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In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 to October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May (although in some countries, especially those in Scandinavia and North America, the season starts in the spring and finishes in the autumn due to the weather conditions encountered during the winter). A year can often be broken up into several distinct sections (sometimes themselves called seasons). These are:

Preseason[link]

Most team sports have a period of training to recover fitness levels, followed by exhibition games or friendly matches prior to the start of their regular seasons ("pre-season training" and "pre-season" games). The game results do not count in the season standings of the teams, so they serve conveniently to test player candidates and to practice teamwork under game conditions. They may be used to promote the team effectively both at home and elsewhere. For some teams a pre-season overseas tour may be profitable, even lucrative. For some leagues, overseas games may promote their sport or their league to new audiences.

In some sports there may be a pre-season curtain-raiser or "supercup" competition—for example, in England, the previous season's winners of the FA Cup and Premier League play one another for the Community Shield before the start of the regular season. Part of the profits from this game are divided up amongst all teams participating in both competitions the year before, to donate to charities and good causes in their local area while the rest is given to national charities and good causes by The FA itself.

Regular season[link]

In almost every sport the term "regular season" would refer to the sport's league competition. In most countries the league is played in a double round-robin format, where every team plays every other team twice, once at their home venue, and once away at the oppositions venue as visitors. The results over all games are accumulated and when every team has completed its full schedule of games, a winner is declared.

In addition to the regular season league competition, many sports also operate an elimination cup tournament. A cup tournament can either take the form of a league cup, where members of a league competition are seeded using their standings from the previous year, or an association cup which is open to teams playing the sport at all levels providing they are affiliated to the National body for that sport. These competitions usually run alongside the regular league competitions, though often there is a small overlap where the cup either begins slightly before or ends slightly after the regular season. It is not uncommon for the cup final to be held the week after the last games of the league.

In such a set-up it is usual for the top division teams to be given a bye into the last few rounds while the smaller teams are randomly drawn against each other in the early rounds. This set-up allows for the possibility of relative minnows and small-town teams to become giant-killers and eliminate one of the big Nationally recognised clubs from the competition.

In North American, and some Australian sports, the cup tournament is held immediately after rather than during the regular season and using the seedings from it. These cup competitions are known as playoffs and in all four major US sports, winning the cup final (Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup) is vastly more important than winning the league.

This may be in part due to the unusual way in which North American sports leagues are scheduled. Rather than every team playing all others twice, teams may play more games against local rivals than teams in other parts of the country. For example, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers will play the Los Angeles Clippers four times in a regular season, while both will only play the Boston Celtics, who are in the opposite Eastern Conference, twice. In the scheduling system used in the NFL, it is possible for two teams to only meet every three years.

Postseason[link]

Many sports leagues have playoffs that occur after the regular season is complete. A subset of the teams enter into a playoff tournament, generally a pre-determined number with better overall records (more wins, fewer losses) during the regular season. There are many variations used to determine the champion, the league's top prize.

Off-season[link]

The off-season, vacation time, or close season is the time of year when there is no official competition. Although upper management continues to work, the athletes will take much vacation time off. Also, various events such as drafts, transfers and important off-season free agent signings occur. Generally, most athletes stay in shape during the off-season in preparation for the next season. Certain new rules in the league may be made during this time, and will become enforced during the next regular season.

As most countries which have a league in a particular sport will operate their regular season at roughly the same time as the others, international tournaments may be arranged during the off season.

For example, most European football league club competitions run from July or August to May, subsequently major international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship are organised to occur in June and July.

Seasons by league[link]

The table represents typical seasons for some leagues by month. Blank or white denotes off-season and pre-season months and solid colors mark the rest of the year. Leagues in the same sport use the same color.

• "Q" denotes pre-competition qualifiers
• "S" denotes the start of the regular-season.
• "P" denotes playoff(s)/postseason/knockout stages.
• "F" denotes Final(s).

