Soccer: Forward Hara joins Spanish club Alaves from Istra

Japanese forward Taichi Hara has joined Alaves from Croatian club Istra, the Spanish first-division side said Friday. The 1.91-meter 22-year-old made his J-League first-division debut with FC Tokyo last year, and scored three goals in 26 league games before signing for Istra this February. He scored two goals in 14 league games this past season. Hara, part of the Japan squad at the U-20 World in 2019, joins Alaves on a deal through June 2023. Japanese compatriot Takashi Inui, currently with rival La Liga club Eibar, spent the first half of 2019 at Alaves, who avoided relegation this past seaso...