The 4-0 drubbing of Tokyo Verdy by FC Ryukyu was a bit unexpected considering Verdy were in the midst of a slight surge up the table. But the boys from Okinawa controlled every facet of this game that saw Koizumi bag a brace, Kawai slamming home a top corner bullet, and Numata bouncing one off the cross bar – and then the head of the Verdy Goalie – for his second goal of the campaign.
It was also the first time we saw FC Ryukyu sporting their #OneOkinawa Blue kit. A bit unfortunate that they didn’t have the shorts to match. In any event, FC Ryukyu ended the tough schedule of November with 4 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses, which is by far their most productive month of the season.
FC Ryukyu MD Yoshio Koizumi: 2 goals, created chances everywhere, an outstanding total performance on Sunday.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Play Mistake Free Football (or close to it): Likelihood 2. I think we would all have to agree that FC Ryukyu did exactly this on Sunday.
2. A Healthy Strike Duo of Abe and Uehara: Likelihood 2. Neither featured, but Koizumi, Kawai and Numata stepped up in their absence.
Match Day Prediction
Tipped it 2-1 for FC Ryukyu and they went above and beyond at 4-0.
Match Day 37 Takeaways
1. Koizumi put on a clinic. He bagged two goals but was far more lethal in the set-up play. It was a shame that Abe wasn’t in there as he would have scored a brace himself with the way Koizumi was playing. He nearly added an assist but Ikeda and Koya couldn’t match Koizumi’s pace on the fast break, as they both failed to get on the other end of a pass that was begging to be buried.
2. That was a shockingly good defensive performance yesterday by Ryukyu. After losing 3-0 to Iwata we should have assumed that FC Ryukyu were going to be vulnerable at the back. But no Verdy attack materialized on Sunday. Suzuki started over Fukui but Higuchi stuck with Taguchi after that brutal loss to Iwata. And well, it paid off.
3. I am not sure what is going on at GK for FC Ryukyu. We locked Dany up for at least 2 more seasons yet it seems Higuchi prefers Taguchi at the moment. Taguchi played well, made some nice saves, but none that Dany couldn’t make either. This is a strange development moving forward and I am not sure what to make of it.
4. Injuries are mounting once again. Abe and Uehara were not fit enough to make the bench so Hitomi got his shot up top and made his 2020 debut. Getting a longer look at Hitomi is good idea as both Abe and Uehara are in the twilight of their careers. But I’d still like to see Abe return to the lineup to add to his goal tally.
Koizumi also took a knock to his right foot and was seen with a visible limp after the game. It is likely he’ll be rested against Kanazawa on the short week, but hopefully he can return against Okayama the next weekend.
No change at the top as all 3 of theses sides won this round. V-Varen Nagasaki briefly moved into second place with their win over Niigata on Saturday, but Delgado’s goal against his former club allowed Avispa to hold serve this round. Tokushima Vortis won 4-3 but only after allowing Zweigen Kanazawa to score 3 goals to level the match, before finally netting the winner in the 80′ minute.
FC Ryukyu end the month on a very positive note while also embarking on a stretch of 4 consecutive home matches. Next up is Zweigen Kanazawa. This team just took Tokushima Vortis to the brink this past weekend so it will be no easy task to beat them on Wednesday.
As you may already know, FC Ryukyu have no true rival in any of the tiers of the J-League. They are far removed from the other teams on mainland so they don’t even have a true derby match to look forward to each season. If anything, we have to manufacture our disdain and hate, perceived or real, for other clubs around the league.
Well there is no better team to start than with like Tokyo Verdy. The history between these clubs is not long, each has gone 1-1-1- against their opponent, but the wins have always been for the visiting side. The first time these two sides met back in early 2019, it was Uesato who scored a very late equalizer deep in stoppage time for the only draw on record. That match also featured a bloody and broken Dany Carvajal saving a crucial PK to keep the game within reach for Ryukyu. Verdy repaid that transgression by eviscerating FC Ryukyu 5-1 in front of their home crowd later that year with Junki Koike bagging a hat trick for the visitors. Verdy even made T-Shirts to commemorate such a momentous occasion in their otherwise flaccid 2019 season.
Then there were the fireworks on Match Day 10 this year. FC Ryukyu once again looked like the stronger side, and had several chances to grab the lead, but it wasn’t until Shohei Takahashi opted to kick Shinya Uehara in the abdomen after a contested ball in the air that saw both players land on top of one another. It was uncalled for, stupid, and a dangerous play in which Takahashi was lucky to leave the match with just a Yellow Card.