League	Sport	Countries/Regions	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
A-League	Association football					P	F					S
A1 Grand Prix	Motor racing	Worldwide									S
AFC Champions League	Association football	Asia		Q	S						P	P	F
AFL	Australian rules football				S						P F
ATP Tour	Tennis	Worldwide											F	S
ANZ Championship	Netball			S				P	F
CAF Champions League	Association football	Africa		Q	Q S							P	F
Aviva Premiership	Rugby union						P F				S
Bundesliga	Association football									S
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A	Association football						S
CFL	Canadian football								S				P F
Chinese Super League	Association football			S
CONCACAF Champions League	Association football	North America		P	P	F			Q	S
Copa Libertadores	Association football	South America	S			P	P	F
Copa Sudamericana	Association football	South America								S		P	P	F
County Championship	Cricket						S
European Tour[nb 1]	Golf	Europe[nb 2]	S
FIFA Club World Cup	Association football	Worldwide												P F
Formula One	Motor racing	Worldwide			S
Heineken Cup	Rugby union	Europe				P	F						S
Indian Premier League	Cricket	[nb 3]				S	P	F
IndyCar Series	Motor racing	[nb 4]			S
J. League Division 1	Association football				S
KBL	Basketball				P	F						S
KBO	Baseball					S						P F
KHL	Ice hockey	[nb 5]			P	P F					S
La Liga	Association football									S
Ligue 1	Association football									S
LPGA Tour	Golf	[nb 6]	S
MLB	Baseball					S					P	P F
MLL	Lacrosse						S			F
MLS	Association football				S							P	F
Grand Prix motorcycle racing	Motor racing	Worldwide			S
NASCAR	Motor racing	[nb 7]		S							P[nb 8]	P	P F
NBA	Basketball					P	P	P F				S
NBL Australasia	Basketball			P	P	F					S
NFL	American football	[nb 9]	P	F							S
UFL[nb 10]	American football									S		P F
NHL	Ice hockey					P	P	P F				S
NLL	Lacrosse		S				F
NRL	Rugby league				S						P	F
NCAA basketball	Basketball				P	F							S
NCAA football	American football		F								S		P[nb 11]	P F[nb 11]
NPB	Baseball				S							P	F
PGA Tour	Golf	[nb 12][nb 13]	S							P	P		F
PBA	Basketball		P	P   F   S		P   F	F	S		P   F		S
Premier League	Association football	[nb 14]								S
Premier Soccer League	Association football									S
Primera División (Argentina)	Association football	[nb 15]		S						S
Primera División (Mexico)	Association football	[nb 16]	S				P   F			S			P	P   F	RaboDirect Pro12	Rugby union	[nb 17]					P F				S
Serie A	Association football									S
Sheffield Shield	Cricket				F							S
Super League	Rugby league			S							P	P F
Super Rugby	Rugby union			S				P[nb 18]	P F[nb 19]	P F[nb 20]
Top 14	Rugby union						P	F[nb 21]		S
Turkish Airlines Euroleague	Basketball	Europe	P	P	P	P	F				Q	Q S
UEFA Champions League	Association football	Europe		P	P	P	F		Q	Q	S
UEFA Women's Champions League	Association football	Europe	P	P	P	P	F			Q	P	P	P	P
UEFA Europa League	Association football	Europe		P	P	P	F		Q	Q	S
V8 Supercars	Motor racing	[nb 22]		S
WNBA	Basketball						S			P	P F[nb 23]	F[nb 23]
WRC	Motor racing	Worldwide	S
WTA Tour	Tennis	Worldwide										F	S

