Episode 251 - Kashima’s ACL Triumph & J2 Climax

Sean Carroll, Jon Steele and Steve Barme guest on this, our first of two J-Talk podcasts this week.

In Part 1 Sean shares his fascinating experience of being pitchside at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran for the second leg of the ACL Final this past Saturday, when Kashima did the J.League proud by winning their first ever Asian Champions League title. Not for the squeamish, Sean's tales of being in the city in the lead up to the game are terrific, and he goes into great detail on the had-to-be-there atmosphere in one of the world's great sporting cauldrons. Oh, and bumping into Zico in the airport on his way home (to 28:30).

Then in Part 2, Jon Steele and Steve Barme recap Omiya's uninspiring season and the results for J2's top seven teams in the weekend's Matchday 41 (to 47:20), then from 59:00 we launch feet first into a preview of Saturday's final round, complete with predictions for the title and which of the top seven will miss out on the playoffs.

#PROGRAMMING NOTE# Part 2 of this episode was intended to be a celebration of Kawasaki's second straight J1 title, and Neil Debnam and Dan Orlowitz guested for a full hour on Tuesday night, but technical difficulties (me forgetting to press record) meant all that great chat vanished into the ether. Neil and Dan have kindly agreed to record again on Wednesday night, so a bonus, J1-only episode of J-Talk is coming later in the week (hopefully Thursday).

Follow my guests on twitter:

Sean - @seankyaroru

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Steve - @AgentOrange2009