MD 4: Veertien Mie 3-3 Okinawa SV

Intro

Okinawa SV fought back from both a two (2) goal and one (1) goal deficit on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten streak and second place standing in the JFL table. In what started out as pretty shaky opening quarter hour for OSV turned into one of their best performances of the early season.

MD4 Recap

I am not sure if it is a case where Okinawa SV just start matches slowly, or perhaps it is all part of Rei Onogi’s game plan to see what the opponents are wanting to do. In any case, Okinawa SV were on the back foot for about the first fifteen minutes of this match allowing Mie to dictate the terms of play in addition to scoring two goals inside of ten minutes.

Hyon-ju Ryang opened the scoring in the very first minute of the game with a 60-yard chip over the Okinawa GK Hanada (31:00) who must’ve drifted way to far off of his line. You can’t really tell from the highlights where Hanada was at as all you’ll see is the shot and Hanada picking himself up and picking the ball up out of the back of the net. This was the first time this season where Okinawa SV found themselves playing from behind.

Just about nine minutes later Shota Tamura doubled the Mie lead (39:20) when he turned in a rebound from a shot that was initially saved by Hanada but simply fell right at the feet of the on-rushing Tamura. Down two goals, and looking like they could hemorrhage more, Okinawa SV needed to quickly turn things around.

The breakthrough for OSV occurred at the 23′ minute mark when Kakeru Aoto’s back heel flick found its way past the Mie GK (52:20). It was the exact type of response that OSV needed and that really set them on a path to control the game and create chances. Shuri Arita, who assisted the earlier Aoto goal, leveled the match for OSV in the 58′ minute from a goal mouth scramble following an OSV set play (1:44:30).

Okinawa SV were unable to capitalize on their momentum and possession and once again found themselves down a goal when in the 82′ minute (2:08:00) Shota Tamura doubled his tally on the day with a lovely rounding of the OSV keeper and cool finish stemming from a fast break out of the Mie end. To be fair, I think they play should’ve probably never happened considering that Shuga Arai was absolutely cleaned out on a play which should’ve been blown dead for a foul but one in which the ref was just going to allow the players to play.

Despite finding themselves down again in this game, OSV responded in just 3 minutes when Yukihide Gibo chested down a long cross from Meguru Odagaki inside the Mie box and blasted home the volley to level the match (2:11:50). It was one of the nicest goals I’ve seen OSV score this season and certainly one of their biggest.

OSV nearly won the match at the very end but were just unable to push the ball across the line following another goal mouth scramble with the ball stuck somewhere in the middle of all that, and where the Mie GK was able to fish it out and kill off the play.

JFL Match Day Four

(1) Kochi United continues their strong push for a JFL championship by defeating (10) Tochigi City 3-2 on the road. I am not sure the game was that close as Kochi jumped out to a 3-0 lead before surrendering two very late, stoppage time, goals to Tochigi City. It was the third time this season that Kochi United have scored three goals in a match and only the first time all season that they surrendered a goal.

The only goalless game of this round happened between (9) Honda FC and (4) Reilac Shiga. Then there are the two bottom sides of (15) Criacao Shinjuku and (16) Briobecca Urayasu who have yet to score a goal this year. It must be serioulsy deflating to Briobecca to have lost all their games 1-0.

There are some games on the JFL Youtube channel but you’ll probably need to hunt down the other matches on each teams individual YouTube Channel. JFL YouTube: @JFLOfficialChannel

MD 5 Preview: (2) Okinawa SV vs (11) ReinMeer Aomori

Okinawa SV will play their second home match of the 2024 JLF season this Sunday, April 7th, at 13:00. Aiming to host as many games as they can at the same stadium FC Ryukyu uses, the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium in Okinawa City’s Comprehensive Park, in order to get as many fans as they can, hopefully more that 424 can show up for this match. Unfortunately I will not be one of them as I am returning from some vacation time.

Aomori currently sit eleventh in the standings and will play their fifth consecutive road match of the year. I guess the weather in Aomori this time of the year is not conducive to football. Aomori won their first game this past week when they defeated Briobecca Urayasu 1-0. Based on their results this year one could draw the conclusion that Aomori have a pretty stout defense since they’ve conceded only two (2) goals all season and have shut out their opponents in consecutive weeks. But OSV maybe a much tougher test for the Aomori back line.

For OSV the task is simple, grab the win and maintain the current position at, or near the top of the table. There are about none teams in the table that are only separated by a few points so one must suspect there will be some massive shifts in the standings as the season progresses. But that doesn’t mean that dropping points, especially at home, is something that OSV needs to contend with while heading into a favorable match against an opponent that has only scored two goals all season.

Conclusion

It was definitely an interesting set of two games for OSV these past few weeks. Both were away matches where OSV twice surrendered a lead (Maruyasu Okazaki) and this past one where they clawed their way back to level the match on two occasions. I think these are encouraging signs for a club that struggled mightily last season. Sure, you would’ve preferred to see OSV come out as victors in each match but these are still two valuable points against some tougher opponents that still keeps OSV near the top of the table.

MD 3: FC Maruyasu Okazaki 2-2 Okinawa SV

Intro

Okinawa SV were able to maintain their early-season unbeaten run when they drew 2-2 with FC Maruyasu Okazaki this past Saturday. The weather, and pitch for that matter, didn’t favor either side as the game was marred by turnovers from both clubs.

Recap

Maruyasu controlled the opening 15 minutes of this match with their high press on OSV that resulted in some early chances thanks in large part to OSV being unable to gain, or maintain possession. One player that stood out in all of this was central defender, Shota Fujisaki, who seemed to be clearing every ball that entered the OSV box.

OSV weathered the early Maruyasu attack, as well as the rain and pitch, and were able to generate a few attacks of their own resulting in the opening goal of the game at the 27′ minute mark. Shuga Arai scored his second goal this season following a lovely cross into the box from Nobuki Iketaka (43:15). Arai’s goal puts him level on goals scored with Iketaka this year but there is little doubt that Iketaka is one of the most important players for OSV this season. He currently sits on two (2) goals and one (1) assist which almost equals his highest ever point total in any season.