1. ^ The current scheduling, in which the season starts in January, took effect in 2012. In 2010 and 2011, the schedule began late in the previous calendar year.
2. ^ The bulk of the tour's sole-sanctioned events are in Europe, with some in the Persian Gulf countries. It co-sanctions many other events with tours in Asia, Africa, and Australia. Along with the PGA Tour, the European Tour co-sanctions the major championships and the World Golf Championships; one of the majors is held in the UK, one of the WGC events is held in China, and the rest of these events are in the US. A new WGC event in South Africa will be launched in 2012.
3. ^ The 2009 season was played in South Africa because of security issues related to the Indian general elections scheduled for the same time as the league.
4. ^ Two races are held in Canada and one in Brazil. A race in China will be added for 2012, replacing a former race in Japan.
5. ^ As of the current 2011–12 season, there are 19 teams in Russia and one each in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Slovakia. Another Russian team temporarily withdrew from the league after a plane crash wiped out the team, but will return for 2012–13.
6. ^ Most LPGA events are held in the US, but it also sole-sanctions official money events in Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, China, Canada, Malaysia, and Taiwan, as well as an unofficial event in Brazil. It co-sanctions two European tournaments, including one of its majors, with the Ladies European Tour, and also co-sanctions events with the Korean LPGA and Japan LPGA in those countries and the ALPG Tour in Australia.
7. ^ The top-level Sprint Cup Series and third-level Camping World Truck Series race only in the US. The second-level Nationwide Series has one race in Canada, and previously had a race in Mexico. NASCAR also operates many regional developmental series in the US, and national series in Canada and Mexico.
8. ^ NASCAR uses a playoff-style system only in the Sprint Cup Series. The bulk of the Cup Series season is used to determine the 12 drivers who qualify to contend for the season title in a 10-race finale known as the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In all other NASCAR series, the season is contested as a unified whole, with all races counting equally toward determining the series champion.
9. ^ The Buffalo Bills play one annual regular-season home game in Toronto, and the NFL currently takes one other regular-season game outside the US (London since 2007).
10. ^ The UFL season originally started in October and ended in late November. As of the 2011 season, it begins in mid-August and ends in late October.
11. ^ ^{a b} The top-level Division I FBS does not use a playoff, instead using a series of bowl games beginning in December and culminating in the Bowl Championship Series in early January. All other NCAA divisions determine their champions on the field in a playoff tournament that starts in November. The playoffs in Divisions II and III end in December. Since the 2010 season, the Division I FCS playoffs end in January.
12. ^ Almost all of the PGA Tour's sole-sanctioned events are in the US proper, but the tour also has events in Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Along with the European Tour, the PGA Tour co-sanctions the major championships and the World Golf Championships; one of the majors is held in the UK, one of the WGC events is held in China, and the rest of these events are in the US. A new WGC event in South Africa will be launched in 2012.
13. ^ The PGA Tour has announced major scheduling changes for 2013 and beyond. The 2013 season will be the last held within a calendar year. The 2014 season, and later seasons, will start in October of the previous calendar year, shortly after the Tour Championship.
14. ^ A team from Wales has competed since the 2011–12 season.
15. ^ Like many association football leagues in Latin America, Argentina divides its season into two phases with separate champions in each phase. Champions are determined at the end of league play in each phase.
16. ^ Like many association football leagues in Latin America, Mexico divides its season into two phases with separate champions in each phase. Unlike most leagues in that sport, the Mexican Primera uses a knockout playoff, involving the top eight teams after league play, to determine its champions.
17. ^ Italy joined beginning in the 2010–11 season.
18. ^ The playoffs, or "finals" as they are officially called, begin in late June in Rugby World Cup years.
19. ^ During World Cup years, the final match is held in July; in other years, the finals will begin in July.
20. ^ In non-World Cup years, the final match will be held in August.
21. ^ Depending on the calendar, the final may fall on the last weekend of May in some seasons.
22. ^ Currently, one race is held in New Zealand and one in the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, a race in the USA will be added, and a race may also be added in the Philippines. Longer-term plans call for additional races in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.
23. ^ ^{a b} During Summer Olympic Years

Summary[link]

Notes and references[link]

See also[link]

• Domestic association football season

Deshaun Thomas (born 1991) is an American college basketball player for the Ohio State University Buckeyes men's basketball team. He graduated from high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play for the Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman.^[1] Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University.^{[citation needed]} As a junior on November 11, 2008, Thomas formalized his decision by signing a letter of intent with the Buckeyes.^[2] With a love for the game that matches his tremendous talents, Thomas hopes one day to attain his dreams of playing in the NBA.^[3]

Early life[link]

Even as a young man, the basketball prospects of Thomas were apparent to those who knew him. As a 5th-grade student at Northcrest Elementary School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Thomas's height had already surpassed many of his teachers. As a middle-schooler at Northwood Middle School, Thomas led the school's basketball team to back-to-back Fort Wayne middle school championships.^[4][5]

