Best Ralf Sports Podcasts (2025)

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JTET - Emperor's Cup Round 3 Review 14:30

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5h ago14:30

14:30

After a summer break, the JTET boys are back with a 15-minute mini-pod to clean deck before J2 returns! This time, James and Jon look back at Round 3 of the Emperor's Cup (held on 16th July) from a J2 perspective. Recording solo, James covers 5 of the pertinent matchups, with Jon (also in isolation this time) talking you though the other 5 (includi…

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Episode 580 - Ralf's Reds Review 1:10:05

2d ago1:10:05

1:10:05

Live and direct from Germany, Ralf Seidl joined Jonny and Ben to chat about Urawa's two games in the past week, his thoughts on Reds' prospects for the rest of the season, and his experience following the club in the Club World Cup in the US. Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up some other business from around the league. Thanks to all of our patr…

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JTET - J2 Round 23 Review 13:21

3d ago13:21

13:21

After a longer than expected (and accidental!) summer break, James and Jon return to catch up on the last round of J2 fixtures played before the holiday interval (Round 23 of the season). With work and family pressures weighing heavy on the guys in July, it's a mini-pod this time. In Part 1, James covers the bulk of the Round 23 action, including y…

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Episode 579 - J1 Matchday 24 with Alan Gibson 1:32:35

9d ago1:32:35

1:32:35

J1 returned with a bang after the EAFF Cup break, and Alan Gibson joined Jonny and Ben to chat about our new leaders, Kobe, and which of the top six might be their most likely challengers (to 59:15). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben celebrate wins for Gamba and FC Tokyo, and round up the situation at the foot of the table. Thanks, as always, to Alan, t…

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Episode 578 - Japan Win the EAFF Cup, and more with Ryo Nakagawara 1:15:01

15d ago1:15:01

1:15:01

After the Samurai Blue won the EAFF Cup for the second straight time on Tuesday night, Ryo Nakagawara joined Jonny and Ben to chat about: The standout performers for Japan in South Korea; three players who might be destined for a move to Europe in the future; and the state of the top and bottom of J1. Check out Ryo's terrific work on his Shogun Soc…

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JTET - J2 Round 22 Review 16:39

20d ago16:39

16:39

After a busy 7 days in the real world (gulp), James and Jon look back on last weekend's J2 action. In Part 1, James casts a glance over 5 of the J2 matches from Round 22, and talks about his Most Bravo Players for this matchday. Then in Part 2, Jon does similar for the rest of the Round 22 games. There's also a preview of this weekend's Round 23 fi…

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Episode 577 - J1 Matchday 23 1:30:52

23d ago1:30:52

1:30:52

After another terrific J1 matchday, Stuart Woodward joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 to chat about Yokohama F.Marinos' away win in the Yokohama derby on Saturday night, as well as the pre-match kerfuffle that led to the away supporters missing most of the first half at Mitsuzawa, and other goings-on at F.Marinos, including Anderson Lopes' departure, …

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 21 47:54

27d ago47:54

47:54

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with another action-packed JTET. In part 1, James rounds up 9 games from J2 matchday 21. In part 2, James and Jon discuss the recent managerial changes at Yamaguchi and Yamagata, analyse Sapporo v Kumamoto, offer a tribute to Hitoshi Morishita, select their Most Bravo Player, and preview the coming weekend’s fixtu…

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Episode 576 - J1 Matchday 22 1:35:28

1M ago1:35:28

1:35:28

After a very eventful J1 matchday, and some housekeeping at the start of the episode (to 12:10), Jonny and Ben were joined by first time guest Seamus Johnston to chat about Kashiwa Reysol, who went joint top of the top flight with a character-building 2-0 away win over Shimizu on Saturday. Seamus chats about his expectations coming into the season …

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J-Talk: Extra Time - J2 Matchday 20 11:54

1M ago11:54

11:54

Scheduling conflicts meant James Taylor and Jon Steele were unable to record together this week, so James has a quick review of all the action from J2 machday 20, picks his Most Bravo Player, and previews the coming weekend's games. Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https…

