FC Ryukyu Mid Season Review: Part 2

We begin Part 2 with the Top 5 Memorable Matches for FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season and conclude by remembering some of the best goals so far with a Top 10 list. This was an interesting entry to write because there were so many games, good and bad, and so many goals that could’ve made the list. Seeing how that is the case, I will provide a small Honorable Mention section for those matches that couldn’t quite crack the Top 5. Let’s begin.

#5 Avispa Fukuoka 2/24/2019 Match Day 1

Starting our top 5 is the Home Opener for FC Ryukyu that also happened to be the inaugural match for FC Ryukyu in the J2. It may have been a sign of things to come as far as the type of conditions FC Ryukyu would face in all their home games this season as the weather that day was absolutely brutal. There was intermittent rain that looked like it might hold off for the match but ultimately it ended up raining the entire second half. Despite those conditions, the second largest crowd this season of 7,385 turned up to see how FC Ryukyu would get on in the J2.

New FC Ryukyu manager Higuchi introduced a 4-2-3-1 lineup that featured new joins; Carvajal in goal, Okazaki in defense, Uesato, Kazama and Tanaka in mid-field and the new FC Ryukyu talisman up front, Koji Suzuki. Suzuki got the game/season rolling in the 23^rd minute thanks to a nice play by Nakagawa. His shot, that he seemed to hit as he was falling backwards, was misjudged by Serantes from Avispa and FC Ryukyu were out in front. Fukuoka answered rather quickly from a bullet header by Matsuda as he rose over Nishioka in defense. In the second half, Tanaka drew a foul in the box in the 71^st minute after a nice pass from Nakagawa had him all alone with only the keeper to beat (to think, Nakagawa could’ve had 5 assists in 3 games, what could he have achieved, as well as the club all if he were still here?). Suzuki stepped up and added his second goal of the game for a brace and 2-1 FCR advantage. The last goal from Tomidokoro was a deflection off a Kazama shot and FC Ryukyu would go on to win 3-1. The win would be the beginning of a 4-game win streak, and 6 games unbeaten, that allowed fools like me to chant, “Top, Top, Top of the Table,” at every FCR match. Historic firsts for the club.

#4 Omiya Ardija 3/2/2019 Match Day 2

FC Ryukyu’s first away game was also the first away match I’ve ever attended for FC Ryukyu. The weather conditions were absolutely perfect, it was crisp, but not freezing and coupled with one of the best footballing stadiums in the country, it set a fantastic scene. It was great to meet new FC Ryukyu fans who live on mainland Japan and I was shocked to see how many turned up to see FC Ryukyu play that day.

The boys did not disappoint and they once again started the scoring early with a 16^th minute goal from Keita Tanaka. Omiya turned the ball over in the midfield where Uesato found Nakagawa, who made a nice run right at the central defenders of Omiya. This freed up Tanaka to make an unmarked run down the right. Nakagawa passed it off very nicely to Tanaka who let the ball roll across his body before making a nice strike, low and hard, past the Omiya keeper. Omiya would answer 3 minutes later with a goal by Delgado and the half ended 1-1. However, the real fireworks were about to begin.

Omiya dominated the early opening minutes of the first half, much like they did in the waning minutes of the first. Carvajal made a nice save on a headed shot before FC Ryukyu took the game to a whole new level. Koji Suzuki bagged two goals within two minutes for his second brace in as many matches. FC Ryukyu were out to a 3-1 lead and looking unbeatable. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing from this FC Ryukyu side on the road against an opponent many had tipped to be in the J1 promotion battle. Koji’s first was a result of two nice passes from Tanaka and Nakagawa with his second being a very cheeky nutmeg of the Omiya keeper. Koji celebrated that goal by raising his finger to his lips to insinuate that that the home crowd should quiet down (naughty!).

Just 3 minutes after Koji’s second goal, Uejo added a fourth, his first this season and it was assisted by none other than, Nakagawa. This was an unbelievable time to be a FC Ryukyu fan. This team was making light work of opposing team’s defenses, it looked as if the form that won them the J3 title was intact, albeit with a new group of players, and some of us briefly got ahead of ourselves assuming that the J2 would be a cake walk. It has proven anything but since the Omiya match.

Omiya were not finished on the day as they responded with 2 very late goals of their own. First there was a PK that sent Dany diving in the wrong direction with the second being a nice change of direction across the FC Ryukyu box that stretched our defense. The score was 4-3 with a few more minutes of extra time to play. This is the moment when Dany Carvajal really announced his presence.

It would be cynical to assume he played a bad game based on the score line since Omiya scored 2 nice goals and were awarded a PK. What you won’t see in the DAZN highlights is the last-minute diving save Dany made to keep the score line 4-3 and ensure victory for FC Ryukyu. Imagine if he hadn’t made that save and FC Ryukyu had drawn the game instead of won? We’d be at 26 points with zero road wins at the half way point, very bleak.

All in all, nothing but respect for Omiya and their fans as it was the best stadium I’ve experienced here in Asia.

#3 Zweigen Kanazawa 6/08/2019 Match Day 17

FC Ryukyu were sitting on 29 consecutive games at home without a loss when Zweigen visited Okinawa for this first time since they won the J3 back in 2014. FC Ryukyu were coming off two wins in a row at home over Mito and Niigata and wanted a 3^rd. FC Ryukyu were also dealing with an injury to first team Goal Keeper, Dany Carvajal, who was out with an ankle injury.

The game couldn’t have got off to a worse start for FCR as Kanazawa grabbed the early lead in the 6^th minute off an FC Ryukyu turnover in their own half. Okazaki had a chance at stopping the play but was caught between what he wanted to do to stop the Zweigen attacker. It looked like he couldn’t decide between sliding in for a challenge, or disrupting the players run by dispossessing him. Instead, he ended up tripping over himself and the attacker thus leaving the Zweigen player a free look on net. Tanaka nearly leveled it for FC Ryukyu but his shot was directly at the Zweigen keeper, unlike the one versus Omiya. Ishii ended up making a very fine save near the end of the half from a free kick and without his effort on the play, FC Ryukyu would’ve never been able to get back into the match.

