Soccer | From the Spot May 22, 2019
Blown call leaves Japanese soccer world scrambling to enact reforms
by Dan Orlowitz
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 ...
Soccer / J. League May 4, 2019
Spirited attacking produces 1-1 draw for Bellmare, Grampus
by Dan Orlowitz
The first match of the Reiwa Era for Shonan Bellmare and Nagoya Grampus did indeed feature “beautiful harmony” of a sort, with the two teams sharing a 1-1 result on Saturday after 90 minutes of spirited attacking on both ends at BMW Stadium. A fast-moving ...
Soccer / J. League Apr 10, 2019
Japan striker Musashi Suzuki bagged a hat trick as Consadole Sapporo thrashed visiting Shonan Bellmare 4-1 in the Levain Cup on Wednesday night. The recent Samurai Blue debutant completed his hat trick 20 minutes into the second half of the Group A clash at Sapporo ...
General Nov 8, 2018
Japan's pro sports clubs see investment boost ahead of 2020 Games
Japan's professional sports clubs are attracting a wave of investment, as a fitness club, clothing chain operators and entrepreneurs look to cash in on the sports world's potential ahead of the 2020 Games. At the training camp of J. League first division soccer side Shonan ...
Soccer / J. League Nov 2, 2018
Despite lion's share of possession, Bellmare unable to capitalize in scoreless draw with S-Pulse
Shonan Bellmare's bid to stay in the top flight remains on shaky ground following a 0-0 draw against the visiting Shimizu S-Pulse on Friday night. Less than a week after claiming their first league cup title, Bellmare came into the match just two points above ...
Soccer / J. League Oct 30, 2018
Kengo Kawamata scores lone goal as Jubilo top Bellmare to end seven-game winless streak
Kengo Kawamata struck ahead of halftime as Jubilo Iwata broke a seven-game winless streak to beat Shonan Bellmare 1-0 on Tuesday. The clash at Yamaha Stadium, originally slated for Sept. 29, was the second league match between the pair this season to be rescheduled because ...
Soccer / J. League Oct 27, 2018
by Dan Orlowitz
A clear autumn sky above Saitama Stadium offers endless possibilities, and that was again true on Saturday afternoon as Shonan Bellmare upset Yokohama F. Marinos to capture the club's first-ever J. League YBC Levain Cup. The two sides share little besides residency in Kanagawa Prefecture: ...
Soccer / J. League | J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK Oct 25, 2018
Antlers to play Persepolis for ACL title
by Dan Orlowitz
The stage is set for the AFC Champions League final following the Kashima Antlers' wild 6-5 aggregate win over the Suwon Bluewings in the two-legged semifinals, which concluded on Wednesday night at Suwon World Cup Stadium. Kashima spent 102 of the series' 180 minutes in ...
Soccer / J. League Oct 14, 2018
Goals from Hugo Vieira and Teruhito Nakagawa sent Yokohama F. Marinos into the Levain Cup final after a 2-2 semifinal second-leg draw with Kashima Antlers lifted the hosts to a 4-3 win on aggregate. Vieira, who scored the 95th-minute winner in Wednesday's first leg, opened ...
Soccer / J. League Sep 26, 2018
Shonan Bellmare escaped with a 0-0 draw against Kawasaki Frontale in the J. League on Wednesday night after striker Yu Kobayashi missed a late penalty for the visitors at a rain-soaked BMW Stadium. Following the postponement of their July 28 clash due to Typhoon Jongdari, ...
Soccer / J. League Aug 31, 2018
Shonan Bellmare ran out comfortable 3-1 winners away to V-Varen Nagasaki in the J-League on Friday night. In the only J1 clash of the night, the visitors went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a 32nd-minute opener from Tsukasa Umesaki. The 31-year-old midfielder, ...