After a three-week interval, Division One of the J. League kicks off again Saturday with the start of the second stage.

The first stage was memorable for several reasons: Jubilo Iwata's dominating victory of the stage; the surprising success of JEF United Ichihara; and the decline of two traditional powerhouses, the Yokohama F. Marinos and Tokyo Verdy 1969.

On the plus front, attendances were well up with an average of 17,545 fans per game, the third best in the history of the league following 1994 (19,598) and 1993 (17,976).

After the end of the first stage, however, four Japanese players moved to foreign clubs: Gamba Osaka midfielder Junichi Inamoto went to England's Arsenal; Urawa Reds midfielder Shinji Ono joined Dutch club Feyenoord; Cerezo Osaka forward Akinori Nishizawa transferred on loan to Bolton, recently promoted to England's Premier League; and Jubilo striker Naohiro Takahara has gone to Boca Juniors in Argentina.

Meanwhile, Yugoslavia and Nagoya Grampus Eight star forward Dragan "Pixy" Stojkovic retired, while four first division clubs -- Kashiwa Reysol, Nagoya, Verdy and the Marinos -- announced management changes ahead of the second stage.

The second stage will run through Nov. 24 with a two-week break after Sept. 29 for national team activities.

Below is a rundown on the current status of the teams.

JUBILO IWATA (1st place, 13-1-1 win-draw-loss)

Jubilo dominated the first stage and won in record style. The nine-point winning margin over JEF United was the biggest ever in the J. League.

Iwata missed Japan internationals Hiroshi Nanami and Takahara in several games during the latter half of the stage, but it overcame this difficult period with the help of reserve players such as midfielder Jo Kanazawa, forward Nobuo Kawaguchi and midfielder Norihisa Shimizu.

Jubilo manager Masakazu Suzuki, the winner of the Asian Football Confederation's Manager of the Month award in July, said his team is still only halfway along the road to establishing its true playing style. But the two-time J. League champion has added some mental toughness and won several games by coming from behind. Jubilo's 12 goals against was the lowest in the division.

In the second stage, Nanami will be back in service but Jubilo doesn't have Takahara any longer. The young Japan forward scored eight goals in 13 games (25 percent of the team's scoring) in the first stage. Masashi Nakayama produced seven goals in 15 games, the second highest on the team, and is expected to be a major scoring source for the side in the second stage. But the burden could be a big one for the veteran striker if he doesn't get enough support up front. The team has not made any major mid-season signings so far.

JEF UNITED ICHIHARA(2nd place, 10-0-5)

Slovenian manager Zdenko Verdenik has done well to turn his team into a competitive side. Ichihara was the sensation of the first stage, finishing as runnerup, the club's best ever finish.

JEF United has a solid backbone of Slovenian defender Zeljko Milinovic, Bosnian midfielder Edin Mujcin and South Korea striker Choi Yong Soo. But the biggest difference was the fact the players showed a strong fighting attitude, which helped them play attractive attacking football. Ichihara lost to Iwata, Nagoya and Kashiwa at the start of the first stage but made a good recovery to mark a four-game winning run until it was stopped by Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Ichihara then went on to another winning streak for five games in the latter half of the stage. The more the team won, the more the players increased their confidence.

Choi scored 11 goals in 12 games, second best in the division, while Ichihara marked the division's highest total of 35 goals, which means the team scored 2.3 goals per game. For the second stage, young midfielder Yuki Abe will return to the team from injury, which will give more options to Verdenik. Ichihara should prove its first stage performance was not a fluke.

NAGOYA GRAMPUS(3rd place, 10-2-3)

Nagoya is one of the teams that has made significant changes during the three-week break. Grampus finished third after winning the last four games in the stage but was never really involved in the title race. The team dropped points after being forced into extra time in five of its 10 wins. Nagoya lost to Vissel Kobe, the Marinos and Consadole Sapporo, all of which finished lower in the table. In the second stage, Nagoya will be a different team after the departure of its star player Stojkovic and having dismissed Brazilian manager Joao Carlos. New manager Tetsuro Miura was promoted from the position of club scout to the top post but has had experience as Nagoya caretaker, in November 1994 after the departure of Gordon Milne. Miura has shifted his team formation back to its classic 4-4-2 from 3-5-2 and has started to work on defense first.

