2015 J2 League

Meiji Yasuda J2 League
Season 2015
Champions Omiya Ardija
Promoted

Omiya Ardija

Júbilo Iwata

Avispa Fukuoka

Relegated

Oita Trinita

Tochigi SC

Matches played 462
Goals scored 1014 (2.19 per match)
Top goalscorer Jay Bothroyd (20 goals)
Highest attendance

20,234

(Consadole vs Tochigi SC, 23 November)

Lowest attendance

1,227

(Zweigen vs Ehime FC, 1 April)

Average attendance 6,845
← 2014
2016 →

The 2015 Meiji Yasuda J2 League[1] season was the 44th season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 17th season since the establishment of J2 League. The season began on 8 March 2015 and ended on 23 November 2015.

Clubs

Shonan Bellmare have stayed in the second division for just a year, winning promotion as the champions. Matsumoto Yamaga have spent only 3 seasons in J2 after promoted from Japan Football League in 2012, becoming the first club based in Nagano Prefecture which have promoted to the top flight. Sixth-placed Montedio Yamagata won the promotion playoffs and will return in the first division after playing in the J2 for 3 years. Tokushima Vortis were relegated from the J1 immediately after their inaugural promotion, while Cerezo Osaka and Omiya Ardija have suffered relegation respectively after five and ten years from their last presence in J2.

On the other end of the table, Zweigen Kanazawa have been promoted from 2014 J3 League as the champions of the inaugural season of the J3 League, replacing relegated Kataller Toyama.

The participating clubs are listed in the following table:

Club Name Home Town(s) Note(s)
Omiya Ardija Omiya, Saitama Relegated from J1 League in 2014
Avispa Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Cerezo Osaka Osaka, Osaka Relegated from J1 League in 2014
Consadole Sapporo Sapporo, Hokkaidō
Ehime FC All cities/towns in Ehime
Fagiano Okayama All cities/towns in Okayama
FC Gifu All cities/towns in Gifu
Giravanz Kitakyushu Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Not eligible for J1 promotion
Mito HollyHock Mito, Ibaraki Not eligible for J1 promotion
JEF United Chiba Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba 2014 J2 League 2014 Play-off finalist
Júbilo Iwata Iwata, Shizuoka 2014 J2 League 2014 Play-off contestant
Kamatamare Sanuki Takamatsu Kagawa Not eligible for J1 promotion
Roasso Kumamoto Kumamoto, Kumamoto
Kyoto Sanga Southwestern cities/towns in Kyoto
Thespakusatsu Gunma All cities/towns in Gunma Not eligible for J1 promotion
Tochigi SC Utsunomiya, Tochigi
Oita Trinita Ōita, Ōita
V-Varen Nagasaki All cities/towns in Nagasaki
Tokyo Verdy All cities/towns in Tokyo
Tokushima Vortis All cities/towns in Tokushima Relegated from J1 League 2014
Yokohama FC Yokohama, Kanagawa
Zweigen Kanazawa Kanazawa, Ishikawa Promoted from J3 League 2014

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Date of separation Manner of departure Incoming manager Date of announcement
Oita Trinita Japan Kazuaki Tasaka 1 June Sacked[2] Japan Nobuaki Yanagida 2 July
Mito Hollyhock Japan Tetsuji Hashiratani 7 June Sacked[3] Japan Takayuki Nishigaya 27 June
Kyoto Sanga Japan Masahiro Wada 10 July Sacked[4] Japan Kiyotaka Ishimaru 10 July
Tochigi SC Japan Yuji Sakakura 20 July Resigned[5] Japan Yasuharu Kurata 21 July
Consadole Sapporo Croatia Ivica Barbarić 24 July Resigned[6] Japan Shuhei Yomoda 24 July
Yokohama FC Slovenia Miloš Rus 15 September Resigned[7] Japan Hitoshi Nakata 15 September[8]
Cerezo Osaka Brazil Paulo Autuori 17 November Sacked[9] Japan Kiyoshi Okuma 17 November[10]

