Intro
FC Ryukyu and Fagiano Okayama both enter this match in the midst of a four game winless streak, but from very different perspectives. FC Ryukyu have lost their last four (4) games in a row, have been outscored 14-5 during that span, and have yet to win at home in 2022. Fagiano Okayama started the season off with two wins an one draw before losing and drawing their last four matches, that have counted. Okayama had their recent win over Montedio Yamagata overturned due to a misinterpretation of the rules by the official thus forcing a replay at some point this season. It is anyone’s guess how this game will turn out as neither side has lit up the scoreboard in recent weeks.
Weather Forecast & Match Day Information
Overcast skies and comfortable temperatures so long as the rain holds off until after the match.
Click>>>> Match Day Information from FC Ryukyu
Team Previews
FC Ryukyu: If Ryukyu somehow manage to win their next two games it will only match their worst start to a season since being promoted to the J2. If not, I am sure you can figure out what it means. But we are talking about a relatively small sample size as this is only their fourth season in J2. Ryukyu are rapidly approaching the quarter mark of the 2022 campaign and have equaled their lowest point total to start any season. In 2020, Ryukyu eked out just four (4) draws in their opening eight (8) fixtures but were able to notch consecutive wins on match days nine and ten to finish on ten (10) points. For now, things must change, and in must change in a hurry.
That notion presents a bit of a challenge for Ryukyu as they are down to two healthy strikers while deploying more of a false nine formation with Kiyotake and Ikeda up top. To his credit, Kiyotake was heavily involved in the match last week and with the return of Kusano following his absence last week due to loan restrictions, and the eventual return of Paso from international duty, Ryukyu will be getting back some reinforcements up top. This should provide a little boost to the much maligned Ryukyu attack as Kusano has been one of our best players to start the season.
The bigger problem resides on the defensive side of the house where Ryukyu have conceded the most goals in J2 this year, possess the worst goal differential of any team in the league, and are hemorrhaging goals at the rapid rate the past three weeks. Last week Ryukyu surrendered three (3) goals in rapid succession to find themselves in a massive hole to dig out of at the twenty minute mark of the match. Ryukyu may have been a bit unlucky as one goal stemmed from an errant clearance that fell right to a Yokohama attacker while another was a cross that went through a slew of Ryukyu players before being teed up by Sho Ito thus leaving Taguchi no chance at saving the shot.
Is it a question of talent and skill at the back in defense? Possibly. Is it the tendency to set up the side in order to play it out from the back which results in turnovers in dangerous areas and lack of possession? Quite possibly. Is it a matter of effort on the part of the players? Definitely not. To date, Ryukyu have played from behind and lost in three (3) of their eight (8) games; surrendered a lead twice resulting in losses, drew level and still lost the game once; maintained an even score line to end in a draw one time; and managed only one (1) come from behind win (their only win this year). If you remove the Renofa own goal from that game, Ryukyu have never hit the three (3) goal mark on their own in any game this season.
We pretty much have to deal with this going forward as the winter/spring transfer window for the J-League has closed though I am not sure if loan moves are permitted in between now and summer transfer window opening up. The more concerning part of all of this as a supporter is watching how the players react when they concede goals or find themselves playing from behind once again. So far there hasn’t been too many dropping heads or screaming at one another, but when disbelief and frustration does start to creep in, it can be more lethal to a team than just the goals they concede.
Fagiano Okayama: Okayama have gone 1-2-2 in their last five games. You do have to go back an extra week since their most recent win was overturned but the record is still the same. Knowing that, their last win is further back than Ryukyu’s last win this season but Okayama does have a very good record for getting results against FC Ryukyu (4W3D1L).
Okayama found themselves in a 3-0 hole against Zelvia that included an own goal and then a red card in the 74th minute. Fagiano did pull one back despite being down to 10 men but that was with only about ten minutes and stoppage time remaining. Okayama really controlled the pace of the game against Yokohama FC and were awarded with a 18th minute goal to take the lead. Their lead held all the way till the 88th minute when a YFC corner kick made its way into the back of the net to end this one in a draw.
