I wasn’t quite sure how to start this entry as it has been well over 120 days since the opening match for FC Ryukyu and I have seriously procrastinated on writing the Match Day 1 report. Partly because I wanted to see how things played out for the 2020 season and partly because I wanted to have something to write about on my blog in the event that everything dried up and the season was cancelled.
Well, it is time to get moving again as the season is set to resume in less than a week and the fixtures will come thick and fast for FC Ryukyu. If you would like to see what the 2020 schedule looks like, I wrote a piece on the newly revamped schedule earlier so please go check that out for all the new fixture dates and kickoff times for FC Ryukyu.
But in the meantime, sit back and enjoy the first Match Day Report of the 2020 season (120 days in the making so it better be good!)
Match Recap
Leading up to the opening match of 2020, many wondered if FC Ryukyu had addressed their defensive woes from 2019 as well as found suitable replacements for the strike duo of Koji Suzuki and Satoki Uejo. Having to strengthen at the back as well as at the front is not a great recipe for success but FC Ryukyu were the side that surrendered the most goals in J2 (81) last season and needed to replace the 29 goals vacated by Suzuki and Uejo’s departures.
Well, it took exactly 40 seconds to figure out the answer to the first question after JEF opened the scoring when Koki Yonekura split our defenders and pushed a header past Taguchi who was starting in place of the injured Dany Carvajal. That would be the only goal of the game which was a bit disappointing from a FC Ryukyu supporter perspective as it leaves us searching for the answer to the second question.
FC Ryukyu had the majority of possession this game and the best chance to score after the opening goal, yet failed to equalize. Ren Ikeda came close to leveling the match with a header that was just inches wide; Kawai created several chances with his speed and looked really good while both Tavares and Koki Kazama came close to scoring. The most frustrating part was when Kawai was taken down in the 18-yard box, in a clear foul, yet no PK was awarded allowing the game to end 1-0 in favor of JEF.
There was one moment of brilliance for FC Ryukyu this match and it occurred when defender Yong Jick cleared a wide open shot off the line from a misdirected Taguchi touch that resulted in a wide-open shot from distance by a JEF player. Yong Jick hustled back to clear the ball off the line while going crashing into the side netting which allowed FC Ryukyu to be down just one goal and not two.
Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu RB Felipe Tavares: There was much uncertainty surrounding the player from Brazil when he signed this offseason and was then thrust into the lineup while incumbent RB Torikai, worked his way back to full match fitness. Though it should be noted that Torikai was fit enough to make the bench for the match.
From my vantage point, I watched Tavares win corners for FC Ryukyu, become an asset on corner kicks and take on opposing players in defense. Corners won isn’t an official statistic but Tavares provided plenty of opportunities for FC Ryukyu to equalize while defending admirably this match.
Match Day 1 Prediction
I thought it would’ve ended 2-1 in favor of JEF, and though I predicted the winner correctly, FC Ryukyu were shut out against JEF for the third time in as many games. I’ll score that as a draw thus bringing my season total to 0-1-0.
Review of the Keys to Victory Against JEF
I mentioned in the Match Day Preview that I would associate a level of confidence to each of the keys to victory to indicate the likelihood that it may or may not occur during the match.
The Scale: 5- An almost certainty this will Happen 4-Fairly Certain it will Happen 3-Somewhat Certain it may Happen 2-Very Unlikely that it Happens 1- Requires a Miracle of Sorts
1. Stifle the JEF attack and do not expose the FCR goal keeper. Likelihood: 2. This one was blown apart within the first 40 seconds of the match. The defense did settle down the rest of the match and prevented any more goals from getting past Junto Taguchi on his FC Ryukyu debut.
2. Exploit the JEF back line. Likelihood: 4. FC Ryukyu had several quality chances this match, but none resulted in a goal. In fact they dominated the amount of shots and possession.
3. Capitalize on whatever opportunities are afforded by the JEF defense. Likelihood: 3. The score line indicates all you need to know about this one.
Match Day 1 Takeaways
Not all doom and gloom FC Ryukyu fans. Yes, we did not score and yes there are some serious concerns if we will be as free scoring as we’ve come to enjoy here in Okinawa. But the team never quit and they enjoyed so much possession in the JEF end of the pitch, and controlled large portions of the game over a team that some have tipped for promotion.
The new signings Tavares, Ikeda, Motegi, Numata, Yong Jick and Suzuki provide a lot of optimism going forward and as we all know; you cannot put too much stock into one match. It is likely that FC Ryukyu will need a few matches to gel since the season was interrupted and the players were just learning to play along side each other for the first time so expect some more of the early growing pains.
Maybe the biggest takeaway from this match is that it is highly unlikely we see crowds of that size, sitting in that close proximity, creating that great footballing atmosphere, any time soon. And that is pretty disappointing.
Should you care? Not sure. We all know what is in store for the 2020 season so we need not worry about relegation. We should concern ourselves with how FC Ryukyu will finish out the season with the second oldest squad in the J2 (27.9 is our average age for players), and one that isn’t rostering as many players as it has in past seasons (27 in 2020 compared to 35 in 2019). Until then, football is back, for now.
Match Day 1 around the J2
Some of the interesting matches included Renofa Yamaguchi shocking everyone’s promotion favorite, Kyoto Sanga FC, 1-0 and then Tokushima Vortis ripping apart Tokyo Verdy 3-0. Both newly promoted Kitakyushu and Gunma lost their opening fixtures with the newly demoted duo of Jubilo Iwata and Matsumoto Yamaga winning their innagural rounds.
There was only 1 draw on the day and that occurred between Machida Zelvia and Ventforet Kofu.
Conclusion
A quick glance of the table sees FC Ryukyu only above 3 teams: Verdy, Gunma and Montedio. All the teams that finished below FC Ryukyu in 2019 sit comfortably above them (after 1 game). It is hard to read too much into this considering that everyone’s last match occurred just over 4 months ago.
FC Ryukyu should be at, or near, full strength when the season resumes on June 28th but there are still plenty of questions that need answered before we can pass judgement on this squad and this season.
(and we just lost stating LM Shuto Kawai to an ankle ligament injury for at least a month)
I am glad that we’ll see Dany Carvajal back in net and have a full compliment of healthy defenders heading into the 2020 schedule gauntlet. But we still don’t know who will lead the line up front as this year’s talisman and we are down to 2 healthy strikers. We also need to see some better defensive performances from the back line and goalies this year so as to improve on the 6 total shut outs FC Ryukyu posted last season.
Well, the long drought of no football will quickly be behind us and I for one hope that the season can continue uninterrupted. It will be interesting to see if the larger clubs will be willing to loan out players as they’ve done in the past with the possibility of having to isolate players for weeks at a time who test positive for CV-19. Who knows, we may see FC Ryukyu dip into the summer transfer market and pull some prospects up from the J3.
But for now, stay safe and enjoy the return of football this weekend.
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