J.League Division 1
Season2010
ChampionsNagoya Grampus
1st J. League title
1st Japanese title
RelegatedFC Tokyo
Kyoto Sanga
Shonan Bellmare
Champions LeagueNagoya Grampus
Gamba Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
Kashima Antlers
Matches played306
Goals scored813 (2.66 per match)
Top goalscorerJoshua Kennedy, Ryoichi Maeda (17 goals total)
Highest attendance55,410 (Round 10,
Red Diamonds vs. Grampus)
Lowest attendance5,334 (Round 11,
Sanfrecce vs. Cerezo)
Average attendance18,428
← 2009
2011 →

The 2010 J.League Division 1 season was the 46th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 18th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 6 and ended on December 4.[1]

A total of eighteen clubs participated in double round-robin format. At the end of the season, top three clubs received automatic qualification to the following years' AFC Champions League. Also the bottom three clubs were relegated to J2 League by default.

Nagoya Grampus won their first Japanese championship. This was also the first time since the advent of the J.League that the top scorer scored less than 20 goals; the honour of scoring 17 goals was shared between Nagoya's Joshua Kennedy and Júbilo Iwata's Ryoichi Maeda. Additionally, this was also the first Japanese top division season in which clubs from the Kantō region did not place among the top three.

Clubs

2010 J.League Division 1 is located in Japan
Montedio Yamagata
Vegalta Sendai
Albirex Niigata
Kashima Antlers
Omiya Ardija
Urawa Red Diamonds
FC Tokyo
Kawasaki Frontale
Yokohama F. Marinos
Shonan Bellmare
Shimizu S-Pulse
Júbilo Iwata
Nagoya Grampus
Kyoto Sanga
Gamba Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
Vissel Kobe
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Location of the clubs in Japan

The following eighteen clubs will play in J.League Division 1 during the 2010 season. Of these clubs, Vegalta Sendai, Cerezo Osaka and Shonan Bellmare are the newly promoted clubs. For the first time since 1995 season all top-flight teams are located on a single island (Honshū).

Club Name Home Town(s) Note(s)
Albirex Niigata Niigata & Seirō, Niigata
Cerezo Osaka Osaka Promoted from J2 League in 2009
FC Tokyo Tokyo
Gamba Osaka Suita, Osaka 2010 ACL Participant
Júbilo Iwata Iwata, Shizuoka
Kashima Antlers Southwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki 2010 ACL Participant
Three-time Defending Champions
Kawasaki Frontale Kawasaki, Kanagawa 2010 ACL Participant
Kyoto Sanga Southwestern cities/town in Kyoto
Montedio Yamagata All cities/towns in Yamagata
Nagoya Grampus Nagoya, Aichi
Omiya Ardija Saitama
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Hiroshima 2010 ACL Participant
Shonan Bellmare Southcentral cities/towns in Kanagawa Promoted from J2 League in 2009
Shimizu S-Pulse Shizuoka
Urawa Red Diamonds Saitama
Vegalta Sendai Sendai, Miyagi Promoted from J2 League in 2009
Vissel Kobe Kobe, Hyōgo
Yokohama F. Marinos Yokohama & Yokosuka

