, which leads the league in goals, delivered 13 goals in those six contests against ju…

Matheus Savio brought the touch, the dribbling and the finishing to win Goal of the Month honors for May. The Kashiwa Reysol man was honored for his outstanding goal in Matchweek 16 that helped his side to a 3-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse. He displayed a great first touch to bring it down, sent one defender sliding the wrong way then created space to shoot pa…