Intro

FC Ryukyu enter Match Day 29 in the midst of their longest undefeated streak this season (4-games). Unfortunately they welcome in the best road performing team of J2 in Roasso Kumamoto. Seeing how FC Ryukyu can ill afford any more losses, or dropped points, a win is required but that will largely depend on who is healthy and available for Ryukyu following a small CV-19 outbreak within the squad during the midweek.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Rain in the forecast per the usual around here. Will ruin the fireworks show at the end of the match, if there is even a match.

Click>>> Match Day 29 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: When it rains, it pours. Guess we’ll have to file the recent outbreak of CV-19 within the Ryukyu squad in the “shit we don’t need to be dealing with right now” drawer for this season. Since they never release the names of the players who have been infected, rightfully so, it is anyone’s guess who has been slimmed by CV-19. Ryukyu were dealing with about 8-10 prior injuries – or whatever – based on recent comments from Nacho so if any of the positive cases are in addition to those numbers we are looking at about half the squad being unavailable for Saturday. Maybe the game is outright postponed if Ryukyu cannot field a full team. Maybe we see more reserve players than we’d like in such a important match?

Ryukyu have only surrendered two (2) goals in their last four (4) outings which is quite impressive considering we were averaging close to +2.00 goals conceded in matches until this recent resurgence of goal keeping and defense. Ryukyu are going to need that BDE this week as Kumamoto are nothing short of impressive on the road. On the other hand, Ryukyu have only scored three (3) goals during that stretch. Ryukyu looked good in the counter attack against Sendai when ceding a majority of the possession but they didn’t look nearly as good against Vortis last week.

There were few opportunities for Ryukyu to inch out in front of Vortis but our strikers couldn’t find the back of the net on the two golden chances that presented themselves. I am not sure Ryukyu are going to find the attacking form, and accompanying goals, we have sort of grown accustomed to over the past six (6) seasons. I guess it is hard to get there when you are down so many forwards and those that you do have see so little of the ball in the attack that it makes them a bit rusty when finishing.

One thing is for sure and that is Ryukyu is either throwing everything they can – and can afford – at the lack of goals department or just grasping at straws. That included an appearance by recent signing Sadam Sulley who made his debut after signing with the club in the same week. Ryukyu now have so much height in the squad that they really need to do a better job of generating some spot kicks to take advantage of said height else what are we doing but leaving that advantage out there to rot? We really need to be better in the air, better at servicing our front men with supple crosses, and better at putting balls into dangerous areas for these guys to exploit.

With the recent news of the CV-19 situation within the squad there is no telling who we will see out there on Saturday. We know Kiyotake and Numata will be out for another month thanks to the club releasing their injury reports (about 3 weeks late for both) this past week and of course Obi-Wan Kenobi (Yuki Kusano), quite literally are only hope for survival, is still a ways away from returning. Hold your breath and prepare for the worst Ryukyu fans when that lineup drops two hours prior to kickoff this weekend.

Roasso Kumamoto: Gulp! Kumamoto has compiled some impressive statistics this season and are not only the best road team in J2, just a single (1) loss all season, they also sit atop the form table for J2 at the moment. Kumamoto’s only road loss this year occurred back on Match Day 6 at Mito and they’ve only lost once (1) in their last thirteen (13) games. Roasso are currently riding a five (5) game unbeaten streak and look primed to match their longest undefeated streak this season, seven (7) games, with Ryukyu and Tochigi on the horizon. And possibly push it to eight (8) games undefeated with a road match at Kofu following Tochigi.

Looking at their squad stats one can see that Kumamoto have six (6) players who have scored four (4) or more goals this season. There are probably several factors contributing to Kumamoto’s success in their first season back in J2 since they are Ryukyu swapped divisions following the 2018 campaign. But one noticeable factor is their squad isn’t dealing with any major injuries to their top players. I do not know if some of these players missed time prior to this match but if you would like some better insight into the club then head over to @GarryIrwin on Twitter.

