Intro
There was a bit of history made last night:
-Yasuhiro Higuchi notched his 150th victory
-This was the 3rd coldest game ever played in the J-League at -3.1 degrees Celsius (if I interpreted that right). The second coldest was also played last night between Matsumoto Yamaga FC and Tokyo Verdy (-3.3C).
-FC Ryukyu achieved 50 points for the first time ever in J2
Match Day Highlights
Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu MF Shuto Kawai: Kawai was a handful for the Mito defense last night and his efforts were rewarded with his 4th goal of the campaign. It was also one of the best goals FC Ryukyu has scored this year as Kawai managed to skirt it around and through the Mito defense.
Review of the Keys to Victory
Let’s just get some guys the playing time they need before 2021. Likelihood 2. Chinen, Yamaguchi, Ichimaru, Hitomi, and Tavares all featured last night. In some cases, it probably wasn’t enough, but the fact that they played is all that matters.
Match Day Takeaways
1. Koya and Ren stayed red hot last night, despite the slow start for FC Ryukyu. FC Ryukyu endured an opening 25 minute barrage by Mito before switching things up tactically, and taking control of the game. It was Koya, who won the ball in a dangerous area, that set up Kawai. An then there was Ren adding the second goal, more on that later. All of them continued the momentum they built up against Ehime FC last week with Koya now accumulating 6 points in the past 2 matches, while Ren has scored in back to back games for the first time all season.
2. Koizumi didn’t make the score sheet, but was the unsung hero for this team. His performance last night shows you the type of player he is, and the influence he can have on the game, despite not scoring. He broke up so much of Mito’s possession in defense, it disrupted the Mito attack and prevented them from getting into a rhythm.
3. I said we needed to see more of the players who haven’t featured heavily in the lineup this season, and we got just a bit yesterday. Ichimaru is an interesting player as he has never really stood out for this team, but there are places on a team for role players. Tavares had very little time to make an impact and Yamaguchi flashed his speed, but nothing else. Hitomi won a nice aerial battle, but wasn’t given any opportunities to score.
4. Ren Ikeda goes at it all by himself. And scored a spectacular goal. Ren received his pass from Koki at about 30-yards from goal, and then took it all the way down inside the 18-yard box, all the while surrounded by 7 Mito defenders. He then put a nice curled shot past the outreached arms of the goalie to seal the victory. See the photo below. (Thanks @iritettsu40 for the photo)
Match Day 41 in J2
Both Tokushima Vortis and Avispa Fukuoka achieved promotion to the J1 last night. Congratulations to them and their fans. Unfortunately, it is commiserations for V-Varen Nagasaki as their promotion dreams come to an end.
Conclusion
Given the travel and weather, this was a surprising result for the boys. Albeit, a welcome one, and also special one for Higuchi. There is only one game left in this turbulent season, so those that can attend, please do (Safely!). And for those that cannot, for what ever reason, please tune in and enjoy this team one final time, as this will be the last time that all of them are together.
ryukyuarmy.com 