The J-Talk Podcast

James Taylor and Jon Steele are back with a review of the latest round of J2 fixtures. In the first part of the episode, James rounds up 8 games (to 07:45). Then, in the second part, James is joined by Jon to discuss Iwata’s win over Nagasaki (to 21:30) and Yamaguchi’s triumph away at Kumamoto (to 35:50). After that, the co-hosts nominate their Most Bravo Player (to 42:40) and take a look at the matchday 36 games, including permutations regarding relegation, promotion and the title (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

With Ben taking a well earned break, Jonny was joined by Alan Gibson to discuss the Levain Cup final between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kashiwa Reysol.   They also took a deep dive on the clubs respective bosses, Michael Skibbe and Ricardo Rodriguez (to 38:48).   After that they chatted about the Samurai Blue and the fast approaching friendlies with Ghana and Bolivia (to 44:52) before looking ahead to the upcoming domestic and continental fixtures and commenting on the J1 title race and relegation battle (to the end).

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together again to review all the action from J2 matchday 34. First, James rounds up 9 games (to 07:50) and then talks to Jon about Sendai’s dramatic comeback against Tosu (to 34:20). That’s followed by Most Bravo Player and a quick preview of the most interesting games coming up this weekend, as the promotion picture isn’t getting any clearer and teams at the bottom are just about clinging on (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social  

As the top flight enters the final stretch, things tightened at the top in Matchday 35, but two dogfighters saw their fates sealed in a dramatic round of games. Jonny and Ben begin the pod with an ACL review, then cover the games involving the title chasers, including Kashima's stunning late equalizer at Kyoto, Kashiwa's win over Yokohama FC, and Kobe's late collapse at already relegated Niigata (to 28:28). Then in Part 2, Yokohama F.Marinos correspondent Stuart Woodward joins us again after his side's 3-0 home win over Hiroshima took them to the brink of securing safety, while we also discussed Shonan's relegation (to 58:58). And finally, Jonny and Ben round up the other five games, and look ahead to the Levain Cup final on Saturday.

The JTET team are back in action to review all of the big stories from last weekend's J2 action (Round 33 of the season). In Part 1, James puts in a solo shift, running through 9 of the matches from the Round 33 slate (Start to 08:00). Then in Part 2, Jon sat down with special guest and JEF Chiba correspondent Allen for a deep dive into their last-gasp 1-0 win at promotion rivals Mito (08:00 to 27:00). Discussion then turned to Most Bravo Player nominations (27:00 to 32:30), followed by look ahead to the upcoming games in Round 34 this weekend (32:30 to Finish). *Thanks to Allen for guesting on the pod this week! Find him on BlueSky @mynameisjef.bsky.social *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

J1 returned with a bang after the international break, and in Part 1 of this new episode Jonny and Ben were joined by Kashiwa correspondent Seamus Johnston to chat about a fascinating set of results for the title chasers - Kobe and leaders Kashima drawing on Friday night, before Seamus's Reysol demolished Gamba (sorry Jonny) on Saturday and Kyoto gutted out a dramatic late point with ten men on Sunday (to 37:40). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the relegation dogfight, which, as we long suspected, is now a straight shootout for survival between the two Yokohama clubs, then the other games before a look ahead to midweek and weekend action.

Jon Steele and James Taylor catch up on the situation in J3 with 7 games left. They start with the automatic promotion places (to 05:00), then discuss the playoffs (to 12:35), before a look at the battle to avoid relegation (to 32:10). They have a brief look ahead to this weekend’s big fixtures to end the episode.   Special thanks to Mike Innes for the detailed taking points.   Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Japan made history with a stunning 3-2 win over Brazil on Tuesday night, and Ryo Nakagawara joined Jonny and Ben for a deep dive on the game, the standout performers, and what the result means for the Samurai Blue going forward (to the hour mark), before we briefly looked back at the draw against Paraguay, and Ryo and Jonny ran through their lists of which players Hajime Moriyasu already has on the plane to the 2026 World Cup (to 1:29:45). Next we returned to domestic matters by rounding up the Levain Cup semi finals, and looked ahead to who has the edge in the final between Hiroshima and Kashiwa, before finishing the episode with a look at the run-in in the top flight: Can any of the three teams on 60 points overhaul Kashima? And which of the Yokohama clubs will survive? Follow Ryo on Bluesky and/or X/Twitter, and check out his work on his Shogun Soccer newsletter.