Kumamoto scored eight (8) goals while only allowing one (1) goal in their last five (5) matches. They shutout their opponents in four (4) of those games and were only behind for a total of fifty (50) minutes in the Vortis match. Kumamoto easily brushed aside Okayama (2-0 win) and Kanazawa (3-0 win) with a pair of 1-0 victories over Yamagata and Renofa. The only opponent that seemed to give Kumamoto any sort of fits was the most unlikeliest one in Renofa Yamaguchi. Kumamoto need a late PK to seal the victory in that one, and though it was quite the back and forth match with Vortis, Kumamoto hasn’t really been troubled by any of their recent opponents.

This history between these two teams is limited. They were once opponents in the regional leagues of the JFL, then the JFL but until this season they hadn’t faced one another since those JFL days. Kumamoto own the overall historic series but FC Ryukyu have a chance, at least on paper, at pulling off the series sweep this year if they can somehow find a way to win on Saturday. To be quite honest I am not sure how that can occur and I am not even sure how Ryukyu managed to defeat Kumamoto in the first game this year following a string of ten (10) games without a win.

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. ? Likelihood 0. No idea what Ryukyu will have available to them in the form of healthy players and what those players will be able to execute if this is a completely disjointed squad playing together for the first time. Find the back of the net, prevent Kumamoto from doing the same, which they are pretty good at from all areas of the pitch, then do a victory lap around the stadium at the end of the ninety with some happy fans applauding.

Round 29 in J2

Down Below: (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma hosts (15) Ventforet Kofu and (21) Omiya Ardija heads to (12) FC Mito Hollyhock on Saturday which just so happens to be one of the two free J-League International YouTube broadcasts this week. (18) Blaublitz Akita travel to (13) Zweigen Kanazawa for the only fixture scheduled for Sunday. Click>>> FC Mito Hollyhock vs Omiya Ardija

Up Top: Current League Leaders (1) Yokohama FC host struggling (19) Iwate Grulla Morioka at home with the big draw of the weekend featuring (2) Albirex Niigata on the road at (4) V-Varen Nagasaki. Nagasaki are riding high thanks to a run of ten (10) games unbeaten but have a so-so record at home compared to that of Niigata’s away record.

The second free J-League International YouTube broadcast will feature (8) Oita Trinita at home against (11) Tokyo Verdy. Click>>> Oita Trinita vs Tokyo Verdy

Conclusion

We cannot have favorable weather forecasts to attract fans on a massively important match day with so much poured into the game by the club, and we cannot even have a fully healthy club with a prefecture that is outpacing all of Japan when it comes to CV-19 infections. Screw it! Maybe we see a squad reminiscent of what we roll out in the J-Elite reserve league and they surprise the shit out of us. Go on lads!

Intro

FC Ryukyu has fifteen (15) matches left to earn at least twenty-three (23) points. Considering that they’ve only earned twenty (20) points from their first twenty-seven (27) games it feels like a herculean task. Ryukyu no longer have the luxury of time as the season is winding down, the fixture schedule is getting tougher, and relegation is looming. This is the first of three (3) matches in the remaining schedule for FC Ryukyu in which they’ve never won, never taken a single point, in enemy territory. And oh yes, Ryukyu have nine (9) road fixtures left to play this season.

Match Day Weather Forecast & Information

Partly cloudy with little chance of rain. Rather pleasant conditions to play under.

Click>>>> Match Day 28 Information from Tokushima Vortis

Team Previews

Tokushima Vortis: It is strange that Vortis have just two (2) more wins than FC Ryukyu this season. But they are far and away the league leaders when it comes to draws. Fifteen (15) to be exact. Vortis have played to a 0-0 score line five (5) times, a 1-1 score line seven (7) times, 2-2 twice (2), and 3-3 in their first meeting with FC Ryukyu this season. Though they have one less goal scored on the season than FC Ryukyu they are thirteen (13) points ahead of them in the standings.