But it didn’t end there. Uehara was fouled in the 82′ and the Tokyo Verdy players proceeded to go on an 8 minute tirade against the officials, which included some very ugly scenes for the J-League as a whole, before Abe stepped up and slotted the PK home for the decisive victory.
So with the recent history of these two teams in mind, plus the facts that Verdy may feel they have some unfinished business to attend to, as well as FC Ryukyu wanting to settle some scores for that foul, this should be testy affair on Sunday afternoon.
FC Ryukyu: There are more questions than answers heading into Match Day 37 for FC Ryukyu. For example: (1) What is the health status of both Takuma Abe and Shinya Uehara? (2) What has prompted the move away from Dany Carvajal to Junto Taguchi at Goal Keeper the past 3 rounds?
Since these questions are almost never asked, or answered, it is anyone’s guess. Let’s assume that Uehara is dealing with some minor injury, and that Abe is need of some veteran rest as he played in nearly every match for FC Ryukyu up to a few weeks ago. But, as we’ve seen the past few games, when FC Ryukyu lack a true striker up top in Higuchi’s 4-2-3-1 formation, the goals dry up quickly.
I said last week that FC Ryukyu needed to get a longer look at some players they want to consider resigning next year, and that has happened to a degree, but I also want this side to remain competitive – especially at home – as no one wants to see this side finish poorly to end 2020.
Match Day 36 featured the return of several players to the FC Ryukyu lineup. Yamaguchi made a return after two months away and Okazaki made his 2020 debut after battling several injuries this year. Okazaki’s return helps with Suzuki and Chinen’s absence from the lineup but I don’t think we should get to excited. Okazaki struggled mightily last season and the thought of his pairing together with Yong Jick in a competitive match is very worrisome.
There are some encouraging signs despite the goal draught and shaky defense for this team. Koizumi has been in top form and is playing himself into a bigger club contract next season. He is a mercurial talent that will need to leave this club to reach his full potential and I hope it isn’t in the footsteps of Nakagawa and Uejo, who struggled a bit with their new clubs.
Keita Tanaka, Koya Kazama, and Kazumasa Uesato are the anchors for this team and will need to pick this team up off the floor and bring them back to their winning ways on Sunday. Finally, maybe this will be the game that Shinji Ono finally gets that first FC Ryukyu goal. I couldn’t think of a better time and lets just hope it is in a winning effort, and not a losing one.
Tokyo Verdy: After their loss to FC Ryukyu, Verdy recovered nicely by winning 3 in a row, and 4 out of 5 games that brought them just inside the top half of the table. A spot they have occupied for much of the season. The highest position Verdy has achieved this season is 5th, with most of the time spent bobbing up and down between 7th and 11th.
Verdy’s longest winless streak occurred between Match Days 27 and 32 when they went 6 games without a win. Since then, they are undefeated, winning 3 out of their last 4 games. The most impressive win in this stretch came against Kyoto Sanga FC followed by Verdy easily dispatching Thespakusatsu Gunma and Renofa Yamaguchi. In their most recent game, Verdy drew 1 all with second place Avispa Fukuoka when they surrendered an own goal shortly after taking the lead.
The side-by-side comparison table indicates that Verdy are a slightly better on the road compared to playing at home but both these sides possess an identical record for home and away form over their last 5 games. Verdy are led up front by Junki Koike, Yuhei Sato, Ryoya Yamashita, Shion Inoue and Jin Hanato who added two goals to his tally the round prior.
There is not much more I can say about this squad other than they are good, but not great. Very indicative of a mid table team that is going nowhere, but certainly a place we as FC Ryukyu fans would relish at this point.
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. Play Mistake Free Football (or close to it): Likelihood 2. Verdy are a patient team that can bide their time until their opponent makes a few mistakes. Then they punish them. The games against Renofa and Gunma are the closest comps when it comes to how this matchup may play out with Verdy demolishing those lesser sides when they broke down. Verdy are not immune from their own mistakes, but FC Ryukyu need to make less of the catastrophic mistakes on Sunday if they wish to win.
2. A Healthy Strike Duo of Abe and Uehara: Likelihood 2. It is anyone’s guess if they even dress, but Abe was able to break out of the high press by Verdy the last time they played, which really opened up the offense for FC Ryukyu. Uehara also adds the aerial assault and nose for the goal that FC Ryukyu so desperately need right now. If neither is featured on Sunday, I fear we will see a repeat of the last few matches were FC Ryukyu may possess the ball in the middle third of the pitch, but have no way of making the final push on goal.