Kanazawa had two more opportunities to put the game out of reach but luckily for FC Ryukyu, the shots were just wide. Finally, in the 69^th minute, Koji Suzuki tied the game with his 11^th goal of the season after an Uesato pass found him wide open at the top of the box. Suzuki calmly slipped past his marker, made the GK go to ground and sent it past him and Kanazawa defenders. The play really began when Zweigen were trying to break out of their own end but pressure by Kawai on the Kanazawa player prevented him from clearing the ball and this allowed Uesato to step up and steal possession.

It was not the prettiest of results but it showed the grit and determination of this team. The windy, wet conditions made for an awful atmosphere and FC Ryukyu were playing at less than 100% strength. However, they pushed through all of that to grab a crucial point at home and push the undefeated streak to 30, where it would ultimately end.

#2 Kashiwa Reysol 4/07/2019 Match Day 8

FC Ryukyu welcomed the newly demoted J1 side, Kashiwa Reysol, to the Tapista on Match Day 8 with a chance at achieving immortality in the form of setting the new J.League Home Undefeated Streak at 26. At this point in the season FC Ryukyu had only suffered one defeat and took points in 7 out of 8 matches. This was going to be a very tough test at home for FCR against an experienced group of Reysol players.

From what I saw leading up to this match, Reysol really liked starting fast and getting out to an early lead. It seemed that if they couldn’t get the early advantage, games would bog down for them and results would be mixed. Well they got their wish in the third minute. The goal came off a set piece where the initial cross was redirected to the opposite side of the FC Ryukyu net where Gabriel was charging and able to deflect the shot past an outstretched Carvajal and rising Suzuki and into the top corner. Reysol didn’t let up and Carvajal was called into action several times in the half but he prevented any further Reysol scoring.

FC Ryukyu began to grow into the match a little by little as Reysol were unable to grab the 2-0 lead. Tanaka had a shot at leveling the game just before half time but Nakamura made a fine save. Tomidokoro’s point-blank within the 6-yard box was unfortunately right at the Reysol Keeper or FCR would’ve leveled. It wasn’t until the 82^nd minute when a Tokumoto cross found a wide open Uejo who smashed home the volley. It left the Reysol keeper stunned as well as the 7,913 fans who showed up. FC Ryukyu continued to hunt for the winner when they very easily could’ve packed it in but they never found the go ahead goal. The match ended 1-1 and FC Ryukyu became new J.League record holders. This was another huge signature performance for FCR.

#1 Mito Hollyhock 05/11/2019 Match Day 13

Mito visited Okinawa as the top team in J2 with quite an impressive defensive record. FC Ryukyu on the other hand were coming off of two defeats in 3 weeks to Kagoshima and FC Gifu and had only scored 4 goals in their previous 5 matches. All it would’ve taken for the streak to end was a Mito goal as the side had not lost all season up to this point and hadn’t conceded more than one goal in any of their 12 prior matches.

Then the unthinkable happened, FC Ryukyu scored the opening goal within the first 10 minutes. Tokumoto picked out an unmarked Koji Suzuki who sent a header, hard and low, that the Mito keeper couldn’t save. Suzuki nearly got on the board again but his toe poke was defected over the bar by the Mito defenders. FC Ryukyu were in complete control of the match but that didn’t really matter as Mito were never a side who chased matches regardless of the score line.

Tokumoto hit the post in the second half and that would’ve really put the game out of reach. Mito never really got things going in this game and that can be attributed to the fine defensive performance by the FC Ryukyu back line. It was another shocking result for FC Ryukyu who seem to really play really well against the top 3 or 4 sides in the J2. The win also pushed the streak to 27 matches without a loss but it was the 3 points at home and their first win in nearly two months that made all the difference for FCR.

Honorable Mentions

1. Montedio Yamagata 3/24/2019 Match Day 5. FC Ryukyu earned a draw on the road versus what looks to be the potential J2 champion. FC Ryukyu remained undefeated on the season and got their longest road trip out of the way early which will pay dividends later on this season.

2. Tokyo Verdy 4/13/2019 Match Day 9. FC Ryukyu pulled off quite a comeback to level the match in the 5^th minute of stoppage time off a Uesato strike. In a game where Carvajal busted his nose stopping an attacking Verdy player, and then saved the PK, was just amazing. Uesato’s strike was so well taken, and so unexpected, it left everyone in shock. It was a great point earned on the road for FCR.

3. Kyoto Sanga 6/15/2019 Match Day 18. Maybe you are noticing a trend with these honorable mentions. They are all the draws FC Ryukyu have earned on the road. FC Ryukyu went behind twice in this match and battled back to draw with goals from Koji Suzuki and Kawai. Kyoto are a strong team and no one gave FC Ryukyu much of a chance in this match as they were a visiting side in poor form. The draw was big because FCR ended up suffering defeats in the following consecutive weeks and really needed the point.

Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu

10 (TIE).

10A. Tanka’s early goal against Omiya: The way he let the ball roll onto him and his low hard strike was great.

10B. Kawai’s game tying goal against Kyoto on the road was a massive goal from a well taken shot.

9. Uesato’s goal against FC Gifu: Top Right corner from the top of the box.Oh!

8. Masutani’s bullet header against Mito: Came from the way back to get into the attack and send a low, hard header to the bottom corner. Watch and enjoy.

7. Koji Suzuki’s diving header against Yamaguchi: Power and Placement.

6. Uejo’s goal on the break versus Nagasaki: Frightening how good this kid could be one day, and how good he is right now.

5. Koji Suzuki going top shelf versus Yokohama FC: The man wanted to blow open the top of the net with that much power in his shot.