Unfortunately for OSV the lead didn’t last long as a deflected shot from Komei Kikuchi found its way past Chikara Hanada (57:28). OSV managed to grab the lead back after Daisuke Matsushita turned in a rebound following some hectic moments inside the Maruyasu 18-yard box (1:30:35). OSV nearly doubled their lead but a shot following a deflection was cleared off the the line by Maruyasu defender sitting on the goal line.

OSV once again surrendered the lead 17 minutes later when Jin Shioya put a lovely header past Hanada (1:47:25). It would be to harsh to say that Fujisaka, who was having a great game, could’ve done more to not let up on Shioya who got to the header. In the end it was a fine play and one you felt was coming after some sustained pressure from Maruyasu to close out the match.

MD 2: Okinawa SV 1-0 Briobecca Urayasu

I wasn’t able to see this game and the lone highlight comes at the 2:15:30 mark of the video when Shuri Arita slammed home a ball that fell to his feet inside the box at the 90′ mark of the match. Most concerning was the turnout of just 424 fans (transfermarkt) for OSV’s opening home game. That leaves a lot of ground for OSV to make up in their next 14 home fixtures and one in which we need to improve.

MD 1: Cricao Shinjuku 0-4 Okinawa SV

Full credit to Cricao Shinjuku YouTube channel as they actually had highlights, with commentary, for this match. I wasn’t expecting that and we may see a case where not all of the JFL matches each week will be broadcast on the JFL YouTube channel. Guess we’ll see.

Cricao seemed to have a single chance in this match before the OSV onslaught. OSV started the scoring after Shuga Arai scored from a stopped penalty shot. Then Nobuki Iketaka scored his first goal of the season just three minutes later. Iketaka doubled his tally in the 72′ minute before Rai Ijuin added the fourth OSV goal that day.

MD 4 Preview: (4) Veertien Mie vs (2) Okinawa SV

OSV will head back out on the road for their third away game this season. This one should be a much stiffer test for OSV as Mie sit just below OSV in the table on six (6) points; and have similar score-line wins to that of OSV against Cricao (4-0) and Briobecca (1-0). Mie’s lone loss this season came against Kochi United on Match Day 1 who currently sit atop the JFL table and who have yet to concede a goal. I hope this game is on the JFL broadcast as it should be a good one. It will actually be broadcast on veertien Mie YouTube channel. The link is below.

Conclusion

One may look at the early results for OSV this year and think, “well, they’ve played the two teams at the bottom of the table, that haven’t scored a single goal all season, and drew with a mid-table team.” While that is not wrong, you can only play the teams in front of you each week. The recent match versus Maruyasu was good for OSV as they faced some adversity, and while they didn’t win, they looked competitive throughout the game. Most importantly, Okinawa SV are scoring goals.

If you recall, it took Okinawa SV the opening nine (9) games of the 2023 season to equal the point total they sit at (7) currently. And even more shocking, it took Okinawa SV the first eighteen (18) games of 2023 to match the amount of goals they’ve already scored this season (7). OSV seem better suited for the JFL after a rough first campaign last year and all you hope for is for them to learn from any mistakes, and make the improvements where they can.

OSV Website: https://okinawasv.com

OSV X: https://twitter.com/okinawasv151225

JFL YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JFLOfficialChannel

Veertien Mie YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@VEERTIEN14/featured

A New Chapter #沖縄SV

Introduction

Greetings. It has been sometime since I’ve written anything concerning football on the island of Okinawa. Dismayed by poor performances by FC Ryukyu, strange decisions by the management, and just the general direction the club was headed really took its toll on me and my willingness to write about a club I love dearly. But, I’ve been rejuvenated as of late. Though it has nothing to do with FC Ryukyu, but rather another club on Okinawa that I’ve grown very found of the last three years. Okinawa SV.

Bottom Line Up Front

20,000 spectators by seasons end, possibly averaging 2,000 fans per home game to secure promotion to J3 if OSV finds themselves in a place to be promoted.

OSV are a long way away from being promoted as the 2024 campaign has just recently started, but the statement above is pretty much factual in that despite any success on the pitch from Okinawa SV this year, promotion is not guaranteed without the above threshold set forth by the J-league.

So what do they, we, require? Simply put, you. You the citizens of Okinawa and Japan, you the lovers of football, and you the potential supporters from around the globe to help usher in what could be a historic moment for the island of Okinawa: two (2) Okinawa based football clubs plying their trade within the top three tiers of Japanese football. This means we need to attend as many OSV home games as possible (there are 14 left this season), and purchasing goods from their website or at those home matches.

I realize this is no easy task for OSV, or even an ask from all of you since many of us that support (or did support) FC Ryukyu went through these same growing pains starting eleven (11) or even longer (20) years ago. But this is the reality facing OSV and similar to why I started this blog about FC Ryukyu five years ago (strangely after their third ever game in J2 like OSV this year) I want to do my part to increase the exposure of Okinawa SV.

A Very Brief History about Okinawa SV

Founded in 2015 by Naohiro Takahara, OSV played their first competitive matches starting in 2016. The club truly has experienced some great runs of success finishing at, or near the top of many of the leagues they’ve featured in. 2021 saw Okinawa SV make it to the regional playoffs where they fell just short of promotion to the JFL. 2022 saw OSV advance through those playoffs and into the JFL for the first time.

The 2023 JFL campaign was an interesting one for sure. Okinawa SV struggled for goals and results, and despite a late season resurgence, found themselves in the promotion/relegation battle with Vonds Ichihara from the Japanese Regional League.

Though FC Ryukyu have played some meaningful games the past five seasons, and one could argue their bid to stave of relegation in 2022 had plenty of meaningful games, the match versus Vonds Ichihara for Okinawa SV had a totally different feeling and atmosphere than many games I’ve watched for Ryukyu. The weather was terrible, the result was not. Okinawa SV managed to avoid relegation and remain in the JFL for at least one more season.

One side note about the 2023 season was being able to witness the first ever (I say that knowing that FC Ryukyu had faced OSV and Kaiho Bank in previous Emperors Cup/friendly matches before) derby between two Okinawa Clubs in the top 4 tiers of Japanese football. That was a great day and one in which, as a fan of Okinawa football, you came out a winner no matter what.

