Shimizu S-Pulse have spent most of the season battling to stay out of the bottom four and keep their spot in the first division. It’s been a tough fight, but they’ve risen to the occasion as of late and avoided consecutive losses for nearly four months. The biggest reason for their recent success? Thiago Santana.The Brazilian striker has scored in each of t…

Kawasaki Frontale had a golden chance to extend their lead atop the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE table on Wednesday, but with less than 10 minutes remaining, it looked like it would slip through their fingers. Juan Alano had given Kashima Antlers a 1-0 lead and Frontale were struggling to create much of anything. In fact, since Antlers went in front, they had the…

Shimizu S-Pulse hosted Vegalta Sendai over the weekend in a crucial match that could determine who we see in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE next season. With both sides in the relegation fight, a win would go a long way to pushing a team closer to safety and a spot in next year’s top flight, and that’s exactly what S-Pulse got out of the match.Thiago Santana ha…

Jakub Świerczok has been banging in goals ever since signing for Nagoya Grampus, finding the back of the net in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, in both domestic cups, and in the AFC Champions League. If Nagoya is playing, the Pole is probably scoring, and that was the case on Saturday as his goal beat Yokohama F·Marinos, 2-1, to push Grampus into third place.Sh…

For the second time in the last month, Kawasaki Frontale’s lead atop the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE table was cut to one point as Yokohama F·Marinos breathed down the necks of the defending champions. And for the second time, Frontale responded with a victory, while Marinos lost, to stretch their title lead back to four points.Frontale rested a slew of first ch…

Nagoya Grampus are going to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League thanks to the heroics of Jakub Świerczok. The Polish striker brought Nagoya back from behind on two occasions, scoring a hat trick to beat Daegu FC and make them one of Asia’s final eight.Daegu scored just four minutes in, but Świerczok answered before the quarter-hour mark. First, th…

Matchweek 29 of the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE between Sagan Tosu and Oita Trinita have been postponed from Friday, September 17th at 19:00 JST to Saturday, September 18th at 19:00 JST due to typhoon No. 14.

At the beginning of the season, many pegged Nagoya Grampus to challenge Kawasaki Frontale for the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE title, and for a couple months it looked like they would be on the champions’ heels. But Grampus fell off the pace in the middle of the summer and while they were backsliding, Kevin Muscat’s Yokohama F·Marinos were surging.Now, as the sea…

There are a lot of things that go into having an excellent defense. The manager has to conceive and implement a system that keeps everyone organized, the whole team has to buy in, the defenders have to stay connected, and everyone has to win 1v1 challenges. Nagoya Grampus have all of that, and the final ingredient - an excellent goalkeeper in Mitch Langerak…

Kawasaki Frontale, Nagoya Grampus and Cerezo Osaka all played brilliantly in the AFC Champions League group stage, topping their groups in dominating fashion and booking their spots to the Round of 16. Now, they all face one-legged ties, where 90 minutes (or 120 and penalty kicks) will decide their continental fates, beginning with this week’s Round of 16.F…

Mitchell Langerak was in excellent form yet again for Nagoya Grampus, as they handily defeated Tokushima Vortis, 3-0, but it wasn’t just another clean sheet for the Australian goalkeeper. Langerak’s shoutout was his 18th in the first 28 matches of the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE season — one more than last campaign when he broke the J.League record for most…

Yokohama F·Marinos had their 13-match unbeaten streak snapped last matchweek, and they knew they needed to bounce back with a victory to keep the pressure on Kawasaki Frontale in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE title race. An early goal by Douglas Vieira put Sanfrecce Hiroshima in front, though, and put the pressure on Marinos to respond.The Yokohama side handle…

Sagan Tosu had the chance to jump into third place with a win over struggling Shimizu S-Pulse, but with less than 20 minutes to go, they were stuck in a 1-1 tie. S-Pulse were playing well, challenging the fearsome Sagan defense, and taking away clear-cut chances. It was going to take something special to beat them.Eduardo had something special.The Brazilian…

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 …

Nagoya Grampus summer signing Jakub Świerczok joined up with his new club in mid-August and it did not take long for him to grab headlines. Not only did he deliver his side a win on Matchweek 25 against Avispa Fukuoka, he did it in stunning fashion.The Poland international came off the bench and received a ball just outside the box with his back to goal in …

For the entire month of August, Léo Ceará was unstoppable. He was bagging goals in nearly every match and adding assists to help lead Yokohama F·Marinos’ title chase. So when it came time to name the Konami Monthly MVP, there was no doubt that the Brazilian was most deserving of the honor.Léo Ceará’s standout game of August came on the 21st when he notched …

Sometimes your stars lead your attack, and other times you have to turn to your bench for some help. In the last two matches, Cerezo Osaka have had to turn to their reinforcements and it’s been Riki Matsuda who has delivered.The forward was substituted on in the second leg of the Osaka Derby J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP quarter-final and found the back of the ne…

Yokohama F·Marinos’ furious run up the table and right onto the heels of Kawasaki Frontale came to an end right before the international break. After getting within one point of the league’s top team, Marinos had their 13-match unbeaten streak snapped by Kashima Antlers, and combined with a win by Frontale, had their deficit stretched to four points.This we…

Japan’s week of FIFA World Cup qualifying did not start according to plan, with a 1-0 loss to Oman in Suita putting them on the back foot, but they bounced back with a big win over China on Tuesday thanks to Yuya Osako. The Vissel Kobe forward’s 40th-minute goal was the difference in Japan’s 1-0 victory that put them back on track in their quest to qualify …

The 2021 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP is down to four teams after the quarter-final stage wrapped up over last weekend, with plenty of goals and action across the second legs of all four ties.Kawasaki Frontale 3, Urawa Reds 3 (Urawa advance 4-4 on away goals)In what was by far the match of the round, Urawa completed a second-leg fightback for the ages. After tak…