Match Day Prediction
FC Ryukyu have seen their goals dry up whereas Verdy are surging ever so slightly by swatting inferior competition to the side. But, this game isn’t played on paper, and emotions could be running high on Sunday so I’ll say this ends 1-1 in a rather inglorious fashion. Joking. 2-1 to FC Ryukyu!!!!!!
(1) Tokushima Vortis and (2) Avispa Fukuoka both face sides in the bottom half of the table and will look to hold serve this week when (3) V-Varen Nagasaki host (6) Albirex Niigata in what should be considered a must win game for Nagasaki if they wish to remain in striking distance of Fukuoka for 2nd place.
Not one, but two free broadcasts this round! The first one looks enticing and I will be tuning in, along with a few friends, to see if Nagasaki can get the job done.
Just a little over three weeks left in the season and FC Ryukyu currently sit at 3-1-3 in the month of November with one more game to go. They close the book on this month at home, which is also the start of 4 consecutive home games for Ryukyu, so hopefully this provides some rest to these weary road warriors.
Verdy have nowhere to go this year as they are to far outside of the promotion zone but would love nothing more than to embarrass FC Ryukyu in front of their fans again. All the makings to a start of a great rivalry. And I say, “if it is blood you want, we’ll give you some.”
This was a painful match to watch last night as FC Ryukyu were pipped for 3 goals while failing to score one of their own. FC Ryukyu were without a true striker last night as both Abe and Uehara were left off the team sheet.
The first two goals FC Ryukyu surrendered were a bit fluky but Taguchi should have fully committed to the first one if he was going to come that far off his line. The same cannot be said about the third goal by Lulinha as it was absolutely spectacular.
The loss means nothing in the grand scheme of things as FC Ryukyu remain 19th. But the fact that we couldn’t muster any offense last night, only 2 shots on target, is more concerning heading into the final six games of 2020.
Jubilo Iwata FWD Seiya Nakano: He bagged his 7th goal of the campaign and was wreaking all sorts of havoc on the Ryukyu back line last night.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Exploit the space in the central defense of Iwata. Likelihood 4. Um, no. In fact, it was Iwata who exploited the gaps in our central defense.
2. Do not give any hope to a team that is down on their luck. Likelihood 3. We did the exact opposite last night. Iwata’s luck finally took a turn for the better as their opening 2 goals were semi-busted plays were the rebounds fell favorably to the Iwata players in the attacking area.
Match Day Prediction
Went with 3-1 to FC Ryukyu and failed miserably.
Match Day 36 Takeaways
1. There weren’t just holes in our defense last night. There were massive canyons. You can see acres of space between our defenders on every goal in the highlights that Iwata exploited. FC Ryukyu played a bit of high line and when asked to recover, they didn’t have the pace to close down the Iwata attackers.
The third goal saw Yong Jick come up for another mistimed, misjudged, challenge on a pass that left Fukui and Uehara all alone on an island. Defending is a real issue here at FC Ryukyu and can no longer be ignored for sake of the attack if they ever wish to move out of the bottom third of the table.
2. Higuchi’s system requires a true striker up top. If we don’t have one, the attack fizzles out. Koizumi was listed as the FWD but dropped back into the CAM role forcing Ikeda to move up. Koizumi did his best to try and unlock the Iwata back line but couldn’t quite find the last pass to do so. There was one play in which he slotted Kawai through on goal, but Kawai couldn’t separate from his marker.
Tokushima Vortis moved 4, and 7, points clear of Avispa Fukuoka and V-Varen Nagasaki with their win over Machida Zelvia. Fukuoka and Nagasaki both drew 1-1. Fukuoka were saved by a Tokyo Verdy own goal just one minute after Verdy had scored. The draw for Nagasaki was heartbreaking as they conceded in the 5th minute of stoppage time which still keeps them 3 points shy of second place Fukuoka.
If you look at the cover photo this entry it paints a very accurate picture for what is occurring at the club. Some players are displaying visible frustration. Others look like they’ve lost hope as they’ve given it their all and cannot seem to get this team over the line on a consistent basis. Not what you want to see from your side, and something that needs to change heading into the 2021 season.
Now, I’d like to end this on a more positive note. Today is the American Holiday known as Thanksgiving and whether or not you celebrate this holiday; agree with the holiday in the first place; or just use it as an excuse to partake in some gluttony; I think we can all agree that coming together every once in awhile to show our appreciation for others is a good thing.
