Soccer Dec 15, 2020
Nadeshiko star Mana Iwabuchi leaving INAC to join Aston Villa
by Dan Orlowitz
The Japan Times has learned that the longtime Japan international will sign for the Women's Super League side early next week.
Soccer Mar 12, 2020
Japan dropped its third straight game as the United States women's national team won its third SheBelieves Cup title on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory at a sold-out Toyota Stadium. With losses in the first two games against Spain and England and the Olympic Games ...
Soccer Dec 14, 2019
Mana Iwabuchi led the way with a hat trick as Nadeshiko Japan beat China 3-0 in the EAFF E-1 Women's Football Championship final round on Saturday. Coming off a 9-0 demolition of Taiwan, world No. 10 Japan had prepared for a sterner test against the ...
Soccer Dec 11, 2019
Mana Iwabuchi, Mina Tanaka and Mayu Ikejiri netted a pair of goals each as Nadeshiko Japan started the EAFF E-1 Women's Football Championship final round with a 9-0 rout of Taiwan on Wednesday. World No. 10 Japan dominated every facet of the game at Busan ...
Soccer Nov 11, 2018
Nadeshiko Japan beat Norway 4-1 on Sunday in an international friendly. Kumi Yokoyama opened the scoring in the 16th minute at Tottori Bird Stadium to give Japan an early lead and spark a solid victory on home soil. Mana Iwabuchi followed up 11 minutes later, dribbling ...
Soccer Aug 25, 2018
Mana Iwabuchi, Yui Hasegawa lead Japan women past North Korea in Asian Games quarterfinals
Japan advanced to the semifinals in the Asian Games women's soccer tournament on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over defending champion North Korea. Both sides fought aggressively from the beginning until the final whistle at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, but it was Japan's Mana Iwabuchi who ...
Soccer Jul 13, 2018
Mana Iwabuchi, Nahomi Kawasumi among Nadeshiko Japan's 23 call-ups for Tournament of Nations
The Japan Football Association on Friday named a 23-woman squad for the upcoming Tournament of Nations, with veteran forward Nahomi Kawasumi and Asian Cup MVP Mana Iwabuchi among the selections. In April, Iwabuchi spearheaded Nadeshiko Japan's successful defense of the Women's Asian Cup in Jordan. ...
Soccer Mar 6, 2018
Japan women defeat Denmark at Algarve Cup to finish second in Group C
Ninth-ranked Japan finished second in its group in the Algarve Cup pool stage with a 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday. For Nadeshiko Japan, the victory sets up a clash against world No. 5 Canada in the playoff for fifth place at the 12-team invitational ...
Soccer Dec 8, 2017
Japan's Mana Iwabuchi delivers winning goal in 83rd minute against South Korea
Mana Iwabuchi hit a late winner as the Japan women's team edged South Korea 3-2 in their opening game of the E-1 Football Championship on Friday night. Japan was twice pegged back after leading through goals from Mina Tanaka and substitute Emi Nakajima at a ...
Soccer Nov 25, 2017
Mana Iwabuchi's brace lifted Nadeshiko Japan to a 2-0 away win in a friendly against Jordan on Friday. Iwabuchi scored twice in the first half with Nadeshiko attacking aggressively from the start. Japan got on the board in the 27th minute when Iwabuchi scored with her ...
Soccer Apr 2, 2017
Japan forward Mana Iwabuchi terminated her contract with Bayern Munich and will return to Japan to concentrate on recovering from injuries, she wrote on her blog on Saturday. The 24-year-old, who was with Nadeshiko Japan for their 2011 World Cup championship, their runners-up finish in ...
Soccer Jul 6, 2016
Nadeshiko stalwarts Miyama, Iwabuchi to miss Sweden friendly
Nadeshiko Japan coach Asako Takakura overlooked regular captain Aya Miyama for selection as she named her squad on Wednesday for an upcoming friendly away to Sweden. Miyama, the three-time Asian Player of the Year, missed Japan's first two matches under Takakura against world champion the ...