Foreign Players

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Asian Player Type-C Contract Non-Visa Foreign Former Players
Albirex Niigata Brazil Márcio Richardes Brazil Michael Brazil João Paulo South Korea Cho Young-cheol Brazil Fagner
Cerezo Osaka Brazil Adriano Brazil Amaral (footballer, born 1983) Brazil Martinez South Korea Kim Jin-hyeon
FC Tokyo Brazil Ricardinho South Korea Kim Young-gwon South Korea Seo Yong-duk
Gamba Osaka Brazil Dodô Brazil Lucas Severino South Korea Cho Jae-jin South Korea Lee Keun-ho Brazil Pedro Júnior
Brazil Zé Carlos
Júbilo Iwata Brazil Gilsinho South Korea Lee Woo-jin South Korea Park Joo-ho North Korea Hwang Song-su South Korea Lee Keun-ho
Kashima Antlers Brazil Fellype Gabriel Brazil Marquinhos Brazil Gilton South Korea Lee Jung-soo
Kawasaki Frontale Brazil Juninho Brazil Renatinho Brazil Vitor Júnior North Korea Jong Tae-se
Kyoto Sanga Brazil Thiego Brazil Diego Souza Brazil Junior Dutra South Korea Kwak Tae-hwi North Korea Kim Song-yong
Montedio Yamagata South Korea Kim Byung-suk South Korea Kim Kun-hoan South Korea Han Dong-won
Nagoya Grampus Brazil Magnum Colombia Danilson Córdoba Montenegro Igor Burzanović Australia Joshua Kennedy
Omiya Ardija Brazil Rafael Marques Croatia Mato Neretljak South Korea Lee Chun-soo South Korea Lee Ho North Korea An Yong-hak Brazil Dudu
South Korea Seo Yong-duk
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Bulgaria Ilian Stoyanov Croatia Mihael Mikić
Shonan Bellmare Brazil Emerson Brazil Erivaldo Brazil Jean South Korea Han Kook-young South Korea Choi Seung-in South Korea Kim Yeong-gi
Shimizu S-Pulse Norway Frode Johnsen Australia Eddy Bosnar
Urawa Red Diamonds Brazil Edmílson Brazil Robson Ponte Burkina Faso Wilfried Sanou Australia Matthew Spiranovic
Vegalta Sendai Brazil Elizeu Brazil Fernandinho South Korea Park Ju-sung South Korea Park Sung-ho North Korea Ryang Yong-gi Brazil Reinaldo Alagoano
Vissel Kobe Brazil Edmilson Alves Brazil Popó Brazil Raphael Botti South Korea Lee Jae-min South Korea Park Kang-jo
Yokohama F. Marinos Argentina Pablo Bastianini South Korea Jeong Dong-ho

Format

Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:

A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The bottom three clubs will be relegated to J.League Division 2. The top three clubs will qualify to AFC Champions League in the following year.

Changes from previous year

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Nagoya Grampus (C) 34 23 3 8 54 37 +17 72 Qualification for 2011 AFC Champions League group stage[a]
2 Gamba Osaka 34 18 8 8 65 44 +21 62
3 Cerezo Osaka 34 17 10 7 58 32 +26 61
4 Kashima Antlers 34 16 12 6 51 31 +20 60
5 Kawasaki Frontale 34 15 9 10 61 47 +14 54
6 Shimizu S-Pulse 34 15 9 10 60 49 +11 54
7 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 34 14 9 11 45 38 +7 51
8 Yokohama F. Marinos 34 15 6 13 43 39 +4 51
9 Albirex Niigata 34 12 13 9 48 45 +3 49
10 Urawa Red Diamonds 34 14 6 14 48 41 +7 48
11 Júbilo Iwata 34 11 11 12 38 49 −11 44
12 Omiya Ardija 34 11 9 14 39 45 −6 42
13 Montedio Yamagata 34 11 9 14 29 42 −13 42
14 Vegalta Sendai 34 10 9 15 40 46 −6 39
15 Vissel Kobe 34 9 11 14 37 45 −8 38
16 FC Tokyo (R) 34 8 12 14 36 41 −5 36 Relegation to 2011 J.League Division 2
17 Kyoto Sanga (R) 34 4 7 23 30 60 −30 19
18 Shonan Bellmare (R) 34 3 7 24 31 82 −51 16
Updated to match(es) played on December 4, 2010. Source: J.League Division 1
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Kashima Antlers qualified as 2010 Emperor's Cup winners.

