2010 J.League Division 1
Introduction 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.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 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 NameHome Town(s)Note(s)Albirex NiigataNiigata & Seirō, NiigataCerezo OsakaOsakaPromoted from J2 League in 2009FC TokyoTokyoGamba OsakaSuita, Osaka2010 ACL ParticipantJúbilo IwataIwata, ShizuokaKashima AntlersSouthwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki2010 ACL ParticipantThree-time Defending ChampionsKawasaki FrontaleKawasaki, Kanagawa2010 ACL ParticipantKyoto SangaSouthwestern cities/town in KyotoMontedio YamagataAll cities/towns in YamagataNagoya GrampusNagoya, AichiOmiya ArdijaSaitamaSanfrecce HiroshimaHiroshima2010 ACL ParticipantShonan BellmareSouthcentral cities/towns in KanagawaPromoted from J2 League in 2009Shimizu S-PulseShizuokaUrawa Red DiamondsSaitamaVegalta SendaiSendai, MiyagiPromoted from J2 League in 2009Vissel KobeKobe, HyōgoYokohama F. MarinosYokohama & Yokosuka
Foreign Players  Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Asian Player Type-C Contract Non-Visa Foreign Former Players Albirex Niigata  Márcio Richardes  Michael  '''João Paulo'''  Cho Young-cheol  Fagner Cerezo Osaka  Adriano  Amaral (footballer, born 1983)  Martinez  Kim Jin-hyeon FC Tokyo  Ricardinho   Kim Young-gwon  '''Seo Yong-duk''' Gamba Osaka  Dodô  Lucas Severino  Cho Jae-jin  '''Lee Keun-ho'''  Pedro Júnior   Zé Carlos Júbilo Iwata  Gilsinho  Lee Woo-jin   Park Joo-ho  Hwang Song-su  Lee Keun-ho Kashima Antlers  Fellype Gabriel  Marquinhos   Gilton  Lee Jung-soo Kawasaki Frontale  Juninho  Renatinho  Vitor Júnior  Jong Tae-se Kyoto Sanga  Thiego  Diego Souza  Junior Dutra  Kwak Tae-hwi  Kim Song-yong Montedio Yamagata  Kim Byung-suk  Kim Kun-hoan  Han Dong-won Nagoya Grampus  Magnum  Danilson Córdoba  Igor Burzanović  Joshua Kennedy Omiya Ardija  Rafael Marques  Mato Neretljak  '''Lee Chun-soo'''  '''Lee Ho'''   An Yong-hak  Dudu   Seo Yong-duk Sanfrecce Hiroshima  Ilian Stoyanov  Mihael Mikić Shonan Bellmare  '''Emerson'''  '''Erivaldo'''  Jean  Han Kook-young  Choi Seung-in  Kim Yeong-gi Shimizu S-Pulse  Frode Johnsen  Eddy Bosnar Urawa Red Diamonds  Edmílson  Robson Ponte  Wilfried Sanou  Matthew Spiranovic Vegalta Sendai  Elizeu  Fernandinho  Park Ju-sung  '''Park Sung-ho  Ryang Yong-gi  Reinaldo Alagoano Vissel Kobe  Edmilson Alves  Popó  Raphael Botti  Lee Jae-min  Park Kang-jo Yokohama F. Marinos  Pablo Bastianini  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:* Goal differential* Goals scored* Head-to-head results* Disciplinary pointsA 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* Regular season schedule had two months break after May 16 games, due to 2010 FIFA World Cup. Season was resumed from July 17, with exceptions for clubs advancing to the Round of 16 of 2010 AFC Champions League, which 11th-week matches were rescheduled to July 14.
League table
Results
Top scorers RankScorerClubGoals 1 Joshua KennedyNagoya Grampus 17 Ryoichi MaedaJúbilo Iwata 17 3 EdmílsonUrawa Red Diamonds 16 Márcio RichardesAlbirex Niigata 16 5 AdrianoCerezo Osaka 14 Shoki HiraiGamba Osaka 14 JuninhoKawasaki Frontale 14 8 Jungo FujimotoShimizu S-Pulse 13 Shinji OkazakiShimizu S-Pulse 13 Keiji TamadaNagoya Grampus 13
Awards === MVP ===* Seigo Narazaki=== Best XI === Position PlayerGK  Seigo NarazakiDF  Marcus Tulio TanakaDF  Takahiro MasukawaDF  Tomoaki MakinoMF  DanilsonMF  Márcio RichardesMF  Kengo NakamuraMF  Yasuhito EndōMF  Jungo FujimotoFW  Joshua KennedyFW  Ryoichi Maeda
Attendance
References