The end of the 2023 season also saw the official retirement of two players who regularly featured for Okinawa SV: Naohiro Takahara & Naoya Okane. To be fair, I’ve only recently started following Okinawa SV and there is much more information about the club on their official web site as well as transfermarkt.

What’s Next?

I hope to write about Okinawa SV as much as I can and hope that in no small way I may influence others to support the club. I am definitely not the head supporter of Okinawa SV. That distinction belongs to a woman, who I do not know personally, but have seen at every home game, and whom I’ve heard travels from Tokyo to attend every (I mean every) Okinawa SV match. That is the type of support and dedication from a supporter that most Football clubs could only dream about.

I am not sure if/when I’ll write about FC Ryukyu as for now my focus is on the cause of Okinawa SV. A worthy cause as well since they look so much better this season and are having some early season success. Perhaps it is the fact that I never supported FC Ryukyu during their early days in the lower tiers, or the overall approach to growing a football club that Okinawa SV seems to portray that FC Ryukyu has seemingly lost these past few years.

I am not giving up on FC Ryukyu, or at the very least, wishing to have my loyalties tested if these two clubs were to be direct competitors in the J3. Though that is a good problem to have later on down the line. Instead, I will continue to support both clubs with the hope that each achieves levels of success that would be unprecedented for Okinawa. And therefore I will provide as much pre/post match information as I can for Okinawa SV.

Luckily we can all watch Okinawa SV on the JFL YouTube channel without a paid subscription. Granted, there is no commentary, replays, or highlights but that seems Ok for the moment. At least we have the ability to watch Okinawa SV in their early days compared to that of FC Ryukyu in the years prior to DAZN where we were left refreshing the screen every couple of minutes for updates on scores.

Thank you for your time and support.

Okinawa Derby Day!

Intro

Finally, the wait is over. The people of Okinawa will now able to enjoy a derby match between two teams on the island within relative proximity to one another in the Japanese football pyramid (all due respect to Kaiho Bank FC). FC Ryukyu (J3) will face Okinawa SV (JFL) in the opening round of the 2023 Emperors Cup. It is the first ever competitive match between these two teams but neither side enter this competition in strong form with both sides situated near the bottom of their respective tables and both experiencing the exact same set of results the past six weeks.

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: So, FC Ryukyu have been plummeting down the J3 standings since Match Day 3 and have only one win in their last six games. Ryukyu have endured a 3-game, and now a 2-game losing streak, with a 2-0 victory at home sandwiched in between. They’ve been outscored 11-6 and to be honest, have never looked that threatening at all in any of these games. The problems this team had last year – lack of quality shots, goals, maintaining leads, surrendering late goals, lack of in game management, and injuries – have somehow gotten worse in a lower tier of Japanese football.

The frustration finally reached a boiling point this past weekend following FC Ryukyu’s 3-2 home defeat to Gainaire Tottori with the head supporter voicing his, and all the fans, frustrations as the team came over to the stands at the end of the game. FC Ryukyu fans can no longer stand watching the team put in limp performances each week resulting in poor results and the loss of hope. The fans were promised promotion back to J2, but that seems a long way away under the current management and stewardship of the club.

The club must make a change at manager, and do it very soon, if they hope to recover and make a concerted push back into the promotion zone. Too often we as fans receive an email following matches in which Kuranuki outlines what he was trying to do and how some things are improving but the results beg to differ. The team is not improving under Kuranuki and in fact, is getting progressively worse as the season drags on. The fear that the club was making a similar mistake to 2022 when they appointed Kina from within has truly come to fruition.

While Granas’s message may have been heard and received by both Kuranuki and the team, the more important question is whether the management and owner of FC Ryukyu understand the fans frustrations, the mounting problems within the team, and are willing to act in a timely manner. I feel that if this were anywhere else in the footballing world Kuranuki would’ve been given his walking papers a few weeks ago. But that is not the case here and though one could make a very strong argument that if Kuranuki does lose this match to OSV he should absolutely be fired, but I don’t feel the club is prepared to make the switch.

Okinawa SV: Life hasn’t been great so far for OSV in their first season in the JFL. They aren’t nearly as free scoring (3 goals scored) or as dominant as they were in the regional leagues and have only one win to their credit this season. Perhaps one of the biggest jumps in competition from any tier in Japanese football is between the regional leagues and the JFL. I have only seen three OSV games this year and though the season started bright for OSV when they grabbed an early lead at Honda FC, things quickly started to deteriorate. They ended up conceding 3-goals in the second half and then went on to lose their next two game by 1-goal each.

OSV recovered on match day four with a 1-0 win at home over ReinMeer Aomori which was a very competitive match in which OSV looked very good, but they have since lost their past two games while being shutout in both. Their last loss to league leaders Sony Sendai was nothing more than being unlucky. OSV conceded a first half goal but looked the dominant side to start the second half and close out the match. OSV came so close to leveling the match and were unfortunate to have one of their last shots end up hitting the Sendai keeper and then unable to push the ball over the line in a goal mouth scrum at the very end.

That puts OSV in 14th place in the JFL table which is one spot above the relegation zone. There is still plenty of time for OSV to recover from their rough start with next week’s match against 15th place Briobecca Urayasu looming quite large.

Prediction

You have to ask yourselves, who wants it more, or better yet, who deserves it more? Based on the fact that I saw both of these teams play at home this past week I feel it might be OSV. It was the way in which OSV ended their past match compared to that of Ryukyu that makes me feel we may see one inspired team versus one that is lacking confidence and inspiration. That despite the fact that both sides have hugely important games the following week that may draw a little of their focus away from this competition.

The last time FC Ryukyu played a JFL side at home in the Emperors Cup it was against FC Imabari. As we know that game, along with the one against Imabari in the same competition the year prior, went to PKs with Imabari coming out winners both times. But if Dany is starting and this game somehow goes to PKs, then I would favor FC Ryukyu coming out on top. With that said, OSV to win the game in regulation play with FC Ryukyu winners if it goes to PKs. A truly weak prediction.

