Andrew MCKIRDY - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Andrew MCKIRDY

Meta

Twitter

@Andrew_McKirdy

Andrew MCKIRDY

Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.

SOCCER / J. League

Aug 2, 2009

Late goal gives Frontale triumph over FC Tokyo

An injury-time piledriver from Hiroyuki Taniguchi moved Kawasaki Frontale into second place in the J. League with a last-gasp 2-1 win over FC Tokyo on Saturday night.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jul 30, 2009

Homegrown hit-men giving Okada plenty of ammunition

Japan's eternal weakness in producing strikers has long been reflected in the J. League top-scorer charts, but a strong homegrown challenge this season is proving to be a timely exception with the countdown to the World Cup under way.

SOCCER / J. League

Jul 26, 2009

Nagoya strikers provide much-needed boost

SAITAMA — Keiji Tamada ended his goal drought in emphatic fashion as Nagoya Grampus handed out a 3-0 drubbing to Urawa Reds on Saturday night.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jul 23, 2009

Forward thinking can ease Stojkovic's second-season blues

Dragan Stojkovic worked miracles leading Nagoya Grampus into the Asian Champions League in his first season as a manager, but he is now learning that achieving success and keeping hold of it are two very different things.

SOCCER / J. League

Jul 19, 2009

Miyamoto's sensational goal rescues Vissel

KAWASAKI — Former national team captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto struck with a spectacular overhead kick to rescue a point for Vissel Kobe in a 2-2 draw with Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jul 16, 2009

Kashima leading by example at halfway point of season

One glance at Kashima Antlers' eight-point lead might suggest JFA president Motoaki Inukai is right to label the J. League "boring." But even if this season's title race is shaping up to be more one-sided than in recent years, an improvement in quality among the leading teams is a worthwhile tradeoff....

SOCCER / J. League

Jul 13, 2009

Finke calls for change to J. League schedule

SAITAMA — Urawa Reds manager Volker Finke has urged the J. League to change the timing of its season to align with the European calendar.

SOCCER / J. League

Jul 12, 2009

Second-half strikes lift Reds to victory

SAITAMA — A second-half double from Brazilian striker Edmilson rescued three points for Urawa Reds in a 2-1 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jul 9, 2009

Indecision over Chamusca can only worsen Oita's plight

After winning the Nabisco Cup and guiding his club to a fourth-place league finish last season, few jobs in the J. League looked as secure as Oita Trinita manager Pericles Chamusca's.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jul 2, 2009

Enigma Takahara too talented to be written off for good

A striker finally scoring his first league goal 15 games into a season wouldn't normally be greeted with murmurs of excitement, but then Naohiro Takahara's track record has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

SOCCER / J. League

Jun 28, 2009

Takahara notches first goal of season

SAITAMA — Naohiro Takahara scored his first goal of the J. League season to help Urawa Reds get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Vissel Kobe on Saturday.

Japan Times

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jun 25, 2009

Nakamura's European ambition puts Okubo in the shade

If Shunsuke Nakamura's decision to snub a return to the J. League to stay in Europe represents a triumph of ambition over comfort, it is a message sadly missed by international teammate Yoshito Okubo.

SOCCER / J. League

Jun 21, 2009

First-place Antlers top Jubilo, extend unbeaten streak to 11 matches

KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Kashima Antlers opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the J. League with a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jun 16, 2009

Endo's absence highlights value of Japan's passing game

National team manager Takeshi Okada was hoping to use Japan's final two World Cup qualifiers to learn more about the fringe members of his squad. But the first of those games, last Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Qatar, will have told him more about a player who will not take part in either.

SOCCER / World cup

Jun 12, 2009

Metsu: Japan too weak to make it to semifinals

YOKOHAMA — Qatar manager Bruno Metsu has poured cold water over Japan's ambition of reaching the World Cup semifinals, saying Takeshi Okada's men "don't know what to do" when the heat is on.

SOCCER / World cup

Jun 11, 2009

Listless Japan settles for draw

Qatar rained on Japan's World Cup qualification parade with a second-half penalty to earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.

SOCCER / World cup

Jun 10, 2009

No Japan let-up against Qatar pledges Okada

YOKOHAMA — National team manager Takeshi Okada insists there will be no let-up from his side against Qatar in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier despite having already secured safe passage to South Africa.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

Jun 8, 2009

Okada deserves credit for strong leadership in qualifying campaign

For a team so often looking threatened by stormy waters, Japan's qualification for a fourth successive World Cup has ultimately been plain sailing.

SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE

May 21, 2009

Nakamura faces tough decision when Celtic deal expires

Shunsuke Nakamura might be thinking of nothing other than winning the Scottish league title with Celtic for the time being, but sooner or later he will have to decide what comes next.

SOCCER / J. League

May 17, 2009

Feisty Reds, patient Gamba play to scoreless draw

SAITAMA — Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka canceled each other out in a 0-0 draw on Saturday as Kashima Antlers pulled clear at the top of the J. League table.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.

The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan

By Johan Brooks

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Cainz enriches lives and communities through DIY

Cainz enriches lives and communities through DIY

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports