Yokohama F·Marinos will be in search of a new manager after Kevin Muscat announced he will be stepping down following the completion of the Tricolor’s 2023 campaign.

Muscat took over at Marinos in the middle of the 2021 season after the departure of Ange Postecoglou. The Australian kept up his countryman’s high standard at Nissan Stadium, maintaining the Tricolor’s second place standing.

In 2022, Muscat took a step beyond that, orchestrating a near-unstoppable side. Marinos led the league in both goals scored and fewest goals allowed, with three players ranking among the league’s top 10 goalscorers and Yohei Takaoka ranking second in the league in clean sheets. The dominant Tricolor won the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, bringing the title to Yokohama for just the second time since 2004.

With Muscat at the helm, Marinos didn’t just win the title, they also developed some of the country’s best young talent. Tomoki Iwata reached new heights, winning J1 Player of the Year before moving to Celtic FC in Scotland, while the dynamic Joel Chima Fujita got a move to Sint-Truiden in Belgium. Muscat's tenure also coincided with the likes of Ryotaro Tsunoda and Takuma Nishimura getting their first call-ups to the Japan National Team.

Muscat’s final match in charge of Marinos will come on Wednesday, when the Tricolor host Shandong Taishan in the AFC Champions League with a spot in the knockout stages on the line.