For the Japanese soccer community, Urawa Reds' 3-0 aggregate defeat to Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the Asian Champions League final was unprecedented. That's because it was only the first time in five appearances in the final that a Japanese club has failed to clinch ...
Twice previously in the last 12 years — in 2007 and 2017 — Urawa Reds took to the Saitama Stadium pitch backed by a screaming wall of red-clad supporters, stood tall against West Asian opposition and ended the night as continental champions. On Sunday they ...
A home team playing in front of a friendly crowd for the first time in three months, hoping to win its first-ever league title. Visitors in free fall, nine games without a win and barely holding onto a relegation playoff spot that will allow it ...
Eight years ago, Japan won the FIFA Women's World Cup and earned its place among women's soccer's elite nations. Now, as the sport known as "WoSo" packs stadiums in London, Madrid, Monterrey and Philadelphia, the country that introduced the likes of Homare Sawa and Saki ...
In a Wednesday news conference occasionally interrupted by tears, Vissel Kobe striker David Villa announced his decision to retire after the end of the current J. League season. The 2010 World Cup winner has spent the twilight of his career globetrotting since establishing himself as ...
After mostly exorcising their reputation as "silver collectors" by claiming two straight J. League first division titles, Kawasaki Frontale have at last fully shed that reputation by claiming the Levain Cup in their fifth attempt. Although Frontale's hopes of becoming the second club to achieve ...
A controversial decision by J. League second-division side Machida Zelvia to rebrand as FC Machida Tokyo has dominated water-cooler discussions in the Japanese soccer world this week. The announcement by club owner CyberAgent last Friday at a fan meeting was met with instant disapproval, both ...
After postponing an early morning decision until 10:30 a.m., Rugby World Cup organizers on Sunday announced that a climactic Pool A clash between Japan and Scotland will take place as scheduled at International Stadium Yokohama. The match had come under threat in the wake of ...
In the sumo ring, wrestlers from Mongolia rule the roost against their Japanese opponents. On the soccer pitch, Japan is clearly still king. Takumi Minamino scored in his third straight match, veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo netted his first international goal in 10 years and Junya Ito ...
The NBA found itself in the middle of a firestorm Monday — facing criticism from both Beijing and U.S. lawmakers — for its reaction to a tweet by the Houston Rockets’ general manager backing ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Beijing was furious over General ...