Results

Home \ Away ALB ANT ARD BEL CER FRO GAM GRA JÚB MON SFR SAN SSP TOK RED VEG VIS FMA
Albirex Niigata 2–1 0–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 1–2 4–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–1
Kashima Antlers 2–2 3–0 1–0 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 1–2 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–0 2–0
Omiya Ardija 2–2 0–1 3–0 3–0 2–2 1–3 0–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 3–0 0–2 1–2 0–3 2–2 1–1
Shonan Bellmare 2–0 1–1 1–3 0–4 1–6 1–3 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 3–6 1–3 1–4 1–0 2–2 1–4
Cerezo Osaka 2–1 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 6–2 3–0 1–1 3–1 1–0 4–1 2–3 0–0 2–1 2–0
Kawasaki Frontale 2–1 1–2 0–0 4–2 1–2 1–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 3–2 3–0 1–3
Gamba Osaka 0–0 1–1 5–1 2–1 3–2 4–4 1–2 2–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–2 2–2 2–4 0–2
Nagoya Grampus 1–1 1–4 2–1 2–1 1–0 2–3 3–1 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 3–3 0–1 3–1 2–1 2–0 1–1
Júbilo Iwata 1–1 2–3 1–1 3–2 0–3 3–1 4–3 1–2 0–0 2–1 2–3 2–1 2–1 2–1 0–1 3–2 0–0
Montedio Yamagata 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–3 0–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–3 0–3 1–1 3–1 0–0 0–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4–0 1–1 1–2 3–0 0–5 0–3 0–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 3–0
Kyoto Sanga 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 3–4 1–2 0–2 0–1 1–2 0–3 2–4 2–0 0–4 2–1 3–0 1–2
Shimizu S-Pulse 0–2 2–1 2–1 5–0 3–2 2–0 0–3 1–5 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 5–1 1–0 1–2
FC Tokyo 1–1 1–1 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–1 0–0 2–2 1–0
Urawa Red Diamonds 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 2–0 3–0 0–2 2–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–4 2–3
Vegalta Sendai 2–3 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–2 3–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 1–3 3–2 1–1 0–1 0–1
Vissel Kobe 1–2 0–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–4 1–3 1–2 3–0 0–2 1–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–1
Yokohama F. Marinos 3–0 1–3 0–2 3–0 0–0 4–0 1–0 0–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–2 1–4 0–1 1–0
Updated to match(es) played on December 4, 2010. Source: J. League Division 1
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

Rank Scorer Club Goals[2]
1 Australia Joshua Kennedy Nagoya Grampus 17
Japan Ryoichi Maeda Júbilo Iwata 17
3 Brazil Edmílson Urawa Red Diamonds 16
Brazil Márcio Richardes Albirex Niigata 16
5 Brazil Adriano Cerezo Osaka 14
Japan Shoki Hirai Gamba Osaka 14
Brazil Juninho Kawasaki Frontale 14
8 Japan Jungo Fujimoto Shimizu S-Pulse 13
Japan Shinji Okazaki Shimizu S-Pulse 13
Japan Keiji Tamada Nagoya Grampus 13

Awards

MVP

Best XI

Position Player
GK Japan Seigo Narazaki
DF Japan Marcus Tulio Tanaka
DF Japan Takahiro Masukawa
DF Japan Tomoaki Makino
MF Colombia Danilson
MF Brazil Márcio Richardes
MF Japan Kengo Nakamura
MF Japan Yasuhito Endō
MF Japan Jungo Fujimoto
FW Australia Joshua Kennedy
FW Japan Ryoichi Maeda

Attendance

Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 Urawa Red Diamonds 678,994 55,410 21,625 39,941 −9.7%†
2 Albirex Niigata 519,221 41,002 19,152 30,542 −8.7%†
3 Yokohama F. Marinos 436,624 43,025 12,184 25,684 +16.4%†
4 FC Tokyo 426,899 30,672 17,477 25,112 −3.0%†
5 Kashima Antlers 356,430 35,251 9,472 20,966 −3.0%†
6 Nagoya Grampus 339,638 34,098 7,991 19,979 +25.4%†
7 Kawasaki Frontale 315,550 22,407 7,348 18,562 −1.5%†
8 Shimizu S-Pulse 306,022 38,851 7,117 18,001 +0.4%†
9 Vegalta Sendai 294,644 26,391 12,119 17,332 +33.8%†
10 Gamba Osaka 283,111 20,973 9,093 16,654 −6.0%†
11 Cerezo Osaka 255,439 37,860 8,041 15,026 +51.6%†
12 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 247,550 23,948 5,334 14,562 −7.4%†
13 Vissel Kobe 218,004 19,506 8,707 12,824 −1.9%†
14 Júbilo Iwata 206,324 31,266 7,030 12,137 −10.2%†
15 Montedio Yamagata 199,069 20,231 7,019 11,710 −2.9%†
16 Shonan Bellmare 188,614 14,095 6,032 11,095 +43.7%†
17 Omiya Ardija 188,088 29,575 7,831 11,064 −19.3%†
18 Kyoto Sanga 178,673 15,222 6,818 10,510 −5.5%†
League total 5,638,894 55,410 5,334 18,428 −2.9%†

Updated to games played on December 4, 2010
Source: J. League Division 1
Notes:
† Team played previous season in J2.

References

  1. ^ "J-League to kick off season March 6".[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "2010 J1 Top Scorers". j-league.or.jp. J-League. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
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