Intro
Ryukyu have not earned a single point during this opening stretch of six games inside twenty three days. They may have ended a four game losing streak with a draw at home, but they are already two games deep into yet another losing streak. There just seems to be so many things going wrong these days at FC Ryukyu and there isn’t one, two, or three, simple solutions to the bevy of problems facing the team. Sure, a win would help, but would it only paper over the large existing cracks? We cannot stop other teams from scoring while we ourselves cannot score even a single goal in games. How can you fix that and how can they recover? The likely answer is, you may not be able to. But then there is Zweigen Kanazawa, who, are feeling pretty good these days as they are undefeated on the road and knocking on the door of the promotion playoff zone.
Weather Forecast & Match Day Information
Hopefully the thunderstorms and rain clear out before kickoff. If not, it will only add to the misery.
Click>>>> Match Day Info from FC Ryukyu
Team Previews
FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu enter this match having lost their last two games while also losing six (6) of their last (7) games. Ryukyu haven’t won since match day four which is now over a month and half ago. We were shutout the last two games and the offense, if there ever really was one, has ground to a complete halt. It is an absolute night and day difference compared to this time last season when Ryukyu were one of the best defensive units in J2. This season, they are the absolute worst.
FC Ryukyu have surrendered multiple goals in every game this year but two. One was just recently at home to Gunma but Ryukyu have failed to record a single shutout of their opponent since week one of the 2022 season. To make matters worse, Ryukyu have only scored multiple goals in games three times of which two resulted in a loss and a draw. So not scoring, and cannot stop others from scoring. I don’t know if there is a solution to their woes as the changes that have been made, with whatever healthy personnel we have left, has not worked. We may just need to prepare ourselves mentally for a season in which nothing will go right as we fall back into the J3.
And that sucks! It was great seeing Ryukyu earn promotion in 2018, but now it seems that if they cannot do it on skill, luck, and a limited budget, we are probably best suited for lower league football. Averaging less than 1,700 fans per game is not sustainable for a club with any ambitions. In fact, it is likely a contentious point within the ownership and management of this club that they cannot seem to grow attendance here in Okinawa despite all their efforts. Corona killed the buildup they were attempting to achieve after 2019, the new Ryukyu Golden Kings stadium is a far better sports venue than what FC Ryukyu currently possess, and there has been almost no update on the status of their new stadium in Naha. If we drop, would anyone approve funding for a new stadium here in Okinawa during these cash strapped times?
Things are not going to get any easier for Ryukyu in the near term as they face two opponents inside the top half of the table within three days of one another. As I said the other day, it looks highly unlikely that Ryukyu will earn their first home win of the season this week, and likely not for a long period of time. They need a serious injection of offense to overcome the deficits they place themselves in each week and I for one have no idea where that is going to come from. Paso & Vinicius time? Why not? We’ve tried everything else to no end these past few weeks.
Zweigen Kanazawa: Zweigen are in really good form these days as they’ve only lost once in their past seven (7) matches. Like Ryukyu, Zweigen have yet to win at home in the opening quarter of the season, but they haven’t lost on the road all season. In their last five (5) games Zweigen own a 2-2-1 record with wins over Oita and Tochigi, draws with Kumamoto and Mito, and the lone loss to Ventforet Kofu. But instead of me providing you a limited perspective as an outsider, James Taylor of @kanazawadreamin’ and the host of the @JTalkET podcast has kindly agreed to provide a much richer insight into Kanazawa this week.
“It’s been a good start to the season for us, especially away from home. I think we’re set up to counter attack and so far, it’s worked most of the time. At home, performances have been reasonable but the results haven’t followed yet. The standout players in my opinion have been the full backs, Yuto Nagamine on the left and Riku Matsuda on the right. Nagamine is in his first full season and has been pinging in excellent crosses for the likes of Yohei Toyoda. Matsuda clearly learned a lot in a difficult 2021 and is putting it to good use, contributing more to the attack but also committing fewer mistakes in defense. “
“Winger Sho Hiramatsu is playing well, has a couple of goals and seems to be in high confidence at the moment. Masamichi Hayashi is our top scorer, while Honoya Shoji is keeping things tight at the back. I would be very surprised if our away form continues in this vein for much longer, but I also expect our home results to pick up. I think we’ll still be top half come the halfway point of the season, but I think a playoff push will be out of reach this year.”
For Whom the Bell Tolls
I ran a poll this weekend asking when people thought Ryukyu would make a change at manager. A lot of people felt it would be at the conclusion of the Zweigen Kanazawa match pending another disappointing result. Still, a fair amount of people believe there will be no change and you can’t count that reality either. A change at manager in the midweek would force one of the coaches into a caretaker role with such a short turnaround before the Niigata match in just two days time. Ryukyu will now play four (4) games in eleven (11) days so ay change will likely see a caretaker in charge for the duration of those matches, or no change at all.
Are we looking at potential candidates to replace Kina? Have we reached out to them to gauge their level of interest in managing a J2 side at the bottom of the table requiring a massive overhaul in the way they prepare and play matches? I hope there is someone out there qualified enough, and motivated enough, to accept the position if the management finally decides that enough is enough. But for now, all we can do is hope and pray that Ryukyu turn things around internally despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Round 12 in J2
A clash near the top of the table is this weeks standout fixture with (1) Yokohama FC taking on the not so distant but still not a derby (5) Machida Zelvia. Elsewhere we have (2) Vegalta Sendai taking on (13) Roasso Kumamoto who are undefeated in their last three games, and (3) Tokyo Verdy taking on (9) Ventforet Kofu who are on a three game winning streak themselves.
Likely that there is no change at the bottom of the table as all three sides at the bottom take on teams sitting inside, or very near, the promotion playoff portion of the table. The free J-League International YouTube broadcast this week will feature (10) Tokushima Vortis taking on (15) Montedio Yamagata at home. As always, the link can be found under the picture.
Conclusion
Thanks again to James for providing that piece on Kanazawa during a short week and busy schedule. I think Zweigen’s fine road form will notch another victory in their belt this week as Ryukyu have done more for the tourism industry in Okinawa this year than any go-to campaign could ever accomplish. Come, enjoy the lovely island, take in a bit of culture, enjoy the food, watch a match, and as a parting gift, your team can leave with all three points.
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