In this episode of JTET, James Taylor rounds up 9 games from J2 matchday 32 (to 07:45), then chats to Jon Steele about the Shikoku Derby between Tokushima and Imabari (to 25:00). Then it’s time for Most Bravo Player and a quick preview of the most interesting games coming up this weekend (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

J1 Matchday 33 was chock full of drama, and after a brief review of the ACL action from last midweek, Jonny and Ben run through the weekend's games involving the title contenders in Part 1, culminating with the huge Kashima vs Gamba Osaka game on Sunday (to 43:10). Then in Part 2 our Tokyo Verdy correspondent Lewis White returns to the pod to chat about Verdy's vital win on Friday night, the season so far, and the future of manager Hiroshi Jofuku (to 1:03:12), before Jonny and Ben round up the other games, look ahead to the Levain Cup semi finals and Japan's games against Paraguay and Brazil.

Jon Steele and James Taylor are back with all the latest from J2. James kicks things off with a review of 9 games from matchday 31 (to 08:45). Jon takes over for a chat with James about Oita v Ehime (to 31:35), before moving on to general J2 news and Most Bravo Player (to 50:55). To finish, the co-hosts preview the biggest games coming up this weekend (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

With two bumper matchdays in the top flight in the past week to review, Jonny and Ben were joined first by Yokohama FC correspondent Jon Steele, who then stuck around as F.Marinos correspondent Stuart Woodward made it a Yokohama-centric Part 1 after both sides won on Sunday evening. With six games left, which club will survive in J1, or could they both overhaul some of the dogfight adjacent teams struggling for results? Part 1 runs to 37:55. Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the rest of the games, as the title race narrowed.

In this week’s JTET, James Taylor reviews all the action from J2 matchday 30, picks his Most Bravo Player, and previews the matchday 31 fixtures.   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben kick off the episode with a review of ACL action from last midweek (to 9:00), before diving in on the eight games played from J1 Matchday 30 on Saturday night, as Kashima moved back to the summit after Kyoto slipped at home. We rule a couple of big fish out of the title race, before moving on to all of the action in the dogfight (to 1:06:00). We then wrap up the pod with a look ahead to the next two rounds, played on Tuesday night and the weekend.

In this double episode of JTET, Jon Steele and James Taylor review all the action from the last two rounds of J2. First, Jon has a review of all 10 games from matchday 28 (to 13:35), then James reviews most of the games from matchday 29 (to 21:00). After that, the co-hosts discuss Omiya v Nagasaki (to 41:10), their Most Bravo Players and the J.League’s monthly awards for August (to 49:40). Finally, they look ahead to some important games at both ends of the table (to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Sean Carroll joined Jonny and Ben to give his thoughts on Japan's two friendlies in the United States, and the state of the J1 title race and relegation dogfight after the weekend's J1 Matchday 29 (to 56:25). Then in Part 2, Jonny and Ben wrap up the remaining four games.

Jon Steele welcomes back a jetlagged James Taylor for the latest checkup on J3. The episode begins with a brief recap of Sagamihara’s Emperor’s Cup quarter final (to 02:45), before discussing teams near the top of the table: Nara (to 05:55), Kagoshima (to 09:15), Tochigi City (to 15:40), FC Osaka (to 20:40), and Hachinohe (to 29:25). Then attention turns to the bottom and the perilous predicaments of Nagano (to 37:20) and Numazu (to 40:20), before Jon lets James loose in Kanazawa Korner (to 47:00). Finally, there’s a look ahead to the round 27 fixtures (to end).   Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

After Jonny and Ben begin the episode by rounding up the Levain Cup quarter finals (to 14:15), they were joined by first time guest Naoya Kanai to chat about Kawasaki Frontale's progression to the Levain semis and their season so far, before we moved on to Japan's scoreless draw against Mexico in Oakland, and looked ahead to the Samurai Blue's meeting with the USA in Columbus, also touching on similarities and differences between the J.League and MLS.

After Kyoto moved clear on top of J1 with ten rounds left, Jamie Meikle made a very welcome return to the pod to discuss Sanga's 5-0 romp over Okayama on Saturday, and what's gone so right in his side's remarkable campaign to this point (to 32:07). Then Jonny and Ben round up the rest of the top flight results, beginning with Kashiwa's controversy-tinged home win over Fukuoka, and Kobe edging past Yokohama F.Marinos, before we discuss a couple of game-of-the-season contender goal-fests.

Very late this time (apologies!), Jon Steele rounds up all of last weekend's J2 action in a 15-minute solo pod. Also includes the regular Most Bravo Player segment, a check on the top and bottom of the table, and a preview of this weekend's action (Round 28)! Sorry again for the late upload, and thanks for the continued support! *You can join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *You can join our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg