NEWS

The 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE has reached the midway point, which means it’s time to look back at the first half of the season. As we do, we turn to J.STATS to see which players put in performances worthy of attention.Kawasaki Frontale are on top of the table as they look to make it consecutive league titles, and they’ve surged back to first thanks in lar…

Japan’s dreams of winning the men’s football competition at Tokyo 2020 and capturing gold on home soil has come to an end. Spain scored a 115th minute goal to beat the Samurai Blue, 1-0, in a back-and-forth semifinal.Japan played well and stymied a Spain team that featured six players from their Euro 2020 squad. The Samurai Blue were content to give up poss…

The men’s football semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are now set, with Japan booking their place in the last four after defeating New Zealand on penalties.Japan were the more dominant attacking side over 120 scoreless minutes against the OlyWhites, but neither side could find a breakthrough, ultimately forcing the match to spot kicks.Kashima Antle…

Japan is on its way to the Tokyo 2020 knockout stages in the men’s football tournament after the team made up entirely of current or former J.LEAGUE players dominated the group stage.Japan opened the tournament against South Africa in Tokyo, and it was fitting that Real Madrid’s Takefusa Kubo played the role of hero. The F.C.Tokyo product, playing in F.C.To…

Japan’s U-24 team is set for Tokyo 2020 and it’s an all-J.League affair. Of the 22 players in the squad, 13 play in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, while the other nine who play for European clubs all came through J.League academies and made their professional debuts in Japan.The likes of Daizen Maeda and Kaoru Mitoma will lead the squad in attack after impress…

As Japan gets ready to welcome the world for Tokyo 2020, so do a slew of MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE stadiums. Five J.LEAGUE stadiums will play host, while the National Stadium, which is home of the Emperor’s Cup and J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP finals, will serve as the main stadium for the Games.Nissan Stadium, which will be called International Stadium Yokohama, is…

Ado Onaiwu has left Yokohama F·Marinos after the club agreed to sell the forward to Toulouse FC in France’s Ligue 2.Onaiwu is currently second in the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE with 12 goals, having helped pace the Marinos attack as they surged to second place in the table. The 25-year-old’s outstanding play in Yokohama also earned him his first two caps f…

Vissel Kobe confirmed on Friday that a preliminary agreement has been reached regarding the transfer of Kyogo Furuhashi to Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C.Currently leading the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE top scorer race with 14 goals, Furuhashi has enjoyed a standout season in Japan with Vissel, who currently sit third in the table.In the event of a c…

The draw for the 2021 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP Prime Stage was carried out this Thursday, with an Osaka Derby headlining the four quarter-final ties.Gamba Osaka and Cerezo Osaka were drawn together in a matchup of crosstown rivals and former competition winners, with Gamba crowned champions in 2007 and 2014, while Cerezo took home the J.League Cup in 2017.El…

Expectations for Kawasaki Frontale at the AFC Champions League were sky high after the defending MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE champions set a slew of records last year and then raced out to an undefeated start this season. And still their performance in the group stage of Asia’s continental championship somehow exceeded those expectations.Kawasaki Frontale won al…

Gamba Osaka only lost one of their six AFC Champions League group stage matches, but that wasn’t enough to keep them in the competition. While the Blue and Black won two matches, drew three and lost one in the round to finish second in Group H, they were not one of the top-three second-place sides in the East Region, thus eliminating them from further conte…

Cerezo Osaka are into the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League after topping Group J with an undefeated performance. Cerezo won four matches and drew two to advance to the Round of 16 of Asia’s top continental competition for the first time since 2014.The entirety of Group J was played behind closed doors in Buriram, Thailand due to the pandemic.Cere…

Nagoya Grampus’ return to the AFC Champions League went nearly perfectly. Playing in Asia’s top continental club tournament for the first time since 2012, Nagoya won their first five matches to clinch the top spot in Group G before drawing their final match to complete an undefeated group stage.Nagoya qualified for the competition with their third place fin…

The Konami Monthly MVP awards for June are in, and in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE the choice was clear - Kyogo Furuhashi. The Vissel Kobe man was peerless in June, scoring four goals in two league matches to lead his club to a pair of wins and a jump up the table. He also played a key role in the Vissel build up and tracked back regularly, doing it all for h…

The big question coming into the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE season was whether anybody would be able to challenge the defending champions Kawasaki Frontale for the title. As we head into Matchweek 22, it appears as if the answer might be yes if Yokohama F·Marinos can continue their incredible form.Marinos lost their season opener to Frontale but have lost …

Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo got 12 goals from Anderson Lopes this season, the second-most of any player in the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE. With him up top, any team would feel confident in their ability to bag goals, but unfortunately for Sapporo, the Brazilian no longer plays for them, having moved to China last week.Now, an attacking void has emerged—and …

Yokohama F·Marinos’ visit to Kashiwa Reysol started brightly, with the second-place side nearly scoring several times in the opening minutes, but it looked like it had all fallen apart in the 35th minute. A reckless tackle by Marcos Júnior was reviewed by VAR and ruled to be a red card offense, sending Marinos down to 10 men and dealing their hopes of winni…

Kyogo Furuhashi’s red hot form is showing no signs of stopping. The forward scored his fifth goal in his last three matches to make it 14 on the season and extend his lead atop the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE’s goalscoring charts. He also added an assist as Vissel Kobe beat Shonan Bellmare, 3-1, to move into third place in the table. Shonan actually struck…

J.LEAGUE has announced that it has reached an agreement with OneFootball on the broadcasting of the 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE.Live broadcasts of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE are scheduled to be available on OneFootball (OTT) in Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City from July 30.Further announcements may follow upon determination of additional regions and broa…

New MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE fixtures to be broadcast on the J.LEAGUE International YouTube channel have been announced for the month of July, with four J2 clashes on the calendar so far.To kick off the month, Renofa Yamaguchi FC visit Mito Hollyhock on July 3rd, while the following day sees Ehime FC host Blaublitz Akita.The month’s action also features the le…