High school career[link]

Thomas attended Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, where he was ranked as one of the top basketball players in the nation for the class of 2010. As a sophomore and then again as a junior, he led the Bishop Luers Knights to back-to-back Class 2A Indiana state championships.^[6] His 34 points and 15 rebounds in 2009 each stand as the second best ever in the class 2A state championship game.^[7]

Prior to Thomas, the Knights had never won a Summit Athletic Conference Holiday Basketball Tournament, and their overall history in the tournament still stands as the worst record of all-time. However, in 2007-2009, Thomas led the Knights to back-to-back-to-back three-peat tournament titles as a sophomore, junior and senior.^[8]

Thomas was a prolific scorer throughout his high school career. Thomas finished his career ranked 3rd best all-time among all Indiana high school boys' basketball players and 4th best all-time when considering both boys and girls.

As a freshman, Thomas orally committed to play for coach Thad Matta at the Ohio State University. For the season, Thomas averaged 28.95 points per game, finishing second in the state behind the 28.96 average of former Indiana Hoosier Eric Gordon.

As a senior, Thomas and his Luers teammates traveled to Columbus, Ohio to participate in the 2010 Ohio Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic, a seven-game showcase featuring high school teams of players recruited by Ohio State and other Division I universities. Luers draw in the program was the feature game of the year’s classic, against the nation's #1-rated high school team, Columbus Northland High School, coincidentally from the Buckeyes' home town. Northland featured two Buckeye recruits - Jared Sullinger, the previous year's Ohio Mr. Basketball and the #1 high school recruit in the nation; and J.D. Weatherspoon. A fourth OSU recruit, Jordan Sibert, also played in the classic. This four-man coupe are key reasons the Buckeyes had what some say was the #1 recruiting class for 2010.^[9][10] Although Northland won the game 88-67, Thomas led all scorers with 36 points. Sullinger contributed 24 points to Northland's total, and Weatherspoon added 8 points with output stunted due to foul trouble.^[11][12][13]

On February 11, 2010, Thomas played his last home basketball game for Bishop Luers. At that Senior Night game, it was announced to the fans that Thomas had been selected to the roster of the 2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. The game was be played March 31, 2010 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, home court of the Ohio State Buckeyes.^[14][15] Joining Thomas on the game's roster were Sullinger and Ray McCallum Jr, a star guard from Detroit Country Day. Bishop Luers had played the McCallum-led Country Day earlier in Thomas' senior season.

On February 18, 2010, Thomas was named as a participant in Nike's 2010 Jordan Brand Classic, to be played April 17, 2010 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.^[16]

On February 24, 2010, it was announced that Thomas was one of six finalists being considered for the 2010 Naismith Award, a prestigious honor given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the high school boys' basketball player of the year. The 2010 recipient was future teammate Jared Sullinger.^[17][18]

On March 13, 2010, Thomas and the Bishop Luers Knights lost 70–68 in a stunning upset to the Southwood Knights in the regional tournament opening round. Thomas ended his high school career with 3,018 points, just the third player in Indiana boys' basketball to reach the 3,000 point level. The total fell just one point short of tying second place holder Marion Pierce.

On March 25, 2010, it was announced that Thomas was one of 26 players named to the Associated Press's Indiana All-Century team, a special team selected in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Indiana high school basketball tournament.^[19]

On March 29, 2010, it was announced that Thomas was selected as a first-team member of the 2010 Parade All-American team.^[20]

The culmination of Thomas's career came April 3, 2010 when he was named recipient of the 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball award.^[21]

On April 9, 2010, the Associated Press announced that Thomas had been named to their 1st-team Indiana high school All-State team. Thomas was the leading vote-getter among all honorees. The award marked the fourth time in his high school career that Thomas had been named a member of the team and the third straight time he was a 1st-team selection.^[22] Days later, Thomas was named as the first three-time winner of the Tiffany Gooden award, given annually to the best basketball player in the Summit Athletic Conference.

