Intro
That was fun! FC Ryukyu jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished and earned their second win in a row; second win in a row in Omiya; and swept Omiya this year outscoring them 8-0. FC Ryukyu also remain undefeated on international primetime games broadcast on the J-League international YouTube channel 2-0-1 (lol).
Match Highlights
Man of the Match
The easy choice is Takuma Abe who scored two early goals and nearly added a third, but it was Dany’s key saves throughout the match that maintained the clean sheet and saw FC Ryukyu bring home all 3 points today.
Review of the Key to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Get Abe going early. Likelihood 4. You bet your a$%. 2 goals inside of 20 minutes says it all.
Match Day 30 Takeaways
- Abe was devastating to the Omiya back line He found/created space for himself and punished the hosts with 2 goals and it could have been more if not for a reactionary save by the Omiya goalie at point blank range on a corner kick.
2. FC Ryukyu cut down many of the mental errors we’ve seen plague this squad in 2020 but some wayward passes and runs in the second half must be attributed to playing with such a large lead and having to defend enormous amounts of pressure by Omiya.
3. While the verdict is still out on Ichimaru Mizuki, there can be no doubt that Makito Uehara is the next big youth player to come out of this club. He is by no means a polished player, but his abilities and attributes were on full display Sunday. He was rewarded for his efforts with his first ever FC Ryukyu goal and the sky is the limit for this player, which creates a bit of a controversy for Higuchi as he’ll need to figure out how to get him into the lineup at RB with a healthy Tanaka. Personally, I’d move him to CDM and get some experience before Uesato retires/moves on.
Round 30 in J2
Fukuoka wobbled, allowing Tokushima Vortis to assume the lead this week though they needed a late goal to earn all 3 points over Gunma. V-Varen Nagasaki is hot on the heels of the leaders and if Fukuoka stumbles again, it could open the door for Nagasaki who are have the same goal differential.
Conclusion
FC Ryukyu are off to a good start this month which includes 9 games inside of 29 days. Keep in mind that FC Ryukyu only have 3 home games during that span and hopefully the budget allows them to stay on mainland with such quick turnaround fixtures. For example, they play Kofu this Wednesday and should simply stay up there for a short bus trip south from Omiya as well as stay inside Fukuoka later that month for a short trip to Nagasaki three days later. But that is anyone’s guess at this point.
For now, enjoy the victory and get ready to face Ventforet Kofu, a side that is undefeated against FC Ryukyu the past two seasons.
ryukyuarmy.com 