Foreign players

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Asian Player Non-Visa Foreign Type-C Contract
Omiya Ardija Brazil Carlinhos Paraiba Brazil Mateus Serbia Dragan Mrđa
Avispa Fukuoka Brazil Moisés Brazil Wellington South Korea Lee Kwang-seon
Cerezo Osaka Brazil Edmílson Brazil Magno Cruz Brazil Pablo Felipe South Korea Kim Jin-hyeon
Consadole Sapporo Brazil Nildo Brazil Paulão Colombia Cristian Nazarit South Korea Gu Sung-yun Indonesia Irfan Bachdim
Ehime FC South Korea Park Chan-yong South Korea Gang Yoon-goo South Korea Park Seong-su
Fagiano Okayama South Korea Hwang Jin-sung
FC Gifu Brazil Gilsinho Brazil Henik Brazil Leo Mineiro North Korea Yun Chang-su
Giravanz Kitakyushu
Mito HollyHock South Korea Song Ju-hun South Korea Park Kwang-il North Korea Kim Song-gi
JEF United Chiba Brazil Paulinho Slovenia Nejc Pecnik South Korea Kim Hyun-hun North Korea An Byong-jun
Júbilo Iwata Brazil Adaílton England Jay Bothroyd Poland Krzysztof Kaminski
Kamatamare Sanuki Brazil Allan Brazil Evson France Andrea South Korea Han Chang-joo
Roasso Kumamoto Brazil Anderson South Korea Kweon Han-jin South Korea Kim Byeong-yeon
Kyoto Sanga Brazil Daniel Lovinho Brazil Ferro Serbia Miloš Bajalica South Korea Kim Nam-il South Korea Hwang Te-song
Thespakusatsu Gunma Brazil Acleisson Brazil Hugo Brazil Tanque South Korea Yoon Young-seung North Korea Hwang Song-su Brazil Kaique
Tochigi SC Brazil Jhonatan South Korea Han Hee-hoon South Korea Lee Joo-young South Korea Park Hyung-jin
Oita Trinita Brazil Daniel Brazil Evandro Brazil Paulinho South Korea Kim Jeong-hyun
Tokyo Verdy Brazil Alan Pinheiro Brazil Bruno Coutinho Brazil Weslley South Korea Ko Kyung-joon
V-Varen Nagasaki South Korea Cho Min-woo South Korea Lee Yong-jae North Korea Ri Yong-jik
Tokushima Vortis Brazil Alex Colombia Estiven South Korea Kim Kyung-jung South Korea Kim Jong-min South Korea Son Se-hwan
Yokohama FC Slovenia Rok Štraus South Korea Bae Hu-min South Korea Park Tae-hong South Korea Na Sung-soo North Korea An Yong-hak
Zweigen Kanazawa Brazil Jean Moser Brazil Mendes South Korea Cha Young-hwan

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Omiya Ardija (C, P) 42 26 8 8 72 37 +35 86 Promotion to 2016 J1 League
2 Júbilo Iwata (P) 42 24 10 8 72 43 +29 82
3 Avispa Fukuoka (O, P) 42 24 10 8 63 37 +26 82 Qualification to promotion playoffs[lower-alpha 1]
4 Cerezo Osaka 42 18 13 11 57 40 +17 67
5 Ehime FC 42 19 8 15 47 39 +8 65
6 V-Varen Nagasaki 42 15 15 12 42 33 +9 60
7 Giravanz Kitakyushu 42 18 5 19 59 58 +1 59
8 Tokyo Verdy 42 16 10 16 43 41 +2 58
9 JEF United Chiba 42 15 12 15 50 45 +5 57
10 Consadole Sapporo 42 14 15 13 47 43 +4 57
11 Fagiano Okayama 42 12 18 12 40 35 +5 54
12 Zweigen Kanazawa 42 12 18 12 46 43 +3 54
13 Roasso Kumamoto 42 13 14 15 42 45 −3 53
14 Tokushima Vortis 42 13 14 15 35 44 −9 53
15 Yokohama FC 42 13 13 16 33 58 −25 52
16 Kamatamare Sanuki 42 12 15 15 30 33 −3 51
17 Kyoto Sanga 42 12 14 16 45 51 −6 50
18 Thespakusatsu Gunma 42 13 9 20 34 56 −22 48
19 Mito HollyHock 42 10 16 16 40 47 −7 46
20 FC Gifu 42 12 7 23 37 71 −34 43
21 Oita Trinita (R) 42 8 14 20 41 51 −10 38 Qualification to relegation playoffs[lower-alpha 2]
22 Tochigi SC (R) 42 7 14 21 39 64 −25 35 Relegation to 2016 J3 League
Updated to match(es) played on 23 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J2 League Standing
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Only teams that meet J1 license criteria can participate in promotion playoffs. If one or more teams fail to meet the criteria, only eligible teams that finished 3rd to 6th will participate and no replacement teams will be added.
  2. ↑ The playoffs and direct exchange between J2 and J3 are subject to eligibility of J2-licensed teams in top 2 of 2015 J3 League.