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Episode 575 - J1 Matchday 21 with Sam Robson 1:29:18

1M ago1:29:18

1:29:18

Sam Robson made a triumphant return to the pod, to help Jonny and Ben run through all nine games played over the weekend in J1 Matchday 21. After a quick look back at the Emperor's Cup and Urawa's first two games at the Club World Cup, we kick off our top flight review with Machida's home win over leaders Kashima, and the instant classic between Ka…

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J-Talk: Extra Time - Emperor's Cup 2nd Round 6:28

1M ago6:28

6:28

In this brief episode, James Taylor reviews the 11 games involving J2 teams in the Emperor's Cup 2nd round. 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 her…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 19 57:43

1M ago57:43

57:43

James Taylor and Jon Steele are back with a bumper episode of JTET reviewing another entertaining weekend of J2. First, James has a roundup of 7 games from matchday 19 (start to 05:35). Then he was joined by Jon to discuss three goalfests: Nagasaki v Omiya (05:35 to 20:20); Yamagata v Sendai (20:20 to 33:00); and Tokushima v JEF United (33:00 to 44…

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Episode 574 - J1 Matchday 20 1:29:10

1M ago1:29:10

1:29:10

Jonny and Ben begin the episode by chatting about the fringe players who stood out in Japan's big win over Indonesia last week, and the cupsets from the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup (to 15:10), before diving in to all the results and talking points from the nine J1 games played over the weekend.By Ben Maxwell

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JTET - Emperor's Cup, Levain Cup & J2 Round 17 Review 9:44

2M ago9:44

9:44

In a quick wrap-up pod, James and Jon cover recent games from a trio of competitions. In Part 1, James takes a look at how J2 sides fared in Round 1 of the Emperor's Cup at the end of May. Then in Part 2, Jon checks in on Iwata's two-legged Levain Cup Play-Off tie against Shonan, and reviews the three rearranged J2 games that took place last weeken…

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J-Talk: Short Corner – J3 May Review 37:53

2M ago37:53

37:53

In this episode of JTSC, Jon Steele and James Taylor discussed recent events in J3. They begin with a quick mention of notable results from the first and second rounds of the Emperor’s Cup (start to 05:10), then discuss the recent managerial change at Zweigen Kanazawa (05:10 to 16:40), the general situation regarding the relegation battle (16:40 to…

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Episode 573 - J1 Team of the (Half) Season with Alan Gibson 1:35:41

2M ago1:35:41

1:35:41

Alan Gibson joins Jonny and Ben to help us piece together the J-Talk Team of the (Half) Season. Before we get to the good stuff we chat about Alan's interview with Football Zone (Part 1 of 3 linked here), his overall thoughts on the first half of the season, and some of the major transfers in this mini window (to 27:30), before we discuss how Japan…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 18 45:13

2M ago45:13

45:13

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with a review of a breathless weekend of J2 football. James kicks things off with a review of 9 games (start to 07:35), then Jon joined to discuss the game between two teams from Shikoku: FC Imabari v Tokushima Vortis (07:35 to 23:30). After that, there’s the usual Most Bravo Player coronation, transfer news, and …

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Episode 572 - J1 Matchday 19 1:41:51

2M ago1:41:51

1:41:51

Stuart Woodward returned to the pod to chat about his appearance on the Ｊリーグと私 You Tube series (link is for the You Tube playlist, Stuart's episode isn't up yet), and Yokohama F.Marinos making it two straight wins in the wet at Machida on Saturday (to 34:10). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other nine games, as Kashima kicked six points c…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – Levain Cup & J2 Matchday 17 46:47

2M ago46:47

46:47

In this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele review the latest Levain Cup and J2 action. In part 1, James has a roundup of 2 Levain Cup games and 6 league matches from matchday 17 (start to 05:45). In part 2, James and Jon talked about Iwata’s cup win over Gamba Osaka (05:45 to 14:40) and Kofu’s dismantling of Yamagata in the league (14:40 to 2…

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Episode 571 - J1 Matchday 18 1:40:44