I am personally grateful for all of you who read this blog and show your appreciation by communicating with me over social media as you make watching, reading, writing, and tweeting about football very enjoyable for me. I am also thankful that the season has been able to progress to this point when it seemed all but lost in early March.
Though we can all voice our frustrations about our club when they are not performing well. I think we all should recognize the sacrifices these people go through everyday that allows us all to enjoy our passions, and we should thank them whenever and wherever we can.
Enjoy some Turkey if you can, and I’ll see you all on Friday with the Match Day 37 Preview.
Only two away games remain for FC Ryukyu this year with finally a bit of let up in the schedule. FC Ryukyu will face off against Jubilo Iwata on Wednesday night, a team that has slowly tumbled down the table after the half way point of the season. These two sides have only ever faced each other on one other occasion, the 2-2 draw at Ryukyu on Match Day 8, in which FC Ryukyu surrendered their one goal lead twice.
Match Day 35 Highlights: FC Ryukyu vs Giravanz Kitakyushu (1-1)
Jubilo Iwata: This is not the type of season that Iwata was hoping for in their attempt to quickly rebound back into the J1. In fact, there are some similarities between these two sides when it comes to their overall performance this year. Both FC Ryukyu and Jubilo have endured a stretch of 8 games without a win. Each side has been ravaged by injuries but it is Iwata who currently has 7 players, including their leading scorer and 3 on the COVID-19 list, sidelined as of today.
Since the halfway mark of the 2020 season, FC Ryukyu has earned 20 points compared to Iwata’s 19, but FC Ryukyu have two more wins (6) than Iwata (4). If nothing else, Iwata has experienced some of the worst luck I’ve ever seen in the 5 matches I reviewed. They must have hit the post nearly a dozen times and simply couldn’t catch a break on either side of the ball.
Iwata are winless in their last 5 games going 0-4-1. They were eviscerated by Tokushima Vortis (3-1) due in large part to a woeful performance on defense from the two center backs. Iwata managed to rescue two consecutive draws against Ehime FC and Albirex Niigata thanks to some late equalizers. But the bad defending, and bad luck, continued for Jubilo over their next two games.
Jubilo ended this five game stretch with another set of 1-1 draws against Fagiano Okayama and Ventforet Kofu. The lone goal they surrendered against Kofu on Match Day 35 really typified their bad luck as it was an own goal, stemming from what looked more like a rugby scrum than football, on a deflected shot.
Despite the poor run of form, Iwata still possess a good record when playing at home. They are unbeaten in their last 6 home games, with having lost only once in their past 10. They also outscored their opponents 2 to 1 during that run. FC Ryukyu enter a point in their season where they will only face teams with nothing more than pride left to play for. Nothing is more important to these sides than earning wins in front of their home crowd, or winning on the road in front of ours before the season comes to a close.
FC Ryukyu: The biggest question on everyone’s mind these days is; what has happened to the offense? Ryukyu have only managed 4 goals in their last 5 games compared to the 8 they scored in their 5 games prior. The system Higuchi employs is predicated on attacking, possession based, football and is one we’ve all grown accustomed to over the past two years (and one we will continue to see in 2021 with his recent extension). If we cannot get the offense going, then we are in real trouble down here.
The remainder of this season should be focused on player evaluations heading into the 2021 offseason. This means getting longer looks at some of the youth players as well as those “fringe” players this team may wish to renew their contract before next year. FC Ryukyu opted for more veteran experience this year compared to the youth movement we had in 2019 and it has been a mixed bag of results. The aim is always promotion, but that seems a long way off for this squad at the moment.
This is FC Ryukyu’s second to last away game for 2020 but not the last time they will need to travel in the midweek. Luckily the weather is favorable for this one so that shouldn’t be much of a factor. However, fatigue and lack of goals could make this an arduous trip for the boys from Okinawa.
FC Ryukyu will need to see the continuation of strong play from Koizumi as well as a return to the starting CDM position for their captain, Uesato, to right this ship. This game should favor the attacking style of FC Ryukyu and is one in which Abe should be able to get back on the score sheet. In fact, if things break right, FC Ryukyu could bust out in a big way on Wednesday.
