Match Day Info: 04/07/2019 (H) FCR vs Kashiwa Reysol (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 1600.
Weather Forecast: Excellent! Temperatures will be in the high 70s (25C) at kickoff and pretty much remain constant throughout the entire match. It is expected to be slightly overcast with a 5mph wind. If you are sitting in Section A, I strongly encourage bringing a hat and or sunglasses for when the sun breaks through the clouds as you’ll be looking directly into the sun.
Match Day 8 sees former J1 club, Kashiwa Reysol, make their first ever visit to the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Match Day 8 is a culmination of 3 games in 8 days for both sides with each club entering the match from different perspectives. FCR lost its mid-week tilt against JEF United Chiba 1-0 while Kashiwa easily brushed aside V. Varen Nagasaki 3-0. This match will feature the #3 & #4 teams in J2 and was one I earmarked as a potential “thigh rubber” a few weeks back. This should be a very enjoyable match to watch so I hope to see a lot of people out there as I expect the Reysol fans to show in large numbers today.
Kashiwa Reysol: 3rd in J2 with 15 points. 5W0D2L. Current Form WWLLW. Typical Formation 4-2-3-1.
Kashiwa required late goals against both Nigata and Kyoto to secure victory and they didn’t look particularly threatening in either case. Their loss to Okayama the following week at home could’ve turned out markedly different if any of the 3 shots that rattled the posts or crossbar had gone in, but ultimately, they allowed Okayama to hang around and push a late goal past them.
#26 Olunga for Reysol made his return to the lineup against Tokyo Verdy, a team which lost in the promotion/relegation playoffs last season to Jubilo Iwata. Verdy came out on the front foot and shell-shocked Reysol with 2 quick goals that were only 2 minutes apart in the first half. Reysol created a few more chances that match but they were not able to recover from the quick Verdy start or put one past the Verdy Keeper near the end of the game.
Against V.Varen Nagasaki, the other J1 cub that was relegated to J2 from last season, they looked much more lethal. The score line ended 3-0 in favor of Reysol but it could have ended much worse for Nagasaki as there was an offside goal called back for Reysol as well as several near misses that could’ve seen a score line closer to 6-0.
Players to Watch: #9 Cristiano FW. I can recall the first time I saw Reysol playing while living here in Japan was an Asian Champions League match back in 2015. Cristiano featured on that squad and ultimately that side made it to the quarterfinal of the ACL. My how the mighty have fallen and Reysol’s tumble out of the J1 should probably serve as a cautionary tale for many J League organizations. But back to Cristiano, he is the key play maker on Reysol. He is able to take part in both the build up of plays as well as finish plays off by putting well aimed shots on net. FCR would do well to know where he is at during all times.
#26 Olunga FW. He is a very tall, very powerful striker that will cause problems all day for FCR. As we’ve seen against other powerful strikers this season, think Baiano from Yamagata, FCR has a tough time dealing with their speed and power. I hope Okazaki and whoever else is at CB for FCR are well rested as this will certainly be a test. Olunga is 6’3” (1.90m) and he can rise really well for headers on set pieces so this will also challenge the FCR defense. Granted, his brace against Nagasaki saw some woeful defending by the guests and Olunga was able to freely roam the box and was unmarked on his headed goal.
#18 Yusuke Segawa MF. Segawa makes very nice runs in and around the 18-yard box and is an excellent complimentary piece to the aforementioned attackers for Reysol. He is powerful in his own right and will test both Tokumoto and Nishioka down the flanks all game. He has one goal on the season but has registered 24 shots in all competitions.
FCR: 4th in J2 with 14 points. 4W2D1L. Current Form WWDDL. Typical Formation 4-2-3-1.
FCR is coming off their first loss this season after their mid-week match against JEF. The game featured several changes to the FCR lineup with the notable switch to RB for Masutani. FCR was unlucky to convert some of the chances they had for a goal but it was an encouraging performance by the boys on the road.
Considering this is the 3rd game in 8 days for FCR there may be some lineup changes for this match as well. Uesato didn’t feature this past game and I hope it wasn’t due to injury. We will absolutely need him out there today to command the midfield for FCR. Tomidokoro and Uejo came off early against JEF so I fully expect to see them in the starting lineup today. I do not know if we will see both Suzuki and Tanaka start as they both played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.
Keys to FCR Victory: 1.) Shock and Awe approach. If FCR can get out to an early lead it maybe all they need against Reysol. All of Reysol games this season have featured them either winning by shutting out their opponent or losing by failing to score. There is one exception but I am not counting the Levain Cup matches. In games that Reysol lost, they were unable to unlock the opponents defense and lacked a bit of creativity. An early lead could prove massive for FCR.
2.) FCR must play within themselves. If they are facing a deficit, FCR needs to approach the match in similar fashion to JEF. Reysol is not the best defending team, as some of their score-lines would suggest, and opponents have been able to get in behind the back line and create problems for Reysol. Depending on the FCR injures and lineup, Kawai’s speed down the flanks could prove troubling for Reysol and it will be interesting to see how we employ him this match.
3.) Full team effort on defense. Reysol has some serious firepower in Olunga, Cristiano and Segawa and while it is impossible to cover all 3 at any one moment, FCR would do well to have their MFs drop back in support of the Left and Right defensive backs. Tokumoto and Nishioka will be tested and we can certainly assume that Okazaki and either Fukui or Masutani will be dealing with Olunga which leaves Cristanio open as the CAM. Strong defensive play through the middle of the pitch will be key for FCR and we will need to limit the number of crosses into the box as Olunga’s height may prove too much for our CBs.
Game Prediction: Unlike some of Reysol’s previous matches in J2, I don’t believe this one will be a shutout and I see both teams scoring on the day. FCR may get lucky and see Reysol rest some of their notable players due to an approaching mid-week fixture in the Levain Cup but we will have to wait and see. Reysol has played two more games than FCR this season with the Levain competition and the only other time Reysol made wholesale changes to their lineup was the first round of the Levain competition back in early March. Personally, I’d love to see a player like Cristiano, who has featured in every minute of Reysol’s past few matches, take a rest today but again, we’ll have to wait and see.
I hope that the FCR faithful and Okinawa community show up in full force for this match as I fully expect the Reysol fans to turn up in large numbers. This will make for a great footballing atmosphere and exciting match. See you all out there!
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