2M ago1:40:44

1:40:44

Dan Orlowitz joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 of our new episode to chat about his new piece in The Guardian, Hajime Moriyasu's experimental national team squad, and Hiroshima's comfortable win over FC Tokyo at the National Stadium on Sunday. Then in an elongated Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the other games from J1 Matchday 18, including Yokohama…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 16 50:56

2M ago50:56

50:56

A jubilant James Taylor was joined by Jon Steele to talk about the latest events in J2. First, James reviews 9 games from matchday 16 (start to 08:25). Then, James and Jon discussed Mito’s win over Kumamoto (08:25 to 18:10), before chatting about high-flying Hollyhock in more detail (18:10 to 30:30). They round off the episode with Most Bravo Playe…

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Episode 570 - J1 Matchday 17 1:24:39

2M ago1:24:39

1:24:39

There were certainly many talking points from the weekend's top flight round, and we begin this episode with some positivity from Jon Steele after Yokohama FC moved out of the drop zone with an away win over Shonan on Saturday, as the sky blues continue to make a decent fist of their return to J1 (to 21:00). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben continue th…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 15 34:01

3M ago34:01

34:01

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together again to review the latest round of J2 games. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from matchday 15 (start to 06:55), and in part 2 he and Jon analyse the big match: Omiya v Sendai (06:55 to 22:40). They also pick a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 26:20) and look ahead to the matchday 16 and Levain Cup fixtures (26:…

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Episode 569 - J1 Matchday 16: The Revenge of the (Bottom) Six 1:36:32

3M ago1:36:32

1:36:32

Jonny and Ben flip the script and go from bottom to top on this week's episode, running through (almost) all positive results for the bottom six at the start of the matchday in Part 1 (to 45:45), before Neil Debnam joins the pod to chat about Kawasaki's ACL Elite adventure, and their defeat on Sunday at the hands of Kashima (to 1:13:08). Finally, y…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 14 37:54

3M ago37:54

37:54

James Taylor and Jon Steele gathered their remaining energy to discuss the final set of J2 Golden Week fixtures. James reviews 9 games from matchday 14 in part 1 (start to 06:55), then chats to Jon about Sapporo v Iwata (06:55 to 25:10), Most Bravo Player (25:10 to 30:25), and the matchday 15 fixtures (30:25 to end). Thank you for your support of t…

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Episode 568 - J1 Matchday 15 37:52

3M ago37:52

37:52

Jonny and Ben wrap up Golden Week with a look back at the midweek action from J1 Matchday 15. We begin with 1-0 wins for Kashima and Kashiwa on Tuesday, then move on to Wednesday night's action - Kyoto's dramatic late victory at Machida, and Hiroshima squeaking past Shonan - before reviewing the other games from Tuesday, including excellent wins fo…

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JTET - J2 Round 13 Review 14:23

3M ago14:23

14:23

With the Golden Week holidays in full swing, Jon Steele takes control of a solo JTET mini-pod to run through all of the J2 action from Saturday 3rd May (Round 13 of the season). Over a 15-minute pod, you'll hear about all of the goals and talking points from the Round 13 matches, along with Jon's pick for a Most Bravo Player and a quick look ahead …

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Episode 567 - J1 Matchday 14 34:32

3M ago34:32

34:32

Jonny and Ben begin by commiserating with Kawasaki after their ACL Elite final defeat, then review all eight games played on Saturday in J1 Matchday 14.By Ben Maxwell

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J-Talk: Short Corner – J3 April Review 44:00

3M ago44:00

44:00

Regular JTET co-hosts Jon Steele and James Taylor get together for another monthly update of the topsy-turvy world of J3. The episode begins with a discussion of recent goalfests involving Kochi United (start to 08:50), then takes in the standout attacking performances of Paulo Junichi Tanaka (08:50 to 17:30), Giravanz Kitakyushu’s impressive defen…

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J-Talk: Extra Time - J2 Matchday 12 8:05

