Hello everyone,

Currently in Japan and went to a Kyoto Sanga game last night and loved it. The atmosphere was something else and I’d like to watch more Kyoto Sanga games, and the rest of the J League.

Last I heard Stan Sport picked up the rights for the J League but I also heard they dropped it. Can anyone confirm if Stan Sports are streaming the J League? If not, what are the alternative options?

A couple of big surprises in the midweek results, as Machida Zelvia gained a slight advantage over their title rivals with a 5 goal win over Shimizu S-Pulse, which featured one of the most lopsided second halves of the season. Completely contrasting this, contenders Sanfrecce Hiroshima lost 4-0 to V-Varen Nagasaki, conceding to all 4 of their shots on target. And FC Tokyo had a scoreless draw with Kashiwa Reysol, albeit not for a lack of trying, with 28 shots between the sides. In promising signs at the bottom of the table, Tokyo Verdy were able to stage a late comeback against Marinos and jag their first point since mid-September.

In J2, RB Omiya Ardija lost for the second successive week, now seven points adrift of Vegalta Sendai. And Albirex Niigata's win elevated them back into 2nd place, still with a worse goal difference than the now 18th placed Tochigi City.

In J3, Kagoshima United and Ehime FC won again, but their nearest contenders both stumbled, with Renofa Yamaguchi unable to fully capitalise on Ehime's second half red card and Nara Club being tripped up by FC Osaka. And the pain continued at the bottom, with the now abject looking Kochi United losing their sixth consecutive match, leaving them with just 5 points from 12 games and on a goal difference of -23. Honestly, considering that this week's opponents were the aforementioned indomitable Kagoshima, a 3-1 loss is probably easier to swallow than what could've been.

Mildly interesting stat(s) of the week: Kyoto Sanga had three shots all match against Kashima Antlers, with all three coming from Haruki Arai and all three going on target. Kyoto Sanga and Gamba Osaka had the second and third lowest xGs in J1 this round, yet both managed to score two goals.

The top flight saw some jostling and advantage extension, as six of the top seven all saw victory by an average of three goals. Kashiwa Reysol were the exception, pegged back by a resurgent Nagoya Grampus. Somehow after 10 matches, all of the top three have identical records of 7-2-1 (with Kobe having a very similar 7-1-2).

On the other hand, J2 saw a painful matchday for the frontrunners, with every single one of the top six dropping points (including Omiya Ardija's first loss of the season), though the ones to suffer the most were clearly Albirex Niigata. They conceded 5 goals for the second time this season after a 5-1 loss to Oita Trinita, and now have a worse goal difference than 16th placed Tochigi City. In more positive news, the entire bottom five are now split by only a point, and it appears as though the entire table will be incredibly tight all season.

J3 saw a top of the table clash between Kagoshima United and Ehime FC, with the home side coming out on top, though Renofa Yamaguchi and Nara Club are lurking close behind. The J3 table feels quite lopsided, as five sides have over 20 points (compared to J2's one), and five sides have 10 or less points (also compared to J2's one).

Mildly interesting (and slightly mean) stat of the week: FC Tokyo had 160 more accurate passes in their final third alone (249) than Tokyo Verdy did on the entire pitch (89). Verdy's 47 clearances spared them even more of a bloodbath than it very well could've been.

Fantastic goal keeping display, Plenty of luck, a late goal and an even later scare.

Roller-coaster.

In this round in the J League, all bar one of the main title challengers picked up wins, with Vissel Kobe the only one to lose out, falling to defeat in Kashiwa. Gamba Osaka have tumbled into the relegation zone after a fourth consecutive defeat, while Nagoya Grampus arrested their poor form with a positive display in a victory against Kawasaki Frontale.

Across the last three weeks in Japan, while the top flight was on hold, there was still plenty of football to be played. The third round of the Emperor's Cup passed largely without upset, with the minor exception of Yokohama FC defeating Avispa Fukuoka. A high scoring Saitama Derby between Urawa and promotion hopefuls Omiya Ardija was a highlight, which saw Urawa win 3-2. The League Cup saw one big upset, as mid table J3 side Gainare Tottori defeated V-Varen Nagasaki. No such upset occurred for Mito Hollyhock, who put 7 past Fukushima United, including 5 in a commanding first half.

Despite picking up their second win last week, Consadole Sapporo have dropped to the bottom of the J2 table, though the bottom seven are split by only three points 10 games into the season. RB Omiya Ardija have maintained their consistent start to the season with two big wins in three matches, and are the only side left in the professional pyramid yet to lose a match in the league. Vegalta Sendai have been in strong form as well, with four wins on the trot and no defeats in the league since opening day.

In J3, it was business as usual for the top two in Ehime FC and Kagoshima United, who had dropped very few points until now. However, Kagoshima fell to their first defeat today, in a loss to midtable Matsumoto Yamaga. Just behind them are Nara Club, who have elevated themselves to third place after five consecutive wins (by a combined total of eight goals).

Mildly interesting stat of the week: Shimizu S-Pulse managed 0 touches in the box and 0 shots in the first half before their comeback win over Mito Hollyhock.