Conclusion

What may come as a shock to some supporters of other football clubs who regularly experience local rivalries, is that despite the proximity of these two teams, there exists little animosity among the fans or teams. Of course that is due in large part for these teams having never played against one another but also that the collective footballing supporters from Okinawa wish for both sides to do well. I have seen, and partaken firsthand, in the crossover of fans for both clubs attending the either’s matches. I guess that means you can maintain your love for your club, as I do with FC Ryukyu, and still support another club on the island while not considering them a rival. At least not yet. I am really looking forward to this game as the feelings surrounding this match are a much needed escape from the current doldrums many of us have while supporting FC Ryukyu. It is just a shame that someone has to lose this game. Come boys (I’ll leave that up to you to decide who that is directed at)!

(11) FC Ryukyu v (13) Nara Club #FC琉球

Intro

Never has the saying, “the beatings will continue until morale improves,” ever been more poignant than right now. FC Ryukyu are lacking goals, lacking results and likely lacking confidence these days. Last season may have seemed like a bad dream for us as fans while this year is slowly turning into a full blown nightmare from which we may never wake up. And now comes Nara club. A team that is trying to stave of relegation back to the JFL while grinding out results early on and making a name for themselves. Probably no better circumstances for Nara Club to take advantage of a team once considered (maybe just me in that regards) as a favorite to push for promotion.

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: A man much wiser than me on the nuances of the J-League – a friend and someone you’ve listened to over the years dolling out knowledge and insight into the lower tiers of the J-league on the JTET Pod – told me something powerful the other day. “Why waste a 1,000 words, that few may read, complaining about your current managers shortcomings and failures when you can simply shout them from the rafters during the match?” Great advice, an one which I will adhere to this week.

With that in mind, the only things I’ll add are that Ryukyu need to start taking better shots and converting more chances. We will go with just the two keys to victory this week as it is going to take small, single, steps at a time to improve this club and their fortunes.

Nara Club: Haven’t lost in four (4) games and coming to Okinawa with potential points in the offing. I should also add that any perceived ‘name brand recognition’ for FC Ryukyu on the part of Nara Club need not apply in this case. Nara would love to leave this round with a point but I wouldn’t blame them if they felt disappointed in doing so since all three points seem justifiable considering the recent form of each team in this fixture.

Nara have conceded four (4) goals while scoring seven (7) in their last four fixtures compared to that of FC Ryukyu who have conceded seven (7) and scored five (5). But we know we almost witnessed FC Ryukyu making it five (5) consecutive halves without scoring a goal until Nakano hit one in stoppage time and with the game out of reach.

Round 6 in J3

A lot of the teams at the top of the table will be facing teams near the bottom. Some of the matches where teams are close to one another in the standings include: (6) Gainare Tottori at (8) Vanraure Hachinoe, and (7) FC Gifu at (10) Ehime FC.

(1) Iwate Grulla Morioka haven’t lost since their game with Ryukyu but let’s see if their streak of playing good every other match continues this week at home to (17) SC Sagamihara. There are also two teams, (4) Matsumoto Yamaga and (5) FC Imabari, who have not lost this season.

Conclusion

The countdown timer on Kuranuki’s tenure as manager for FC Ryukyu has begun. One that will not stop with a singular victory, or even a mixed set of results that leaves Ryukyu fledgling in the middle of the table. A third consecutive defeat will be damming to Kuranuki’s case for remaining as Ryukyu manager and I can rest assured that the calls for his removal will come quicker than that of Kina’s last season, who as we know is from Okinawa, unlike Kuranuki. I’ll see you out there gaffer!

FC Gifu vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Gifu extended their winning streak to five games in a row over FC Ryukyu with a resounding 3-1 victory at home this past weekend. It took Gifu just eight minutes to open the scoring before adding two more goals near the end in which two Gifu players reached multiple points on the day. FC Ryukyu added a consolation goal in stoppage time and while it was a very nice goal by Nakano, it was wasted in another lackluster performance by FC Ryukyu. This is the second loss in a row for FC Ryukyu this season but more concerning is that Ryukyu nearly made it five consecutive halves of football without scoring a goal before Nakano bailed them out when the game was already out of reach.

Match Highlights

Talking Points

The Lineup: We finally saw the change at GK that most were expecting with Dany Carvajal getting the nod over Junto Taguchi this match. However, Kuranuki opted – or had no choice due to injury – to drop the starting CB duo in Muta and Mori. Kuranuki gave the start to Yamauchi and Makito Uehara in the CB role instead. A move I had feared all offseason that finally came to fruition. I am not sure we can hide Makito in a different spot in the lineup and it seems apparent that he may need to be dropped to the bench altogether. Speaking of drops, Kagiyama was dropped to the bench for this game and Takahiro Yanagi made his debut for the club with a substitute appearance.

There was still no sign, or word, for Kelvin, Hitomi and Mu Kanazaki. When this lineup was released a few hours in front of the match I instantly had the feeling that we were going to witness something similar to what we saw last year at Oita, almost exactly 1 year to date and on the same match day. It was there that Kina finally made a switch at GK only to throw Dany to the wolves during that 1-4 pasting at Oita. It seems Kina’s understudy did the same exact thing this week with a makeshift backline in front of Dany. If you recall, after a similar outcome last year when a switch was made at GK, we didn’t see the resurgence of Dany until there was a change in the manager.

The Match: The opening twenty minutes of this game really speaks to where FC Ryukyu are as a team these days. Missed opportunities early on when passing went awry, a good save from Dany to keep the team in the match, and then punished for not converting their early chances when bad defending down the right side resulted in a wide open headed goal. Later on we saw some shots right at the Gifu goalie, most notably Fukumura’s wide open run where he didn’t bother to look up and see a slew of Ryukyu attackers in the box and instead opted to go for glory.

Things could’ve been a lot worse for Ryukyu had the referee awarded a PK for what looked like a clear foul on Kubota in the box but instead we were treated to a long stretch where FC Ryukyu needed a goal, and couldn’t find it, before the floodgates opened up on them. Gifu’s second goal was the result of yet another successfull press by our opponents, followed by a turnover with two Gifu players closing down the Ryukyu pass. Gifu were able to find space all day within the Ryukyu back line and though the second goal took a deflection off of Makito, the Gifu player had all day to pick his spot. Not much different for the the third Gifu goal as it was a nice run and finish by the attacker through the heart of the Ryukyu defense.

Abe put in a good shift as it was his hard work that provided the assist on the Nakano goal and workman rate that nearly got Ryukyu on the board near the very end when a header hit the crossbar. It is just the same script for Ryukyu these days: missed opportunities, right idea but wrong execution, not really testing the opposing keeper, turnovers and breaking down in defense.