On May 21, 2010, in a ceremony at Bishop Luers, Thomas' #1 jersey was retired by the school. This was the first time in school history a jersey of any of its athletes had been retired.^[23]

On June 11–12, 2010, Thomas led the Indiana All-stars in a pair of games against cross-border rivals from Kentucky. Thomas played a significant role in the Indiana sweep of the two game series. He scored 18 points and added 13 rebounds as Indiana won the first game in Kentucky, and he scored a game-high 28 points and picked up 12 rebounds in the following night's victory in Indianapolis.

High school statistics[link]

Source^[24]

Ohio State Career[link]

• 2010/11 - Freshman
  • In his first collegiate game, Thomas came off the bench to score 24 points and grab 8 rebounds against North Carolina A&T. Thomas also made 2-for-3 from three-point range.^[25]
  • 11/29/2010 - Named Big 10 Freshman of the Week^[26]
  • On 1/22/2011, Thomas played a key role to enable a second-half come-from-behind road victory against Illinois. He sank three straight shots, including two 3-pointers, to allow the #1-ranked Buckeyes to remain unbeaten with their 20th win of the season.^[27]
  • On 2/27/2011, Thomas led all scorers with 22 points in a late-season victory over Indiana, including all 14 of his team's points in one 14-3 first half spurt.^[28]
  • For the season's 37 games, Thomas averaged 7.5 pts/game (5th best on the team) while playing an average of 14.0 minutes/game (7th best). He was fourth on the team with an average of 3.5 rebounds/game. Thomas did not start in any game, but he was consistently the first forward off the bench. Thomas' contributions helped the Buckeyes to a 34-3 record, including 16-2 to win the Big 10 regular season championship. In addition, his play helped the Buckeyes win the Big 10 Post-season Tournament and get named as the #1-ranking in the overall field of 68 teams playing in the NCAA post-season tournament. With their 24-0 run to start the season, the Buckeyes were ranked 1st in the nation by most major polls for a significant part of the season.^[29][30]
• 2011/12 - Sophomore
  • Since the team lost three key players from the prior year, Thomas has assumed a bigger role in this year's team strategy. Through the team's first 12 games, Thomas has started each game and averaged 28.8 minutes of playing time.
  • On 12/19/2011, Thomas was named Big 10 Men's Basketball Player of the Week after two solid games. Responding to the absence of injured team leader Jared Sullinger, Thomas scored 23 points and 30 points in the two games played that week. Each game resulted in a victory, at home against South Carolina Upstate and on the road against South Carolina.^[31]
  • On 2/18/2012, Thomas recorded his first career double-double, leading the Buckeyes with 25 points and 13 rebounds in a Big Ten road loss at Michigan.^[32]
  • On 3/5/2012, at the conclusion of the regular season in which Thomas started in all 31 of the Buckeye games, Deshaun was honored by being named to the Coaches' 2nd Team All Big-10. He was also selected to the 3rd Team in a vote by the media.^[33]
  • On 3/15/2012, Thomas had one of the best games of his career. In the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, Deshaun led the Buckeyes to a 78-59 victory over Loyola (MD). In that game, Thomas was the leading scorer with a career-high 31 points, and he also led the game with 12 rebounds.

College statistics[link]

Source^[34]

Awards and accomplishments[link]

College[link]

• 2011/12 - Sophomore
  • 2nd team, All-Big Ten men's basketball coaches' poll
  • 3rd team, All-Big Ten men's basketball selected by Media Voting Panel

High school[link]

