Yokohama F·Marinos’ hopes of winning the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE appeared speculative before August, but a terrific month saw them cut Kawasaki Frontale’s lead down and that excellent work has earned Kevin Muscat Manager of the Month honors for August.

In seven August matches, Marinos earned 16 points, doing so on the back of a mesmerizing attack that scored 21 goals. Daizen Maeda and Léo Ceará each notched hat tricks in the month, while Marcos Júnior had three goals and an assist in August as Muscat got top-notch contributions from all over his team.

“​​I would like to thank the J.LEAGUE for this award,” Muscat said.

“I receive the award on behalf of myself and all the staff who have worked tirelessly since my arrival. The award wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of the playing group, so I’d also like to thank the players.

“Lastly, I would like to share this award with the fans, the Marinos family, for the wonderful welcome I have received from the them.”

At one point, Marinos had cut Frontale’s lead to just one point. A loss at the end of the month, combined with a Frontale win, saw the deficit extend to the four points at which it currently stands, but it remains an amazing surge for Muscat’s men, who are now firmly in a tight title race that figures to go down to the end of the season.

In J2, it was Cho Kwi-jae who took home Manager of the Month honors. The Kyoto Sanga F.C. boss led his team to a perfect month as they outscored their opponents 7-2 in three contests. The strong month helped solidify Kyoto Sanga F.C.'s place in the top two of the table and make them promotion favorites.

J3’s Manager of the Month was given to Yu Tokisaki of Fukushima United FC, who currently sit in second place in the division and recorded a dominant 4-0 win over FC Gifu in August.