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The 2018 J.League YBC Levain Cup resumed on Wednesday night with the second round of Group Stage action. Struggling at home against Albirex Niigata, FC Tokyo found a saviour in 16-year-old Takefusa Kubo who scored his first top team goal just six minutes after stepping onto the pitch as a substitute.  The 1-0 win saw Tokyo rise to second place in…

The 2018 J.League YBC Levain Cup opened on Wednesday night with the start of the round-robin group stage featuring 14 J1 and two J2 League clubs. In Group A, Tatsuya Tanaka scored in stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Albirex Niigata at Vegalta Sendai. At Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama F. Marinos protected Ippei Shinozuka’s early goal for a 1-0 w…

The third match day of the 2018 AFC Champions League wrapped up on Wednesday night, ending a mostly positive week for Japanese clubs. On Tuesday, Junya Ito’s go-ahead goal in the 66th minute was enough to push Kashiwa Reysol to a 1-0 win over Hong Kong’s Kitchee, whose starting XI featured former Cerezo Osaka striker Diego Forlan.  Wi…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima surged to a 2-1 comeback win at Urawa Reds to record their second straight opening win in the 2018 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. Last term’s relegation survivors have made a fantastic start to the new campaign and showed grit to come back from Takuya Aoki’s opener right before the break. Kosei Shibasaki fired home Sanfrecce&r…

Mu Kanazaki fired home a late winner as Kashima Antlers picked up their first win of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season, beating Gamba Osaka 1-0.   The Japan striker scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute in an even match, as they attempt to wrest back the title from Kawasaki Frontale at the end of this season.   Reigning champions…

Kawasaki Frontale picked up where they left off last term, beginning their 2018 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League campaign with a 3-0 win at Jubilo Iwata. The Japanese champions effectively ended the tie as a contest by half time, with Kengo Nakamura, Shogo Taniguchi and Eduardo all scoring before the break, and there was time for Yoshito Okubo to make his second d…

The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League’s 25th season has officially kicked off, with the weekend already having provided a number of entertaining fixtures to Japanese football fans. The action got of to a fast stat in the first edition of Friday Night J.League, with Sagan Tosu hosting Vissel Kobe at Best Amenity Stadium.  The hosts took an early lead w…

Cerezo Osaka on Wednesday announced the signing of Spanish midfielder Osmar Ibanez Barba on a one-year loan from FC Seoul. The 29-year-old spent the last four seasons with the K League side, scoring 13 goals in 142 appearances. He was named to the K League’s Best XI of 2016. Osmar previously played for Thailand’s Buriram United, helping th…

The second matchday of the 2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage took place on Wednesday night, with both J.League clubs earning key results. Cerezo Osaka fought Chinese titans Guangzhou Evergrande to a 0-0 draw at Yanmar Stadium, holding off strong pressure in the first half only to turn it around in the second with sustained attacking from the likes of…

The second round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage opened on Tuesday night with J.League clubs struggling to pick up points against tough opposition. Playing away at Ulsan Hyundai, Kawasaki Frontale fell behind just before halftime and saw the deficit increase to 2-0 midway through the second half.  Substitute Kei Chinen made it 2-1 in…

Albirex Niigata have announced the signing of striker Bruno Meneghel on a transfer from China’s Changchun Yatai. The 30-year-old previously played for Cerezo Osaka in 2016, scoring six goals from 20 appearances in that year’s MEIJI YASUDA J2 League.  In the announcement, Albirex introduced Bruno’s accurate technique, wide field …

The first round of the 2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage concluded on Wednesday night with both Japanese teams in action taking points from their respective matches.   Kashima Antlers fell behind just three minutes into their home match against Shanghai Shenhua when Colombia international Giovanni Moreno scored the opening goal.  But last…

The 2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage opened in the East Zone on Tuesday night with both Kawasaki Frontale and Kashiwa Reysol in action starting their campaigns with losses.   At Todoroki Stadium, Frontale fell behind in the 23rd minute against Shanghai SIPG when Brazilian attacker Elkeson scored the opening goal. The J.League champions were unab…

The FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP 2018 took place on Saturday at Saitama Stadium 2002, with Emperor’s Cup champions Cerezo Osaka defeating J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale 3-2 to claim the first title of the Japanese football season. Cerezo set the pace in the rematch of the 2017 J.League YBC Levain Cup final, scoring in the 26th minute when Kenyu Sugim…

Nagoya Grampus on Thursday announced that striker Hisato Sato will remain captain for the 2018 season. The 2012 J.League MVP joined Grampus in 2017 from Sanfrecce Hiroshima, helping Yahiro Kazama’s side earn a swift return to the J1 League with five goals from 28 appearances. “It’s an honor to be named captain for another season,&rdq…

Yokohama F. Marinos on Thursday announced that centre-back Yuji Nakazawa will serve as the team’s captain for the coming season. The 39-year-old has played for the Nissan Stadium residents since the 2002 season, making nearly 600 total appearances for the club in addition to almost 100 more for Tokyo Verdy at the start of his career. “It&r…

FC Ryukyu on Wednesday announced the opening of FC Ryukyu Gakuin, a private high school located in the city of Okinawa. The school, which will be the first of its kind, will focus on developing student athletes and raising the next generation of football players from Okinawa prefecture. “Education will be incredibly important for future generati…

Vegalta Sendai on Monday announced the signing of striker Rafaelson on a season-long loan from Brazil’s Vitoria. The 20-year-old made his senior team debut in 2015 and contributed to Vitoria’s promotion to Brazil’s Serie A. He has also participated in two state championship-winning campaigns. “I’m incredibly happy to join…

Urawa Reds on Saturday announced the transfer of striker Rafael Silva to Chinese League One side Wuhan Zall FC. The Brazilian scored 12 goals in 25 J1 League appearances with the Saitama Stadium residents. He also recorded nine goals in 11 AFC Champions League matches, contributing significantly to the club’s second continental crown. “I o…

The J.League have announced the promotion of Miki Sato to the post of Honourary Manager following three years of service as the league’s Female Manager. Sato has actively participated in the J.League public relations efforts since her appointment in 2015, visiting the home stadiums of all 54 clubs and making countless media appearances in her effor…