If Nagoya Grampus’ and Kashima Antlers’ failure to win their opening fixtures constituted good news for the rest of the J. League, the manner in which both teams eventually salvaged a point did not. Losing at home to less-fancied sides on the first day ...

The following is the second of a two-part J. League preview for the upcoming season. Team-by-team previews of the nine top-ranked teams competing in the first division are listed. NAGOYA GRAMPUS Last season: champion The 10-point gap between first and second place showed how ...

The following is the first of a two-part J. League preview for the upcoming season. Team-by-team previews of the nine lowest-ranked teams competing in the first division are listed. URAWA REDS Last season: 10th Urawa has effectively been in a state of crisis ever ...

It has been four years since Kashima Antlers last headed into a new J. League campaign as contenders rather than champions, but for manager Oswaldo Oliveira the hunger remains the same. After three seasons on top, Kashima’s domination finally ended last year as Nagoya ...

Given the changes that have taken place at Shimizu S-Pulse over the winter, new manager Afshin Ghotbi could be forgiven for playing down expectations in Shizuoka ahead of the new season. As far as the much-traveled Iranian-American is concerned, however, even the departure of ...

New Urawa Reds manager Zeljko Petrovic aims to emulate his friend and former international teammate Dragan Stojkovic by winning the J. League with the team he once played for — as long as the trigger-happy Saitama club has the patience to back him every ...

YOKOHAMA — Goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki lived up to his billing as reigning J. League player of the year with three shootout saves to lead Nagoya Grampus past Kashima Antlers 3-1 on penalties to win the Xerox Super Cup after a 1-1 draw on Saturday. ...

KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — As a fresh wave of Japanese players try to make their mark in Europe this spring, Kashiwa Reysol winger Koki Mizuno will settle for simply setting foot on a pitch again. Still only 25 but with a weight of experience ...

With yet another raft of Japanese players currently making their European club debuts, J. League fans could be forgiven for wondering what is left for them when the season starts next month. Transfers are a fact of life for any league, but the rate ...

KAWASAKI — A lot of things have changed at Kawasaki Frontale over the past six months, but Brazilian striker Juninho’s desire to help the club win its first J. League title is not one of them. With goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and striker Chong Tese ...

If the JFA was stung by criticism over its appointment of national team manager Alberto Zaccheroni in August, vindication was not long in coming. Having won the Asian Cup at the first time of asking, negotiating a series of injury and suspension problems and ...