The main reason Vortis has been able to earn all those draws is their water tight defense and goalkeeping. Vortis have surrendered the fewest goals in J2 this season and it is crazy to think that FC Ryukyu, a team who struggles to score multiple goals, is the only team to ever score three (3) goals in a game against Vortis this year. But that game was played in Okinawa with the return fixture taking place in Tokushima where Vortis have surrendered just nine (9) goals in thirteen (13) matches.

Vortis have a good record against teams near the relegation zone by winning twice (2), drawing four (4) times with just a single (1) loss. Whereas the loss and preponderance of draws occur on the road to these teams, Vortis has never lost at home to any of them and has shut them out a total of five (5) times in seven (7) games. A stat that doesn’t bode well for FC Ryukyu heading into this match.

Vortis are currently on a four (4) game winning streak and should be plenty rested with their match called off last week due to a CV-19 outbreak in the Tokyo Verdy squad. They had consecutive 1-0 victories over Gunma and Kanazawa followed by consecutive 1-1 draws against Kumamoto and Yokohama FC with their last loss coming against Iwate on the road. However, Tokushima has only lost five (5) times this season.

Vortis made a brief change at GK for the Kanazawa and Kumamoto matches but since then Jose Aurelio Suarez has returned to anchor this team. One player who may be dealing with an injury is playmaker Kazuki Nishi who has missed four (4) of the last five (5) matches with only a brief appearance during the Kanazawa game. There is no indication that he is injured but his absence could provide a slight boost to FC Ryukyu on Saturday though Ryukyu will still need to keep an close eye on Shunto Kodama.

FC Ryukyu: A great man (@FLManInJapan) said, “If we are going to save our season, it will be on the backs of our foreign players.” That saying is ringing true these days thanks to the play of Dany Carvajal and Kelvin, prior to his injury. Ryukyu also signed two foreigners the past two weeks, Alex Barrera (MF) and Sadam Sulley (FWD), bringing the squad total to eight (8) foreigners from Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Costa Rica, Spain and Ghana. To my knowledge Sulley is the first ever African player for FC Ryukyu and this is definitely the most foreign players rostered by Ryukyu in my time as a supporter.

I am not sure if Kelvin will return from his injury this match but both Barrera and Sulley may make their debuts this weekend. Both players stand at 190cm which adds some serious height to the FC Ryukyu squad. They won’t have much time to adjust to the J-league if thrown into the fire in order to rejuvenate a sputtering Ryukyu attack but we have little choice these days with our current injury crisis. I think it would make for an interesting pairing in the mid-field if we started Barrera and Van Luan. Van Luan definitely has the disposition you covet in a central midfielder and Barrera is supposedly a box-to-box midfielder, or so I’m told.

Sulley provides the height that Ryukyu currently lack up top with the possible injuries to Noda and Uehara but all I’ve seen about this player are highlights from his time in the top tier of Kosovo so he is a relative unknown commodity. Since Ryukyu made the switch at GK to Dany Carvajal they’ve remained undefeated in three (3) games. As I said last week, Dany is playing some inspired football and is looks up for it every week. I just hope we can get him some offense to turn low scoring games into wins. Omori and Nakagawa are really starting to gel in our central defense which should see them getting consistently stronger as the season reaches its crescendo.

Though there has been some sightings of Yuki Kusano at training this past week he is still probably a few weeks away from making his return. Abe has done well in his return to the lineup but just like last year he is not getting the service a striker of his quality deserves. That doesn’t stop Abe from putting in the hard yards but that work seems to break Abe and we cannot afford to lose anymore players to injury. Expect to see Tanaka in the attack again as Nacho has preferred Makito Uehara at RB. Need one, probably both, of them to start bombing in some crosses to our forwards. Expect to see Ikeda, Kanai, Nakano, Omoto and Takezawa in the lineup if the foreigners are not included which would be the same lineup we deployed against Omiya.