4. Tomidokoro’s free kick versus Niigata: Love watching Yu do his thing, go on son.

3. Kazama’s free kick versus Kofu: Gave the GK no chance at saving that one, top drawer.

2. Uesato’s strike on the volley against Tokyo Verdy: Could watch that over and over and over again.

1. Uejo’s strike on the volley against Kashiwa Reysol: Young player putting one past an experienced International capped Goal Keeper. On the volley, into the top corner, none better so far.

I hope you all enjoyed the second installment of the mid-season review. We will conclude tomorrow with a review of the players, the mid-season MVP and the way ahead for FC Ryukyu.

FC Ryukyu Mid Season Review: Part 1

Welcome everyone to the FC Ryukyu mid season review. I will provide a 3-part series for the FC Ryukyu mid-season review beginning today. In Part 1 I will focus briefly on the current state of the team, what changes have occurred at the club from the end of last season until now that have affected attendance numbers and then I will switch gears and review the Top 5 story lines. In Part 2 we will review the Top 5 matches for FC Ryukyu this season as well as the Top 10 goals scored by individual players from FC Ryukyu. Finally, in Part 3 we will conclude the mid-season review with some player reviews, discuss the FC Ryukyu MVPs up to this point and end the series by looking forward into the remaining fixtures for FC Ryukyu. Enjoy!

2019 To Date

FC Ryukyu have now reached the half way point of their inaugural J2 season. They sit 13^th in the table with 28 points and are 11 points clear of the relegation zone. They started the year out very fast winning 4 out of their first 4 matches and then drawing the next two to sit at 14 points. FC Ryukyu’s first loss didn’t occur until a mid-week match up against JEF Chiba on Match Day 7. They responded really well after that loss as they came home to earn a late draw against Kashiwa Reysol thus setting the new Home Undefeated Record for all of the J.Leauge with 26 in a row. FC Ryukyu would ultimately make it to 30 before Kofu ended their undefeated run with a 5-2 defeat.

In my opinion, there are couple of different ways to view the first half of the FC Ryukyu season. You could break it down by quarters or in halves.

If we broke it down by quarters, we see theses type of results: Matches 1-5; 4 wins and 1 draw, matches 6-10; 3 draws and 2 losses, matches 11-15; 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw and finally, matches; 16-21 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses. Right away we see a team that wins in bunches and then goes thru stretches of bad results.

By Halves: Matches 1-10; 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses and, matches 11-21; 3 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. This paints a more ominous picture as the losses really piled up for FC Ryukyu in the second part of the first half of the season.

What has greatly impacted FC Ryukyu’s point total this season is their inability win on the road. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Match Day 2 against Omiya and have suffered defeats to lower sides FC Gifu and Kagoshima. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, the fast start with 4 wins from 4 has produced the nice 11 to 12-point cushion between them and the drop zone area with teams 20-22. The expected point total to avoid relegation is between 42-46 points and FC Ryukyu are about 17 points shy of the sweet spot. This means FC Ryukyu will need at least 5 wins in the second half of the season while mixing in some draws.

A quick glance at the FC Ryukyu stat sheet this season.

2019 Changes

FC Ryukyu have averaged 4,480 fans in their 11 home games to date and those numbers are probably impacted by the poor weather that has befouled FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season. FC Ryukyu have played at least half of their home games this season in wet and windy conditions that makes life very difficult on the FC Ryukyu fan base. As some of you may know, there is only a small covered area on the West of the stadium and it truly doesn’t protect many of the fans against the elements. While all football clubs have to deal with inclement weather from time to time, keep in mind that FC Ryukyu are in the midst of trying to build and established fan base that can generate revenue and ultimately player transfer/salaries. Though FC Ryukyu have greatly improved their attendance totals from last year, ideally this club would like to average upwards of 7,000 fans per game. Realistically, I think 5,000 is the mark that FC Ryukyu could hit with their remaining 10 home games.

So, what has changed for the club and the fan base that has caused an average increase of about 1,000 fans per match this season compared to seasons past? There is no single answer I can come up with and I believe there are several factors involved. Before we get into the details as to why, let’s see the attendance records from FC Ryukyu’s past season in the J3.

*3 fewer home fixtures in 2016 compared to 2015

So, right away we see that FC Ryukyu has slowly been increasing their fan base since their inception in the J.League. FC Ryukyu began their push up the table in 2016 and followed that up by finishing 6^th in 2017. It should be no coincidence that the uptick in attendance coincided with a managerial change that brought a more attacking style of football to Okinawa. Not to mention, more goals. Of course, we’d expected to see the sharpest rise in attendance figures during the championship season but if we are going to draw one conclusion from these numbers, its fans appreciate exciting football on the pitch. Maybe the average fan just wants to see some goals and is not overly concerned with the end result. So now let’s see what has changed this season.

First, the fact the FC Ryukyu won the J3 title last season really helped pull the club out of the shadows and into the light for the Okinawa community. The crowd on hand for the title clinching game is one of the largest in FC Ryukyu history and it really helped put this team on the map. Second, the increased coverage of FC Ryukyu on television, on radio and in print, really increased the visibility of FC Ryukyu and this has almost certainly brought more people to the grounds.

Third, the front office staff for FC Ryukyu has really engaged the community on their website but more importantly, through social media. There is a more concentrated effort by the club to target new fans and expose this team to the local community. While some free attendance events have been hampered by bad weather, it is nice to see the club continually running shuttle buses for both home and away supporters to the stadium. The 3,000 Yen fee is definitely cheaper than a taxi or daiko back to Naha but I’d like to see the club offer discounted tickets for those people utilizing the shuttle since it increases the minimum cost to attend the match up to 4,000 Yen for an adult. The club has done well to offer a free parking and a shuttle from the Awase port area as the parking situation is deplorable, and outside of the control of the club, at the stadium as it is located inside a huge community park. FC Ryukyu also offer a child care program to attract parents who wish to attend but maybe reluctant because they are concerned, they’d spend more time looking after their children than enjoying the match. I believe that based on numerous personal experiences at the Tapista with my kids. The fact that you can find the president of the club, Mr. Mikami, in the A Section of the stadium each week interacting, and more importantly listening to FC Ryukyu fans, means the management and club are really trying to understand their customer and not force feed the fans what they don’t want.