Repeating the same mistakes: One could make a very strong argument that the 2023 version of FC Ryukyu is a carbon copy of the 2022 version that never lived up to the talent it possessed on the roster. That was because the manager, Kina, was not up to task and the club waited a long time to make a change. How could anyone think any different after another internal appointment at manager by the leadership of the club has once again put this team on shaky ground as evidenced by the lack of offense/goals, poor defending, conceding late goals, and the list goes on and on. I also understand that Ryukyu are only five games into the season and perhaps Kuranuki should be afforded more time, but I cannot say that Ryukyu have been good so much as just lucky this season under his control.

It starts and ends with the manager as it is his system, his choices, that set this club up for success each week. How many successes compared to failures do you think Kuranuki has had this season? It is so easy for teams to press Ryukyu high up the pitch and force turnovers in the middle of the field. It is disappointing watching our defenders not mark their men or make runs into the wrong spots. It is painful watching Ryukyu go on the attack knowing not much will come of it. What is Kuranuki drilling into this team at training each week?

The exact same things that doomed this team last season are very visible at this point in the season. And no amount of encouragement from the front office in the coming weeks will change the reality of the situation. Fans were promised attacking football, it has been anything but that so far. The team vowed to make it back to J2 in one season, that is looking less and less likely at the moment. The fans have little patience following last season and simply want results. How will Ryukyu get those results?

Round 5 in J3

Truth be told I didn’t have the motivation to watch any fixtures this round following FC Ryukyu’s loss. Iwate moved into the pole position, Sanuki is still grinding out results and Y.S.C.C. is still winless. Yamaga and Tottori played to a spirited 0-0 draw while Kagoshima continue to struggle.

Conclusion

FC Ryukyu’s shot at promotion is slowly slipping away and now they will welcome in a confident Nara club who are undefeated in their last four games. A win by Ryukyu is required but in doing so it may just temporarily paper over the Grand Canyon size cracks that exist within the club.

(12) FC Gifu v (6) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Gifu and FC Ryukyu limp into this match after both suffered 1-0 defeats during match day 4. It is the first time since 2019 that these sides will square off where FC Gifu own a perfect record against FC Ryukyu with four wins from four matches. FC Gifu defeated FC Ryukyu by identical score lines of 2-1 (2019) in the J2 and 1-0 (2007) while they were together in the JFL. FC Ryukyu must recover, regroup and rearm quicky if they are going to do something they’ve never done before. Defeat FC Gifu.

Team Previews

FC Gifu: A lot of the discussion about FC Gifu this offseason centered on Gifu’s youth movement in an attempt to revitalize the club which is now in its fourth consecutive year in J3. So far it has paid off for FC Gifu as they’ve got some good performances out of Ryo Kubota (22) and Charles Nduka (24). FC Gifu, like FC Ryukyu, are also awaiting the return of several players from injury to perhaps jump start a run of form. What should be of concern to many FC Ryukyu fans is that Ryukyu seems to be taking a similar path/approach that FC Gifu embarked upon during their first three seasons in J3, which obviously didn’t pay off.

FC Gifu own a perfect record at home this year with a draw and a win, and those were against Matsumoto Yamaga and Kagoshima United FC, teams that many tipped to finish near the top of the table come November. Gifu will now get their third test in a row at home with another potential candidate for promotion in FC Ryukyu, but some of Ryukyu’s recent results call into question whether or not Ryukyu can be considered a strong bet for promotion these days. For FC Gifu it is nice to get some early points at home against tougher opponents, and to get some of those fixtures out of the way before teams round into form, but the unseen cost associated with this is Gifu’s away fixtures to close the season look quite tough at the moment.

Gifu started the season with back-to-back 1-1 draws with Kitakyushu and Yamaga. Then secured their first win, a 1-0 victory over Kagoshima, while most recently losing 0-1 to Vanraure Hachinohe on the road. The Hachinohe fixture was a bit of an unlucky one for Gifu as they hit the post once, hit the crossbar once, and had a deflected shot hit the diving Hachinohe goalkeeper in his leg. So just like FC Ryukyu, FC Gifu aren’t scoring a lot of goals but they also do not concede many goals from open play, which is unlike FC Ryukyu. The one area of perceived weakness for FC Gifu that I saw in their highlights is set pieces, corner kicks in particular, as that is where two of the three goals Gifu have conceded this season have stemmed from. Good thing for Gifu that corner kicks aren’t, and havn’t been for some time, an area of strength for FC Ryukyu.

FC Ryukyu: There are only two things that FC Ryukyu need to do at the moment: (1) Kuranuki needs to get the offense scoring and, (2) Taguchi needs to stop putting FC Ryukyu in deficits. Not as easy as it sounds with so many key players missing due to injury and with Taguchi in a crisis of confidence. Kuranuki has to find a way to get this team creating better chances and link up play with our forwards despite the numerous real injuries and unexplained absences at Ryukyu. Meaning, better in game management resulting in Takuma Abe and Ryunosuke Noda getting on the scoresheet if they are to get past FC Gifu. We should also hope that Noda doesn’t pick up his fourth consecutive yellow card in as many matches as he his toying with suspension with Ryukyu down to just two healthy forwards this week.

As far as goals scored are concerned for Ryukyu, they seem to happen right around halftime with four of the five goals for Ryukyu this season occurring within 3 minutes, or less, on either side of the break. I don’t think FC Ryukyu will go out there on Saturday and light up Gifu like I thought Ryukyu would do against Fukushima last week. Though the reintroduction of Kelvin to the lineup (sort of have that on good word) could at least help generate some opportunities that Ryukyu seemed to lack during the games he was out. Keep in mind a lot of this hinges on Ryukyu’s ability to connect passes through the middle third of the pitch which is where they struggled last week with turnovers while facing a Fukushima press when attempting to play it out from the back.

For Taguchi, he needs a steady stream of successes. Not one that starts following a mishap or mistake that seems to finally wake him up and in doing so forces Ryukyu to play from behind. Which is exactly what happened during FC Ryukyu’s past 3 matches. It will not rest solely on the shoulders of Taguchi to win this game, as our defenders also need to do their part, but we are basically talking about Taguchi having a near perfect game while displaying the leadership you’d expect from your GK.