• Career and team accomplishments
  • 3rd best all-time leading scorer, Indiana boys' basketball
  • member, AP Indiana All-Century team^[19]
  • Indiana boys' basketball state champions - Class 2A - 2009, 2008
    • 2nd best all-time, scoring (34 pts) and rebounds (15 reb), state championship game - Class 2A - 2009
  • Indiana boys' basketball sectional champions - Class 2A - 2010
  • SAC Holiday Basketball Tournament champions - 2009, 2008, 2007^[8]
• 2009/10 - Senior
  • Season stats
  • 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball
  • 2010 finalist, Naismith Award - honoring the nation's high school basketball player of the year
  • 2010 McDonald's All-American
  • 2010 Jordan Brand Classic All-American
  • 1st team, Parade All-American^[20]
  • 1st team, leading vote-getter, AP Indiana All-State^[22]
  • 3rd team, USA Today All-USA high school basketball team^[35]
  • Indiana's NewsCenter Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[23]
  • News-Sentinel PrepSports Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[36]
  • Tiffany Gooden award recipient^[37]
  • led state in scoring average (31.8 ppg)^[38]
  • 2nd in state in rebounds (15.3 rpg)^[38]
  • became all-time leading scorer, Allen County, Indiana
• 2008/09 - Junior
  • Season stats
  • 4th team, Parade All-American^[39]
  • 1st team, AP Indiana All-State^[40]
  • Indiana's NewsCenter Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[41]
  • News-Sentinel PrepSports Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[42]
  • Tiffany Gooden award recipient^[43]
  • led state in scoring average (31.7 ppg)^[44]
  • 2nd in state in rebounds (15.7 rpg)^[44]
  • 14th in state in blocked shots (2.6 bpg)^[44]
  • became boys' all-time leading scorer, northeast Indiana
  • became boys' all-time leading scorer, Allen County, Indiana
  • became all-time leading scorer, SAC
  • became all-time leading scorer, Bishop Luers High School
• 2007/08 - Sophomore
  • Season stats
  • 1st team, AP Indiana All-State^[45]
  • Indiana's NewsCenter Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[41]
  • News-Sentinel PrepSports Boys' Basketball Player of the Year^[36]
  • Tiffany Gooden award recipient^[43]
  • became boys' all-time leading scorer, Bishop Luers High School
  • Basketball FortWayne Player of the Year
• 2006/07 - Freshman
  • Season stats
  • 3rd team, AP Indiana All-State^[45]
  • 2nd in state in scoring average (28.95 ppg)^[46]
  • 3rd in state in rebounds (13.3 rpg)^[46]
  • Basketball FortWayne Co-Player of the Year

References[link]

Shinji Kagawa
香川真司

Kagawa with Borussia Dortmund in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Shinji Kagawa
Date of birth	(1989-03-17) 17 March 1989 (age 23)
Place of birth	Kobe, Japan
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder Winger
Club information
Current club	Borussia Dortmund
Number	23
Youth career
2001–2005	FC Miyagi
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2010	Cerezo Osaka	125	(55)
2010–	Borussia Dortmund	49	(21)
National team‡
2006–2008	Japan U19[2]	4	(0)
2007	Japan U20[2]	2	(0)
2008	Japan U23[2]	3	(0)
2008–	Japan	30	(10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 November 2011

Shinji Kagawa (香川 真司, Kagawa Shinji^?) (born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese footballer who plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Japanese national football team.

Club career[link]

Kagawa started playing football in his primary school years. He joined Kobe NK Football Club from 1999 to 2001, and FC Miyagi Barcelona in Sendai from 2001 to 2005.^[3] Cerezo Osaka noticed his talent and signed him at the age of 17. He was the first player in Japan to sign a professional contract before graduating high school, except players promoted from youth teams of the J. League clubs.^[4] In 2007, he gained a regular position but the club missed the promotion to the J. League Division 1.

By mid-2010, Kagawa was represented with a sports agency run by retired German professional footballer Thomas Kroth, which ultimately handled his transfer to Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund[link]

2010–11[link]

Kagawa celebrates winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund in 2011

In the summer of 2010, Kagawa transferred from Cerezo to Borussia Dortmund for €350,000. The relatively modest cost of the transfer was because of a release clause in Kagawa's contract with Cerezo, which allowed him to leave the club cheaply if he had an opportunity to play in Europe.^[5]

On 23 August 2010, he made his debut appearance in the German Bundesliga, starting for his new club Borussia Dortmund. After scoring his first two competitive goals for the club in the Europa League qualifying tie against Qarabağ, he continued this form with his first goal in the Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg, which Dortmund won 2–0.^[6] In the Revierderby against archrival Schalke 04, which Dortmund won 3–1, Kagawa said pre-match that he would score two goals, he then went on to score twice, making him one of the fans' favorites.^[7]

