Intro
The first of two games this season that seem, in my mind, to have a little something extra behind them compared to rest of the schedule. Ryukyu and Verdy, not your traditional derby or rivalry, but one born out of some interesting set of circumstances and results. Ryukyu enter this match in a down state with only one win in their past five games while suffering some heavy, and deflating defeats. Verdy, on the other hand, enter this match with serious momentum having not lost this year and recently securing a heroic draw at Yamagata during the weekend. Maybe we can throw the stats out the window for this one but they are hard to ignore.
Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
It looks to be awful this Wednesday night here in Okinawa and I believe we played Verdy in similar weather conditions when FC Ryukyu were first broadcast to the world on the J-League International YouTube channel back in 2020.
Click>>>> Match day 07 Information from FC Ryukyu
Team Previews
FC Ryukyu: 1 win and 4 losses in their past 5 games while being outscored 12-7. Conceded the most goals to date and possess the worst goal differential for any team in J2. Sit just one point above the bottom of the table but find themselves squarely entrenched in the relegation zone. That is not the type of script that fans for any team want to read. But that is the reality we live in and one I am not sure will change anytime soon.
Ryukyu were demolished at Oita Trinita last week after losing their third consecutive home game by a score of 2-1 just a few days prior. I mentioned in the recap last week that the results prompted the owner/chairmen of the club to issue a statement. Following that tweet there was an email sent to the fan club members asking for their opinion on certain areas of the club and then a cryptic tweet by former Captain, Kaz Uesato, telling the fans of Ryukyu that support is needed now more than ever. Strange set of events to take place in such a short span of time, or just a coincidence?
I think all Ryukyu fans know that there are plenty of games left this season to turn things around but expectations must be severely tempered as to what we should hope to achieve in 2022. The immediate goal should be to improve small areas of play within training and start seeing some marked improvements in these areas during games. In the interim it should be to start stringing some better results together with the long term goal of pushing themselves far away from the relegation zone. Anything more would just be the cherry on top of the sundae as the goal of promotion seems extremely distant at the moment.
As I have stated throughout the past few years, FC Ryukyu has quasi-established a rivalry with Tokyo Verdy during their time together in the J2 based on some heated encounters and shenanigans from both clubs. While some key members from both clubs that were a large part of this manufactured rivalry have moved on, there is always a set of games that carry a little extra weight each season and tomorrow’s game should be no different.
Tokyo Verdy: 3 wins, 3 draws, have hit the 3 goal mark twice this season and sitting in third place. Probably the best start to any season in recent memory for Verdy as they look to climb out of the J2 and back into J1. A place they haven’t been in 14 seasons. Verdy have 3 wins and 2 draws over their last 5 games with big wins over Tochigi and Zelvia; hard fought draws against Vortis and Yamagata; and a 1-0 win over Gunma who had three goals wiped off the board.
The one thing that stood out from all of Verdy’s highlights is they are absolutely relentless. Not sure if that is due to work rate, attitude, or coaching but it all seems to be clicking for Verdy at the moment. What really makes Verdy lethal is their ability to score from all areas of the pitch and on all types of plays. Verdy are led by Ryuji Sugimoto, who joined from Yokohama FC this winter, and who already has 4 goals and 1 assist this season. Another winter arrival, this time from Vortis, is central midfielder Ryota Kajikawa who is second on the team with 1 goal and 2 assists.
But what I think speaks volumes about Verdy is that eight different players have found their way onto the scoresheet which somehow doesn’t include last year’s top scorer for Verdy, Junki Koike. Toru Takagiwa, yet another winter arrival from the J1, was the top choice keeper up until the last round at Yamagata and was looking in fine form before his disappearance. I am not sure if he is currently dealing with an injury or has fallen out of favor with the manager but his absence could provide a little glimmer of hope for FC Ryukyu this week as Verdy looked shaky in net last week.
Ryukyu may hold the slight advantage when it comes to the overall record between these two teams (3 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss) but as stated earlier, these two teams are on a completely different trajectory right now. Verdy’s only win between these two sides happened back in 2019 in Okinawa to the tune of 5-1 and I fear we could see a repeat performance of that disaster tomorrow.
Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen
1. Boot & Blast. Likelihood 2. Ryukyu cannot afford to get cute, especially in their own penalty area, as Verdy punish teams that fail to ‘clean up the garbage’ in front of goal. Though Ryukyu prefer to play it out from the back, they shouldn’t take any chances on clearing balls in dangerous areas as it is better to live and fight another day then find yourselves in a massive hole.
2. Ryukyu must be clinical on limited opportunities. Likelihood 1. We saw both Gunma and Zelvia fail to capitalize on some limited opportunities and they both paid the price. Ryukyu haven’t generated a lot offense as of late and therefore they must score on what little chances Verdy affords them on Wednesday night. This may only come in the form of set pieces and CKs which seems to be one of the weaknesses for the overall strong Verdy squad.
J2 Round 07
I don’t think there is any one game that stands out above the rest as a must watch this round but there are several intriguing matchups on the slate. Can league leaders, Yokohama FC, remain undefeated when they host Montedio Yamagata who themselves are coming off a heartbreaking draw in extra time against Verdy? Okayama v Iwate and Kanazawa v Kumamoto could be tasty for the neutral viewer and can Oita, Kofu, Nagasaki and Ryukyu reverse some of their fortunes this week?
The free J-League International YouTube broadcast this week will feature FC Ryukyu at home to Tokyo Verdy. The link to the broadcast can be found under the picture.
Conclusion
I love the games between Ryukyu and Verdy and I am eagerly awaiting how Ryukyu responds in the face of so much adversity. A win tomorrow would certainly ease some of that pressure as well as provide a much needed boost to the supporters who have yet to see their team win at home in 2022. All hands on deck for this one!
ryukyuarmy.com 