The Meiji Yasuda J.League has made a habit of sending phenomenal players to European leagues, especially of late, and a dozen of them are set to play in UEFA competitions in 2023-24.Leading the way are Takehiro Tomiyasu and Takefusa Kubo, who will be playing in the UEFA Champions League for Arsenal and Real Sociedad, respectively.Tomiyasu, who came through …

Gamba Osaka had a perfect June, running off three wins from three matches with a fantastic turn of form and Dani Poyatos has been awarded Manager of the Month for orchestrating that outstanding run.Gamba were bottom of the league, but a perfect June took them well up the table. They out-scored their opponents 7-3 in the month as six different goal scorers h…

Takumu Kawamura has been awarded the Konami Goal of the Month for June, a deserved honor for his lung-busting run and finish.Sanfrecce Hiroshima held a 2-1 lead over Kyoto Sanga in the waning minutes of their Matchweek 16 clash and were simply trying to hold on for full points. That’s where Kawamura decided to put the match to bed.Kawamura picked up the bal…

Yoshinori Muto has been one of the best players in the 2023 Meiji Yasuda J1 League and he kicked it up a notch in June, putting together a string of performances so good that he has been awarded the Konami Monthly MVP.Despite Vissel Kobe playing just two matches in the month, Muto had two goals and two assists. He started by picking up the helper on Vissel’…

Celtic are one of the most decorated clubs in the sport with over 100 trophies to their name and, in recent years, they have taken a shine to Japanese players. Now, they are coming to Japan, with their cadre of Meiji Yasuda J.League alums in tow for friendlies against Yokohama F·Marinos and Gamba Osaka.The fun kicks off on Wednesday when the Scottish giants…

The J.League has long been the engine of Japanese football development, with Japan's professional football league producing some of the country's most well-known superstars on the global stage over the last 30 years.There’s been a change in the last five years, though, as more and more of the promising young talent coming through the J.League has …

There’s a new team atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. Yokohama F·Marinos stumbled, while Vissel Kobe took full points, allowing the Ushi to leap into the top spot in the league. What happened in both teams’ matches, as well as around the rest of J1? Let’s dive into it.Vissel Kobe 2, Sagan Tosu 1Sagan scored first, but Vissel battled back through goals by Yuya…

A year ago, Yokohama F·Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale were fighting for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League title. The two clubs had combined to win each of the last five championships and were battling for the sixth in a spectacular battle that would go down to the final day of the season.Now, the two teams meet again. Marinos won the title a year ago and are on top…

Vissel Kobe’s pursuit of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League title is as hot as ever and they’ll be hoping to make the leap to first place this weekend when they play Sagan Tosu on Sunday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. The Ushi have only lost one of their last 10, a terrific run that has kept th…

Gamba Osaka have been absolutely spectacular of late, going six in a row without a loss with five wins, and they will take their terrific form into Sunday’s 7 pm JST clash with Kashiwa Reysol that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. It wasn’t too long ago that Gamba were losers of five in a row and sitting at the botto…

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Albirex Niigata have both struggled of late, but they have a chance to jumpstart a turnaround when the two sides meet on Saturday at 1 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. Consa have only won one of their last six, struggling with their typically faulty defense. It h…

The Emperor’s Cup rolled into the third round on Wednesday and it was Kochi United who stole headlines once again. The fourth division Japan Football League club upended Meiji Yasuda J1 League side Yokohama FC to advance to the round of 16 and keep their dream alive.Kochi United have been on a dream run, winning as expected against fifth division Belugaross…

The top two teams in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League met on Saturday night in a clash of epic proportions, but neither side was able to make any headway. Yokohama F·Marinos and Nagoya Grampus played to a scintillating draw, allowing the third team in the title race, Vissel Kobe, to make a move.Let’s check in on that and the rest of the action from Matchweek 20:N…

The top two teams in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League clash on Saturday at 6 pm JST and you’re going to want to make sure you’re watching it live on the J.League International YouTube channel when Yokohama F·Marinos meet Nagoya Grampus in the match of the season thus far. Marinos are in first place, in search of their second consecutive league crown. They’v…

Vissel Kobe are going through a bit of a rough patch, having dropped points in three of their last five matches, but they are still in the thick of the title race and will be in search of a crucial victory when they visit Albirex Niigata on Friday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. The Ushi…

Avispa Fukuoka are back on their feet and looking for more as Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo come to Best Denki Stadium on Saturday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. Avi had lost four in a row and gone seven matches without a win before last weekend’s visit to Cerezo Osaka, where they walked a…

Kawasaki Frontale’s season has been a series of starts and stops, and they hope to start on a run into the top half on Saturday at 7 pm JST when they host Yokohama FC in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. Frontale looked to have finally found their footing in recent weeks, going three straight unbeaten wi…

Koki Ogawa is departing Yokohama FC to join NEC Nijmegen on a season-long loan. Ogawa will play for the Dutch club in the Eredivisie for the season and NEC will have the option to turn it into a permanent transfer after.Ogawa came up at Júbilo Iwata and also had a loan spell at Mito Hollyhock before signing with Yokohama in 2022. He immediately transformed …

Shuto Machino is leaving Shonan Bellmare to join 2.Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel in Germany.Machino went professional with Yokohama F·Marinos, but never played for the club, instead making his debut with Giravanz Kitakyushu. After a good stint in the lower divisions there, he signed for Shonan Bellmare in 2021 and his career blossomed.The forward made an im…

The Meiji Yasuda J1 League is looking blue, white and red. Not only are Yokohama F·Marinos moving ever closer to a second straight title, but Anderson Lopes’ lead atop the scoring chart continues to grow as he’s up to 15 goals on the campaign.Let’s check in on the Tricolor and all the other Matchweek 18 action:Yokohama F·Marinos 4, Shonan Bellmare 1Anderson…