Fourth, I think the fact that FC Ryukyu are playing in the J2 instead of the J3 has resonated with the local community that the club is playing in a more established, more respected, better covered tier of the Japanese Football pyramid. The notion that FC Ryukyu could be playing J1 football in the near future is very real in the minds of people here as the distance between the J1 and J2 is much shorter, both literally and figuratively than between J3 and J1. Fifth, there have been some nice improvements to the match day event. Food and drink vendors have increased, there are food vendors on the opposite side of the stadium and pre-match events are very well received by the local community. Sixth, the traveling fans. There is no doubt that the large numbers of fans from Reysol, Niigata and others have propped up the overall attendance numbers. Remember, Okinawa is a holiday destination for most mainland Japaneses so syncing up your teams match with your holiday plans isn’t a bad idea.

Seventh, the home unbeaten record helped immensely as it gained both local and national attention. It really brought people to the Tapista who may have never attended a match in their life but wanted to be a part of something special. Finally, there is just a different aura surrounding the club. I have witnessed some very sparsely attended matches in FC Ryukyu’s history and even joked that they were counting the players, front office staff and stadium support staff in their overall attendance numbers so as not to come across as team that no one bothers to watch. But all of that is in the past. Match day events are better planned, better presented and better executed. There is a much different atmosphere inside the stadium of seasons past and I am just having a hard time describing it in detail. You just have to be here to feel it I guess.

The club has been steadily improving its numbers every season and this is encouraging. The club cannot expect an average of 7,000 fans per match every week as it looks like it will take them about 2-3 more season to hit that number based on the statistical trends in the table above. It takes time to build a fan base and not everyone here in Okinawa is able to attend all the matches on a regular basis. Let’s assume that the club has set their operating budget based on average attendance rates of 3,000 per match. If that is the case, then the 4,200 fans they currently averaging each match means they will have some ability to make subtle changes within the club this season and that is very important to their overall success.

There are 10 home games remaining for FC Ryukyu against some serious opponents. Yamagata, Kyoto and Nagasaki to name a few so FC Ryukyu will need all the fan support they can garner to navigate these tough fixtures at home at such a crucial part of the season. I hope the weather for these matches improves as it is understandable that no one wants to bring themselves, let alone their family to watch a football match in rainy, windy conditions (despite the prevailing trend of poncho fashion). I’d like to see FC Ryukyu hit the 5,000-average mark by seasons end but that will take a concerted effort from the players performing each week, the management executing an affordable and targeted marketing campaign and with those of us at the grass roots level spreading the word about FC Ryukyu however we can.

Top 5 Storylines of the 2019 Season So Far

#5. The Transfer of Kazaki Nakagawa to Yokohama F. Marinos after Match Day 3.

One polarizing story emerging from the early part of this season was the transfer of Nakagawa to the J1 side, Yokohama F Marinos. Nakagawa had featured for FC Ryukyu since 2017 when he joined Ryukyu from Betis San Isidro in the 4^th tier of Spanish Football. Nakagawa’s breakout season occurred in 2018 when he netted 16 times while adding 16 assists. Nakagawa started the 2019 J2 season on fire by contributing 4 assists and it was the main reason FC Ryukyu looked like world-beaters so early on in the season. FC Ryukyu scored 9 goals in their first 3 games with Nakagawa and then it took them another 9 weeks to match that scoring total.

FC Ryukyu have really struggled to fill the void left by the Nakagawa departure and continue to tinker the lineup by inserting Uejo, Kazama and Ochi in his vacated spot. They have yet to find the right combination or get back to their free scoring ways they enjoyed early on. Keep in mind, FC Ryukyu had failed to score more than 2 goals in match since Nakagawa’s departure, until this past weekend, and this is a team designed for the attack. It was always going to be hard to replace a player of Nakagawa’s quality so it will be interesting to see if FC Ryukyu can pull off a loan with Yokohama in order to reacquire the temporary services of such an iconic FC Ryukyu player.

#4 FC Ryukyu’s Away Record this Season

FC Ryukyu started out the season brilliantly on the road by earning a massive 4-3 victory over Omiya and then followed that performance up with a draw against top side Yamagata. You may be thinking I am about to tell you how great this side has been on the road but it is quite the opposite. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Omiya and have been outscored 12 to 17 in those games. There are some instances of bad luck, when they lost Carvajal to injury during the Yokohama match in which they were winning, but for the most part the team has really failed to fire on the road. They salvaged some nice draws at Tokyo Verdy and Kyoto with late goals by Uesato and Kawai but otherwise have failed to get over the line with a win.

It will not get any easier for FC Ryukyu with trips to Kashiwa, Kofu and Mito ahead of them, but ideally, we’d like to see this side grab 2 more road wins this season. Considering FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points on the road in the first half, 2 wins and 3 draws in their remaining 11 road wins should be more than enough to ensure relative safety.

#3 Emerging Talents

There are some very talented players coming into their own this season. Specifically, the emergence of Uejo, Kawai, Tokumoto and Koizumi. Uejo has scored some huge goals for the club this season and has all the makings of a great attacking mid-fielder. Kawai has been putting on a display the past few matches with his speed and ability to generate goal scoring opportunities. Tokumoto can produce some great crosses from the FB position and it is no surprise that larger clubs are looking to acquire his services this transfer window. Koizumi has only featured in 6 matches but has flashed some talented play and movement. All these players are under-25 years old and they look to be the future for FC Ryukyu. Maybe by the end of the season we will see all 3 midfielders in the starting lineup with Kawai and Uejo out wide and Koizumi playing the CAM role. In any case, this a group of talented young players that FC Ryukyu needs to hold onto for the next few seasons.

