2013 J.League Division 1 Explained

Competition:J.League Division 1
Season:2013
Winners:Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2nd J. League title
7th Japanese title
Continentalcup1:Champions League
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yokohama F. Marinos
Kawasaki Frontale
Cerezo Osaka
Relegated:Oita Trinita
Júbilo Iwata
Shonan Bellmare
League Topscorer:Yoshito Ōkubo
(26 goals)
Matches:306
Total Goals:879
Highest Attendance:62,632
F. Marinos vs Albirex
Lowest Attendance:5,698
Júbilo vs Albirex
Average Attendance:17,226
Prevseason:2012
Nextseason:2014

The 2013 J.League Division 1 season was the 48th season of Japanese top-flight football and the 21st since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. The season began on 2 March and finished on 7 December.[1]

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are the defending champions.

Clubs

Vissel Kobe, Gamba Osaka and Consadole Sapporo were relegated at the end of the 2012 season after finishing in the bottom three places of the table. Consadole Sapporo returned to J2 after only one season in the top flight, while Vissel Kobe was relegated after six seasons in the top flight. Gamba Osaka, instead, was relegated for the first time since the creation of J. League in 1993 and the first time since their forerunners, Matsushita Electric Soccer Club, were relegated to the second Division of the Japan Soccer League after the 1986–87 season.

The three relegated teams were replaced by 2012 J.League Division 2 champions Ventforet Kofu, runners-up Shonan Bellmare and sixth-placed and play-off winner team Oita Trinita. Kofu made an immediate return to the top division, while Shonan after a two-year absence. In the end, Oita beat JEF United Chiba in the playoff final and returned in J1 after three seasons in the second division. Due to Oita's promotion, it will be the first time to have 2 clubs in the top-flight league competitions from Kyushu since 2006, and Kansai region will have only one club competing in the top flight first time since 1994 season due to Kobe and Gamba's relegations.

Club NameHome Town(s)StadiumCapacityNote(s)
Albirex NiigataNiigata & Seirō, NiigataBig Swan Stadium42,300
Kashima, IbarakiKashima Soccer Stadium40,728
Omiya, SaitamaNACK5 Stadium15,500
Cerezo OsakaOsakaNagai Stadium47,816
Yokohama & YokosukaNissan Stadium72,327
Kawasaki, KanagawaTodoroki Athletics Stadium26,232
Nagoya, AichiMizuho Athletic Stadium27,000
Júbilo IwataIwata, ShizuokaYamaha Stadium15,165
ŌitaŌita Stadium40,000Promoted from J2 League
(6th place/play-off winner in J2 2012)
Urawa, SaitamaSaitama Stadium63,7002013 ACL participant
(3rd place in J1 2012)
Kashiwa, ChibaKashiwa Soccer Stadium15,9002013 ACL Participant
(2012 Emperor's Cup Winners)
ShizuokaIAI Stadium Nihondaira20,339
Sagan TosuTosu, SagaTosu Stadium24,490
Sanfrecce HiroshimaHiroshimaHiroshima Big Arch50,0002013 ACL participant
(Champions in J1 2012)
Hiratsuka, KanagawaShonan BMW Stadium18,500Promoted from J2 League
(Runners-up in J2 2012)
TokyoAjinomoto Stadium49,970
Vegalta SendaiSendai, MiyagiYurtec Stadium19,6942013 ACL participant
(Runners-up in J1 2012)
Ventforet KofuKofu, YamanashiYamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium17,000Promoted from J2 League
(Champions in J2 2012)

Foreign players

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Asian PlayerNon-Visa ForeignType-C ContractFormer Player(s)
Albirex Niigata Léo Silva Roger Gaúcho Kim Kun-hoan Kim Jin-su
Davi Juninho
Lucas Neill Milivoje Novaković Zlatan Ljubijankić Cho Young-cheol Carlinhos Paraíba
Shonan Bellmare Alex Muralha Wellington Stevica Ristić Han Kook-young Edivaldo
Thiago Quirino
Cerezo Osaka Branquinho Edno Fábio Simplício Kim Jin-hyeon Gu Sung-yun
Dutra Fábio Aguiar Marquinhos Jeong Dong-ho
Alan Pinheiro Jeci Renatinho An Byong-jun Róbson
Daniel Danilson Córdoba Nikola Jakimovski Joshua Kennedy Tiago
Júbilo Iwata Carlinhos Paraíba Cho Byung-kuk Jung Woo-young Baek Sung-dong
Márcio Richardes
Cléo Jorge Wagner Leandro Domingues Kim Chang-soo Ricardo Lobo
Calvin Jong-a-Pin Dženan Radončić Lee Min-soo Lee Ki-je Baré
Sagan Tosu Nilson Kim Min-woo Yeo Sung-hae Kim Jung-ya Jonathan Restrepo Roni
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Mihael Mikić Park Hyung-jin Lee Dae-heon Hwang Seok-ho Kim Jeong-seok
Oita Trinita Rodrigo Mancha Choi Jung-han Kim Jung-hyon Kim Yeong-gi
Lucas Nemanja Vučićević Jang Hyun-soo
Ventforet Kofu Gilsinho Marquinhos Paraná Patric Choi Sung-keun Douglas
William Pottker
Hugo Almeida
José Ortigoza
Vegalta Sendai Diogo Wilson Heberty Ryang Yong-gi

Top scorers

RankScorerClubGoals
1 Yoshito ŌkuboKawasaki Frontale
2 Kengo KawamataAlbirex Niigata
3 Yoichiro KakitaniCerezo Osaka
4 Yohei ToyodaSagan Tosu
5 Masato KudoKashiwa Reysol
Yuya OsakoKashima Antlers
7 Hisato SatōSanfrecce Hiroshima
Kazuma WatanabeFC Tokyo
9 MarquinhosYokohama F. Marinos
10 Shinzo KorokiUrawa Red Diamonds
WilsonVegalta Sendai
Updated to games played on 7 December 2013
Source: J. League

Awards

Player of the Month

MonthPlayerClub
March Shunsuke Nakamura[2] Yokohama F. Marinos
April Zlatan LjubijankičOmiya Ardija
May Yoichiro KakitaniCerezo Osaka
JuneN/A[3]
July Shusaku NishikawaSanfrecce Hiroshima
August Yuya OsakoKashima Antlers
September Aria Jasuru HasegawaFC Tokyo
October Tetsuya EnomotoYokohama F. Marinos
November Yoshito ŌkuboKawasaki Frontale

Best XI

PositionPlayerClub
GK Shusaku NishikawaSanfrecce Hiroshima
DF Daisuke NasuUrawa Red Diamonds
DF Masato MorishigeFC Tokyo
DF Yuji NakazawaYokohama F. Marinos
MF Hotaru YamaguchiCerezo Osaka
MF Toshihiro AoyamaSanfrecce Hiroshima
MF Shunsuke NakamuraYokohama F. Marinos
MF Yoichiro KakitaniCerezo Osaka
FW Yuya OsakoKashima Antlers
FW Yoshito ŌkuboKawasaki Frontale
FW Kengo KawamataAlbirex Niigata

Notes and References

  1. Web site: J.League season dates (+others) . . 2012-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130923101930/http://www.j-league.or.jp/eng/tournaments/img/13schedule_eng.png . 2013-09-23 . dead .
  2. http://www.j-league.or.jp/release/000/00005071.html 「コカ・コーラ Jリーグ 月間MVP」3月・4月の受賞選手決定!
  3. No Division 1 league match scheduled due to 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup