The 2021 FC Ryukyu Squad Preview #FC琉球

Junto Taguchi signed from Albirex Niigata last offseason and quickly found himself in the starting role with Dany out injured. Taguchi hadn’t started any games in 2019 and the rust was evident in his first game where he surrendered an early goal and committed a nearly fatal turnover. Taguchi was able to recover from that rough opener and then found himself the 1st choice keeper to close out the 2020 campaign. The battle between him and Dany for the Ryukyu #1 GK spot will be the most hotly contested position battle in this squad all year.

Kosuke Inose has only ever featured one time for FC Ryukyu. And that was back in 2019 when he filled in for an injured Dany, and ineligible Ishii, against Mito Hollyhock where Ryukyu lost 3-1. Inose shouldn’t trouble Dany or Taguchi for playing time this year and is likely to avoid a loan out of the club.

Keisuke Tsumita has been with FC Ryukyu since 2016 but has never featured in a match since his inaugural season. A mere depth piece in the event that we lose the top 3 GKs, I wouldn’t expect any appearances for Tsumita outside of a reserve appearance in a cup competition. He is a strong candidate for a loan move.

Yuya Torikai returned to FC Ryukyu in the summer of 2019 and was the starting RB for Ryukyu in 2020 before a drop in form, and the emergence of Tanaka, saw Torikai drop completely out of the lineup. Torikai has only amassed 5 points in the past 4 seasons combined and he didn’t add a single point last season. Torikai’s contract renewal should be viewed as nothing more than a depth signing in the event of several injuries to our back 4. He can also fill in at MF/Winger is needed so his versatility is what keeps him around.

Makito Uehara was a special designated player for FC Ryukyu back in 2020 but will compete for playing time with both Tanaka and Tavares in 2021. He was unknown to many of us until he announced his presence with a thunderous goal against Omiya Ardija. Makito has many of the traits you like to see in a defender but is still a little raw and needs more playing time to refine his craft. I’ll say this again for thousandth time, I think Makito could be an absolute beast if he was able to switch to a CDM role instead of trying to compete for playing time in a packed RB depth chart.

Felipe Tavares came to FC Ryukyu from Sociedade Esportiva do Gama in Brazil’s Serie D last year. Tavares ended up starting the first game of the season for FC Ryukyu at RB where he put in a decent shift, created several chances and dead ball kicks, and nearly scored from a set piece when his header hit the frame. After that performance, along with the lengthy break in the season, Tavares all but disappeared until a few cameo appearances near the end of 2020. He will find it difficult to usurp Tanaka, or even leap frog Makito, on the depth chart, but I think he could develop into a fine player for Ryukyu. Heck, he was more involved on set pieces in his lone start than any of our CBs the past 2 seasons.

Tetsuya Chinen is someone we all need to keep a close eye on in 2021. He has the frame, attitude, and desire that you covet in a CB, despite the fact that he is smaller than your prototypical central defender. He has better burst and long distance speed than the incumbents, is far more aggressive, and isn’t afraid to stick his nose in tough areas to win contested balls in the air. I am very excited about his long term prospects here at Ryukyu and when either Yong Jick or Okazaki falter, or are injured, Chinen will be the next man up at CB. He has already matched both Yong Jick’s and Okazaki’s point totals from the past few seasons in fewer than 12 games.

Ryoji Fukui is one the most versatile players on the FC Ryukyu roster. Fukui can fill in at so many positions across the back line, as well as in the MF, which is why he remains on the team in 2021. You always need to hold your breath when Fukui goes in for a challenge, and he can be consistently caught of position when defending, but he is rarely injured which must be why Higuchi keeps him around. Fukui will appear when injuries or suspensions warrant it.

Yusuke Murase & Reo Yamashita join FC Ryukyu from college, and like Ren Ikeda and Tetsuya Chinen in the past, could find their way into playing time in their first year at the club. FC Ryukyu have been able to find talent in the unlikeliest of places in the past, and while these two have a long road ahead of them for playing time, it is not unfathomable that they get their chance. I haven’t seen any film on either of these players but both are intriguing.

Mizuki Ichimaru is at the crossroads of his career. Mizukui was a product of Gamba Osaka’s youth system as well as having brief stints at FC Gifu, the Gamba Osaka U-23s, and a loan to Ryukyu, before joining FC Ryukyu permanently this year. The big question is; can he finally put it all together and become the highly touted player he was thought to be? Well, there is no better place to figure that out than Ryukyu, and Ihcimaru will certainly get his shot in 2021. He is only a few solid performances, and free kicks, away from taking one of the CM spots permanently.

Lee Ji Seong is an unknown commodity. Signed in 2020 with a little hype, he never dressed and could very well take the same path of so many other players we’ve signed who will never feature. He certainly has the temperament for a CM, but he returned home in the middle of the lay off due to CV19, understandably, and was never seen again until the final team photo in December. I am not sure if the language barrier plays a part in his apprehension to stay, but that too is also understandable. Maybe if things were different he could flash but there is no indication he will be with the team for 2021. To be honest, I never know the length of the contracts we ink with college players so he could be under terms for a while longer. Does anybody outside of J1 know honestly know?