While in defense FC Ryukyu must watch out for FC Gifu’s ability to lure opponents high up the pitch only to break free with a nice, long, through ball to Kubota down the right side. Thank goodness Kubota plays on that side as FC Ryukyu are particularly weak when defending down their right side as evidenced by the goals they’ve conceded this season. Speaking of goals conceded, three of the four goals FC Ryukyu have surrendered this year occurred in the first half of games. FC Gifu have scored two of their three goals in the first half to date, and Gifu look very lively during that part of the match which makes for yet another area of concern for FC Ryukyu.

So there it is, a simple game plan for FC Ryukyu on Saturday: get the forwards involved and scoring, get a good clean game from Taguchi, break any Gifu press – that so many other teams in the league have already shown works really well against Ryukyu – with better play through the middle part of the pitch, watch the long balls by Gifu that splits the defense, and win the first half.

Round 5 in J3

(1) Matsumoto Yamaga face (4) Gainare Tottori in the marquee matchup for round 5 of the J3. But you’ll have to wait until Sunday to see that fixture, along with 7 other fixtures scheduled for that day. (5) Kataller Toyama travel to (19) FC Osaka to start this round on Saturday followed by the FC Gifu and FC Ryukyu match. (3) Iwate Grulla Morioka travel to (18) Fukushima United who are fresh off their win over FC Ryukyu last week and we can only hope Fukushima keep the good times rolling at home.

(3) FC Imabari may have a tougher than expected fixture on their hands when (11) Nara Club head to town. Imabari will have to contend for the next few months without their talisman, Kazaki Nakagawa, who fractured a bone in his leg. (17) SC Sagamihara will play (15) Azul Claro Numazu at home in an all important 6-pointer at the current bottom of the table. And finally, (20) Y.S.C.C. will head out on the road against (13) AC Nagano Parciero in hopes of grabbing their first win of the season. Both Y.S.C.C. and Nagano surrendered leads late in their games last week resulting in draws for both teams so it will be interesting to see which side responds from that adversity this week.

Conclusion

Winning one, drawing one, losing one is not the key to success in this league. Whether or not you feel Ryukyu were unlucky against Imabari at the very end of the game, there is no escaping the fact that Ryukyu didn’t help themselves out at all last week against Fukushima. It is still early on in the season with Ryukyu just one point off the leaders but they cannot risk falling behind the leading pack. Especially not with what is, or maybe once was, considered a good stretch of games for FC Ryukyu against teams that are struggling. The reality is Ryukyu are struggling at the moment, and require an uplifting performance in the form of a road win to gain some ground and regain some confidence. Remember what I said a couple of weeks ago in that teams who’ve been promoted from J3 usually own the best away records in the league for that season? Yeah, well FC Ryukyu need to crack on with the away results this week. Come on boys!

(6) FC Ryukyu vs (18) Fukushima United FC #FC琉球

Intro

Apparently I didn’t see the full picture last week when I mistakenly thought that the half step back that Ryukyu took at Imabari was actually just the beginning of a full on slip into a fall backwards for the club. FC Ryukyu lost 0-1 at home on Sunday to Fukushima United FC after putting in a less than inspired performance in what was a very winnable game. We can clearly see that the battle for promotion in J3 will be a dogged fight all season where FC Ryukyu must take advantage of teams in poor runs of form or risk finding themselves on the outside looking in come the end of the season.

Match Highlights

Talking Points

1. The Lineup: We finally saw the return of Koki Kiyotake to the lineup but at the expense of Mu Kanazaki being dropped. As always, no idea if that was a tactical decision or due to injury since there is so little information regarding the health of any of our players. FC Ryukyu dressed five of our college recruits along with 18-year old Tsusha last night. That doesn’t feel like they’re putting out the strongest lineup rather just what is available. The missing in action list as it currently stands following Match Day 4 for FC Ryukyu: Sulley, Kelvin, Kanazaki, Hitomi, Shirai, Yanagi, and Nakano (5/8 forwards on the roster are out or missing).

2. The Match: FC Ryukyu looked lethargic and fresh out of ideas when trying to breakdown Fukushima. They really lost this game in the middle third of the pitch with the amount of turnovers and sloppy play, especially from our two central midfielders. Ryukyu dodged an early bullet on a Fukushima breakaway that Taguchi managed to save, and with the subsequent rebound shot going wide, but were not so lucky a bit later on. More on that subject later.

Ryukyu eventually came to life in the waning moments of the match after the introduction of Kiyotake who had an open header go right at the Fukushima GK and another shot hit the post. But to be honest there wasn’t any significant adjustments by Kuranuki at the half that contributed to anything positive for Ryukyu. One could argue that any adjustments that Kuranuki did make at halftime benefited Fukushima more than Ryukyu as our opponents nearly doubled their lead on several occasions after the break while looking dangerous and with their tails up. Points dropped at home to a team on the slide isn’t a ringing endorsement for Kuranuki and one that will put him under the microscope a little more than he had hoped this early on. But knowing the club’s track record for instituting change, this will need to be a regular occurrence that can no longer be brushed off before it is addressed.

FC Ryukyu are not generating any offense, nor anything close to quantity and quality shots on net. Ryukyu seem to rely solely on the idea of one of their fullbacks bombing a ball forward in the hopes a forward player can run onto the end of it. Is this how the offense is supposed to flow? Strictly through our fullbacks sending in “prayer balls?” Just look at the amount of passes that were intercepted, turned over, or went out of bounds this game when attempting to break Fukushima’s press. A tactic that many of our opponents can easily employ against us, and one that will continue for the foreseeable future until Ryukyu figure out a way to turn large amounts of possession into goals.

3. Ryunosuke Noda: Didn’t really have much of an impact on this match outside of his angling to get an early send off with some of his ill-timed challenges. The worst being the cross on net when Noda rose for a header but opted to send the Fukushima goalie into the post instead. Indeed a card worthy infraction and Noda’s last contribution to the match for Ryukyu. I can understand the frustration some of our forward players may feel having little support or involvement in games but clearer heads need to prevail when times are rough so as not to put Ryukyu up against it for unnecessary reasons. Have to back up one’s persona with results or else it just looks comical.