#2 New Players

There is no doubt that the signings FC Ryukyu made this offseason have paid off. First, FC Ryukyu lost GK Park – and eventually Nakagawa – to Yokohoma F Marinos and we lost Togashi to FC Gifu. It was never going to be easy to replace 32 goals but Koji Suzuki seems to want to make up that number all by himself. He currently sits on 14 and I wrote very early on after one of his braces that he may hit 26 for the season. Well he is more than halfway there and has been a phenomenal signing for the club. Dany Carvajal also joined the club in the offseason and has become one of the best GKs in all of J2. Dany’s play at the back has been nothing short of spectacular and has contributed to many favorable outcomes for FC Ryukyu. His performance late against Omiya to earn a victory, his PK save against Verdy after a bloody nose is the stuff of legends and his ability to keep FC Ryukyu in matches with timely saves has been great to watch.

Uesato has been a good central holding mid-fielder, team captain and contributed two beautiful goals. Ochi has chipped in 2 goals in 3 games that he has started while Kawai has become a starter with enormous potential. Kazama has also provided some electric moments with his free kicks and corners. All in all, these were really good signings by the club this offseason.

#1 The Home Undefeated Record

The number one storyline for the 2019 season so far was the 30-game home undefeated record for FC Ryukyu. The home unbeaten streak lasted 643 days dating back to September 30^th 2017. Some may argue that a majority of those games were against lesser opponents in a lower league. While that is a valid point, it also should be noted that FC Ryukyu could only play the opponents in front of them and that 9 of those 30, almost 1/3, occurred in the J2. Nobody, including me, knew what to expect from this team at the start of the season. If we look at the 9 unbeaten games this season, we see a nice mix of dramatic finishes, dominating performances and a bit of luck. FC Ryukyu took Reysol’s best shot and earned a draw, they beat the league leaders at the time in Mito at home and they pulled off a last-minute draw against Yamaguchi that would’ve ended the record before they could break the previous one. The fact remains that they are now holders of a very prestigious record for the J.League and no one can take that away from this club or its supporters.

Well that is it for Part 1 of the mid-season review. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far and up next is Part 2 where we will discuss the Top 5 Matches and Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu this season. See you tomorrow.

“Lucky #7” Match Day 21 Report: FC Ryukyu 3-0 Tochigi SC

FC Ryukyu ended the first half of the season on a high note with a resounding 3-0 victory over Tochigi SC last night at the Tapista. FC Ryukyu controlled much of the game and Tochigi had no answer for the FC Ryukyu attack last night. The victory puts FC Ryukyu on 28 points at the halfway mark and depending on the outcome of the remaining J2 fixtures this week, they will be either 12^th or 13^th in the table. Not bad for a newly promoted side.

FC Ryukyu began asserting themselves very early in the match and achieved the breakthrough in the 19^th minute when Yu Tomidokoro sent a through ball to Koji Suzuki who then put one past the Tochigi GK for his league leading 14^th goal. Kazama also deserves some credit for this play as it was his initial pass that found Yu, who then was able to find Koji streaking through the middle of the Tochigi defense. FC Ryukyu really never let up the remainder of the first half as they were constantly bombarding the Tochigi defense and winning some nice FKs and CKs. In the 40^th minute Koji Suzukui’s hold up play near the top of the box allowed Kawaii to gain the positional advantage on the defenders and Suzuki was able to find the wide open Kawaii with a nice pass in heavy traffic. Kawaii was able to round the Tochigi defenders and pick out Nishioka in front of the net who deflected it into the back of the goal for 2-0 FC Ryukyu lead. As I had mentioned before, 2 goals would be enough to get past Tochigi as this is a side that doesn’t score that many goals and scores even less on the road.

FC Ryukyu ended the first half with 54% possession and a 9/3 advantage in the shot department. Tochigi never really threatened the FC Ryukyu net and none of their shots in the first half were on target. If you were able to watch the full match on DAZN you would see that FC Ryukyu were not holding a high defensive line as they’ve done in the past and the FC Ryukyu attack was more evenly distributed down either side whereas in the past a lot of the attack came from the right side. Tochigi’s player tracking was shocking in that it seemed all their players were in line, spread evenly across the halfway line. I’ve never seen something like that before.

FC Ryukyu came out quickly in the second half and a Yu Tomidokoro free kick was just slightly ahead of the charging FC Ryukyu attackers or else we would’ve been ahead 3-0 at this point. Starting in the 60^th minute Tochigi made a better push on the FC Ryukyu net. Their best chance came in the 65^th minute when a cross narrowly missed the extended foot of Hamashita and had he connected, they would’ve surely scored. After about 10 minutes of action by Tochigi, FC Ryukyu took the game back over and saw Ochi bag is second goal of the season on a nice chipped cross from Koji Suzuki. FC Ryukyu were up 3-0 and there was not much more action to report on for the rest of the match.

Review of the FC Ryukyu keys to Victory

1. Dominate the Possession Battle: PASS. Though the match ended with an even 50/50 possession split for both sides, FC Ryukyu created the better chances with their possession. FC Ryukyu had 14 shots, 10 on target and 3 goals compared to Tochigi’s stat line of 7/3/0.

2. Cap off Drives with Goals: PASS, with flying colors. 3 goals all from open play. Well done boys.

3. Crowd the Tochigi Goal on all Set Pieces. Pass. They did but they were rewarded by this tactic from the two deflections by Nishioka and Ochi. FC Ryukyu didn’t score from any set pieces yesterday but there were two narrow misses from both Yu and Uesato. There was plenty of confusion on the part of the Tochigi defenders yesterday with FC Ryukyu getting in front of goal often unmarked.