Koki Kiyotake joins FC Ryukyu after scoring 3 goals in 20 games for Tokushima Vortis in 2020. Kiyotake will immediately challenge for the starting CAM role, and similar to Nakagawa, is only a few seasons removed from his best statistical output. Koki scored double digit goals in back to back seasons at Kumamoto and JEF, and came close to hitting the 20 point mark. One thing we’ve seen from players that have lost their place at their former clubs and then go on to join Ryukyu, is that they can have a bit of a late career renaissance. When Ryukyu made their thrust up and out of J3 in 2018, it was on the backs on three excellent MFs. Could this be the case in 2021 with Koya, Nakagawa and Kiyotake?

In Ren Ikeda’s first season at Ryukyu, he scored 4 goals and added 3 assists. It was an up and down season for Ren as he initially started out as the CAM before losing that job to Koizumi. Ren scored 2 goals within his first 8 games but then went on a stretch of 18 games without a single point, and 32 games without a goal. Ren was asked to fill in at multiple positions across the MF as well as at FWD last season so this most likely left him unsettled and unable to get into any rhythm. He faces a massive uphill battle to regain the starting CAM role and I am not sure he can unseat any of the starters on the flanks. If Ryukyu remains injury free up to the summer transfer window, a loan move away from Ryukyu may do him some good.

Mr. Ryukyu, Yu Tomidokoro, returns for his 9th season with the club. Yu has struggled to crack the starting 11 on a consistent basis since Ryukyu joined the J2, and a hamstring injury ended his 2020 season after appearing in 16 games without scoring a single point. Yu is two seasons removed from his best ever statistical season but I am not sure he will ever get back to those lofty heights. Yu was unquestionably the best spot kick taking player Ryukyu has ever fielded, but is rarely asked to take free kicks these days. Even when he was healthy in 2019, he took so few kicks compared to Uesato and Koki, but did score an absolute cracker from the spot. Yu will likely feature as a substitute for most of the season, but there is a chance he could challenge Motegi for the starting LM spot.

Ramon came to FC Ryukyu in the summer of 2019 when the team was in desperate need of reinforcements. Ramon started 2 games, played in 9 total games, and added 2 assists in the fall of 2019. Ramon was then loaned to Gainare Tottori for the entire 2020 season, but played sparingly before a hamstring injury ended his season. From what I saw of Ramon in 2019, he is a powerful player who is not easily moved off the ball, and he reminds me a lot of Koizumi with his style of play. If Ramon stays with Ryukyu in 2020, I think he has a real shot at making an impact and possibly forcing his way into the lineup.

Sho Sawada joined FC Ryukyu in November of 2020. If he stays with the senior team, he will be the youngest player at 17, and would be the youngest player to ever play for the club. I have nothing more on this player other than, in the brief history of FC Ryukyu, they have signed one other player from Spain. His name is Kazaki Nakagawa.

Shintaro Shimizu joins FC Ryukyu after spending 2020 with Fagiano Okayama where he scored 3 goals in 24 games for the club. Shimizu has bounced back and forth between Omiya Ardija, Mito Hollyhock and Fagiano Okayama since he came into the league in 2013 and his best ever year was 2019 with Mito when he scored 8 goals and added 2 assists. Shintaro doesn’t have any single season that can compare with Abe, but he also doesn’t have nearly the same amount of games played. Perhaps Shintaro can make something of himself here at Ryukyu like so many others have done in the past. But it certainly helps having another experienced, and younger, striker in the squad.

Shinya Uehara returns for his 3rd season at Ryukyu, and his 13th season overall. Uehara scored the most ever goals in a single season for his career last year at Ryukyu. His 6 goals, and 3 assists, was the most points he’s accumulated in any season since 2013 and though he is not asked to play the role that Abe fulfills, Uehara plays a vital role in the side. Uehara is an excellent late game sub that can get himself into scoring position and contribute meaningful goals. The Mito and Tochigi games stand out from last year and there were the goals he scored against Niigata, Yamagata, Kanazawa, and Fukuoka in 2019. It is truly amazing to go back and see the timing of Uehara’s goals since he’s joined Ryukyu and I would expect more of the same from him in 2021. That is, if he can stay healthy, something Uehara has struggled with during his time at Ryukyu.

Takuya Hitomi signed with FC Ryukyu from Rissho University in 2020. Hitomi missed a large part of the season while recovering from knee surgery before appearing in 9 games and scoring 1 goal. There is a lot to like about this player, but he is the future for this team, not the present. He needs time to mature against this level of competition so I would expect Hitomi to fulfill a reserve role with an occasional spot start in cup competitions. Keep in mind, that both Abe and Uehara have dealt with injuries this past year so Hitomi’s path to playing time isn’t nearly congested as some of the other younger prospects on the team.