Yokohama F·Marinos used the month of May to take over first place in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League table, and Kevin Muscat has been named Manager of the Month for his work guiding them to that top spot.

Marinos had four wins and a draw in six May matches. Their fearsome attack, which leads the league in goals, delivered 13 goals in those six contests against just six goals as they dominated opponents.

Muscat has done an excellent job in Yokohama ever since taking over the Tricolor last summer. He led their climb to a second place finish in 2021, finishing strong as they poured in goals. That has continued to this season, with Marinos not only taking over first place at this point in the season, but also advancing to the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League.

Top manager honors in J2 went to Albirex Niigata’s Rikizo Matsuhashi after his team won five of six in May. Matsuh’s men did it with an explosive attack, scoring 15 goals, but they also put up four clean sheets in the month as part of a well-balanced effort. Niigata’s excellence in May has landed them atop the J2 table.

Kagoshima United’s Naoto Otake won Manager of the Month in J3 for a perfect showing in May, winning all three of their contests. Otake’s team scored nine goals and allowed just one in those three games and finished the month first in J3.