Grampus have hired Brazilian forward Marcelo Ramos from Cruzeiro in the hope of filling the hole left by Stojkovic. His combination with countryman forward Ueslei and Dutch midfielder Tarik Oulida could trouble opponents. Ueslei has fitted in well, scoring 10 goals in 14 matches.

SHIMIZU S-PULSE(4th place, 10-0-5)

Shimizu was the only team that beat top-team Jubilo in the first stage and threatened the title hopes of its prefectural rival until the 11th round of the stage. But S-Pulse lost costly games to JEF United, Nagoya and FC Tokyo to miss out on a top-three finish. It finished one point behind Grampus with a loss to FC Tokyo on the final day of the stage. But Shimizu is one of the teams that has a solid form defensively and offensively in the league. The 18 goals given away was the second lowest in the division.

Goalkeeper Masanori Sanada is likely to miss a few games due to illness, but Alex, who showed some of his old form in the recent J. League All-Star Match, will be a key force in Shimizu's attack. Alex, who is waiting for a nod to be granted a Japanese passport, scored eight goals in 15 games. Kohei Hiramatsu is improving and was recently called up for Japan's provisional squad for its friendly against Australia.

GAMBA OSAKA(5th place, 9-0-6)

Gamba Osaka manager Hiroshi Hayano had a hard time fixing his back line as he missed Tsuneyasu Miyamoto due to injury in the first half of the stage and French defender Claude Dambury in the latter half of the stage. Dambury left the club after his contract expired in June.

Hayano, however, commented that his team is on the right track in terms of what he wants it to do, a style that relies on quick and simple attack. Nino Bule's scoring ability is something the team counts on. The Croatian found the net nine times in 14 games. But Gamba lost Japan defensive midfielder Junichi Inamoto to English club Arsenal after the first stage. The Osaka team signed midfielder Mirko Hrgovic from Hadjuk Split of Croatia and Haruki Seto from Consadole. Japan's 1999 World Youth team player Yasuhito Endo is expected to try and fill the gap left by Inamoto.

KASHIWA REYSOL(6th place, 8-0-7)

Reysol was regarded as one of the favorites for the first-stage title after signing South Korean international Yoo Sang Chul from the Marinos. The forward was to team up with his countrymen Hwang Sun Hong and Hong Myung Bo. But the Korean trio often couldn't play together because of injuries and suspensions, which made manager Akira Nishino's job hard.

Struggling to find its form, Reysol finished the first half of the stage with a 4-3 win-loss record but then soon lost three games in a row (to Tokyo, Kashima and Jubilo) only to drop out of the title race. Kashiwa kept a clean sheet in only two games in the stage. After the disappointing first stage, the club fired Nishino and hired former Shimizu manager Steve Perryman in his place. Perryman originally came to the team July 2 as Nishino's assistant. The English manager is expected to put together a solid and competitive organization, which should have a better chance of challenging Jubilo in the second stage.

URAWA REDS(7th place, 7-1-7)

The Urawa Reds did fairly well in the first stage considering the fact that it was the team's first season after returning from Division Two. Under the guidance of Brazilian Tita, the team improved its defense, which has brought some good results. Brazilian midfielder/forward Adriano has fitted into the team well but injury-hampered midfielder Donizete was released at the end of the stage. The central focus of the second stage will be how the Reds will play after the departure of Japan midfielder Shinji Ono, who has moved to Feyenoord in the Dutch league. Even worse, top scorer Tuto (seven goals in 12 games) and defender Ryuji Michiki will not be available early in the second stage due to injury.

But the Reds front office reacted promptly, signing Brazilian forward Emerson from Kawasaki Frontale, who was the top scorer in J2 at Consadole last year. Forward Yuichiro Nagai also looks fit and goalkeeper Yohei Nishibe will be back from injury after missing the last five games in the first stage.

