“Thus Endeth the Preseason” Final FC Ryukyu Preview of 2020 #FC琉球

The 2020 preseason has come to a close for FC Ryukyu and with that, there are plenty of observations and questions still surrounding this club leading into the regular season. let’s take a quick glimpse at each of those and then prepare for JEF Chiba United next Sunday.

Overall Pre-Season Record 3W3L0D

(L) Gamba Osaka                             1-9 L

(L) Omiya Ardija                              0-1 L

Tokyo Verdy                              3-0 W

Consadole Sapporo                  7-3 W

(L) Urawa Reds                                 1-4 L

Kaiho Bank                                15-1 W

Score Sheet: (2) Abe, Uehara & Shunsuke Mogi (1) Koya Kazama, Shinji Ono & Hitomi.

*No score sheet provided for Kaiho Bank nor amount of multiple goals in a single match for any one player.

Player Injuries

Dany Carvajal: Ankle Surgery, 8-12-week recovery time beginning in December. Dany is probably 2/3 of the way through his recovery/rehab and is not walking with any noticeable limp or restrictions. Expect him back by April 1.

Yuya Torikai: Dislocated Tendon Surgery for his Ankle, 3-month recovery starting in October of 2019. Torikai has shed the support tape around the ankle/calf but I have no idea if he is at match fitness level yet. Saw him the other day and similar to Dany, no limp and looks eager to return.

Ryohei Okazaki: Foot Fracture, 5-week recovery. Could return as early as March 9.

Club Announcements

1. FC Ryukyu will have their own beach soccer team and the first practice is on March 8^th. http://fcryukyu-bs.com.

2. FC Ryukyu re-signed Ramon and then sent him out on loan to Gainare Tottori. He promptly scored in one of the preseason matches.

3. Uesato was named team captain again for the 2020 season.

4. FC Ryukyu signed Yuhei Abe to a technical staff position. This signing may go under the radar but could be of vital importance for the club. I am not sure what he will study, or how his data analysis will impact Higuchi’s game plan each week, but it is an encouraging sign from the club.

Large, Looming Questions ahead of the First Match Day

1. Who will be the FC Ryukyu starting GK for Match Day 1? One has to feel that Junto Taguchi has the upper hand in that regard but has Inose or Masuda done enough to assert themselves this off-season? It is vitally important that FC Ryukyu get Dany back to full health and match fit quickly as they are a different side when he is in there and at 100%. The first 11 weeks are a brutal slate of games for FC Ryukyu and we need our top players out there each week.

2. Who fills in for Okazaki at CB while he is out injured? According to the roster, and Higuchi’s preference from 2019, that would be Ryoji Fukui. However, I wouldn’t count out Daisei Suzuki from what I saw of that player in the pre-season. Suzuki has a loud booming voice that easily organizes a back line and could prove a shrewd signing if he out produces Okazaki this year.

3. The Lineup crisis. Many questions here. First, who starts at FWD (Abe or Uehara) and can either play a full 90’? Second, do we have a true #10 behind either Abe or Uehara? I have zero idea who will be out there in one week’s time and for all I know, it could be someone totally unexpected. Finally, how does Higuchi get all the talented midfielders on this roster into the lineup, and keep them happy? Bursting at the seems with MF talent it would be wise to play those players that have the “hot hand” vice sticking to a lineup with the hopes that a player returns to form.

4. The Shinji Ono paradox. Simply put, attendance numbers versus results. Can Shinji play a full 90? If Higuchi decides to play Shinji, coupled with the fact that both our strikers are over 30 years old, has Higuchi limited his substitution options every game down to just 1? Let me explain, if Shinji enters/exits for Koki Kazama, that is 1 substitution. If Higuchi intends on subbing Uehara or Abe for each other at some point, that is sub number 2. Therefore, FC Ryukyu have only 1 available sub every match. This becomes predictable for our opponents and means we tread a very fine line for not picking up a red card or injury at any point. Granted, FC Ryukyu had zero red cards in 2019 but you certainly cannot bank on that in 2020. Lineup selection and reserve/substitution selection will be very interesting to begin the season.

5. Have FC Ryukyu solved the defensive woes that led to the most goals conceded in J2 during 2019? I have no idea and the fact that we’ll have a new CB partnership, plus GK, provides glimmers of hope with bouts of trepidation. FC Ryukyu cannot live on the razors edge as they did last year. The bleeding at the back has to stop.

6. Where will the goals come from in 2020? FC Ryukyu have sold their top goal scorers in each of the last 2 seasons. Yuta Togashi, Nakagawa, Koji and Uejo are all gone. That is absolutely ridiculous while being completely understandable for a club with limited resources. So then, who steps up? I think if FC Ryukyu can get 14 goals from Abe in 2020, coupled with some Mid-Fielders chipping in a bunch, we could be alright. We will need Uehara, Kawai, Tanaka, Koya and Motegi to be around the 4-5 goal mark each. We will also need about 5-7 goals from our defenders. Then the big ask will be to reduce the amount of goals we concede. Our opposition certainly has the advantage early as we without our starting CB and GK to begin the campaign.

Conclusion

So nothing unexpected here, many questions and many uncertainties surrounding FC Ryukyu. 2020 maybe a season where the goal is just building the fan base an increasing the operating budget for 2021. Not as glamorous as making it to J1 but football, most of the time, is a marathon not a sprint. We are building something special here in Okinawa and that journey continues in one weeks time.