Vortis own the edge over Ryukyu in this series and have hit the three (3) goal mark on three (3) occasions when facing Ryukyu. Ryukyu’s lone win against Vortis came at the start of the 2019 campaign when they were off to a blistering start. A win or draw here would make this the longest undefeated streak for FC Ryukyu this season that hopefully puts them on a trajectory to achieve more success because as they say, “winning is contagious.”

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. Don’t go to sleep on Vortis. Likelihood 3. Vortis might not create a ton of chances in the attack and we know they will certainly frustrate our struggling attack, but if we somehow inch out in front, or find ourselves tied late in the game, we must maintain focus. Vortis seems to spring to life in the last quarter of the match, which has happened to be Ryukyu’s kryptonite this year, though not so much lately thanks to the switch at manager.

Round 28 in J2

Up top: Some pretty big games this round with (1) Albirex Niigata hosting (5) Fagiano Okayama and (3) Vegalta Sendai playing at home against (4) V-Varen Nagasaki. (2) Yokohama FC makes a short trip to play (11) Tokyo Verdy who are fresh of an impressive win of Jubilo Iwata in the Emperors Cup for the free broadcast on the J-League International YouTube Channel this week. Click>>>> Tokyo Verdy vs Yokohama FC.

Down Below: The most noteworthy match sees (20) Omiya Ardija versus (18) Blaublitz Akita in a significant 6-pointer. (19) Iwate Grulla Morioka travels south to (8) FC Machida Zelvia and then (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma heads to (10) Montedio Yamagata.

Conclusion

Ryukyu are rapidly approaching a situation where draws will no longer help their current situation as they are in need of massive point gains in short order. It may seem difficult to see where we will get the 20-23 points we need in the remaining fixture list but you have to start somewhere with some rather surprising results. Come on Boys!

Intro

This is a must win game for FC Ryukyu, and conversely, Omiya Ardija. I am not going to entertain any arguments that say, “well Ryukyu could still draw/lose and still have a chance at survival.” No, no, no, no! FC Ryukyu needs a home win so they can inch closer to getting out of the relegation zone. FC Ryukyu needs a home win for their manager who has been a welcome sign of change with his character and persona. FC Ryukyu needs a home win for their fans. Most importantly, FC Ryukyu needs a home win for themselves.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

I think we’ve maybe had a couple of home games this season where the weather forecast was actually favorable. Then again, we’ve had some unfavorable forecasts that turned out to be nice days. That is where we find ourselves for this Sunday’s game where it seems rain, and thunderstorms, are in store for the home fans. I do not mind, though I do not wish for lightening to disrupt the game. This forecast really sucks for some fans who will be discouraged to attend either solo or as a family.

Click>>>> Match Day 27 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: I feel that it is finally starting to come together for this team. We knew last week was going to be a challenge against a tougher opponent where Ryukyu would control little of the game and would be required to strike quick from counter attacks. And they did just that. Not all the counters resulted in goals but you could see Ryukyu trying to create chances. All they need now is to be rewarded with a few more goals from these attacks.

Then we have the inspired play from Dany Carvajal – who single handedly kept Ryukyu in the match last week with his PK save in the waning moments of the first half. That was definitely the spark that led to the Ryukyu goal to open the second half. It is so great to see such a good player make his way back from a nasty injury that kept him out for the better part of two seasons, only to be left rotting on the bench by previous managers, and who is now playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I love to see it. I said a few weeks ago that we need players in the lineup that are angry, hungry, and are ready to play with a nasty edge to them.

But, unfortunately, we haven’t achieved anything yet and still have a mountain to climb when it comes to getting out of the basement and back into the safe zone of J2. This season I’ve had the feeling that when you are down on your luck, you get none of the breaks, with external forces acting against you at all times. We’ve had to deal with a rash of injuries to key players, questionable refereeing, late goals conceded, even more injuries, and then just some plain old bad luck. But this is also my first season facing the very real prospect of relegation so perhaps my viewpoint is different than many others around the league.

