It was a memorable day for FCR this past weekend as they were able to secure a draw against a very tough opponent in Kashiwa Reysol and become the first club in the history of the J League to remain unbeaten at home for 26 consecutive matches. The historic moment was also witnessed by one of the largest crowds on record for an FCR match, 7,913, and I hope this is the catalyst that continues to bring more and more fans to the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Not even the rain near the end of the match, despite me telling you in the preview that it wouldn’t rain, could dampen the spirits of the Ryukyu faithful who braved the early heat to witness history. It was a truly remarkable scene at the stadium.
FCR came out in their typical 4-2-3-1 that saw Tomidokoro start at CAM, Uesato returning to his CDMF position, Masutani again filling in for the injured Nishioka and Kawai getting his first start of the season at LMF. Despite my wishes for Reysol to rest key players with their mid-week tilt in the Levain Cup, they came out in full-force.
The match started out pretty much as expected with Reysol getting on the front foot and ultimately getting out in front. I stated in the match preview that I was hoping it would be FCR that got out to an early lead with a fast start but this wasn’t to be the case. A misdirection set piece was once again the undoing of FCR. In the 3rd minute, #9 Cristiano for Reysol sent a short, head level heighted cross into the box, that was able to be headed backwards in front of goal from the onrushing Reysol player and would land at the feet of #19 Gabriel that tapped it just over the outstretched arms of Carvajal who was tracking back across net. This type of misdirection header has caught FCR a couple of times this season. I cannot tell if it is a lack of concentration on our part by not tracking the runs of the opposing teams until the completion of the play or it is just one of those things that happens from time to time in football. Regardless, FCR found themselves down 1-0 for the second consecutive match and would now need to dig themselves out of this hole.
Reysol would keep up the pressure against FCR where in the 12th minute a long range knuckle ball effort from Reysol really tested Carvajal. FCR had an opportunity to level in the 17th minute when Masutani made a nice play on a ball inside the box by basically securing the ball and then jumping straight up in the air with it trapped between his feet over the Reysol defender. His pass found a wide-open Okazaki after he landed but unfortunately his shot sailed high over the bar. In the 31st minute #18 Segawa was set free on net after splitting our central defenders but Carvajal was able to get a hand to the shot and parry it away from danger.
The remainder of the first half saw two more chances for FCR to level with the most notable coming from Tanaka. He tested one of the Japanese National Team Keepers in #23 Nakamura with a well-aimed shot to the top left corner of goal that Nakumara was able to get his hands on and maintain the 1-0 Reysol lead at half time.
FCR pretty much took over the possession battle in the second half as they began to press for the equalizer. Tomidokoro put a very hard shot on net from a Suzuki cross that was only saved because it was right at the keeper from that short of distance. Had that shot been placed anywhere to the left or right of Nakamura the match could’ve ended differently. The final nervy moment of the match for Carvajal came in the 64th minute when Cristiano sent a dangerous shot across goal that Carvajal was able to push wide past the net.
The breakthrough for FCR occurred in the 82nd minute when a Tokumoto cross found a wide open Uejo just outside the 6-yard box. It was one of those in between crosses where Uejo wasn’t going to commit to heading the ball and it was too high to be trapped at his feet followed by an attempt on net. Instead, Uejo struck it first time at waist level into the upper right side of goal to bring FCR level with about 7 minutes and stoppage time to play. The cross was well placed by Tokumoto but Uejo still had so much to do with it and the youngster responded tremendously well in the situation by stunning the Reysol keeper.
There were a few more opportunities for FCR near the end but they just couldn’t get the second past Nakamura and the match would end 1 all. The celebration began in the stands shortly thereafter and it was great to see the FCR staff put up a graphic on the screen indicating that FCR had set a new J League record. The team was also kind enough to walk around the entire stadium as well as come to the stands to thank the fans.
Takeaways from Match Day 8: 1.) FCR continued the trend of starting off slow and allowing their opponent to take several early chances, which ultimately cost them on the day. I am not sure if this is by design so our manager and team can see the expected shape and movement of the opponent or it just how FCR operates at the moment. 2.) To echo what Stuart, from @sushi_football, said on the @JTalkPod this week, FCR responded very well after coming off a tough road defeat and then face a very good opponent in Reysol. The lessons learned against JEF as well as the way FCR responded that match definitely paid dividends against Reysol this past week. This should definitely boost the confidence levels of the team that will hopefully see them win some tightly contested matches later this year.
3.) Carvajal was the real hero this match as his play both early on and later in the match afforded FCR the ability to level the game. He was under siege early on and it looked as if Reysol was going to add to their lead. Thankfully, Carvajal answered the call time and time again against the Reysol attack. 4.) FCR maybe lacking some depth at RB/LB if Masutani is forced to play there with the injury to Nishioka. The games are starting to pile up and injuries are due to occur throughout the season so it stands to reason that we will need to replace guys from time to time. However, sliding the starting CB over to a position he may have occupied during his early days at FCR won’t allow him to get the much-needed rest he deserves. It also means that we cannot rotate Okazaki or Fukui and risk not having a healthy back line for long stretches of the season. If possible, FCR needs to either activate and play some of the defenders on the roster so as to gain the necessary match experience at this level, or strengthen the squad in the transfer window and add some depth if the younger players are not the immediate answer.
5.) The fact that FCR was once again able to control the tempo of the match and create opportunities while down a goal bodes very well for the season. The way they responded against Reysol, a team that many pundits tipped to be the J2 winners this season, means that no matter the opponent, FCR will not be over-matched. Of course this depends heavily on the fitness levels and health of our players but for the time being, FCR has displayed the ability to go hunting for goals and has shown that they can respond under pressure.
FC Ryuyku’s next two matches are on the road against Tokyo Verdy and Kagoshima. Verdy are a much stronger team at home compared to the road as their record indicates. It will be a feisty affair that I hope FCR can see out for positive points. Kagoshima are a different story as they haven’t won since the opening day and have failed to score in their last 6 matches. Kagoshima now find themselves at the foot of the table and this is shaping up as a must win game for FCR in order to put some distance between them and the relegation zone. Until then, a big thank you to everyone that attended the match this past weekend as it was truly spectacular and I look forward to seeing you all again in a few weeks.
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