3M ago8:05

8:05

In this brief episode, James Taylor rounds up all the action from J2 matchday 12 (start to 04:05), selects a Most Bravo Player (04:05 to 05:40), and previews the upcoming fixtures on Saturday and Tuesday (05:40 to end). Apologies for the variable sound quality this time - there were some technical issues. Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Po…

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Episode 566 - J1 Matchday 13 45:19

3M ago45:19

45:19

Jonny and Ben return with a midweek special, to round up the eight games played from J1 Matchday 13 on Tuesday. After beginning the episode with a quick look back at Kawasaki's ACL Elite quarter final win (Spoiler Alert: They won their semi final, too!), we begin our J1 wrap with the game Jonny was at: Gamba Osaka's win over incumbent leaders Kyoto…

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JTET - J2 Round 11 Review 52:30

3M ago52:30

52:30

With a rush of Golden Week matches hoving into view, the JTET team looks back on the most recent slate of J2 fixtures (played across Friday and Saturday last week). In Part 1 (Start to 04:15) James gives us a whistle-stop tour of the action from 9 of the Round 11 games. Then in Part 2, Jon was joined by familiar voice (but first-time guest) Leslie …

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Episode 565 - J1 Matchday 12 1:35:02

3M ago1:35:02

1:35:02

With Golden Week upon us, the stars aligned and former co-host Sam Robson was able to join Jonny and Ben for a full review of all eight games played from J1 Matchday 12 over the weekend (the large majority of them on Friday night). Sam also shares his thoughts on the state of the league - with goals down across the division - while we were keen to …

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 10 38:43

3M ago38:43

38:43

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with another packed episode of JTET. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from J2 matchday 10 (start to 07:20), then he’s joined by Jon to analyse Montedio Yamagata v Ehime FC (07:20 to 22:40) and elect a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 27:20). To round out the episode, the boys take a deep breath before looking ahead to …

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JTET - Levain Cup Round 2 Review (16 April) 7:47

3M ago7:47

7:47

After the rest of the Levain Cup Round 2 games were played last Wednesday, Jon Steele covers all of the action from a J2 standpoint in an 8-minute mini-pod. All 5 of the J2 v J1 ties last midweek went into extra time, but in the end only one 2nd-tier side made it through to the next round! Jon also nominates a Most Bravo Player from the midweek mad…

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Episode 564 - J1 Matchday 11 1:38:40

3M ago1:38:40

1:38:40

Alan Gibson returned to the podcast, to help Jonny and Ben review goings-on from last midweek, and how the four Kansai clubs are faring after 11 rounds. We chat about the three J1 games - including Steve Holland's ouster at Yokohama F.Marinos after their home loss to Shimizu - and the conclusion of the 2nd round of the 1st round of the Levain Cup l…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 9 40:06

4M ago40:06

40:06

Jon Steele and James Taylor were reunited after a week of solo pods for this episode of JTET. In part 1, James runs through 9 games from J2 matchday 9 (start to 09:20), before chatting with Jon about Kataller Toyama v Renofa Yamaguchi (09:20 to 26:35). There’s also Most Bravo Player discussion and mention of the J.League’s official awards for Febru…

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JTET - Levain Cup Review (9th April) 8:03

4M ago8:03

8:03

In a fashionably late mini-pod, Jon Steele looks back at last Wednesday's Levain Cup action from a J2 perspective. There were derby wins for Imabari (in their rescheduled Round 1 game) and Iwata, as well as a night to remember for Yamaguchi as they slayed a J1 giant in the form of Kashima Antlers. Jon also picks a Most Bravo Player, and previews th…

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Episode 563 - J1 Matchday 10 with Sean Carroll 1:27:32

4M ago1:27:32

1:27:32

Sean Carroll made a very welcome return to the podcast this week, as we round up J1 Matchday 10, and the surprises and disappointments of the season so far. We begin with the history makers in the top two, Fukuoka and Kyoto both flying higher than they ever have in the top flight, then move on to the incredible story that is Okayama, after their aw…

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JTET - J2 Round 8 Review 10:03

