Intro
I apologize for the lengthy delay in getting the match day report out for this past week but I’ve been preoccupied with my favorite past time, fantasy football, as it is the height of American Fantasy Football Draft season. With that in mind, I’ll offer the following observations from the 3-1 defeat that FC Ryukyu suffered this past weekend to Yokohama FC.
The Good
12,000 people showed up to see the debut of Shinji Ono, and possibly Ramon, this past Saturday. It was the single largest crowd to ever attend an FC Ryukyu match. It is unfortunate that atop the list of the most attended matches in the club’s history will sit a 3-1 defeat.
The crowd was really into the match and it was truly great scenes surrounding the stadium as well as inside the grounds.
Uejo is starting to score with a regularity as he notched his second goal in as many games. His development throughout this season has been a remarkable thing to watch. I hope you all get to enjoy him over the remaining 6 home games as he is likely to leave this winter. It would not be a surprise to see Uejo on a J1 club next year but his current trajectory could likely take him out of Asia completely and put him somewhere in the lower tiers (though still higher than the J.League) of Europe.
The Bad
FC Ryukyu were ripped apart during a set piece for the first goal. Yokohama’s short corner pulled the defenders out of position and opened a shooting lane that Saito exploited by placing a well-aimed shot just inside the post. There was nothing that Dany could’ve done to save that shot.
Yokohama’s 3rd goal was another master strike but only because the FC Ryukyu defenders allowed all sorts of time and space to Nakayama who sent it high into the top right corner.
Tomidokoro had an opportunity early in the second half but took an extra touch that allowed a defender to get into the way of Yu’s shot. Last year I think Yu would’ve let that rip from his initial starting point but instead a little lack of confidence saw him take an extra touch which ultimately closed the shooting lane.
The Ugly
The club was not prepared to handle that large of a crowd on Saturday night. It is not as if they had no prior indications and warnings that a larger than normal crowd was sure to attend. Long lines to enter the stadium is one thing, but 30-40-minute waits for food and beverages as well as empty vending machines is not the right way to sell the club to someone on their first ever experience at the stadium.
The defense. This is a real issue for FC Ryukyu as they’ve conceded the most goals in J2 and didn’t address the defense during the transfer window. The coaching decision to force fullbacks into attack and hold high lines means FC Ryukyu are extremely vulnerable to counter attacks and attacks that start with cheap giveaways. Okazaki’s turnover from a bad touch required just one pass from Yokohama to rip open the defense and concede the second goal of the night.
Conclusion
I hope that the club can pull in between 6-8,000 people for the remaining 6 matches as this will certainly help them financially in the long run. In the interim, they’d do well to scratch and claw a result away to Vortis this weekend and then return for 2 “must-win” games in a row against FC Gifu and Kagoshima.
ryukyuarmy.com 