It was a different situation the following week at Omiya where the hosts jumped out to an early lead before losing both of their GKs to injury. However, Okayama didn’t level the match until the 5th minute of stoppage time against one of the Omiya outfield players who was filling in at goalie. Against Morioka at home, the newly promoted visiting side seemed to have all the good chances in this game and only needed their 18th minute goal from a set piece to see out the victory of Fagiano. Though their most recent game has since been overturned for a replay, it should be noted that it took Okayama until stoppage time once again to score what would have been the winning goal despite the lengthy man advantage they enjoyed for much of this match.
Okayama do not really concede a lot of goals, but they don’t necessarily score a lot either. They also seem to struggle slightly when playing with a man advantage. I guess this is what you would expect from a side in the middle of the standings. They’ve only conceded more than one (1) goal once this season but have also only scored more than one (1) goal in a game once. They’ve comeback to win, or draw, a match twice, while playing from behind or surrendering a lead two times this season. Okayama has only played one match in which they scored the opening goal and maintained the lead for the entire game. Something Ryukyu have failed to do at all this year.
There is one more thing surrounding this Okayama side, which could be something, or it could be nothing, and that is the amount of controversy or injuries concerning goal keepers in their games. First, the incumbent starter, Togo Umeda, blew out one of the ligaments in his leg during the Zelvia match. Second there were the injuries to both Omiya Goalies in that game and finally there was the most recent incident involving the handled back pass from the Montedio Yamagata goalie that saw him incorrectly sent off to tilt that game. Hopefully the bad luck falls on Okayama this week and not Ryukyu.
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
No change from last week. Win by any means necessary.
The Hot Seat
A loss by Ryukyu this week will match their longest losing streak in the history of the club while in the J2. Ryukyu lost five (5) games in a row back in the summer of 2019 under Higuchi and were outscored 16-2 during those games. In the other two seasons under Higuchi, Ryukyu’s longest losing streaks were limited (?) to just four (4) games. A feat that Kina has already achieved.
While the amount of consecutive losses are always concerning in any season, there is much to be said about the results proceeding, and following, the breaking of those streaks. In 2019 Ryukyu had lost two games in a row, won once, embarked on the five game losing streak, won, then lost another three (3) games in a row without managing a single draw in those twelve (12) weeks. The mid to late 2021 season saw Ryukyu on a bit of a rollercoaster ride where they’d lose one, draw one, and then win one which proceeded, and is included, in the stretch of games that saw Higuchi removed as manager. Higuchi’s worst 10 game stretch as manager that year resulted in Ryukyu amassing five (5) points (1W2D7L) and Kina is nearing this dubious feat every passing week without a win.
J2 Round 9
Not many matches between teams inside the top 6 or top half of the table this round. (4) Vegalta Sendai vs (7) Renofa Yamaguchi stands out as the one match where teams are near each other in the top half of the table with most dispersed between either ends of the standings. Despite there not being as many high profile games on the slate, there are a few matches between teams trying to maintain their position in the table, and those that are looking to continue some of the momentum they’ve recently built up and make their push upwards.
Three teams remain undefeated headed into Match Day 09 (Yokohama, Verdy and Vortis), yet one of those teams is in 13th place! Tokushima Vortis have only managed one win in their opening eight games but have drawn an astounding seven times this season. The free J-League International YouTube broadcast this week will feature our very own FC Ryukyu. It is the second broadcast for Ryukyu this season as well as the second consecutive time they’ll be featured at home. Let’s hope the weather holds and we win. The link can be found under the picture.
Conclusion
It is going to be a long, slow, methodical, and at times, painful climb for Ryukyu out of the bottom of the table. A win this weekend maybe not even be enough to pull them out of the relegation zone depending on how thigs shake out in the games with teams both above and below Ryukyu in the standings. But none of that matters right now as Ryukyu need points, and in bunches, as the gap between them and relatively safety continues to widen. Come on Lads!
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