4M ago10:03

10:03

A bit later than scheduled (sorry!), James Taylor gives us a solo review of all of last weekend's J2 action (Round 8 of the season). In a 10-minute pod, James also nominates a Most Bravo Player for the matchday, and previews the Round 9 matches coming up this weekend. *Jon Steele is working on a review of the midweek Levain Cup action from a J2 per…

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Episode 562 - J1 Matchdays 8 & 9 1:22:07

4M ago1:22:07

1:22:07

Jonny and Ben round up two full rounds of J1 fixtures, with a focus on the weekend's Matchday 9, in our new episode. We begin with the new frontrunner for game of the season - Kyoto's remarkable away win over Kashima on Sunday - before discussing the hard fought draw between Machida and Kawasaki, and the rest of an eventful Sunday chock full of tre…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 7 28:09

4M ago28:09

28:09

In this episode of JTET, James Taylor reviews 9 of the J2 matchday 7 games (start to 05:00) to start off, then chats to Jon Steele about Fujieda v Nagasaki (05:30 to 16:00), Most Bravo Players (16:00 to 19:55), and the league and Levain Cup matches coming up over the next week (19:55 to end). Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk…

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J-Talk: Short Corner – J3 March Review 33:22

4M ago33:22

33:22

Regular JTET co-hosts Jon Steele and James Taylor step up for an update of the goings-on in J3 during March. In part 1, Jon and James focus on the top half of the table (start to 14:25), and after the break they shift their gaze downwards to the bottom half (14:25 to end). Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Tal…

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Episode 561 - J1 Matchday 7 1:20:00

4M ago1:20:00

1:20:00

J1 returned after the international break over the weekend, and Daniel Hawkins joined Jonny and Ben to chat about goings-on at Avispa Fukuoka. After a brief review of Japan 0-0 Saudi Arabia, and our review of Kashima's hard-fought win over Kobe (to 9:07), Daniel hopped on board to discuss Avispa's draw with Machida on Saturday, how the club's new s…

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J-Talk: Extra Time - Levain Cup 1st Round (part 2) 37:34

4M ago37:34

37:34

In this episode of JTET, Jon Steele and James Taylor review the second part of the Levain Cup 1st round. Jon kicks things off with a roundup of 5 games (start to 05:55) and is then joined by James to talk about Fukushima v Sapporo (05:55 to 21:50) and Omiya v Iwaki (21:50 to31:00), and select a Most Bravo Player (31:00 to 34:10). James rounds out t…

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JTET - J2 Round 6 Review 30:04

4M ago30:04

30:04

This week, JEF Chiba supporter Alan makes a JTET debut to help us to make sense of his side's fantastic start to the 2025 campaign. To get things started, James round up most of the on-field action from Round 6 (Start to 03:30), then Alan joins Jon to chat about JEF's last-gasp win on the road at a blustery JIT Recycle Ink Stadium (03:30 to 18:50).…

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Episode 560 - Japan Wrap Up Qualification for 2026 47:43

4M ago47:43

47:43

The Samurai Blue cruised into their eighth-straight World Cup with a 2-0 win over Bahrain last Thursday night, and Dan Orlowitz joined Jonny and Ben to review the game, and speculate on how Japan might prepare for the showpiece event, more than a year out (to 31:31). Then we review the Levain Cup results from last Thursday afternoon, and look ahead…

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J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Matchday 5 27:21

4M ago27:21

27:21

In this week’s streamlined JTET, James Taylor kicks things off with a roundup of the J2 matchday 5 games (start to 05:30) before being joined by Jon Steele for analysis of Iwata v Kofu (05:30 to 14:30), Most Bravo Player selection (14:30 to 19:30) and a look ahead to upcoming league and Levain Cup matches (19:30 to end). Thanks for your support of …

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Episode 559 - J1 Matchday 6 1:45:29

5M ago1:45:29

1:45:29

Jonny and Ben kick off this new episode with a good news/bad news ACL review (to 14:56), then they're joined by Jon Steele to chat about Yokohama FC's victory over Cerezo Osaka on Saturday, and the season so far for the Mitsuzawa outfit (to 41:02). Then we run through all of the other games from J1 Matchday 6, including Yokohama F.Marinos and Kobe …