4. Play Sound Football. PASS. Of course, it’s very hard to find fault with a side that just won in convincing fashion at home. Turnovers were down dramatically, defending in and round the box was very good and the FC Ryukyu passing in the attack was spot on.

Man of the Match

Koji scored his 14^th goal of the season and added 2 assists on the FC Ryukyu goals (depends on how they are scored but I give an assist starting with two passes back from the score). The man put in a serious shift yesterday. First, his goal was superbly taken and really relaxed the FC Ryukyu squad as a whole. Second, his hold up play generated so many FC Ryukyu attacks and directly led to the Nishioka goal in the first half. Third, he was generating free kicks in dangerous areas for FC Ryukyu by winning the positional battle over the Tochigi defenders who ended up fouling him instead of letting him through on net. Finally, his passing was lethal. He should be credited with 2 assists yesterday as his first assist found a streaking Kawaii who eventually found Nishioka and his second was a deft little chip that Ochi was able to turn into the back of the net.

Honorable Mention: The FC Ryukyu back line. I have been a staunch critic of their performances at times this season but they played really well as a whole defensive unit last night. They were reinforcing each other all around the box and broke up several Tochigi passes in the box. Their performance, along with Dany’s, allowed FC Ryukyu to earn their 3^rd shutout of the season, but most importantly, it has propelled FC Ryukyu’s goal differential back into the positive which now sits at +2.

Match Day 21 Takeaways

1. FC Ryukyu really needed a performance like this after suffering 3 defeats in a row. As I said in the match day preview, this was going to be a “slump busting” match for one of these two sides and I am glad it was FC Ryukyu who were able to break out of their funk. They played sound, fundamental football and were rewarded with their first win in 5 weeks. Tochigi were definitely a lesser opponent compared to Kyoto, Kofu and Nagasaki but it is crucial for FC Ryukyu to beat these teams and take maximum points.

2. Kawaii has rightfully earned his spot in the starting 11. Kawaii’s speed pulls apart the oppositions defense and creates running lanes and shooting lanes for the FC Ryukyu attack. I am very excited that he is in the lineup because speed, like height, is one of those things you cannot teach/coach. Players either have it or they don’t and Kawaii definitely has speed.

3. Fukui and Nishioka played great in the defense but their crosses/passes into the box were off yesterday. Just one of those games I suppose so just keep sending them into the box and they’ll eventually find an open FC Ryukyu player.

4. Uejo cannot crack the starting 11, but he may, beginning with next week. Ochi had a large ice bag on the inside of his left knee but he wasn’t walking with any noticeable limp after the match. I think the FC Ryukyu attack will really come into its own if we can get Uejo and Kawaii in the starting 11 at the same time. Their speed, passing and Uejo’s finishing will really trouble opposing defenses and I hope Higuchi employs them next week versus Okayama.

5. Ochi played in his 200^th game last night if I am to believe DAZN. What a nice little achievement that may have gone unnoticed. He started, and usually they hand out some flowers and bring the guys family onto the pitch before the match. Did I miss that yesterday?

6. Tochigi SC may make a managerial change soon, much like the teams around them at the bottom have done this season. They are not generating anything in attack and conceding a lot of goals.

Conclusion

Job done, ended the halfway point with 28 points and a nice lucky stat line of 7 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses. No time to rest though as a tough Okayama side travels to Okinawa this week and if you all recall, they handed us a 1-0 defeat a couple of months back so its high time for a little payback.

“No Time for Monkey Business” Match Day 21 Preview: FC Ryukyu vs Tochigi SC

Weather Forecast: Another match at home in which it will be raining. This is the 4^th match in a row in which FC Ryukyu will be playing in wet conditions. It looks to be around 80 degrees for most of the match with an 70% chance of rain. Assemble the Poncho Army once more!

Introduction

FC Ryukyu enter Match Day 21 having suffered 2 defeats in a row, 3 if you count the Emperor’s cup. Tochigi were entering this match winless over the past 2 months but they were able to pull off a victory against Yamagata during the Emperor’s Cup mid-week. Both sides will want to leave this match with maximum points so this maybe a very cagey match with both sides wanting to to get out in front early. Keep in mind, Tochigi need the 3 points to start pushing themselves clear of the bottom whereas FC Ryukyu want to keep a nice 11-12-point buffer between them and the “drop zone.”

Tochigi SC

Tochigi SC are struggling side who do not create many opportunities that can generate a lot of goals. They have only scored 3 times during the past 5 matches and were shut out in 3 of them. No single player really jumped off the screen during the preview so I had a hard time determining who the play makers are in the Tochigi squad.

Tochigi’s last match against Ehime saw them concede two late goals, within the last 5 minutes of the game, in what was one of those “6-point” matches that are so crucial to teams at the bottom of the table. In that match, they were able to convert one PK for a goal at the end of the first half but failed to convert the second PK at the 73 minute mark which could of drastically changed the trajectory for the match. They then had a near miss a couple of minutes later only too see them concede two headed goals by Ehime. In each instance there seemed to be a lot of ball watching but little man marking in the box by the Tochigi defense.

Bottom line, Tochigi are a side that struggle to produce in the attack and can be broken down at the back by better attacking sides. They, much like FC Ryukyu, have not had a lot breaks go their way this season and FC Ryukyu could’ve been in the same situation Tochigi currently find themselves in if things hadn’t broken our way in some key matches.

Players to Watch

#9 FW Masashi Oguro. Tochigi’s top goal scorer this season with 5 goals and 2 assists. Oguro is returning from injury, possibly slowly, so he may only feature as a substitute this week. Hopefully that is the case as Tochigi are a different side when Oguro is in the lineup. All 3 of Tochigi’s wins came when Ogura played and during his absence, Tochigi tied 3 times while losing 4. They were only able to score 4 goals in his absence (6 matches).

#10 MF Kazuki Nishiya. Has tallied 4 goals and 1 assist for Tochigi. May possess some speed that could trouble the Ryukyu defenders but hard to tell from limited game film. Plays LM/LFWD behind the striker in Tochigi’s formation.

