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Vegalta Sendai on Tuesday announced the sale of limited-edition Nanaco cards at their upcoming match against Albirex Niigata on Saturday. Just 400 cards with the limited-edition designs, featuring photos of players or an illustration of club mascot Vegatta, will be made available outside of Yurtec Stadium before kick-off. Smart cards such as Nanaco ar…

Kashiwa Reysol face an uphill task progressing beyond the AFC Champions League quarter-finals after slumping to a 3-1 defeat to Guangzhou Evergrande at home. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Chinese Super League champions stormed to a dream start in the first leg at Kashiwa Stadium as Reysol skipper Daisuke Suzuki unwittingly scored an own-goal, heading his i…

J.League Female Manager Miki Sato rallied fans as both Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka prepare to contest the first leg of the 2015 AFC Champions League quarter-finals this week. Sato will be promoting the tournament via her appearances at stadiums and on television, and hopes that either of the pair can claim the prestigious trophy during her first year …

Montedio Yamagata have announced that Funabashi High School starlet Ayumu Nagato will join the club in 2016. The 17-year-old striker was listed as a standout player in this summer’s National Interscholastic Athletic Meet, and has also been called up for Japan’s Under-18 national team. “I want to work hard so that I can play as soon a…

The Japan Football Association announced four changes to the squad for the Japan Under-22 national team training camp, which began on Sunday in Kyoto. Albirex Niigata pair Naoki Kawaguchi and Kei Koizumi picked up injuries alongside Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker Takuma Asano, with the trio prematurely withdrawn. Yokohama F. Marinos midfielder Takuya Kid…

Vegalta Sendai on Thursday announced their tentative agreement for Funabashi High School talent Keiya Shiihashi to join the club in 2016. The 18-year-old midfielder led his team to a runners-up finish during the summer’s National Interscholastic Athletic Meet. “I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way and I want to wo…

Shonan Bellmare on Friday announced the signing of Brazilian striker Amorim, who had spent several weeks at the Kanagawa outfit on trial. The 25-year-old, who most recently played for Brazil’s Internacional in 2014, described himself as a technically skilled forward who is also able to create chances. “I feel blessed that I have a chance t…

FC Tokyo on Saturday confirmed that winger Naohiro Ishikawa successfully underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The 34-year-old went under the knife on Thursday after the blow to his left knee earlier in August during a friendly played against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Ishikawa, who will now spend eight months on the side…

Albirex Niigata striker Rafael Silva returned to Japan on Thursday after undergoing medical treatment in his native Brazil. The 23-year-old had returned to his homeland after tearing his right hamstring in training on July 9, but is now expected to rejoin first-team training soon as he nears his comeback. Despite his absence, Rafael remains Albirex&rs…

The leadership of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League continues changing hands, as Kashima Antlers overpowered Montedio Yamagata 3-0 on Saturday to reprise first place in second stage standings. Masatada Ishii’s men took back the initiative at the top after it had temporarily gone to Kashiwa Reysol, the J.League’s most successful outfit producing a re…

Vissel Kobe on Wednesday announced that defender Michihiro Yasuda will need up to a month to recover from an injury to his right medial cruciate ligament. The 27-year-old, who also spent three years with Eredivisie side Vitesse, suffered the MCL injury during training on August 15. Yasuda has made eight appearances this season for Vissel, who are nint…

Hong Kong FA CEO Mark Sutcliffe and three more officials visited the J.League’s headquarters on Friday. The delegation took in a seminar on the history and current state of the J.League, with the goal of strengthening the Hong Kong Premier League. Following the seminar, participants had an opportunity to exchange questions and views, with the HK…

Vissel Kobe and Kashiwa Reysol learnt on Wednesday that they will now play their Yamazaki Nabisco Cup quarter-final second leg at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium. The September 6 encounter was initially set to be played at Noevir Stadium, but the J.League opted to move it to the 45,000 capacity older alternative in a schedule and venue update. The m…

Kosuke Taketomi starred in Kashiwa Reysol's 2-0 win over Matsumoto Yamaga on Thursday that saw them rise top of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage standings. The first stage strugglers appear to have turned their season around and secured their third win on the trot during the matchday 8 clash with Yamaga. Tatsuma Yoshida's men, unbeaten …

Following the bomb attacks in Bangkok on August 17 and 18, the J.League has decided to prematurely conclude the J.League Under-13 selection's training camp in Thailand. The players, originally schedule to return home on Saturday, instead left Thailand on Thursday in view of the local security situation. The team had been scheduled to play friendli…

Takuma Asano, Gakuto Notsuda and Naomichi Ueda head the Japan Football Association’s list of 25 called up for an upcoming Japan Under-22 training camp. Scheduled to take place between August 23 and 26, the players will train together for four days before the camp comes to a close with a practice match against Kyoto Sanga FC. It will be an opport…

Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday announced their “ACL Trophy Tour 2015 in KASHIWA”, which will take place for one week beginning from Thursday. Fans who attended the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League second stage match between Reysol and Matsumoto Yamaga can take a photo with the AFC Champions League trophy and receive a commemorative photo card. The trophy…

Shota Kaneko revealed he wished he could have stayed at Shimizu S-Pulse to help them out of their present situation, after the club announced his loan to Tochigi SC on Tuesday. The 20-year-old has been at IAI Stadium since 2014 but has so far failed to break into the first team, only making five appearances this term. “I worried a lot about maki…

Gamba Osaka defeated Osaka Gakuin University in a 60-minute training match, divided into halves of 30 minutes each, on Monday. The Japanese Treble winners quickly dispatched their opponents, overcoming them early with goals scored in the first half by a youth teamer and 19-year-old midfielder Naoya Seno. Kenta Hasegawa’s side slipped to 10th pla…

MEIJI YASUDA J3 League club FC Machida Zelvia on Tuesday announced plans to open a restaurant named “Zelvia x Kitchen” in late September. Located five minutes away by car from Machida Athletic Stadium as well as the team’s training facilities, the restaurant is to be opened to the local community. The aim will be to bring fans togeth…