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Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 9, 2023

U.S. women's star Megan Rapinoe to retire at end of season

The winger currently has 199 caps over a span of 17 years playing for her country and also won an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 10, 2022

U.S. soccer journalist dies in Qatar after collapsing during World Cup game

In recent days, longtime soccer writer Grant Wahl wrote about struggles with his health during a run of coverage that, he said, typically left room for about five hours of sleep a night.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 23, 2022

A Saudi soccer victory rings out across the Arab world

Few had given the Saudis a chance of winning a game at the tournament, much less overcoming the might of Argentina and Lionel Messi, arguably the finest player the sport has ever seen.
SOCCER / From the Spot
Aug 16, 2022

WE League aims to build on first-season challenges

After a challenging debut season, Japan's professional women's soccer competition will return to action on Saturday with the first edition of the WE League Cup.
JAPAN / New Normal 2.0
Jun 24, 2022

Japan begins return to business-as-usual at big events — but slowly

Recent trials of allowing cheering at soccer games are indicative of the approach toward large events in the coming months: a slow, highly cautious return to some aspects of normalcy.
Japan Times
PARALYMPICS
Aug 28, 2021

American Nick Mayhugh goes from soccer to track to the top of Paralympic podium

Mayhugh was a soccer player a little over a year ago and admits he's still learning how to be a track and field athlete. Luckily, he's a fast learner.
SOCCER / From the Spot
Feb 12, 2021

WE League chair 'grateful' for Yoshiro Mori's sexist remarks

Kikuko Okajima is pleased that the now-former Tokyo 2020 president brought attention to the issue of gender equality in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2014

Germany's triumph in Brazil was no surprise

Everything about the 7-1 German victory over Brazil in a World Cup semifinal was logical and even overdue. The entire German soccer system has been working toward this moment since 2001.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2014

Chinese World Cup woes provoke self-doubt

China's long-suffering soccer fans keep looking for proxies at World Cup time, all the while grumbling under their breaths about the government's control-freak approach to choosing athletes for the national team and a lack of youth developmental leagues outside of the official system.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Sep 17, 2008

Oil wealth has big impact on Asia's soccer landscape

When the Asian Champions League began back in March, few outside of Uzbekistan had heard of Kuruvchi. Now, with the club preparing for Wednesday's Asian Champions League quarterfinals after an extraordinary summer, the world is certainly paying attention.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2002

Soccer teams show the power of reform

The drama of the World Cup has implications for politics in Japan and South Korea. To be sure, soccer and politics are two different games, one a competition for skill and physical stamina and the other a struggle for power and interests. Nevertheless, we can draw lessons from the performances of the...
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2001

IMG delves into soccer, Japan

IMG, the largest sports management and marketing company in the world, is planning to get even bigger.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Aug 24, 2001

Brazilian scores with high school soccer

Akita Prefecture has traditionally been famous for its rice. But, in recent years, the quality of young soccer talent coming out of the area's high schools has caught the media spotlight.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2000

2002 World Cup: Soccer without fear?

BRUSSELS -- The first world cup of the new millennium is to be staged in Japan and South Korea in the summer of 2002. Both countries want to use this billion-dollar sporting showpiece as a global shop window allowing those watching, both in the stadiums and on TV, to see the real Japan and the real South...
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 18, 2023

How Japan's top soccer league is striving to become a climate leader

As the league continues to grow, and as climate change wreaks havoc on operations, its quest to bring healthier lifestyles to the Japanese public has expanded into environmental issues.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 13, 2023

Posh Miami enclave to become U.S. soccer hub

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s highly-connected president, is expected to relocate to Miami in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jan 4, 2023

Brazil bids farewell to beloved soccer star Pele

On the streets of Santos, the city of 430,000 where the global superstar lived for most of his life, some struggled to come to terms with his loss.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Oct 27, 2022

A ‘landmark’ as women will coach against each other in men’s soccer

Data published by the U.S. Department of Education shows that only about 5% of all men's college teams are coached by women.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Oct 9, 2022

Indonesian soccer faces pivotal moment after stadium disaster

Experts speak of shaky infrastructure, mismanagement and the potential for heated passions to descend into violence that has killed scores since the 1990s.
SOCCER / From the Spot
Sep 20, 2022

Kosuke Kimura expects tough fight between Japan and USMNT

The former Colorado Rapids defender, now an assistant coach with Major League Soccer's Nashville SC, hopes the Samurai Blue can learn from their opponents' optimism in Friday's friendly.
SOCCER
Sep 14, 2022

Haruna Takata to replace Kikuko Okajima as WE League chairperson

The former V-Varen Nagasaki president will take charge of Japan's professional women's soccer league just six months after joining the J. League's board of directors.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Oct 1, 2021

JFA seeks Nadeshiko Japan revival under youth wizard Futoshi Ikeda

The 50-year-old, whose Japan side won the 2018 U-20 Women's World Cup, wants to restore the senior team's standing after it struggled to achieve results in recent international competitions.
Urawa Reds Ladies celebrate with their fans after winning the league championship at Urawa Komaba Stadium on June 3, 2023.
SOCCER
May 9, 2024

Urawa Reds Ladies to vie for Asian supremacy amid controversy over AFC's actions

Final to go ahead after backlash forced AFC to reverse earlier decision to cancel match.
New Nadeshiko Japan coach Nils Nielsen (center) poses for photos with JFA President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (left) and Norio Sasaki, the JFA’s women’s soccer chair, during a news conference on Dec. 18.
SOCCER
Dec 26, 2024

JFA hopes Nils Nielsen's international focus leads Nadeshiko Japan back to glory

Nils Nielsen was officially unveiled as the new Nadeshiko boss at a packed news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 18. 
English and Italian footballers observe a minute of silence for the victims of a deadly shooting in Brussels and of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine, at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023

Qatar-owned network altered broadcasts to avoid war references

Instead of tributes and moments of silence at recent games, beIN broadcasts aired extended studio discussions that hewed solely toward soccer.
SOCCER
Feb 24, 2024

Want to play in the Asian Champions League? It will cost you.

Urawa Reds reported to the FIFPro union that only the finalists would earn enough prize money to recover their costs.
Inter Miami’s signing of Lionel Messi has served to highlight the demand for top talent among U.S. soccer fans, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
SOCCER
May 7, 2024

MLS must attract best players to grow, says Infantino

Major League Soccer salary and roster restrictions mean that teams are unable to spend freely when it comes to signing top players.
Indonesia fans watch a livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia on screens outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams

Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as it attempts to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Longform

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