Results

Home ╲ Away ARD AVI CERCONEHIFAGGIFGIRHOLJEFJÚBKAMROSSANSPATOCTRIVVNVERVORYFCZWE
Omiya Ardija 2–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 3–0 5–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 3–2 2–1 0–2 1–2 3–0 1–0
Avispa Fukuoka 1–3 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 2–2 4–2 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–3 1–0 1–3 4–1 4–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 4–0 0–2
Cerezo Osaka 3–1 0–1 3–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–2 0–0 1–1 3–0 1–2 4–1 0–0 1–2 2–0 1–0 2–0 0–2
Consadole Sapporo 2–3 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 3–2 3–0 0–1 2–3 1–2 0–0 4–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–1
Ehime FC 3–1 2–1 2–1 0–0 1–1 3–0 2–3 0–2 1–0 0–2 1–0 0–1 3–2 3–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 2–1 3–0 3–0 1–1
Fagiano Okayama 0–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 3–0 0–1 3–0 1–0 1–2 1–2 3–0 2–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–3 0–0 0–0
FC Gifu 0–5 1–4 0–2 0–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–3 1–0 0–2 1–2 0–1 0–2
Giravanz Kitakyushu 1–2 0–1 0–3 1–1 3–2 2–3 2–1 2–2 3–1 2–3 2–0 2–0 1–2 0–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 3–1 1–1
Mito HollyHock 1–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–2 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–3 2–0 3–0 0–1 1–1
JEF United Chiba 2–0 2–2 4–4 1–1 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 0–2 2–3 1–1 1–2 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–1
Júbilo Iwata 2–2 0–1 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 2–3 3–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 3–3 1–2 3–0 2–1 4–2 2–0 3–1 0–0 2–1
Kamatamare Sanuki 1–1 0–1 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–1 3–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–2
Roasso Kumamoto 3–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 0–1 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 2–2 0–1 0–2
Kyoto Sanga 2–2 1–2 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 2–0 2–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–2 2–1 1–4 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–1
Thespakusatsu Gunma 0–2 0–4 2–0 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–1 2–0 2–3 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–3 2–1 0–1 1–0
Tochigi SC 0–2 0–0 0–3 1–2 0–1 2–2 0–1 2–4 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–0 2–2 0–1 5–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–1
Oita Trinita 0–3 1–2 1–3 2–0 0–1 0–1 6–2 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–0 0–1 2–2 2–0 0–1 2–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1
V-Varen Nagasaki 0–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 3–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1
Tokyo Verdy 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 4–3 2–0 2–0 0–0 0–3 2–0 0–2 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–2 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1
Tokushima Vortis 0–0 0–3 1–1 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–2 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
Yokohama FC 0–3 2–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 3–2 1–0 0–2 0–1 2–3 1–2 0–3 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–6 1–1 2–1
Zweigen Kanazawa 1–2 0–1 3–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–0 0–0 0–3 1–0 1–1 1–3 2–1 2–2 1–1 1–0 3–0 0–1 1–2

Updated to games played on 23 November 2015.
Source: J.League Data
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Play-offs

J1 Promotion Playoffs

Semifinals Final
      
3 Avispa Fukuoka 1
6 V-Varen Nagasaki 0
3 Avispa Fukuoka 1
4 Cerezo Osaka 1
4 Cerezo Osaka 0
5 Ehime FC 0

Semifinals

29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)
15:30
Avispa Fukuoka 1–0 V-Varen Nagasaki
Wellington  48' Report

29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)
15:30
Cerezo Osaka 0–0 Ehime FC
Report

Final

6 December 2015 (2015-12-06)
15:35
Avispa Fukuoka 1–1 Cerezo Osaka
Nakamura  87' Report Tamada  60'

J3 Relegation Playoffs

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Oita Trinita 1–3 FC Machida Zelvia 1–2 0–1

