Vissel Kobe has added another name to its ever-growing list of Barcelona connections. The J. League first-division club announced on Thursday the signing of defensive midfielder Sergi Samper, who will become the third player to trade the famed Spanish side's blue and red for Kobe's ...
Most sports writers have their own personal pantheon of inspirations. At the top of mine is Hunter S. Thompson. The legendary gonzo journalist was never a soccer person ("Hey Rube," his published collection of essays for ESPN.com, mentions the sport just once in passing), but ...
The fireworks around the Noevir Stadium pitch lit up as the players made their entrance. The fireworks on the pitch took slightly longer. With an open roof and a number of upgrades in place for this fall's Rugby World Cup, the hallowed Kansai ground played host ...
The roughly four-month countdown to the end of FC Tokyo midfielder Takefusa Kubo's J. League career is ticking. When it hits zero, which will likely be soon after his 18th birthday on June 4, the player who many believe can lead Japan to a podium ...
After winning two straight J. League first division championships, Kawasaki Frontale was favored by many to become just the second team in the league's 26-year history to pull down a third. The Kanagawa Prefecture club's quest to join Kashima Antlers in the history books got ...
The annual Fuji Xerox Super Cup, held the weekend before the J. League opens for business, has over the last 25 years become a celebration of the league's vibrant and friendly matchday culture. It's an excuse for neutral fans to converge, consume popular food items ...
A goal by Leandro Damiao was enough for defending J. League champion Kawasaki Frontale to triumph 1-0 over 2018 Emperor's Cup winner Urawa Reds on Saturday at the Fuji Xerox Super Cup. Played in front of a sold-out Saitama Stadium crowd in unseasonably mild February ...
The J. League set out to leverage its newfound star power on Thursday at the league's annual kickoff conference. The media event usually offers a chance for the country's soccer media to interact with all three of the J. League's divisions. But on Tuesday at a ...
It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys). In a cramped workspace surrounded by machinery and long sinks, the 33-year-old begins by ...
Medicom Toy's urban vinyl and other designer toys keep the inner kids alive in their adult fans.
