April 11, 2012
Although the national women's soccer team won the Kirin Challenge Cup earlier this month, Japan can't rest on its laurels. It is now the team everyone is gunning for.
April 07, 2012
Takeshi Okada, the former head coach of Japan’s national soccer team, says he is enjoying his journey of discovery as he manages both the top team and the youth team for Hangzhou Greentown of the China Super League.
April 07, 2012
Despite its dismal record on the global stage and a domestic league known for its recent history of scandals, Chinese soccer has been called a “sleeping giant” due to the high skill levels of many of its players.
April 07, 2012
MUNICH -- Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund are confident sought after midfielder Shinji Kagawa will accept a new deal, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said on April 5.
April 05, 2012
KOBE -- World Cup holder Japan thrashed Brazil 4-1 on April 5 to capture the three-team Kirin Challenge Cup and deliver a blow to women's Olympic champions the United States in the runup to the London Games.
April 04, 2012
A battle is brewing within the ranks of the women's national soccer team on who will be the starting goalkeeper at the 2012 London Olympics.
April 03, 2012
Japan's women’s soccer league is enjoying a surge in sponsorship, thanks to the popularity prompted by the national women's soccer team’s first title at the Women's World Cup in July last year.
April 02, 2012
SENDAI--It may not quite be the Red Sox-Yankees or on par with Ali-Frazier, but the rivalry in women’s soccer between Nadeshiko Japan and the U.S. national team has certainly been heating up over the past year.
March 31, 2012
The women's Olympic soccer team will soon get a taste of what is awaiting them in London as they get set to square off in charity matches against archrival the United States and fourth-ranked Brazil.
March 31, 2012
BELGRADE -- Serbian police said on March 30 they had arrested a former senior soccer official and four other men suspected of hurling a hand grenade onto the lawn of a home belonging to former Yugoslavia midfielder Dragan Stojkovic.
March 23, 2012
In a bid to eliminate the growing number of money-losing soccer teams, the J.League will implement a club licensing system in fiscal 2013.
March 22, 2012
SYDNEY -- Leandro Domingues scored a first-half double as Kashiwa Reysol of Japan trounced South Korean champion Jeonbuk Motors 5-1 in the AFC Champions League on March 21.
March 22, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR -- Prince Ali bin Al Hussein hopes to bring more positive change to FIFA and help boost Asia's influence in world football after spearheading a campaign against a ban on Islamic women wearing headscarves in matches.
March 21, 2012
Brazilian striker Maranhao scored in the last minute March 20 to give South Korean club Ulsan Hyundai a 2-2 draw against F.C. Tokyo in the AFC Champions League.
March 17, 2012
The women’s soccer boom in Japan helped bolster the broadcast revenues of Portugal’s Algarve Women’s Football Cup by 30 percent and significantly increased its international profile, its organizers say.
March 17, 2012
BRASILIA -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff assured FIFA chief Sepp Blatter on March 16 the country would be ready to host the 2014 World Cup, easing tensions over the slow pace of preparations for the finals.
March 16, 2012
The Japan Football Association decided March 15 to move up the 2012 final of the All Japan Women's Football Championships from New Year's Day to Dec. 24.
March 15, 2012
DUBAI -- Japan and the United Arab Emirates on March 14 secured their places alongside South Korea as qualifiers from the Asian region for the men's Olympic soccer tournament in London this year.
March 15, 2012
DOHA -- Qatar is still considering whether to allow alcohol in stadiums when it hosts the 2022 World Cup, though a senior official on March 14 said he did not see a need for it.
March 14, 2012
Japan's Under-23 squad secured its spot for this summer's London Olympics after beating Bahrain 2-0 in a Group C final qualifying game at Tokyo's National Stadium on March 14.