JSoccer

03/12/2024

Sept.25, 2022... Fagiano Okayama v Vegalta Sendai... now they are playing each other (Saturday afternoon, in Okayama) for a place in J1 for 2025!
Pics by Lionel Piguet for JSoccer Magazine and JSoccer.com

10/10/2024

Japan in Saudi Arabia tonight! Are you watching?!

03/10/2024

Japan squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, English, Japanese, and Ryo's analysis of positions.

01/10/2024

Message to the powers-that-be (algorithms!) on Meta/Facebook... I want comments on all posts I see listed in the order they were made... I do NOT want to see "top comments", or any other order you decide for me. I want to decide.

Facebook... your way of displaying comments on posts REALLY should be set to "ALL in order received" as the standard/automatic option. Only then, should you offer alternatives like "top comments". Who are you to know/suggest which is a "top comment"? I want to see all comments, in order, then decide what's relevant to me - especially on my own posts.

The amount of time you are # # up, for example, sign-in lists (first come, first served to an event) due to listing comments in any order your algorithms desire is useless to most of us.

At least allow a setting in each individual's account to allow that person to change order of comments to how THEY want to see them? Thank you.

I am 100% sure, no one at Facebook / Meta will care, even see this, and they certainly won't bother making the change for me... but maybe if millions of us copied and posted this on our walls, we might get through to some one! No, we won't! but we can try.

10/09/2024

Here's what you missed... really should have scored more, too! Japan start their World Cup qualifying group with a 7-0 win over China and 5-0 away in Bahrain.
Bahrain had beaten Australia away in their previous game. China lost narrowly, 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their second game.

25/08/2024

It's been a long road with Yasuhito Endo - he's not on speed dial, for sure, but always has time to talk, and encourage - and agreed to be the first-ever interview and cover star of JSoccer Magazine, about 13 years back!

They say you shouldn't meet your heroes... and certainly not multiple times each month. But he does (you knew that was coming?!!)!

17/08/2024

BIG game in Kobe today - are you there with me?

Champions Vissel Kobe host Gamba Osaka, way up there challenging for the 2024 title, too.

14/08/2024

THE Ben Mableygave me a huge plug on his YouTube channel... here's my bit, but you should watch it all, really :-)

7月24日、長居スタジアムでセレッソ大阪と親善試合を戦いに来日してくださったドイツの名門、ボルシア・ドルトムント。試合に先立って22日、月曜日の夜に大阪市内某ホテルにてクラブが開催した『Black and Yellow Night』とい...

05/08/2024

It's been over a year since Mitsuki Saito was injured in a horrific tackle by two players (that the referee - nor even a VAR team - did not even deem a foul, a PK, but that's another story!)... I KNOW I will shed a tear when I see this young man back on a field soon.

Today he returned to "full training" with Vissel Kobe. It's been my honour to see - and speak to him - him almost weekly, as he has slowly recovered from that tragic day.

While he was on the road to recovery he has spent hours and hours with fans of Vissel Kobe, Gamba Osaka, Shonan Bellmare and more, being an ambassador for the Beautiful Game in general.

He always has time for fans, and for me - thank you - when approached and I look forward to the day Mitsuki Saito returns to the field for Vissel Kobe.

NOTE - when the injury happened, Mitsuki was on loan at Vissel Kobe, from Shonan bellmare. When the extent of the injury was known, and the length of the recovery was estimated, Vissel owner Miroshi Mikitani immediately offered the player a three year contract so that he could recover with peace of mind. He was signed on a full contract with that multi-year contract, from Shonan Bellmare, when the standard thing in this case could have been Vissel returned "damaged goods" to Bellmare, and then Bellmare released him at the end of the season last year.

So, thank you Mr. Mikitani... and best wishes on the road to FULL recovery and a place in the starting XI for Mitsuki Saito.

02/08/2024

Kick off! Japan v Spain… 2012 Japan 1-0 Spain … a repeat will do, but I sense more goals coming!!
Live on your TV now!!

25/07/2024

Stadium Announcer at Gamba Osaka v Real Sociedad on the Japan Tour 2024… concentrate!!!
See you on the other side!

25/07/2024

If a picture paints a thousand words... here's 8000 of them on Japan's first game at the Olympics! So far, so good, for my boys!

21/07/2024

Ryuho Kikuchi of Vissel Kobe has missed most of the last two years of his career with injuries. If he had stayed fit, he would be playing overseas, and quite possibly for the Japan national team right now... so... after coming on as right back (he is a centre back, but happy to play anywhere!) on 65 minutes yesterday, he proceeded to win challenges at the back, cause chaos up front, and eventually scored what seemed like the winning goal late in the game.

I am not ashamed to say I was jumping up and down on my seat - in the media area (!) - when he scored, and tears welled up in my eyes. The difference between a successful career and honours, medals, and more... or getting injured and having to drop down to lower levels, or worse, stop playing the game, find a new life, is all down to a strange slip on the turf, a (hopefully!) unintentional mis-timed challenge from another player, or studs getting caught in the turf and ripping your knee or ankle apart...

I was SO happy for my friend when he scored yesterday, that it almost didn't matter that in the 10th minute of added time, the opposition scored a penalty kick to gain a draw!

I can probably say my reaction to this goal was similar to the reaction of the man himself, as seen in these pictures.

No football, no life, no drama, no smiles, no tears!

Stay safe, stay fit, grow again Ryuho!
Pictures by Lionel Piguet for JSoccer Magazine and JSoccer.com