FC Ryukyu need to treat every remaining game as if they are their own individual season. Take care of business their way, do not worry about the things you cannot control (trust me when I say the fans are doing their part in that category) and for god’s sake, hit the double digit goal mark for what would be only the fifth (5) time this season. Ryukyu really need that second, heck, third, fourth, goal in games to win. That presents a bit of challenge these days as we are not sure of the status for Koki Kiyotake (face/head?), and Kelvin (hamstring/IT Band?) injuries. Players who were removed from games due to injury with no news from the club on their status.

Omiya Ardija: I think if you squinted really hard, or adjusted the contrast on your television, you’d believe you were looking at FC Ryukyu when watching Omiya Ardija highlights. These two teams are nearly identical in every single facet of the game this year. Omiya, just like Ryukyu, experienced nothing but frustration and disappointment along the way. There is no doubt that Omiya view this as a must win match. And they have already had the better of Ryukyu on two occasions this season.

So this isn’t the traditional ‘rubber match’ where someone “wins” the series. Oh no, the stakes are much higher right now and technically Omiya have already won the series this year. These are just two teams battling for their survival. Omiya put Ryukyu to the sword twice during our darkest days and will now look to step on the heads of all of us in order to push themselves higher up while turning FC Ryukyu into the nice cushion at the bottom of the table. I find no fault, no anger, in this line of thinking as any of us would feel the same way if the roles were reversed.

Onto the matters at hand. Omiya, similar to our beloved FC Ryukyu, have been plagued by some horrible luck, horrible refereeing decisions, and horrible results. Kind of comforting to know others suffer the same anguish as we all know that misery loves company. Both Ryukyu and Omiya longest winning streaks stand at two (2) games this season with both only experiencing a stretch of three (3) games where they went undefeated. And that has happened only once for both teams.

Omiya are winless in their last five (5) games (0W2D3L) but have at least hit the two (2) goal mark in consecutive games. A mark that Ryukyu has failed to reach in over a month and a half. Omiya have also been recently plagued with surrendering goals in extra time. Something that Ryukyu had excelled at until the shift in managers. Against Okayama they surrendered the go-ahead goal at the start of extra time before committing a costly foul that led to an additional goal through a penalty kick. Last week they nearly saw out the win against Tokyo Verdy before a 92′ minute goal leveled the match. I guess it is safe to say that extra time on Sunday will be the most nervy time for each set of fans.

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. Keep it Simple. Likelihood 3. Whatever teams do to beat FC Ryukyu, or Omiya Ardija, do exactly that. These two teams couldn’t be more evenly matched on paper, in standings, or in current situations.

2. Harass the Omiya GK. Likelihood 2. Omiya are down to their 3rd string GK and though we didn’t ask anything of him during our first game this year, Ryukyu must this game. Shots from distance, pouncing on contested balls, following up on busted set pieces could all result in goal scoring opportunities for Ryukyu. This match will not be like Sendai, this game will be back and forth and therefore Ryukyu need to to pepper the Omiya net and pressure their back line.

Match Day 27 in J2

Round 27 kicks off with (3) Vegalta Sendai heading to (19) Iwate Grulla Morioka. League Leaders (1) Albirex Niigata will travel to face (11) Zweigen Kanazawa with (2) Yokohama FC hosting (9) JEF United Chiba on Sunday. FC Ryukyu, as well as Omiya, are hoping that Sendai, (4) Fagiano Okayama and (8) Oita Trinita can all pull off wins in their matches this weekend.

There was supposed to be two free broadcasts this week on the J-League International YouTube Channel but the (10) Tokyo Verdy and (14) Tokushima Vortis match has been postponed due to a COVID outbreak in the Tokyo Verdy squad. International fans will still be treated to the (18) Blaublitz Akita and (13) Montedio Yamagata match. Click>>>> Blaublitz Akita vs Montedio Yamagata.

Conclusion

You know what you need to do. So do it. Do it!

