Vissel Kobe had a great month of October, winning twice and earning a crucial draw in their other match to solidify their third place spot in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE. Atsuhiro Miura guided the Ushi to that splendid month, and for that he has been named Manager of the Month.

Vissel started October with a 5-1 thrashing of Urawa Reds, then their defense shone in a 1-0 victory over Avispa Fukuoka. They closed out the month with a 2-2 draw against Nagoya Grampus, their chief rival for third place and the final automatic AFC Champions League spot. After a rough first half that saw the Ushi fall 2-0 down, Miura’s men dominated after the break and almost found a winner, but still walked away with an important point that kept them in the driver’s seat for third place.

Manager of the Month in J2 went to Ventforet Kofu’s Akira Ito. Ventforet took 13 of 15 points in October in a great run that left them with a chance at a late surge to second place and the final promotion place. Ito’s men allowed just two goals in their five October matches as their organized and ferocious defense keyed their fine run of form.

J3 Manager of the Month was awarded to Y.S.C.C. Yokohama’s Stalph Yuki Richard. Yokohama won four of their five October contests and drew their other thanks to a slew of composed performances that saw them win a series of close matches.