There’s nothing more legendary than seeing something becoming a worldwide attraction, the property of everyone, globally. J. League is trying to achieve that, but to do so, you need a global fanbase. And it’s there, although its numbers can certainly rise. In this series of pieces – which will all fall under the label “J. League Worldwide”, we’re trying to tell the personal and professional stories of Japanese football fans all over the world.
Before introducing the eleventh instalment of the series, I want to remind the efforts of Stuart Smith in starting this column (you can find him @Sushi_Football on Twitter, doing a good job in spreading the word for J.League). Twenty episodes are done, and in the last one – published a few weeks ago – we talked with Sergio (@SergioMagda) about his curiosity for the Japanese football world.
And if you can read here his interview with us, for Episode number 21, we move to somewhere a bit more exotic – Puerto Rico. It’s not a place you maybe think about when it comes down to football, because the most popular sports there are baseball (among everything) and basketball. Who would have expected J.League to reach a place such far away from Japan?
In the end, Victor Arroyo became one of the columns of the J.League-sphere, even now taking part into the famous J-Talk: Extra Time” podcast, covering the J3 League, where he could follow his favourite team, and watch closely the evolution of Japanese football.
a) Where are you from and when did you first start following the J. League?
I am from the land of rum, sun and fun – San Juan, Puerto Rico. I first started following the J. League seriously during a vacation I took to Japan in 2018. I was visiting Kanazawa and I was stuck there an extra day, due to a typhoon disrupting the Shinkansen.
Someone from my hotel suggested that I should maybe go watching the local football team, so I did. I ended up watching Zweigen Kanazawa losing 0-1 against Fagiano Okayama. They’re not playing in J2 anymore, but I fell in love with the city of Kanazawa and their football team.
b) Do you have a favourite team or player?
My favourite team is Zweigen Kanazawa. I love the city and the people there, and the club has given me many great memories. My favourite player is Keita Fujimura! You might ask why – it’s because he played very well the first time I ever watched a J.League match. Although Zweigen didn’t score, he was the only player who could consistently make good passes and move the ball forward for Kanazawa. To me, he was also the heart and soul of the team during our stint in J2.
c) We’re used to seeing a lot of coverage around football here in Europe or South America. A tendency growing as well in North America and Asia. How do you keep up with the news regarding the league?
I keep up with the J.League by following various official and unofficial accounts on the social media. There are a lot of fans who run social media accounts, blogs and podcasts. I also listen to the J-Talk Podcast regularly, and watch as many matches as I can, mostly J1, J3 and even university leagues.
It may be difficult to watch J.League games outside of Asia, but anything is possible with a strong desire, a VPN and friends in Japan (note from JLR – in this era, more than ever!).
d) Have you ever been to Japan for some matches? If so, how was the impact? And if not, which match and which aspect are you longing for the most?
I’ve been blessed to be able to attend many matches in Japan! Some of the big highlights include watching Sanfrecce Hiroshima winning the Levain Cup in 2022, seeing Iniesta live with Vissel Kobe and witnessing Yokohama F. Marinos team at their peak under Ange Postecoglou. But the two matches that meant the most to me were an away match against Yokohama FC and my first visit to Zweigen’s new stadium.
I visited Mitsuzawa Stadium in Yokohama in October 2022 to support Zweigen Kanazawa against Yokohama FC. The hosts were firmly in second place and a win would’ve secured them a promotion to J1. On the other hand, Zweigen were entrenched in mid-table mediocrity. It ended up being a thrilling 3-2 win for Zweigen with a man down!
I got to see Shunsuke Nakamura’s second to last game and Yokohama FC secured promotion due to results elsewhere! Overall good vibes from everyone. We were happy we won the game and Yokohama FC fans were happy they were going back to J1. It was also the first time that I was welcomed in by a group of Zweigen supporters.
There was a family sitting near me and the grandmother talked to me during the halftime break and introduced me to other supporters. At the end of the match, she had a message translated on the phone that meant a lot for me: “Thanks for coming from so far to support the team”. I’ll never forget the kindness of the supporters that day.
The second most impactful match was just last year on April 6th, 2024 – the day when Zweigen Kanazawa hosted Matsumoto Yamaga in their new stadium for a derby match. It was my first time at the new stadium, seeing our new coach Akira Ito and the first without my favourite player Keita Fujimura on the team.
Given how we started our season and the recent relegation to the third tier, I wasn’t expecting much. Little did.I know that I was in for a Zweigen goal scouting fest. After going down 0-1, Zweigen rallied off the fantastic performance of Yuki Kaijura, who had 2 assists to help Kanazawa secure a 6-1 win over our divisional rivals.
Not only was this match fun to watch and the best performance I’ve ever seen by the team, but the new stadium had a roof for all sections except the away end, many food options, better accessibility and the venue was the best in J3. To see a win like that and be amongst personal friends and supporters was a great experience, especially after enduring relegation to the third division.
e) From your point of view, how do you think the J. League has been perceived in your own country? And there’s a space to improve the image of the league around the world, just like they’re trying to do?
In Puerto Rico, I think only big fans of Real Madrid and Barcelona are really aware of the J.League. As a former Spanish colony, the vast majority of football fans in Puerto Rico follow LaLiga. Most of them know of the J.League because of either Takefusa Kubo or Andres Iniesta’s time at Vissel Kobe. Some hardcore Real Madrid fans still have faith in Pipi Nakai eventually breaking into the first team.
I think the J.League has been viewed as the strongest league in Asia, but still not good enough to compete with the level of European clubs. Nevertheless, I think Japan’s performance at the World Cup really changed the perception of Puerto Rican fans about the talent of Japanese players.
It’s really difficult to improve the image of the J.League in Puerto Rico. The signing of big Spanish players helps improve people’s perception of the league – with Andrés Iniesta and Fernando Torres, the league became a topic of conversation. But without access to watch the games and the time difference, it’s hard to really improve the image of the league if you don’t even show the matches in Puerto Rico.
We want to thank Victor for the time he’s given us. It’s been nice to talk with him and we wish him the best for his involvement in the “J-Talk: Extra Time” podcast, and a good season for him and Zweigen Kanazawa.
You can find him on Twitter at the handle @JFootballAnaly1. Meanwhile, we hope to bring you soon Episode 22, so stay tuned!