CONSADOLE SAPPORO(8th, 6-3-6)

Last season's J2 champion Consadole also had a good first stage with its classic playing style -- a combination of solid defense and counter-attack. Sapporo moved up to second place at the end of April with a 4-1-1 record.

Brazilian Will is currently leading the scoring with 12 goals in 14 games, which is more than half of the team's total (20). Forward Ryuji Bando follows him with six goals. But Will may not be able to enjoy as much freedom as in the first stage as his opponents will have studied him and his team.

Sapporo acquired midfielder Hitoshi Morishita, which will help the team have more options as well as encouraging the midfield players to compete harder for their places.

FC TOKYO(9th place, 8-0-7)

Before the start of the season, FC Tokyo acquired Wagner Lopes from Nagoya but he didn't look too comfortable and the former Japan forward was released to Avispa Fukuoka after the first stage.

Tokyo suffered a 2-0-5 record in the first half of the first stage but overcame some of its problems later on as Brazilian forward Kelly gradually fitted into the team.

Kelly, formerly of Atletico Paranaense, and his countryman, forward Amaral, combined on 12 goals out of their team's total of 18. Amaral has made a good contribution to his side not only with his attacking skills but also his hard defense up front. The better the Brazilian duo combine with play-maker Fumitake Miura, the more scoring the team can expect. But the 35-year-old Amaral has got to stay injury-free.

After the first stage, the club also released right-back Naruyuki Naito to Fukuoka. But Takayuki Komine, who played as a central defender last season, played some impressive games including one during his team's 2-1 win against Shimizu on the final day of the stage, which knocked S-Pulse out of the top three. Tokyo hasn't signed anyone for the second stage but the team looks comfortable in terms of its composure going into the second stage.

VISSEL KOBE(10th, 6-2-7)

In the first stage, Vissel was in the spotlight after signing former Japan striker Kazu Miura from Kyoto Purple Sanga. The veteran striker was welcomed by the local fans and helped his team bring in 14,458 fans per game, double last year's average. Vissel defended relatively well and had 20 goals against, which was the fourth lowest in the division. But Kazu and his teammates had trouble scoring -- netting just 16 goals, the division's second lowest. Kazu had to play while carrying a back injury in a few games and found the net four times in 14 games. Young forward Mitsutoshi Watada also had four goals in 13 games.

Kobe recently hired midfielder Takayuki Yamaguchi from Gamba on loan in an attempt to add more options to its attack for the second stage. Vissel is scheduled to play at the brand new World Cup venue, Kobe Wing Stadium, on the final day of the second stage.

KASHIMA ANTLERS(11th place, 6-1-8)

The Antlers, last year's treble winner, had a disappointing first stage. The Antlers had too many injured players to form the team that manager Toninho Cerezo wanted.

Kashima never found a good replacement for injured left-back Naoki Soma and missed quite a few players such as central defender Fabiano, midfielders Mitsuo Ogasawara, Masashi Motoyama and Koji Kumagai as well as goalkeeper Daijiro Takakuwa. The team fell to 3-1-7 in the first 10 games of the first stage and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of its games except one (a 0-0 draw with Cerezo Osaka).

To make things worse, the Antlers tend to collect yellow cards easily and forward Atsushi Yanagisawa was suspended for three games.

But the team from Ibaraki Prefecture will get some of its injured players back in the second stage. Brazilian Fabiano is expected to tighten the back line alongside Yutaka Akita and new signing left-back August can add attacking power as well as defense to the side.

Japan forward Yanagisawa looks in good shape after scoring a hat trick in the recent J. League All-Star Match.

AVISPA FUKUOKA(12th, 5-0-10)

An injury to key midfielder David Bisconti of Argentina hurt the team.

Avispa lost five games during his absence in the first stage. Midfielder Tatsunori Hisanaga and goalkeeper Nobuyuki Kojima also missed a few games due to injury.

Fukuoka always seems to struggle to hire good foreign players. The club released Argentinian forward Martin Vilallonga and signed forward Claudio Dario Biaggio from Argentina. The team scored 13 goals, which is the lowest in the division and often gave away an opening goal to opponents to make life hard for itself.