Intro

FC Ryukyu finally ended their eight (8) game winless streak, which included five (5) consecutive losses, by defeating Iwate Grulla Morioka 1-0 on Wednesday night. It was a vital win against an opponent near the relegation zone and a slight boost to a team, and its fans, who have experienced a lot of disappointments this season. But the beat goes on and now Ryukyu must turn their attention to a very tough opponent, Vegalta Sendai, on an extremely short week.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

It will be hot and muggy as usual down here in Okinawa.

Click>>>> Match Day 26 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: There were several changes to the Ryukyu lineup in the midweek that included a return to net for Dany Carvajal; the pairing of Omori and Nakagawa at CB; the return of Omoto; and moving Kelvin into more of a forward role up top. I may not have been paying enough attention throughout the season when it comes to Taguchi getting in the asses of his defenders, but Dany was clearly more vocal when there was some suspect defending. A welcome sign for sure and one that probably stems from a much more animated manager in Nacho.

The young CB duo of Omori and Nakagawa, that we haven’t seen paired together since Match Day 2, also did really well in earning Ryukyu’s first clean sheet since their last win. Though it seemed Ryukyu may have gotten lucky at times on some dangerous balls into the box, I feel it was more of the case that these young defenders were putting themselves into the right positions to clear balls during those nervy moments. Even more shocking was the Ryukyu goal that not only came from a set piece, but one in which a central defender scored on! Omori is now the points leader among our central defenders this season with one (1) goal.

Kelvin’s move up top put him in some advantageous positions to create chances but unfortunately Ryukyu was out of synch in the attack. A fact confirmed by the single shot on net the entire match (though they did make it count). Ryukyu may want to consider starting Abe, who has since returned from injury the last two weeks, and Kelvin up top as that could create some explosive chances between the pair. That may have to be the case if the injury that forced Kiyotake out of the match will keep him off the pitch for an extended period of time. But I hope that is not the case as we cannot afford to lose Kiyotake at this point in the season.

Ryukyu also sustained a second injury when Keigo Numata had to be subbed off in the 20th minute for what looks to be a lower leg injury. I don’t feel this is one of our most catastrophic injuries to overcome since Numata, who is far better in attack than defense, has provided no assists or goals this season. Kanai, Omoto, or even Fukumura (if healthy) can easily slot into the LB role moving forward. On the other side, Makito Uehara’s development is coming along but at times it can put Ryukyu into scary situations with some of his defending. Hopefully Keita Tanaka can regain his role at RB during a massively important stretch of games for Ryukyu.

We all knew it would take some time for a new manager to instill a new system and for the players to execute said system. Ryukyu are getting closer, but they are not quite there yet. Ryukyu certainly need to generate some more offense compared to the previous two matches and though some people griped about the “professional time wasting” Ryukyu may have deployed last week, we had three wins on the season and this is nothing that other sides in the league refuse to do at times. Heck, Ryukyu incurred an infraction for the perceived time wasting and were rewarded with an extra eight (8) minutes of added time, which we all know is the most dangerous/nervous time for Ryukyu and their fans.

Vegalta Sendai: There is quite the gulf in the standings, goals scored/conceded ratio, and quality between these two sides and nothing on paper indicates that Ryukyu has even the slightest chance of pulling off a miracle result at home against Sendai. Sendai has only been shutout five (7) times this season compared seven (7) for Ryukyu, with only one (1) shutout for Sendai occurring on the road and only one (1) shutout of their opponent at home for Ryukyu. If Sendai plays to the level they are capable of, I don’t see any real chance for Ryukyu in this match.

For their part Sendai has been in the promotion zone for a majority of the season starting on Match Day four. Their longest winless stretch, which just recently occurred, was only four (4) games long and is perhaps why they’ve dropped out of the automatic promotion zone for the moment. But Sendai have pretty much destroyed every team that sits in, or near, the relegation zone this year. As one would naturally expect from a a team vying for promotion. Sendai’s only shocking loss occurred at the hands of Oita Trinita when Oita sat 18th in the table. The only other losses came against Yokohama FC (twice), Zelvia, Verdy and a resurgent JEF United.

