Blown call leaves Japanese soccer world scrambling to enact reforms
Friday night's 3-2 win by Shonan Bellmare over Urawa Reds showcased everything great about the J. League, with the plucky underdogs winning in stoppage time to cap a dramatic comeback. Unfortunately, it also saw one of the league's biggest problems — inconsistent officiating — evolve ...
FC Tokyo continues superb start to season
A crucial lesson in FC Tokyo’s 12-game unbeaten run to start the 2019 J. League first-division campaign has been that goals don’t need to come from top striker Diego Oliveira, so long as they come from someone. That was all too true on Saturday at ...
In the third year of the J. League's decade-long, $2 billion domestic broadcasting deal with DAZN, the league is hitting its digital stride and starting to deliver content on par with some of the world's top competitions. The league's ability to rapidly upload viral clips ...
J. League shows sense of humor
Sometimes a sports organization's greatest strength is the capability to laugh at itself. Developing this skill has been one of the J. League's biggest challenges in the modern age of social media-based marketing. It's a challenge that transcends sports in Japan, where a company's brief foray ...
FC Tokyo holds Reds on late goal
It's been nearly 16 years since FC Tokyo beat hated rival Urawa Reds at Saitama Stadium. It will have to wait another year to end that streak after Ryota Moriwaki's equalizer at the death canceled out Diego Oliveira's header in a 1-1 draw on Saturday ...
Kazuyoshi Miura: Flashy 'King Kazu' steered soccer's rise
It could be said that no team sport in Japan has outpaced soccer's growth through the Heisei Era, and 52-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura is the only player who can claim to have been a part of that growth throughout.
Vissel add Sergi Samper to loaded lineup
Vissel Kobe has added another name to its ever-growing list of Barcelona connections. The J. League first-division club announced on Thursday the signing of defensive midfielder Sergi Samper, who will become the third player to trade the famed Spanish side's blue and red for Kobe's ...
Manchester City to face Marinos in friendly in Japan during July
Yokohama F Marinos will play English glamor club Manchester City in a friendly on July 27, the J. League first-division side said Wednesday. The match will be held at Yokohama's Nissan Stadium as part of the Premier League team's preseason tour of Asia. City is ...
Kashima Antlers to be without striker Yuma Suzuki for two months
Kashima Antlers' star striker Yuma Suzuki will be out for roughly two more months after aggravating a right hamstring injury in training, the J. League club said Tuesday. The 22-year-old forward, who has not played due to the injury since late last year, suffered a ...
Frontale, Tokyo battle to draw
After winning two straight J. League first division championships, Kawasaki Frontale was favored by many to become just the second team in the league's 26-year history to pull down a third. The Kanagawa Prefecture club's quest to join Kashima Antlers in the history books got ...
Time ripe for Japan's Super Cup to hit road
The annual Fuji Xerox Super Cup, held the weekend before the J. League opens for business, has over the last 25 years become a celebration of the league's vibrant and friendly matchday culture. It's an excuse for neutral fans to converge, consume popular food items ...
