Shinji Ono will end his remarkable 26-year career at the end of the season. The Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo midfielder announced today, on his 44th birthday, that he will retire at the end of the year.Ono began his career with Urawa Reds in 1998, winning J.League Rookie of the Year and J.League Best XI honors, to go along with Asian Young Footballer of the Y…

The stumbles of Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F·Marinos appear to be in the past after both took full points this weekend to send the title race back into a full sprint. How did they get it done and what happened across the rest of the league? Let’s dive in:Vissel Kobe 1, Cerezo Osaka 0Daiju Sasaki won the race to a long ball, held off a defender and finished su…

Yokohama F·Marinos have spent much of the season in either first or second place, locked with Vissel Kobe in a vicious battle for the title, but there are other teams who have injured the ring. Kashima Antlers leads a trio of teams tied on points and now within striking distance of the top, setting the stage for a massive battle when second place Marinos vi…

Urawa Reds have been among the league’s top teams all season and now they’ve begun to close in on first place, moving a mere six points back of Vissel Kobe in the chase for the title. That puts the spotlight squarely on the Reds as they look to maximize every available point, beginning on Sunday at 5 pm JST when they take on Gamba Osaka in a match that will…

Vissel Kobe are still sitting atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, but recent weeks have not been kind to them and they are desperately in need of a return to their best form. That begins on Saturday at 7 pm JST when they take on Cerezo Osaka in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.The Ushi fell to Sanfrecce Hiroshima…

Nagoya Grampus’ title hopes have taken a big hit in recent weeks after taking just one point from their last four matches, but they are still only six points off the top and can restart their push for the crown when they meet Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on Saturday 4 pm JST in match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. …

The AFC Champions League group stage got underway this week and Kawasaki Frontale came out flying. Playing away to Johor Darul Ta’zim, Frontale defended excellently and got a winner from Marcinho to come back from Malaysia with full points.Playing in front of a vocal crowd at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium was always going to be difficult for Frontale, but they han…

The AFC Champions League group stage is finally here. Four months after Urawa Reds claimed their third continental crown, the battle for Asian supremacy begins anew with four Meiji Yasuda J.League clubs in the fight.Urawa’s title defense will see them begin Group J play on Wednesday away to Wuhan Three Towns. Wuhan won the 2022 Chinese Super League and curr…

The fight for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League title is as scrappy as ever. More of the top teams took their lumps in Matchweek 27, bringing them all even closer together. What happened and how did things shake out? Let’s find out:Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2, Vissel Kobe 0Takaaki Shichi and Mutsuki Kato spoiled Juan Mata’s Vissel debut and threatened the Ushi’s place a…

Vissel Kobe reclaimed the top spot in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table last time out, putting themselves in pole position as they chase the very first title in club history. Then, the international break gave them two weeks to sit on the summit unchallenged, but now the league is back and the Ushi have to protect their place against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on S…

After 26 weeks in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League season, Shonan Bellmare are stuck at the bottom of the table fighting for survival. It’s been a rough year for the club, but they still have eight chances to make their way up to safety and that begins on Saturday at 7 pm JST against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League…

Urawa Reds have been among the Meiji Yasuda J1 League’s top teams all season, but it’s been months since they’ve been able to place themselves among the top three. That can change this Friday at 7:30 pm JST if they get the better of Kyoto Sanga in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. Urawa enter the weekend…

The international break is over and the Meiji Yasuda J1 League is jumping right back in with Yokohama F·Marinos’ chase for the title as the Tricolor kick off the weekend against Sagan Tosu on Friday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel. Marinos are two points back of Vissel Kobe for the league…

Japan wrapped up the September international break with their second emphatic victory in as many matches, defeating Turkey, 4-2, at Cegeka Arena in Gent, Belgium.The Samurai Blue beat four-time world champions Germany on Saturday, 4-1, so they entered Tuesday’s clash with plenty of confidence as they build towards this winter’s Asian Cup.Urawa Reds’ Atsuki …

Yuta Higuchi was unstoppable in August, destroying teams with romping runs off the right wing to win Konami Monthly MVP honors.Higuchi began the month with one of the best performances by any player this season, notching a goal and two assists as Kashima Antlers rolled to a 3-0 victory over Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. He was a constant threat and did not sl…

Daiki Iwamasa led Kashima Antlers to a very nice August, winning three of four matches to take over fifth in the table, and he’s been honored for that excellent work by being named Manager of the Month.Antlers have had their eyes on competing for the top places in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League all season and, after a strong August, they are certainly doing tha…

Marcos Júnior made his mark at Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a big way scoring a goal so good in his first match for the Viola that he has been awarded Konami Goal of the Month for August.The Brazilian moved from Yokohama F·Marinos to Sanfrecce this summer and made his Viola debut in Matchweek 24 against Kawasaki Frontale. On the hour mark, with the match tied 1-1…

The quarter-finals of the J.League YBC Levain Cup absolutely delivered thrills. All four ties went to the second legs either level or separated by just one goal, then the second legs saw two teams come-from-behind to book their spots in the semi-finals, while another went to extra time.When the dust settled, it was Avispa Fukuoka, Yokohama F·Marinos, Nagoya…

Japan beat Germany at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to help the Samurai Blue advance to the knockout stages and, on Saturday, they beat the four-time world champions again. Four Meiji Yasuda J.League products scored in a 4-1 victory as Japan put on a show against the hosts in Wolfsburg.Junya Ito, who played at Ventforet Kofu and Kashiwa Reysol to begin his career…

The first legs of the J.League YBC Levain Cup delivered in a big way, with one match being played to a draw and the other three all decided by just one goal. That sets the stage for four terrific second legs on Sunday.The most eventful of first legs came as Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo edged Yokohama F·Marinos, 3-2. The Tricolor held a 2-1 lead approaching th…