Isa Sakamoto had a terrific April with three goals for Gamba Osaka and he’s been honored for that great play with the Young Player of the Month award.Sakamoto scored in Gamba’s 2-1 win over Sagan Tosu then scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Urawa Reds the next week. He scored again the following week in a loss to Kashima Antlers. The emergence of …

Akigo Kogiku guided Cerezo Osaka to a terrific April, taking them all the way up to first place and earning the boss Manager of the Month honors.The Sakura began the month with a draw at Kashiwa Reysol, then rolled off wins at Albirex Niigata and home to Kawasaki Frontale. The outstanding defense that Kogiku orchestrated gave up just one goal in those three…

Ryo Germain remains atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League goal scoring chart, but Léo Ceará is nipping at his heels after scoring his eighth goal in as many games.Léo Ceará scored Cerezo Osaka’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Vissel Kobe in Matchweek 13, taking him up to 10 tallies on the season. The red-hot Brazilian now sits just one goal behind Germain’s 11 …

There’s a new team atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, and it’s last year’s champions. Let’s see how Vissel Kobe rose to first place and everything else from Matchweek 13.Cerezo Osaka 1, Vissel Kobe 4Vissel were absolutely dominant in Osaka, scoring three times between the 38th and 49th minutes to pick up three points and go top of the table. Shona…

Yokohama F·Marinos orchestrated a terrific comeback to beat Al Ain in the first leg of the AFC Champions League final, 2-1, and put the Tricolor in the driver’s seat for the continental championship.Asahi Uenaka and Kota Watanabe were the heroes as both scored in the final 18 minutes to turn around a one-goal deficit and earn victory in Yokohama.Al Ain went…

No team has won more J1 titles than Kashima Antlers, but they haven’t added to their haul of eight since 2016. They think this could be the year that snaps that skid and after a terrific run that has seen them win three straight and four of their last five, they’re all the way up to third in the table.The next challenge in Kashima’s bid to add a record nint…

Urawa Reds are hoping to make a run at the upper echelons of the table, while Albirex Niigata want to get away from the relegation fight. That leaves both with plenty to play for when they meet on Saturday at 14:00 JST in a match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.The Reds were near the top before losing three of four, b…

Yokohama F·Marinos are one of the biggest clubs in all of Japan, with massive support and a trophy case filled with five Meiji Yasuda J1 League titles and even more silverware from the J.League and Emperor's Cups.And yet, for all their success, the AFC Champions League has eluded them. In five trips to the competition, the Tricolor had never won a knoc…

Yokohama F·Marinos are one step away from being the kings of Asia and bringing a second straight AFC Champions League crown to Japan, after Urawa Reds conquered the continent a year ago.How did the Tricolor make it to the ultimate round of Asia’s ultimate club competition?F·Marinos earned their way into the 2023-24 tournament by winning the 2022 Meiji Yasud…

Ryo Germain is still the Meiji Yasuda J1 League’s top goal scorer and he extended his lead in Matchweek 12 with his 11th tally of the season.Germain picked up a ball in the midfield, passed it wide and then got to the front of goal, where he skied high over a group of other players to nod the ball home. The Júbilo Iwata striker jumped to the top of th…

There were goals aplenty in Matchweek 12, as 10 games delivered 33 tallies across the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. Let’s take a look at all the action:Kyoto Sanga 0, FC Machida Zelvia 3Table-topping Zelvia was at it again with a dominant win in Kyoto, riding goals from Oh Se-hun, Na Sang-ho and Mitchell Duke to a three-goal win that could have easily been four o…

The Osaka Derby is always one of the best fixtures of the J.League season and this year the rivalry match takes on even greater importance with Cerezo Osaka looking poised to battle for the title.The Sakura would love nothing more than to reign supreme in their city and conquer the country, while Gamba Osaka would relish the chance to upset those plans. Thi…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are the Meiji Yasuda J1 League’s last remaining undefeated team and they’ll put that unblemished mark on the line Monday at 15:00 JST when they take on Nagoya Grampus in a match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world. Sanfrecce are quite extraordinarily sitting in fourth place despite making it thro…

Ryo Germain is still top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League scoring chart, but only barely after Léo Ceará kept his phenomenal form going with another goal in Matchweek 11.Léo Ceará converted from the spot to earn Cerezo Osaka a point and made it seven goals in the Sakura’s last six contests. The Brazilian is now up to nine goals on the season, one off of …

There’s a new first and second place team in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table. Let’s check in on who leads the pack and how they got there in Matchweek 11:FC Machida Zelvia 2, Kashiwa Reysol 0Oh Se-hun hit first and Shunta Araki hit second as Zelvia took full points against Reysol to regain their place atop the table. Nagoya Grampus 0, Vissel Kobe 2Ho…

A crop of the best #NextGenJLEAGUE stars are now the best on the continent after beating Uzbekistan, 1-0, to win the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup final.Two J.League rivals combined for the winning tally as Tokyo Verdy’s Fuki Yamada scored the winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time with a gorgeous shot from 20 yards after a beautiful backheel from FC To…

Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Reds are two of the Meiji Yasuda J.League’s biggest and most successful clubs, and on Friday at 16:00 JST they clash in a must-see match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.Both Frontale and Urawa have struggled in the early going this season. Frontale have just two wins from their first 10 mat…

Vissel Kobe are the reigning Meiji Yasuda J1 League champions and their fight to defend the crown continues against Nagoya Grampus on Friday at 19:00 JST in a match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.The defending champs haven’t hit their stride yet this season as they’ve worked through integrating new signings and a mou…

Japan have qualified for the men’s football competition at this summer’s Paris Olympics after defeating Iraq, 2-0, in the semi-finals of the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup.Japan made it out of Group B at the tournament by beating China and United Arab Emirates, before falling to South Korea. That earned them second place in the group, which matched them up against …

Ryo Germain is still on top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League goal scoring chart after finding the back yet again in Matchweek 10.The Júbilo Iwata striker buried a penalty kick to wrap up a 2-0 win and knock FC Machida Zelvia out of first place. Germain now has 10 goals from 10 matches for Júbilo as he retains his place on top of the Top Scorer race for a…