Sendai earned two (2) wins, two (2) draws, and a single (1) loss in their last five games with both wins occurring this past week. They recovered twice from deficits on the road at Vortis to rescue a draw, but couldn’t do the same against Yokohama FC in a game that ended 3-2 to YFC. Sendai were nearly undone by Montedio Yamagata before an 85th minute equalizer by Masato Nakayama, yes, the same player who used to terrorize Ryukyu during his days at Mito Hollyhock, secured the draw. Sendai then went on to earn wins on the road at Zelvia and at home to Kofu by scoring three (3) goals in each of those matches.

There are not a lot of areas to exploit in this Sendai squad despite the fact that their longest winning streak stands at three (3) games and longest undefeated streak at five (5), marks that Sendai have already hit twice this season. There isn’t even some quirky stat like; when Sendai reach the identical goals scored mark in consecutive games they either draw or lose while being shutout. But then again, I am only watching highlights of Sendai and researching their stats. If you wish to know more about Sendai, head on over to the @vegalta_blog for more English content on the club.

Keys to Victory (or any sort of points) 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

Quick strikes from Counter Attacks. Likelihood 2. If Ryukyu wish to net anything for this match they may have to do it via quick counter attacks stemming from a total team effort in defense. I feel as if Sendai will control a majority of the play and chances with Ryukyu needing to get into the attacking third of the pitch in as few passes as possible thanks in part to some speed up top (Abe & Kelvin) and accurate through balls (Keita Tanaka). Then Ryukyu will need to take the old Route 1 approach on net with a lot more conviction and desire than we’ve seen recently.

Round 26 in J2

Seems a lot of the teams at the top of the table are facing a lot of sides near the bottom of the table this week. That is slightly encouraging if Ryukyu can somehow manage a point, or not, in their game against Sendai so here is to (5) V-Varen Nagasaki, (6) JEF UTD Chiba, and (8) FC Machida Zelvia all earning victories this weekend. I should also add, though not lovingly, that I hope (9) Tokyo Verdy can defeat (21) Omiya Ardija in this weeks free broadcast on the J-League International YouTube Channel. Click>>>> Omiya Ardija vs Tokyo Verdy.

Conclusion

Good luck to us all!!!!

Intro

It is once again that time of year for two teams to square off who have built up a pretty good history between one another the past four seasons. I’ve written many times about this rivalry that has included the fouls, cards, penalty kicks, lopsided score lines and controversy that makes this make-shift derby all the more enjoyable. I for one hope to enjoy this in person, weather permitting, so as to see Ryukyu’s first win six weeks! Time is running out and the fixtures do not get any easier for Ryukyu. It has to start somewhere and that somewhere is in Chofu.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Weather looks agreeable. I just hope the tropical storm around Okinawa this weekend doesn’t disrupt the team’s, or the traveling fans, transportation plans.

Click>>>> Match Day 24 Information from Tokyo Verdy

Team Previews

Tokyo Verdy: What a whirlwind season it has been for Tokyo Verdy thus far. They opened the season with eight (8) straight games without a defeat before embarking on a stretch of thirteen (13) games with only a single (1) win. That obviously got their manager to start the season relieved. Verdy do have the luxury of playing three (3) of the bottom five (5) teams in the table over the coming weeks but who knows if that will be enough to get them back in the promotion hunt. Verdy already played two teams in the relegation scrap in their past five games and only managed draws with those sides (Omiya and Iwate).

Verdy have had some interesting matches this season in which they’ve either scored, conceded or scored and conceded three (3) goals in consecutive matches. In fact, that has happened five times (Match Days 6/7, 9/10, 14/15, 17/18, and most recently 22/23). And following those outbursts of scoring Verdy usually plays in some low scoring affairs by going 1W-2D-1L. Will that trend continue this match?