Kagawa missed half of the Bundesliga season because of an injury he picked up on international duty, but managed to score eight goals in 18 appearances. His strong effort in the first half of the season helped his side finish as champions of the Bundesliga and he was even named in the Bundesliga Best XI.^[8]

2011–12[link]

Kagawa was back in time for the start of the 2011–12 Bundesliga campaign and quickly found his way back into the starting line-up. Kagawa scored his first goal of the new Bundesliga season on 18 September, coming in a disappointing 2–1 loss to Hannover 96, as Dortmund gave up two goals in the last three minutes.^[9] On 22 October, Kagawa opened the scoring in the seventh minute as Dortmund crushed 1. FC Köln 5–0 in front of 80,200 home fans at the Signal Iduna Park.^[10] Kagawa scored again on 5 November, as Dortmund brushed aside Wolfsburg 5–1 and moved within two points of league leaders Bayern Munich. Kagawa scored a late consolation against Arsenal in a 2–1 loss in the group stage of the Champions League.

On 28 January 2012, Kagawa scored twice in Dortmund's 3–1 win against Hoffenheim. Kagawa scored the only goal of the game against Werder Bremen on 17 March, heading in a pass from İlkay Gündoğan in the eighth minute.^[11] Kagawa scored two goals in Dortmund's 6–1 thrashing of Cologne on 25 March, keeping Dortmund five points ahead of Bayern in the title race.^[12] Kagawa also scored a goal and provided an assist for Borussia Dortmund, against rivals Bayern Munich in the 2011–12 DFB-Pokal Final.

International career[link]

Kagawa played as a member of the Japan national under-20 football team in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Canada.^[13]

In 2008 he was also selected to play as a member of the Japanese team for the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[14] On 24 May 2008 he made his senior international debut in a friendly Kirin Cup match. Japan won the match against Côte d'Ivoire 1–0. He was not selected in Takeshi Okada's final 23 squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In September 2010 he scored the only goal of the game in Japan's 1–0 win over Paraguay in Yokohama.^[15] It took Kagawa five months to rehab his injury from the AFC Asia Cup. He returned in Dortmund's final game as a substitute in the 87th minute.

2011 AFC Asian Cup[link]

He was included in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup by coach Alberto Zaccheroni.^[16] In the quarterfinals against Qatar, he scored two goals. The game ended 3–2, a win for Japan.^[17] In the semi-final against South Korea, Kagawa broke his metatarsal bone^[18] and missed the final where Japan beat Australia after extra-time.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

Statistics accurate as of match played 12 May 2012^[19][20]

¹Includes Emperor's Cup and DFB-Pokal.

²Includes UEFA Europa League qualification, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League.

³Includes J. League Cup and DFL-Supercup.

International[link]

As of 29 February 2012

National team Year Apps Goals Japan U18 2007 3 1 Japan U19 2006 2 0 2008 6 2 Total 8 2 Japan U20 2007 6 0 Japan U23 2008 6 1 Japan 2008 6 1 2009 4 1 2010 7 1 2011 11 6 2012 2 1 Total 30 10