4. The Taguchi Special: Junto getting his own section in this recap has become a regular occurrence, but for all the wrong reasons. For the third consecutive week Taguchi put FC Ryukyu in an early hole, one which they couldn’t recover from this time. Taguchi spilled a shot, having failed to corral it, right into a dangerous area that resulted in some panicky defending by Ryukyu, and of course during that fracas the ball found a Fukushima attacker. An ugly goal by every account but one that Fukushima desperately needed and one that Taguchi desperately couldn’t afford. With the indictments on Taguchi’s play increasing each week one has to wonder when, not if, Kuranuki will make the change at GK?

Round 4 in J3

Ryukyu missed a golden opportunity to move into sole position of first place as all the other fixtures had concluded at the time of their kickoff. Instead Ryukyu find themselves in 6th place trailing the teams above them by a single point. (3) Iwate Grulla Morioka required a late PK to muster a draw against (15) Azul Claro Numazu at home and (1) Matsumoto Yamaga FC surrendered a late goal to (16) Tegevajaro Miyazaki also resulting in a draw. (2) FC Imabari once again scored deep into a match but this time the goal resulted in a win over (14) Giravanz Kitakyushu. (8) Vanraure Hachinohe took the most direct route to goal from a single pass from their GK and deposited a blast from close range into the (12) FC Gifu net for their win.

Three of the more exciting fixtures this round all ended in a tie. (5) Kataller Toyama and (13) AC Nagano Parceiro finished 3-3 after Nagano jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second half and looked primed to push that lead to 4-1 when they lined up for a PK. But that is where things went sideways for Nagano as they missed the PK and then conceded two goals within four minutes near the end of the match. (4) Gainare Tottori scored two second half goals just 7 minutes apart and looked in total control of the game until (9) Kamatamare Sanuki scored twice inside five minutes at the very end. Finally, (20) Y.S.C.C. nearly notched their first win of 2023 before an own goal from a set piece ended their match with (11) Nara Club in a 2-2 draw.

Conclusion

No one was under the impression that FC Ryukyu were going to go undefeated all season, or even undefeated at home. But since the slider scale for how some view the club hasn’t moved all the way back to the side of ‘feeling good about the team,’ a performance like this will just engender more frustration from the fans. The only good news is the loss this week isn’t considered fatal at this point in the season and Ryukyu can recover from a minor setback with many other results in the league going in their favor this week. It is back to work for the club with an eye on grabbing some points at FC Gifu next Saturday.

(2) FC Ryukyu v (19) Fukushima United FC #FC琉球

Intro

You have to go back to the 2021 season to find a point where FC Ryukyu won three consecutive home games in a row. Make no mistake, that is what we’re aiming for this week as Ryukyu must secure a win as anything less is simply not good enough. Fukushima enter the game having suffered three consecutive losses while being shutout in two of them. Fukushima will look to stop their slide to the bottom at the expense of a Ryukyu team who has plenty of questions regarding the health of some of their marquee players, and the ability of the offense to provide a little relief to the besieged back line.

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Two steps forward with just a half step back last week. That is what I felt when the ref blew his whistle at full time in Imabari. I think many of us would’ve been happy to take a point on the road against Imabari at the start of the match, but the pain of knowing that all 3-points were lost at the very last second has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the fans and FC Ryukyu. While Ryukyu have maintained their perfect record through three games it was the way the game ended for FC Ryukyu that gave a quick reminder of the pain we suffered last season, and that the club isn’t quite “there” yet. Ryukyu’s performance last week was indicative of the problems that plagued this team in 2022: unable to achieve a two goal lead; under pressure to defend for long spells of the match; succumbing to a bit of bad luck; and conceding at the end of the games to drop points.

While it is going take time for Ryukyu fans to shrug off those feelings from last season there is no better place for the team to start than this weekend against Fukushima. Granted, Ryukyu have strung together some good results to open the season but now must make a point by convincingly defeating what should be viewed as a weaker opponent at home. What I am really saying is FC Ryukyu need to go out there and win by at least two goals to show everyone that last week was merely a wobble along the path to promotion, lessons have been learned, mistakes corrected, and they will build from their experiences at Imabari.

FC Ryukyu may have to do what I ask a bit shorthanded as they are likely without the services of Hitomi, along with Sulley, Kiyotake, and Kelvin. Hitomi suffered a non-contact injury to his right leg in the second half last week, and while there has been no news, I would expect to see the player out for the foreseeable future. I just hope it isn’t season ending (aka Ligament Tear). No telling when Sulley, or Kelvin, will return so that means FC Ryukyu will have to employ a 4-2-3-1 with a combination of Noda, Kanzaki and Abe – who returned last week – at forward. That’s over 100 years of footballing experience up top for FC Ryukyu these days. The real issue is who will FC Ryukyu dress/start in MF with Hitomi’s injury?

I think Ryukyu have about three (3), maybe four (4), healthy midfielders right now? Kuranuki has been dressing a lot of defenders to fill out the formation, to include some youngsters, which I am not sure is due in part out of necessity or financial incentive awarded by the J-League for dressing 18-year old players. Either way it isn’t a great situation. We may also witness a shakeup at RB as Takahiro Yanagi has likely become acclimated with the side and a switch at RB is probably warranted at this point. Makito Uehara may not be the player we all hoped he could be. He can make some plays from time to time, his participation in two FC Ryukyu goals in consecutive weeks speaks to this, but his defending has become a liability. Then again, Kuranuki may just move Yanagi into a RMF position for this game and leave Makito back there but the clock is ticking and Yanagi should push Makito out of the RB position sooner rather than later.

Another player who needs to put better performances under his belt is Junto Taguchi. Taguchi was not really tested during the Hachinohe match and now we’ve seen him make some bad mistakes in consecutive games that puts FC Ryukyu into early deficits. Playing deep on his line, taking a bad first step, putting a rebound back out in the worst spot possible all maybe forgotten thanks to how Taguchi ended the Imabari match but he is putting the defense, and team, under unnecessary pressure right now. Taguchi needs a large injection of confidence as this is not what you expect to see out of your starting goal keeper, especially one that supposedly (?) beat out Dany Carvajal in the offseason for the starting gig. I hope the decision to start Taguchi over Dany was based on performance and not just because Taguchi speaks the local dialect or some other form of cronyism and nepotism that we witnessed last season at the club.