Speaking of this match, FC Ryukyu has the slight edge in the series by winning three (3), losing two (2), and drawing twice (2). All three of Ryukyu’s wins came in row between 2020 and 2021 in which Ryukyu shutout Verdy in all of those games. However, Verdy has some of the biggest score lines away to Ryukyu having hit five (5) goals on two occasions. It seems when Ryukyu draw with Verdy at home, and then lose by a heavy score the following match, Ryukyu win the next time these two play. That is some loose logic there but it is the exact situation Ryukyu find themselves in this Sunday.

FC Ryukyu: A few weeks ago I suggested that FC Ryukyu could be facing another lengthy winless stretch of games. That has unfortunately come to fruition. FC Ryukyu are winless in their last seven (7) games while suffering four (4) consecutive defeats for the second time this season, and have managed just a single goal in their past four games. FC Ryukyu’s performance chart on the Transfermarkt website is looking more like an EKG reading of patient who is about to expire than anything else.

But maybe a game with Ryukyu’s main rival in J2 can help get them going in the right direction. We’ve all seen teams around the globe struggling for results only to face a rival, or play a derby match, which somehow reinvigorates a side and provides a break in the bad results. Let’s hope that is the case for FC Ryukyu on Sunday. To do that, Ryukyu will need goals, but where – and who – will they come from?

Nacho Fernandez rolled out the same lineup that his predecessor used at Fagiano Okayama the previous week with pretty much the same results. At the end of the match the manager lamented the fact that there just wasn’t enough crosses into the box and that at times it seemed his side wanted to revert back to the ways under the previous manager (as best as we could translate). I appreciated that he was visibly upset at the results and it was a breath of fresh air in the normal milk toast postgame interviews. But fiery talk is one thing, backing that up with results is another.

If Nacho wishes to see more crosses and service into the box, than he should look no further than Keita Tanaka. That is, hoping Keita – who has been seen in training – is healthy enough to start over Makito Uehara at RB. Another option would be to reintroduce Takayuki Fukumura back into the lineup, who has also gone missing from the side the past two weeks, as well as Yuki Omoto. I hope the previous Emperors Cup match with Omiya, in which two of the three players mentioned above last featured, didn’t result in any injuries that we are not aware of. By my count that makes four (4) Ryukyu defenders on the mend and short on options considering we use many of these defenders in several roles. Abe is the poster child for a match later this month, perhaps he is finally fit and ready to play this week?

Round 24 in J2

All three of the top sides are on the road this week with all matches but one, Verdy v Ryukyu, taking place on Saturday. League Leaders (1) Yokohama FC and (2) Albirex Niigata will look to extend their lead over (3) Vegalta Sendai with games against teams in the lower half of the table and with Sendai having the toughest draw against (5) FC Machida Zelvia. A match that will also be broadcast on the J-League International YouTube Channel. Click>>>> FC Machida Zelvia vs Vegalta Sendai.

At the bottom of the table it is (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka hosting (21) Omiya Ardija in game in which we as Ryukyu fans would like to see a draw but until FC Ryukyu start handling their own business, it is pointless to continue to scoreboard watching in hopes of favorable results. The Verdy v Ryukyu match will also be broadcast on the J-League International YouTube Channel this weekend. Click>>>> Tokyo Verdy vs FC Ryukyu.

Conclusion

These next two games could be considered a bit of a release from the tough fixtures Ryukyu just fought through, but nothing is to be considered easy for a team floundering at the bottom of the table. It is looking less and less likely that Ryukyu can pull off some sort of miracle winning streak considering they’ve only won three (3) times in their first twenty three (23) matches. But they could at least win two in a row for the second time this season and possibly see out some tough points on the road. This match with their quasi-heated rival couldn’t have come at a better time for Ryukyu as hopefully it provides a bit of extra motivation to shake loose a win this weekend. Come on lads!