29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)
12:30
Machida Zelvia 2–1 Oita Trinita
K. Suzuki  45+2', 72' Report Daniel  22'

6 December 2015 (2015-12-06)
12:30
Oita Trinita 0–1 Machida Zelvia
Report K. Suzuki  58' (pen.)
Ōita Bank Dome, Ōita, Ōita
Attendance: 14,217

Top scorers

Rank Scorer Club Goals
1 England Jay Bothroyd Júbilo Iwata
20
2 Serbia Dragan Mrdja Omiya Ardija
19
3 Japan Rui Komatsu Giravanz Kitakyushu
18
4 Brazil Adailton Júbilo Iwata
17
5 Japan Masashi Oguro Kyoto Sanga
15
6 Slovenia Nejc Pečnik JEF United Chiba
14
7 Japan Ken Tokura Consadole Sapporo
13
Japan Ataru Esaka Thespa Kusatsu
Japan Shohei Kiyohara Zweigen Kanazawa
Japan Kazuki Hara Giravanz Kitakyushu
11 Japan Hiroaki Namba FC Gifu
12
Japan Kazuki Saito Roasso Kumamoto
13 Japan Akihiro Ienaga Omiya Ardija
11
Japan Kazuhisa Kawahara Ehime FC
15 Japan Keiya Nakami Tochigi SC
10
Japan Shuto Minami Tokyo Verdy
Uruguay Diego Forlán Cerezo Osaka
Japan Keiji Tamada Cerezo Osaka

Updated to games played on 23 November 2015
Source: Meiji Yasuda J2 League Stats & Data - Ranking:Goals

Attendances

Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 Cerezo Osaka 256,880 17,212 8,047 12,232 -0.56558930965922−43.4%†
2 Consadole Sapporo 251,161 20,234 6,981 11,960 0.081374321880651+8.1%†
3 JEF United Chiba 225,219 15,051 8,123 10,725 0.14914818386371+14.9%†
4 Júbilo Iwata 210,865 13,576 6,946 10,041 0.14440392067472+14.4%†
5 Omiya Ardija 199,280 14,410 5,428 9,490 -0.87780963833133−12.2%†
6 Avispa Fukuoka 183,466 16,676 4,553 8,736 0.72580007902015+72.5%†
7 Fagiano Okayama 176,652 15,820 4,346 8,412 0.00095192765349839+0.0%†
8 Oita Trinita 158,194 15,152 4,103 7,533 -0.89444312514842−10.5%†
9 Kyoto Sanga 157,306 16,920 3,206 7,491 -0.99614361702128−0.3%†
10 Roasso Kumamoto 147,785 13,132 3,956 7,037 0.0049985718366181+0.4%†
11 FC Gifu 129,756 8,814 3,539 6,179 -0.81474156118143−18.5%†
12 Tokyo Verdy 118,751 16,629 2,691 5,655 0.041436464088398+4.1%†
13 Tochigi SC 108,501 9,319 2,581 5,167 -0.97601057801284−2.3%†
14 Yokohama FC 107,364 9,663 2,208 5,113 -0.99358725223475−0.6%†
15 Tokushima Vortis 105,398 8,684 3,307 5,019 -0.56494822152184−43.5%†
16 V-Varen Nagasaki 106,953 10,184 2,994 4,931 0.019012192601777+1.9%†
17 Zweigen Kanazawa 103,120 12,353 1,227 4,910 0.42732558139535+42.7%‡
18 Mito HollyHock 101,132 8,391 2,290 4,816 0.017321504013519+1.7%†
19 Thespakusatsu Gunma 86,077 11,303 1,618 4,099 0.090159574468085+9.0%†
20 Ehime FC 79,193 9,158 1,722 3,771 -0.98717277486911−1.2%†
21 Kamatamare Sanuki 76,824 10,447 2,152 3,658 0.10280373831776+10.2%†
22 Giravanz Kitakyushu 73,243 8,501 1,939 3,488 -0.96300386526781−3.6%†
League total 3,162,194 20,234 1,227 6,845 0.038852633176506+3.8%†

Updated to games played on 23 November 2015
Source: J. League data
Notes:
† Team played previous season in J1.
‡ Team played previous season in J3.

References

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