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Toru Oniki has been named Manager of the Month for February and March after Kawasaki Frontale started the season with 16 points from their first seven matches to begin the season.Oniki, who has guided Frontale to four of the last five Meiji Yasuda J1 League titles, is no stranger to Manager of the Month honors for his terrific work, but this season has chal…

Yuki Saneto has been awarded J1 Goal of the Month for February and March, a deserved honor for the Yokohama F·Marinos man whose 95th minute bicycle kick equalizer in Matchweek 4 earned his side a draw in spectacular fashion.Marinos were desperately pushing for an equalizer as the clock ticked past the final of four minutes of stoppage time. A last-gasp cros…

The first Konami Monthly MVP award for 2022 has been given to Ayase Ueda, whose sparkling form to start the season has catapulted Kashima Antlers up the table.Ueda scored two goals in Kashima’s season-opening win over Gamba Osaka and added another goal in a win over Shonan Bellmare on March 19. His inch-perfect finishing and terrific movement made him a ter…

Matchweek 8 in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League delivered with action and a new-look top of the table.Kashima Antlers 0, Yokohama F·Marinos 3Kashima took over first place on Wednesday, but Marinos struck for three goals in the last 10 minutes on Sunday to take second place in the table and push Antlers to third. Kawasaki Frontale 1, Kashiwa Reysol 0With Kas…

Peter Utaka is the new leading goal scorer in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The 38-year-old striker scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season to lead Kyoto Sanga F.C. past Sagan Tosu, 3-1, and leapfrog Ayase Ueda for the top spot in the scoring chart.Sagan was the league’s last undefeated team and featured the best defensive mark in the competition, havi…

Kashima Antlers are back on top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, a familiar place for the eight-time champions, but one they have not been in for a while. With momentum at their backs and back in first place, they face a big test in Matchweek 8 against Yokohama F·Marinos in Ibaraki.Marinos haven’t yet found their stride in 2022, sorting through changes in def…

Ueda aims to keep his place atop the scoring chartKashima Antlers forward Ayase Ueda’s five goals have thrust him to the top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League scoring chart, with his team now also top of the table in points. It’s been a terrific start to the season in every way for Ueda and Co., but can he continue it against a fellow title rival in Yokohama F·…

There is a new team atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table but it's a familiar sight to J.League fans.Ayase Ueda’s 71st minute goal delivered a 1-0 win for Kashima Antlers over Avispa Fukuoka and thrust the eight-time champions into first place.Ueda has been spectacular all season and his match-winner put him all alone atop the league’s goal scoring cha…

Another Meiji Yasuda J1 League matchweek is in the books. Here's how the games went down...Júbilo Iwata 1, Kawasaki Frontale 1Kei Chinen scored in stoppage time to rescue a point for Frontale, but that was not enough to maintain their place atop the table as their dropped points opened the door for Kashima Antlers. Avispa Fukuoka 0, Kashima Antle…

Kashiwa Reysol have been the surprise team of the early season, rising to fourth in the table and sitting second in points per game. They’ve been tremendous, featuring the second-best defense in the league and an attack averaging 1.5 goals per game.On Tuesday, that Kashiwa side will take on arguably the hottest team in the entire Meiji Yasuda J.League - Cer…

As usual, here are our three things to watch for Matchweek 7...Who will be in first place?Kawasaki Frontale currently occupy the top spot of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, but only by a point. Yokohama F·Marinos and Kashima Antlers are right on their heels, and Kashiwa Reysol are only three points back themselves. Any of the top four could be top of the …

Kawasaki Frontale 1, Cerezo Osaka 4Takashi Inui scored Cerezo’s first two, then Hiroto Yamada their next two as the Sakura dominated in transition to thrash first place Frontale. Yokohama F·Marinos 2, F.C.Tokyo 1Takuma Nishimura won an aerial battle for Marinos’ first goal, only to have Shuto Abe answer, but Anderson Lopes’ goal early in the second ha…

Eight excellent matches will be broadcast on the J.League International YouTube channel for the month of April, with two J.League YBC Levain Cup contests and six Meiji Yasuda J2 League clashes being shown around the world.Kyoto Sanga will host Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on April 13 in Matchday 4 of the J.League YBC Levain Cup, as Peter Utaka takes on the Co…

Japan know their path at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Friday’s official draw placed the Samurai Blue into Group E alongside Spain, Germany, and the winner of the intercontinental play-off between Costa Rica and New Zealand.Japan will open their World Cup campaign on November 23 in Qatar against Germany before meeting the play-off winner on November 27. They wra…

It's rare for defeat to feel good, but F.C.Tokyo began their season with a hard-fought loss to defending champions Kawasaki Frontale that most felt was an impressive showing from an improved side. Since then, confidence has only grown in the capital. The Blue and Red have won three straight, buoyed by a stingy defense that has only allowed one goal in …

After 14 matches, Japan’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign came to an end on Tuesday with a 1-1 draw against Vietnam. The Samurai Blue had already clinched qualification last week with an impressive 2-0 win in Australia, and now they have finished their entire qualifying slate.A heavily rotated side took the pitch at Saitama Stadium 2002 and they str…

Cerezo Osaka 6, Oita Trinita 1Cerezo’s spectacular cup form continued with Trinita in town. Not only did they cruise to victory, they did so with six different goalscorers as they improved to three wins from three matches in the group stage and opened up a five-point lead atop Group A.Kashima Antlers 4, Gamba Osaka 1Gamba scored four minutes in and kept tha…

Japan will be at the 2022 FIFA World Cup! The Samurai Blue defeated Australia, 2-0, in Sydney to clinch their spot in the final tournament thanks to a late brace by Kaoru Mitoma.Japan were on the front foot for most of the match and nearly scored in the first half, but a header by Cerezo Osaka product and current Liverpool star Takumi Minamino hit the bar. …

Japan are on the verge of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and could clinch their spot in Qatar this week. The Samurai Blue square off against Australia and Vietnam in the final two matches of the third round of qualifying and do so with a team full of Meiji Yasuda J.League stars present and past in search of that all-important World Cup place.Kawasak…

Yuto Suzuki and Ayase Ueda have been off to red hot starts in 2022 and that continued in Matchweek 5. The Júbilo Iwata striker scored his fourth goal of the season to take the sole lead on the scoring chart, while Ueda scored his third to stay on Suzuki’s heels.Suzuki’s goal came in a losing effort, but it was still an impressive headed finish off a Júbilo …