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition 2006 2 November Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore Iran U19 1–2 0 2006 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U19 9 November Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata South Korea U19 2–2 0 2006 AFC Youth Championship / Japan U19 2007 17 January Valentine Sports Park, Sydney China PR U18 5–0 1 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival / Japan U18 18 January Valentine Sports Park, Sydney Australia U18 3–3 0 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival / Japan U18 20 January Valentine Sports Park, Sydney South Korea U17 0–1 0 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival / Japan U18 22 March Estadio do Moura Atletico Clube, Moura Jordan U20 0–1 0 Friendly[21] / Japan U20 24 March Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril, Penafiel Cape Verde U20 2–1 0 Friendly[21] / Japan U20 25 March Complexo Desportivo Fernando Mamede, Beja Portugal U20 0–3 0 Friendly[21] / Japan U20 2 June Stade Perruc, Hyères France U21 1–5 0 2007 Toulon Tournament / Japan U20 7 July Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Nigeria U20 0–0 0 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup / Japan U20 11 July Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Czech Republic U20 2–2 0 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup / Japan U20 2008 21 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha Egypt U19 3–0 1 2008 Qatar International Friendship Tournament / Japan U19 23 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha Germany U19 4–2 1 2008 Qatar International Friendship Tournament / Japan U19 28 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha China PR U19 2–1 0 2008 Qatar International Friendship Tournament / Japan U19 30 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha Poland U19 6–1 0 2008 Qatar International Friendship Tournament / Japan U19 27 March National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo  Angola 1–1 0 Friendly[22] / Japan U23 1. 24 May Toyota Stadium, Toyota  Côte d'Ivoire 1–0 0 2008 Kirin Cup 2. 2 June International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama  Oman 3–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. 14 June Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok  Thailand 3–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 24 July Home's Stadium Kobe, Hyogo Australia U23 (Olympic) 2–1 1 Friendly[23] / Japan U23 (Olympic) 29 July National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo Argentine U23 (Olympic) 0–1 0 Friendly[24] / Japan U23 (Olympic) 7 August Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin United States U23 (Olympic) 0–1 0 2008 Summer Olympics / Japan U23 (Olympic) 10 August Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Tianjin Nigeria U23 (Olympic) 1–2 0 2008 Summer Olympics / Japan U23 (Olympic) 13 August Shenyang Olympic Stadium, Shenyang Netherlands U23 (Olympic) 0–1 0 2008 Summer Olympics / Japan U23 (Olympic) 4. 9 October Niigata Stadium, Niigata  United Arab Emirates 1–1 1 Friendly[25] 5. 15 October Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama  Uzbekistan 1–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 November Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam Iran U19 4–2 0 2008 AFC U-19 Championship / Japan U19 4 November Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam Saudi Arabia U19 1–1 0 2008 AFC U-19 Championship / Japan U19 6. 13 November Home's Stadium Kobe, Hyogo  Syria 3–1 0 Friendly[26] 2009 7. 20 January KKWing Stadium, Kumamoto  Yemen 2–1 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification 8. 28 January Bahrain National Stadium, Isa Town  Bahrain 0–1 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification 9. 4 February National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo  Finland 5–1 1 Friendly[27] 10. 27 May Nagai Stadium, Osaka  Chile 4–0 0 2009 Kirin Cup 2010 11. 2 February Ōita Stadium, Oita  Venezuela 0–0 0 Friendly[28] 12. 11 February National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo  Hong Kong 3–0 0 2010 East Asian Football Championship 13. 14 February National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo  South Korea 1–3 0 2010 East Asian Football Championship 14. 4 September International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama  Paraguay 1–0 1 Friendly[29] 15. 7 September Nagai Stadium, Osaka  Guatemala 2–1 0 Friendly[30] 16. 8 October Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama  Argentina 1–0 0 Friendly[31] 17. 12 October Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul  South Korea 0–0 0 Friendly[32] 2011 18. 9 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha  Jordan 1–1 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup 19. 13 January Qatar SC Stadium, Doha  Syria 2–1 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup 20. 17 January Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan  Saudi Arabia 5–0 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup 21. 21 January Al-Gharafa Stadium, Doha  Qatar 3–2 2 2011 AFC Asian Cup 22. 25 January Al-Gharafa Stadium, Doha  South Korea 2–2 0 2011 AFC Asian Cup 23. 10 August Sapporo Dome, Sapporo  South Korea 3–0 2 Friendly[33] 24. 2 September Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama  North Korea 1–0 0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 25. 7 September Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium, Tashkent  Uzbekistan 1–1 0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 26. 7 October Home's Stadium Kobe, Kobe  Vietnam 1–0 0 Friendly 27. 11 October Nagai Stadium, Osaka  Tajikistan 8–0 2 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 28. 11 November Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe  Tajikistan 4–0 0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 2012 29. 29 February Toyota Stadium, Toyota  Uzbekistan 0–1 0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 30. 23 May Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi  Azerbaijan 2–0 1 Friendly