Intro
FC Ryukyu let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers this Sunday when they drew one all with Fagiano Okayama at home. FC Ryukyu looked the better side yesterday but could not get the offense firing on a day when Okayama offered nothing in the attack. The notion of cracking the top half of the table this year for FC Ryukyu is officially is dead and buried.
Match Day 39 Highlights
Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu LB Keigo Numata: Numata provided the assist on the Hitomi goal but also sent a lovely cross into the box in the first half that Koya Kazama really should have buried for the early lead. Yes, he was also responsible for the handball that led to the PK for Okayama, but he recovered well to set up the tying goal.
Review of the Keys to Victory
1. Brace the left with Speed and Tenacity. Likelihood 3. Yes. Tanaka and Koya did a great job of limiting the impact of Uejo, and Tokumoto, which in turn isolated Yong Jae. Yong Jae was subbed off after 60 ‘ and he never really factored into the game. Uejo and Tokumoto each had one good look on net but that was about it. There were no dangerous crosses from Tokumoto with the lone goal for coming from a PK after a fluky handball by Numata in the box.
2. Pepper the net with shots. Likelihood 4. Yes. Ryukyu managed 11 shots yesterday but only 5 were on target. Once again they started fast in the first half but couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Takeaways from Match Day 39
1. It was encouraging to see FC Ryukyu cut down on the turnovers, but the ones they did commit, were nearly catastrophic. On roughly four occasions, an FC Ryukyu player passed the ball directly to one of the outfield players for Okayama. This led to several quick counters and one dangerous shot on goal but luckily, none of the turnovers actually resulted in a goal. Just elevated blood pressure. I would expect the turnovers to decline with the regular starters back in the lineup, but we cannot afford to live that dangerously in our last three games.
2. The attack was evenly distributed down the flanks. FC Ryukyu prefers to muster the attack down the left with Kawai and Numata, but by evenly spreading the attack down both sides, the offense looked much better compared to the game against Kanazawa. The game progressed in fits and spurts for the most part with FC Ryukyu controlling nearly 60% of the possession. The problem was they ended most drives with shots off target. Still, FC Ryukyu out shot Okayama by a 2 to 1 margin.
3. Shinji Ono had a clear chance to net his first ever FC Ryukyu goal, and he missed it. Maybe Ono is not known for his aerial prowess, but he was unmarked on a corner kick, and had a free header from just outside the 6-yard box. Unfortunately, it looks like he took his eyes off the ball at the last moment leading up to the header, buried his head, and pushed the shot wide of the mark. There are only two home games left this year and I think there will be a very concerted effort on the part of the coaching staff, and team, to get Shinji at least one goal.
Match Day 39 in J2
A shocking loss by Tokushima Vortis to Mito Hollyhock means the leaders will need to wait at least one more week before they can secure promotion. It also opens the door for both Avispa Fukuoka and V-Varen Nagasaki to possibly catch Vortis if this turns out to be more than a momentary stumble by Tokushima. At nearly the exact moment when V-Varen Nagasaki scored the go ahead goal to bring them within 1 point of Avispa Fukuoka, Fukuoka equalized in their own game. Avispa battled back from a two goal deficit to earn a point against the plucky Zweigen Kanazawa for a huge result that allows them to maintain a two point lead heading into the final three games of 2020.
Conclusion
FC Ryukyu need six points from their remaining three games to equal their point total from 2019. A very doable prospect based on the strength of their final three opponents, but considering that they have failed to win at home in two consecutive games, it’s definitely not a given.
It was great to see Hitomi score his first ever goal for Ryukyu yesterday as it helps soften the blow from the loss of both Abe and Uehara just a little bit. Ryukyu will have a full week off before welcoming in 21st Ehime FC and hopefully the recent CV-19 case at the club is a mild one that can be contained without further spread.
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