Intro
The one that got away. FC Ryukyu had a chance to set the clubs record for consecutive wins but instead limped to a 0-0 draw with Omiya Ardija. While both the weather and Ryukyu defense held, the offense was nowhere to be found. Time after time Ryukyu pounded the flanks of the Omiya defense only to find the walls were strong and the passage blocked. It is still a point that many of us would’ve gladly taken prior to the start of the season but having forgot all about relegation this year, albeit maybe prematurely, some of us are left wondering what happened?
- Match Highlights
- Man of the Match
- Reviewing the Keys to Victory
- Talking Points
- Prediction
- Match Day 6 in J2
- Conclusion
1. Match Day 6 Highlights
2. Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu CB Tetsuya Chinen: First, he completely handled the larger Omiya striker Haskic and kept him in check all game. Second, he was intent on winning every contested ball and challenge that came his way. Finally, his passing was really good and he nearly ended up on the score sheet when he set up Kiyotake with a lovely through ball in the first half.
3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Bend don’t break. Likelihood 3. Indeed. Ryukyu saw out a goal-less draw and while they produced little offensively, they at least stymied the Omiya attack.
2. Quick short passes to break the Omiya high defensive line. Likelihood 4. Yes and no. We broke the defensive line early in the game but couldn’t do much the second half.
3. Set pieces could make all the difference. Likelihood 2. Coulda-shoulda-woulda. Ryukyu were gifted a golden opportunity late in the game when Abe was fouled just outside the 16-yard box. Unfortunately, Uesato sent the shot high and wide which ended up being Ryukyu’s last best chance at a goal scoring opportunity on Saturday.
4. Talking Points from Match Day 6
1. A tale of two halves. FC Ryukyu looked the better side to open the game but Omiya looked the far more dangerous team in the second half. Ryukyu out shot Omiya 6-1 in the first half but Omiya turned that around to a 5-2 advantage to close out the game. Granted, few if any of these shots troubled either keeper this weekend and Ryukyu failed to register even one shot on goal in the second half.
2. Missed chances were another theme. Ryukyu had a few good looks on net early but the shots were off the mark and then there was the free kick near the end that was a killer to our hopes of securing all 3 points. For their part, Omiya had a few looks on net but the shots were straight at Taguchi. Omiya also shot themselves in the foot on a couple of dead ball kicks where they committed a foul, or were offsides, which ended the play altogether.
3. Buses were parked and neither team could break through the others defense. It was evident that Ryukyu were searching for that last pass to unlock the Omiya defense but it never materialized and attacks died on the spot. Coming into the match Omiya had given up four goals to what Sporteria calls a spilled ball but only one goal from a cross. Ryukyu simply didn’t put enough shots on target that could have led to rebounds or these types of spilled balls.
4. Do warm ups matter? I am usually buried in my phone during the teams warm up session prior to the game but this time I watched Ryukyu all the way through and I noticed that our attacking players were missing a majority of their shots in the warm up. I get it, you use that time to get loose but those misses carried over into the match. Kiyotake, Numata and Uesato each had chances to put Ryukyu in front in the first half with some good looks on goal but as mentioned earlier, they were all off target.
5. Dropped points. It is hard not to see this one as two points dropped instead of just one point earned. These things happen in any given season so it will be interesting to see how Ryukyu respond at Mito.
5. Prediction
Predicted a 2-2 draw and while I was correct on the outcome, I was far off on the score line. I’ll give myself a draw here. Season Record 3-1-2.
6. Match Day 6 in J2
There were 3 questions I asked heading into this round. 1.) Can Ryukyu hold serve with Niigata? Well they did thanks in large part to the heroic efforts of SC Sagamihara at home on Sunday to Niigata. 2.) Can Nagasaki rebound after a loss? Yes, they defeated Kofu on a Ryo Shinzato late goal. 3.) Can Akita continue their hot start? Unfortunately no as Matsumoto Yamaga FC scored multiple goals for the first time which is probably attributed to Akita missing one of their better defenders this game.
7. Conclusion
It is not all bad in the end as Ryukyu still remain in second place, three points clear of 3rd place Zweigen Kanazawa, recorded their third clean sheet this season, and are still undefeated. But now we must regroup and prepare for the test this weekend at Mito Hollyhock. That is thing about this league, you need to have some short term memory when it comes to recent failures and long term memory when it comes to realizing past success.
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