Intro
It has been a while my friends. I’ve been heavily engrossed in the American NFL season, more importantly, the NFL Fantasy Football season, which as you may not know is one of my favorite hobbies. The last time we spoke FC Ryukyu were 18th in the table, results were a mixed bag, and the fixtures came thick and fast. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” FC Ryukyu are still 18th after some surprising results -both good and bad – and with only 13 fixtures remaining, what else should we expect as we bring a close to the 2020 season for FC Ryukyu?
Both of these teams………………………………….
Match Day 29 Recap: FC Ryukyu vs Kyoto Sanga F.C. (2-1)
Match Day 29 Recap: Omiya Ardija vs V-Varen Nagasaki (0-0)
Team Previews
FC Ryukyu: This season will always be one in which we are left wondering what could have been. We have so much talent but we can never seem to get in synch, or fire at the right time. We can play great and beat anybody, but can also suffer through uninspiring play and waning results.
FC Ryukyu are coming off a come from behind 2-1 win against Kyoto Sanga FC at home this past Sunday and will look to carry that momentum into this round against Omiya Ardija. FC Ryukyu have faired very well against Omiya the past two seasons with 2 wins over the hosts and plenty of goals scored. The last time these two sides met, FC Ryukyu demolished Omiya 5-0 at home.
FC Ryukyu have seen their fair share of injuries recently and despite losing the unanimous come back player of the year in Keita Tanaka, they have soldiered on with a very promising young prospect in Makito Uehara.
Koizumi continues to impress each week, though we have never been able to get Kawai firing this year which bodes well for his long term prospects of staying at FC Ryukyu in 2021, but is not so great for his overall development. Abe continues to show what a quality signing he has been as one of the league leaders in goals scored and yet, despite all the offensive successes, FC Ryukyu continue to remain unsettled at the back. Ryukyu have tried multitude of combinations and players in defense but large cracks still exist and is the one area that needs attention in the offseason.
Omiya Ardija: The fall season has not been kind to Omiya, who, were once sitting near the top of the table this past spring/summer. In fact, Omiya has gone winless all of October with only 3 wins in their past 15 games dating back to August. Much of this could be tied to the numerous injuries they are suffering through, but Omiya’s form and scoring have all dropped precipitously since the summer.
Omiya sit only six points above Ryukyu in the table in what has to be considered a lost season for a team always tipped for a promotion run. In my experience, when teams with nothing to play for, who are just looking to close out the season, they will simply lay down and die. FC Ryukyu pasted Omiya 5-0 the last time these two sides locked horns and FC Ryukyu have out scored Omiya 11 to 6 in the three games they’ve played and will look to continue that form this Sunday.
Key to Victory for FC Ryukyu
The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen
1. Get Abe going early. Likelihood 4. Abe is one of the leading goal scorers in J2 this year and his successes, and failures, are directly tied to the fortunes of this squad. Get him firing early, and often, and we have a good shot of earning another 3 points this weekend.
Match Day 30 Prediction
These two teams light up the score board every time the square off so I expect that to happen once again in spite of Omiya’s goal drought. 3-2 in favor of FC Ryukyu tomorrow.
Match Day 30 in J2
Those teams that are expected to get the job done, face many sides that will probably oblige them. So not much to rave about on MD 30.
And for all you international viewers, aren’t you lucky this round!
Conclusion
I am glad I could pop in a for a brief preview before turning my focus back to Fantasy Football as I have truly missed writing these entries each week. While Ryukyu face no threat of relegation, and no notion of promotion in 2020, it has been enjoyable watching some players develop in front of our eyes this year. Koizumi, Ikeda, and the younger Uehara are just a few. It is also great to see some veterans regain their top form with Tanaka making a transition to RB and Koya Kazama scoring at will. This has created a sense of hope for 2021, when results will really matter and each match will have a greater sense of urgency.
On that note, I have no idea how this season will end for FC Ryukyu, nor how 2021 will shape up with departures and new arrivals. Personally, Id like to see Shinji Ono transition out of his player role into that of manager. He has had a difficult time staying healthy during his time at Ryukyu, and though I hope he can end his career with at least 1 goal scored for the Bengara, I think we could leverage his name and relationships for future seasons once he has retired.
Well then, I have enjoyed this brief return to blogging for FC Ryukyu this weekend while enjoying my passion for Fantasy Football. For me, it has been ” the best of both worlds.” Enjoy this round and I’ll talk to you all soon.
Go on Lads!
ryukyuarmy.com 
It’s good to have you back!
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