Fukushima United: Fukushima own a pretty good overall winning record against FC Ryukyu. Despite the fact that FC Ryukyu never beat Fukushima in the J3 until the 2017 season, Ryukyu have defeated Fukushima the last two times these teams played in Okinawa. But all of that was five years ago. Right now Fukushima are struggling for goals and struggling for results and find themselves neck and neck with Y.S.C.C. at the foot of the table with only goal difference separating the two teams.

Fukushima have yet to play with a lead all season. Hopefully a trend that continues this week. All four (4) goals that Fukushima United have conceded this season occurred in the latter stages of matches: Imabari (76′), SC Sagamihara (74′ & 89′), and Miyazaki (74′). Maybe Fukushima are adept at defending but don’t create enough chances to make them competitive in games. Fukushima’s lone goal this season occurred deep into stoppage time against SC Sagamihara and to be honest Fukushima don’t really threaten many clubs. But we’ve also never seen Fukushima play with an early deficit, or lead, this year which could bring out a different side of the club. Until then Ryukyu need to be the first club to score on Fukushima inside the first half, something Ryukyu haven’t done this year, nor something Fukushima has allowed another team to do this year, and then back that up with some strong play in the second half when Fukushima seem most vulnerable.

Round 4 in J3

(3) Iwate Grulla Morioka vs (16) Azul Claro Numazu is the lone fixture in J3 on Saturday with Iwate looking to keep pace, or surpass, the two leaders. (1) Matsumoto Yamaga welcomes in (17) Tegevajaro Miyazaki on Sunday who are fresh off their first win of the season. (4) Gainare Tottori host (6) Kamatamare Sanuki as the first of two matches with teams in the top half of the table squaring off. The second being (9) Giravanz Kitakyushu vs (7) FC Imabari.

Conclusion

The number three is the most important number this week for us as fans and FC Ryukyu. We want to see three goals scored, three points awarded, and three consecutive victories at home for FC Ryukyu. Get it done boys!

MD3 Report: FC Imabari vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

The match between FC Imabari and FC Ryukyu ended in a draw for the third time in as many matches. Only there were no PKs to determine the winner in this one. Instead, Ryukyu battled back from an early Imabari goal with two second half goals of their own inside a minute, but were consigned to a draw on the very last kick of the game. Ryukyu fans will feel disappointed it wasn’t all three points while Imabari fans will feel vindicated having suffered a similar type of result last week against Kagoshima. Things be like that sometimes.

Highlights

Talking Points

1. The Lineup: Takuma Abe made his return to the bench for FC Ryukyu however Kiyotake and Kelvin were still absent from the roster. Ryukyu are dressing far more defenders than mid-fielders these days, and using all of them it seems, which only confirms everyone’s suspicions that players are hurt, there is no word on any timetable for their return, and we have to make due with who we have healthy right now. Mu Kanazaki returned after his suspension and was heavily involved in the second half with his hold up play as well as getting in on the Hitomi goal with an assist.

2. The Game: Ryukyu had bursts to open each half but offered could not consistently sustain momentum. And then when they decided to ‘park the bus,’ they were punished by Imabari. The 57% possession was nice, but Ryukyu were outshot and were under serious pressure when Imabari had the ball in Ryukyu’s end. Ryukyu were making the right decisions on where to go with the ball during the game, they just deployed the wrong passes when it mattered most. There will be a couple of plays near the end which many may criticize Ryukyu for not just booting it out of danger but that is a bit harsh. A couple of things that are clear is they need the offense to provide some relief to our besieged back line, and Ryukyu really need to be winning these types of games if they wish to be promoted.

3. Takuya Hitomi: Was having a nice game and was rewarded with a goal from a very nice finish. We’ve seen this from Hitomi before but what unfortunately suffered a non-contact injury just 15 minutes into the second half and had to be subbed off (stretchered). Hitomi may have taken a slight knock to his leg on an earlier challenge at the start of the play, but when he was attempting to slow his run you could see him briefly pull up limp, attempt to pass the ball and then collapse. The expression on his face and the pulling of his jersey over his head as he was carried off doesn’t bode well as Hitomi clearly knows something is bad. There is no telling what injury he suffered or how long he will be out of the lineup. Truly an injury we cannot afford with so many undisclosed injuries already plaguing the club.

4. Junto Taguchi: A tale of two halves for this player. Taguchi was once again a bit shaky to start which led directly to an Imabari goal within the opening 15 minutes. Granted, his defenders weren’t helping him out all that much as Imabari were finding plenty of space between our back line. Taguchi could’ve done better on the shot as he took a poor first step, conceded a rebound in the worst possible spot after failing to secure the shot, making the goal almost inevitable.

Taguchi recovered in the second half to make a pair of key saves for Ryukyu but wasn’t able, not that many would, to get to the final shot of the match that curled past him. I would say the jury is still out on whether or not Taguchi is the right man for the job. Ryukyu cannot afford, and probably cannot bail out, Taguchi making mistakes that puts the team into an early hole or breathes life back into opponents. He must get better and display some leadership that has earned him the vice captaincy and starting job.

5. In the end, the point was a fair result. It doesn’t feel great as 3-points was clearly in the cards for Ryukyu, but nevertheless, the point on the road against a tough team is a very good result for this club.

Round 3 in J2

Matsumoto Yamaga moves into the pole position after their 3-0 thumping of Y.S.C.C. combined with Tottori losing 3-2 at home to Ehime FC. Iwate responded from their loss last week to Ryukyu by defeating FC Osaka on the road in what looked to be poor weather conditions. Hachinohe bagged a victory after a ding-dong type of goal with multiple rebounds and deflections. Nara club hammered Nagano at home and as a Ryukyu fan, it was great seeing FC Gifu take down Kagoshima United 1-0 at home.

Conclusion

It is kind of strange where a result like this so early last year felt like a loss whereas this year it sort of feels like a win. So we march forward into next week against Fukushima United and if Ryukyu are feeling a little disappointed about the result that slipped through their fingers on Sunday, that is a good thing, and Fukushima needs to be the recipient of that frustration on Sunday.