- League Cup
Kubo scores first Levain Cup goal for Tokyo’s first 2018 win
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…Thu, 15 Mar 2018 · 09:59 JST - League Cup
Six players net doubles as Levain Cup opens
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…Thu, 08 Mar 2018 · 09:59 JST - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Reysol & Antlers win in third round of ACL
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…Thu, 08 Mar 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Sanfrecce seals comeback at Urawa Reds
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…Mon, 05 Mar 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Kanazaki earns Antlers first J1 League win
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…Sun, 04 Mar 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Frontale begin title defence with comprehensive win
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…Tue, 27 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Urawa Reds begin J1 League challenge with Tokyo draw
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…Sun, 25 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Midfielder Osmar joins Cerezo on loan
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…Fri, 23 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Antlers win at Bluewings as Cerezo hold Evergrande
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…Fri, 23 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Frontale struggle & Reysol draw in Asia
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…Wed, 21 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J2 LEAGUE
Former Cerezo striker Bruno joins Albirex
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 …Sat, 17 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Antlers draw, Cerezo win in ACL openers
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…Thu, 15 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Frontale & Reysol open ACL with losses
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…Wed, 14 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP
Cerezo claim first title of season after Super Cup win
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…Sun, 11 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Sato remains captain for Grampus in 2018
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…Sat, 10 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Veteran Nakazawa named F. Marinos captain
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…Fri, 09 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J3 LEAGUE
FC Ryukyu to open private high school in April
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…Fri, 09 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Vegalta welcome striker Rafaelson
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…Tue, 06 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J1 LEAGUE
Reds striker Rafael Silva joins China’s Wuhan
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…Sun, 04 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST - J.LEAGUE News
Miki Sato named J.League Honourary Manager
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…Fri, 02 Feb 2018 · 09:59 JST