Forward Yoshika Matsubara joined the casualty list with a knee injury and will be out of action for two months and Bisconti may need more time to play. But Avispa acquired former Japan forward Lopes and defender Naito from Tokyo who could provide some stability to the side. Argentinian manager Nestor Omar Piccoli indicated his side's poor finishing hurt the team but he praised his players' hard work. As the team is only four points better than the bottom placed Verdy, however, Piccoli has to first focus on securing his team's place in Division One.

SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA(13th, 5-0-10)

New manager Valery Nepomnyashchiy of Russia tried to establish an attacking team but has had a hard time trying to organize his players due to their national team commitments and injuries.

Hiroshima gave up the division's worst total of 33 goals and ended the first stage with five straight defeats.

Sanfrecce released Australia defender Tony Popovic after his contract expired at the end of June. Popovic is heading to Europe. The club replaced him with two Russian players -- forward Sergey Skachenko and defender Oleg Pachinine. If they can combine well with midfielder Chikara Fujimoto and forward Tatsuhiko Kubo, the team could see its fortunes change in the second stage.

But Nepomnyashchiy, who coached Cameroon's 1990 World Cup team, will probably spend most of his time trying to stave off relegation to J2.

CEREZO OSAKA(14th, 3-2-10)

A year ago, Cerezo Osaka came close to winning the first stage before blowing its chances in the final game of the stage. This season, however, the team looks like a completely different side and could only rise as high as ninth during the first stage, finally finishing 14th.

Cerezo couldn't find its form after key forward Akinori Nishizawa moved to Espanyol at the end of last season. The team gave up the division's second worst total of 31 goals. Curiously, the Osaka team fired midfielder Noh Jung Yoon, the team's dynamo, and his fellow South Korean midfielder Kim Doh Keun at the end of the first stage. It's a risky move that could prove costly. Technical director Tadao Onishi also resigned due to the team's poor results. Cerezo acquired Brazilian defender Claudio, formerly of Bellmare Hiratsuka, and midfielder Ichiei Muroi from Urawa for the second stage. Rookie midfielder/forward Yoshito Okubo will be back from injury. But the question is whether or not manager Hiroshi Soejima can find a tactical solution for the team.

YOKOHAMA F. MARINOS(15th, 3-2-10)

The F. Marinos were beset with trouble in the first stage. Yokohama had to play without Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura from the middle of May due to injury and illness, which severely affected the team's performance. Yokohama's 13 goals scored was the worst in the division and forward Shoji Jo managed to find the net only twice in 13 games.

Jo didn't, and doesn't, seem to be menatlly ready for the team as the former Japan forward has been wishing to transfer to a Spanish club and his mind doesn't seem to be with the team. But the 26-year-old should realize that if he doesn't have any good games here, he won't get any offers. The Marinos fired Argentine manager Ossie Ardiles during the first-stage break and, after technical director Yoshiaki Shimojo served as caretaker, the club hired Brazilian Lazaroni as manager for the second stage. Lazaroni, who coached Brazil at the 1990 World Cup, has started by improving his team's physical strength ahead of the second stage.

The team will have Nakamura, who had a good game in the All-Star Match, back from the beginning of the stage. The club also acquired Brazilian players -- forward Brito from Fluminense, midfielder Nasa from Vasco da Gama and defender Dutra from SC Recife. But the Brazilian trio has to adapt to the team quickly to help their new team survive in the relegation race.

TOKYO VERDY 1969(16th, 4-0-11)

Verdy played the first stage with an all-Japanese squad, but manager Yasutaro Matsuki was not patient and changed his team and tactics too often, which eventually created confusion among the players and lowered their confidence. The team got stuck in a vicious circle: loss, tactical change, player change, confusion, loss of confidence, another loss. Matsuki resigned before the final day of the first stage and Yukitaka Omi took over for the second stage. Omi, formerly Verdy's technical director, is trying to help his players recover from their loss of confidence and make them fight hard for the team. The club also acquired Brazilian defender Emerson Oriando and forward Marquinhos. But what the team really needs is a change of attitude among the players. Facing a crisis of relegation in a limited time, Omi's job doesn't look so easy.