#37 MF Akira Hamashita. Leads Tochigi in assists with 3. Plays down the right side behind the striker.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu are at a crossroads for their season. They are coming off of two heavy defeats that saw the side concede 8 goals. The strange part is they conceded all 8 of these goals in a row before adding 2 of their own at the end of the Nagasaki match. They’ve steadily increased their goal tally each of the past 3 matches but that has come at the cost of conceding 10 goals during the past 3 matches that saw their goal differential dropping into the negative for the first time all year. FC Ryukyu will need a combination of points and goal difference to ensure safety this year and that cannot be understated.

I worry that FC Ryukyu committed too many of the starters to the mid-week Emperor’s Cup matchup where Tochigi only started their FWD #19 Oshima. This signals to me that Ogura is probably match fit and ready to take back his starting position up front. I am concerned over the mid-week matchup lineup selection because FC Ryukyu will need to control a lot of the possession in this game and that could be difficult on tired legs. I have my own views on the Emperor’s Cup but I am glad that FC Ryukyu are out of that tournament and able to focus solely on the remainder of the J2 season.

Whether FC Ryukyu are dealing with a bevy of injures to reserve players or some players are just struggling for form, nothing indicates to me that FC Ryukyu have a lot of depth to this squad. It is strange where some players feature, flash a bit of quality, and then disappear for long stretches of time without any word as to why. Perfect examples are the disappearance of Uehara after the Yokohama match early last month and now the reemergence of Koizumi in the Emperor’s Cup lineup when he’s been off the substitute list for so long. I am not sure if Higuchi is preferring to stay with the players he knows and trusts, and that means shuffling the lineup with only the 13-14 players we’ve seen all season, or there is something going on in the FC Ryukyu squad that we are not privy too.

FC Ryukyu should view this as a must win, winnable match at home against a struggling Tochigi side that is looking to claw their way out of the bottom. The fact is, 2 goals by FC Ryukyu could be the difference on the day as the visitor’s do not score that many goals, the question remains, can we get there without conceding 2 of our own?

Injuries

FC Ryukyu: #5FB Tokumoto. Tokumoto has picked up a new injury to his MCL during his recovery from an ankle injury last month. The new MCL injury will sideline Tokumoto for an additional 3-4 weeks but doesn’t seem to be as serious as the MCL injury that Nishioka may have been dealing with earlier in the season that saw him miss upwards of 8 weeks.

Tochigi SC: #20 MF Yudai Iwama. He looked as if he was a regular starter for Tochigi this season before he tore his ACL which will see him miss the rest of the season.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Dominate the possession battle. Tochigi has alternated between a 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 formation for the last few weeks and neither has really produced the “spark” the manager was aiming for. They have conceded 8 times over the span of 5 weeks and only scored 3 goals. FC Ryukyu need to control the pace of this match with large amounts of possession to further reduce the already few attempts Tochigi produces each match.

2. Cap off drives with goals. Ryukyu are averaging better than 50% possession over their past few matches but all that possession hasn’t led to a massive increase in goals. Ryukyu have scored 6 goals over the past 3 matches but always run the risk of conceding when they commit so much of their defense into the attack. FC Ryukyu can put this game out of reach very quickly with 2 first half goals.

3. Crowd the front of the Tochigi goal on all set pieces. Tochigi have let in a few “cheap goals” in the past few matches and it could be contributed to the large amounts of traffic, and probably confusion, in front of the Tochigi Goal Keeper. Whether this stems from poor communication among the Tochigi defenders, the constant switching of the defensive back line formations, defenders being timid or just bad luck it really doesn’t matter as it is a weakness that should be exploited by FC Ryukyu.

4. Play sound football. This means crisp, accurate passes to unlock the Tochigi defense, reducing wasteful turnovers while in possession and stopping the goal scoring tear our opponents have been on as of late. This last key could be the overall keys to every match but are things that FC Ryukyu need to execute in order to see out tough matches and earn 3 points.

Match Prediction

FC Ryukyu average 1.70 goals scored and 1.30 goals conceded at home whereas Tochigi average a paltry .60 goals scored on the road while conceding an average of 1.00 goals. FC Ryukyu over Tochigi 2-1.

Conclusion.

The match this weekend should not be considered an “easy win” for FC Ryukyu despite the standings in the table and the recent performance of Tochigi. I believe these two sides are more similar than the standings indicate (refer to the side by side comparison table above). FC Ryukyu have struggled mightily against teams at the bottom of the table and maybe thats because FC Ryukyu cannot deal with the zero sum approach many lower sides adopt. FC Ryukyu have lost to JEF Chiba, F.C. Gifu and Kagoshima when they were at or very near the bottom of the table and have only drawn against Renofa when they were near the bottom of the table earlier this year.

Tochigi, much like FC Ryukyu, have some signature wins and performances against much stronger sides like Reysol, Kofu and Omiya. They have been unlucky at times and still haven’t won inside the J2 in about 2 months so they too are targeting this match for 3 points against a struggling FC Ryukyu side.

This will be a “slump busting” game for one of these two sides come the weekends end. FC Ryukyu are looking to respond by bouncing back from 2 prior losses in a row while Tochigi will want to break their 2 month winless streak and possibly keep pace with the bottom 4 teams if results go a certain way tomorrow. I hope FC Ryukyu take it to Tochigi SC early and grab a resounding win so as to slowly climb back up the table and out of danger, but you never know what to expect with this side so all we can do is get out there and support them.

“The Weary Travelers”Match Day 20 Report: V.Varen Nagasaki 3-2 FC Ryukyu 6/29/2019

FC Ryukyu nearly battled back for a draw this past Saturday at Nagasaki but their failure to at least earn a point has seen Ryukyu drop out of the top 11 for the first time all season. The loss also means that Ryukyu’s winless run on the road has now been extended to 9 matches in a row. Ryukyu are really making life difficult for themselves in the J2 with these road results as it is putting massive amounts of pressure on the team to take maximum points at home each week. Ryukyu will now enter a month with 6 fixtures spread across 2 competitions with an absolute “must win” match at home next week versus Tochigi.

