Intro
FC Ryukyu kicked off the 2022 campaign with a 0-0 draw at FC Machida Zelvia this past Sunday. They also started six (6) new players with a seventh featuring in a substitute role. Ryukyu has found success hard to come by in recent years while traveling to Machida so this was an encouraging result to start the year.
Match Stats
Match Highlights
Notes from MD 01
- Tenacious defense. I for one was shocked at the lineup Kina rolled out on opening day but the young center backs were a revelation. Both Nakagawa and Omori played really well in that they were breaking up attacks by stepping in at the right moment; clearing balls crossed into the box and even getting involved on set pieces. This is something we’ve never really seen out of Ryukyu in the past. Chinen’s performance last year stood out so much because we rarely had that type of central defender on the roster, perhaps we have two now.
- Physicality. Ryukyu played one of the most physical games I’ve seen out of them in quite some time. Ryukyu committed their fair share of fouls on Sunday, but they remained poised despite the amount of pressure that Zelvia piled on in the second half. They certainly didn’t make life easy for a strong Zelvia side.
- Started strong, needed some adjustments after half time. Ryukyu more than held their own in the first half and it even looked as if they would score at times. But they came out a little flat in the second half and were beginning to get pulled apart on both sides of the pitch. Zelvia made the necessary adjustments after halftime to dictate a majority of the play in the second but Ryukyu were able to hang on for the draw on the back of a really good defense performance.
- A strong base to build on. Ryukyu were sloppy in the attack with some of their wayward passing but that should correct itself after the starters become more acclimated with one another as the season progresses. The encouraging sign is that the defense looked good and I for one would rather have a solid defense to start the season in order to allow the attack to develop.
Around the League
5 draws, 1 blowout and 1 match that was postponed due to CV-19. The newly promoted sides faired well as Iwate grabbed a nice win on the road at JEF while Roasso Kumamoto earned a point on the road at Renofa Yamaguchi. Yokohama FC was the only team that was demoted from J1 to win in the opening set of fixtures with Tokushima Vortis and Vegalta Sendai both playing out 0-0 draws. The big winners from this round was Fagiano Okayama who decimated Ventforet Kofu 4-1 at home behind a strong performance from Tiago Alves.
Conclusion
Not a bad start to the season considering Zelvia often has their way with FC Ryukyu the past few seasons. Ryukyu will open up their home slate for the 2022 season next week when JEF Chiba United make their way down to Okinawa, which means we will see a familiar face in Koya Kazama.
ryukyuarmy.com 