The Match

Instead of breaking down each half as I normally would, I will instead focus on the match as a whole. FC Ryukyu controlled a majority of the possession throughout the game and ended the match with a total of 58%. Ryukyu dominated play for the first 25 minutes but the same wayward passing that led to turnovers against Kofu followed the team to Nagasaki. Kawai’s shot in the 21^st minute nearly put Ryukyu up 1-0 but a costly turnover by Ryukyu led to a counter/corner kick for Nagasakai that saw a breakdown in communication and assignments by the Ryukyu defense on the rebound and allowed Nagasaki to take the early 1-0 lead. Ryukyu almost allowed the visitors to add to their lead in the 40^th minute from a set piece but a fine piece of goal keeping by Carvajal sent the shot wide. At the end of the half Ryukyu had controlled the ball 61% of the time with 6 total shots but no goals to show for their efforts.

Nagasaki nearly doubled their lead straight away in the second half but Ryukyu would once again assert their dominance in the early possession battle. Ryukyu sent some decent crosses into the 6-yard box but all of them either nearly missed or went unanswered. Nagasaki then pounced on a Ryukyu turnover where Masutani was unlucky with his first touch, after a long ball pass from Nagasaki, that allowed the attacking Nagasaki player a ton of space down the left side. The Nagasaki player passed it off to a wide-open player across the top of the box whose shot deflected off of a diving Danny and into the net for a 2-0 lead. Nagasaki piled on further punishment 4 minutes later off yet another Ryukyu turnover as Nishioka failed to track the run of the Nagasaki player wide of him and allowed him a free run on net. Nagasaki scored on a play eerily reminiscent of the one against Kofu where Ishii came way off his line to cut down the angle only this time it was Danny coming out to stop the onrushing attacker. Nagasaki was up 3-0 with little more than 20 minutes of the match remaining.

FC Ryukyu were able to score two very nice goals near the end. One from Koji Suzuki and another from Uejo, our 2 leading goal scorers on the year but the early 3-0 lead proved too much to overcome for Ryukyu. Final Score Nagasaki 3-2 over Ryukyu.

Review of the FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Apply pressure from all angles to #33 Goya of Nagasaki. PASS. Ryukyu did a great job of limiting the best player for Nagasaki on the day. Goya had a couple of chances early but was largely invisible, outside of his foul that went uncalled, and Ryukyu did a good job handling this good player.

2. Do not over commit to the attack and leave our defenders exposed. PASS. It was not the commitment to the attack that did Ryukyu in, rather, see point #3.

3. Cut-down the turnovers and wayward passing. FAIL. Ryukyu committed no less than 15 turnovers of which 2 led directly to Nagasaki goals. They need to clean this up moving forward in order to capitalize on all the possession Ryukyu enjoy as well as earn some victories on the road.

4. Execute the counter attack to perfection. NO GRADE. Ryukyu enjoyed so much of the possession that rarely were they needing to sprint into a counter attack mode. With what little opportunities they did have, the possession usually ended in a corner kick but no goals came from the counter so its hard to give a failing or passing grade here.

Match Day Prediction

2-2: I was off by one goal and Ryukyu had plenty of early opportunities that could’ve made this a 3-3 score line.

Man of the Match

Wada came on in the 79th minute and provided a nice spark to the attack. It could be argued that Nagasaki were on cruise control at this point as they were up 3 goals with less than 10 minutes to go before Ryukyu netted their first goal but nonetheless, Wada put in a nice shift and was rewarded with 2 assists on the day. Koji Suzuki gets an honorable mention because his hold up play was superb and his league leading goal was great.

Match Day 20 Takeaways

1. As stated throughout this week’s entry, Ryukyu need to tighten up their passing. It is not that the passes Ryukyu are attempting could be considered “low percentage passes,” rather, they are missing our runners and setting opponents free into the counter.

2. Ryukyu needs to start beating teams around and below them in the table on the road. I have not reviewed all the J2 teams’ records on the road but I am sure Ryukyu owns one of the worst away records this season. Ryukyu will have a handful of remaining games against beatable opponents on the road this year and it is vital to this team’s success to earn maximum points against those teams. We are nearly at the halfway point of the season and Ryukyu will have to travel to 3 of the top 6 sides venues in the second half of the season.

3. Nishioka should’ve been subbed at halftime. Nishioka could’ve easily suffered a concussion on the collision he took in the 35^th minute and had noticeable swelling near his left eye for the reminder of the match. The injury seemed to shake his confidence when making challenges in the air and may have played a factor in the 3^rd and final goal for Nagasaki as he was unaware of the presence of the opposing player. It would be overly critical of me to judge a players performance in the second half after sustaining that injury so this is where I will leave this point.

4. It maybe time for some drastic lineup changes. I don’t think Ochi performed terribly at CAM but Uejo really looks up for it these days. Ryukyu attacked so much from the right side with Yu and Nishiokoa but their 2 goals came from the left. We will see how Higuchi reacts during the emperor’s cup with his lineup selection and that should tell us who is likely to feature this upcoming weekend.

5. FC Ryukyu have now surrendered 10 goals in the past 3 matches. They have scored 6 during that span and that usually may have been enough to earn a win or at the very least a draw. The defense is ceding goals at the rapid rate and they need to stop the bleeding soon.

Looking Ahead

Ryukyu now must travel on a shortened week to play an Emperor’s Cup match in Yamaguchi. They will then return home to face a struggling Tochigi squad who just lost to Ehime. This weekend’s fixture is a must win for both sides and Ryukyu are desperate to keep the 8-point buffer between them and the drop zone.