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. Exploit the space in the central defense of Iwata. Likelihood 4. This game sets up well for Koizumi and Abe to punish the two center backs of Iwata. Iwata’s defense has been torn to shreds of late and the casual viewer will notice the acres of space that exists in the Iwata defense on a daily basis. Abe has the skill to create space, with Koizumi able to unlock defenses with phenomenal weighted passes to his attackers. These two, barring the final lineup decision by Higuchi, should feature heavily in the Ryukyu attack tomorrow.
2. Do not give any hope to a team that is down on their luck. Likelihood 3. Every shot that has hit the post, bounced of a defender, narrowly missed, coupled with those that seem to break just right for the opposition, have taken their toll on the overall morale for Iwata. They are riddled with injuries and suffer from defensive break downs at the back which makes them ripe for the picking. Do not allow this side to gain any semblance of confidence by finishing off attacks with goals, and preventing the lackluster Iwata attack from scoring.
Match Day Prediction
I am quite terrible at these, and FC Ryukyu always seem to lose whenever I favor them so I am hesitant to do so. But, perseverance pays off in the end right? 3-1 to FC Ryukyu this round.
(2) Avispa Fukuoka has the toughest draw among the top three sides this round as they will travel to (7) Tokyo Verdy. (1) Tokushima Vortis host (18) Machida Zelvia and (3) V-Varen Nagasaki welcome in (17) Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. Anything short of a win by Fukuoka will allow Nagasaki to get within 1 point, that is, assuming Nagasaki can win their match this round.
Only seven games remain for FC Ryukyu to match their 2019 totals of 13 wins, and 49 points. Ryukyu have drastically reduced their overall number of goals surrendered from 2019 (54 compared to 80 with 7 games to go) and they are just 12 goals shy from matching the total goals scored in 2019 (45 to 57). So far, it looks like FC Ryukyu have made some strides in their second year in J2, but they did not take the major leap forward they might have expected.
With both these teams continuing down the long road to nowhere in 2020, let’s see FC Ryukyu inflict a bit of scorched earth by burning the Yamaha stadium to the ground with an impressive multiple goal victory. Welcome to “Life During Wartime J2”.
FC Ryukyu missed a great opportunity to add to their win total when they drew with Kitakyushu this past weekend. FC Ryukyu opted to start Taguchi over Dany Carvajal in net, as well as Torikai over Numata at LB, despite the long rest between fixtures for the incumbents. Though FC Ryukyu were able to grab the early lead, they squandered that lead within a matter of minutes when Kitakyushu equalized on a fast break. The draw drops FC Ryukyu down to 19th, while Giravanz remains entrenched at 4th.
I am not sure the was one. Neither side seemed like they wanted to win this game.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Prevent short counter-attacks. Likelihood 2. No. FC Ryukyu were ripped open on a counter attack that led to the Giravanz goal.
2. Slow the pace of the game down to a crawl. Likelihood 3. I think FC Ryukyu did a decent job of this, but in doing so, they also limited their number of chances to score.
Match Day 35 Prediction
I thought this was going to be a much higher scoring affair, 3-2 to Giravanz, but it ended in a 1-1 draw.
Match Day 35 Takeaways
1. Ryukyu looked sluggish in their attack. The goal by Koki was set up really well by Koya and Tanaka but there were few chances to take the lead all night. The flurry of activity near the end of the game saw both Koki and Shinji Ono miss chances to grab a late winner and in the end, Ryukyu couldn’t put the game away.
2. Let’s hope the rotation of Torikai and Taguchi were temporary, not permanent, moving forward. Tanaka made a full match appearance and looked no worse for wear so I am glad he is back to match fitness for the final part of the season. Uehara’s absence the past few games is slightly concerning and I hope that was nothing more than some veteran rest he was receiving.
A loss by leaders Tokushima Vortis, coupled with a draw for Avispa Fukuoka, has brought 3rd place V-Varen Nagasaki within the 3 points of the promotion zone. Giravanz Kitakyushu, Albirex Niigata, and Ventforet Kofu have fallen off in what is now a 3-team race for the J1.
Giravanz didn’t require the services of their leading scorer in Disaro this past round and Ryukyu failed to get Abe firing. The most disheartening play of this match was the missed goal by Shinji Ono at the very end. Ono had a clean look on net, opted for placement over power, and his shot was parried by the Giravanz keeper to keep the score level. Had that shot gone in, Ryukyu would be sitting in 17th place on 12 wins instead of 19th.
FC Ryukyu will head to Iwata to take on (11) Jubilo in the midweek before returning to face (7) Tokyo Verdy to close out November. So far FC Ryukyu have gone 3-1-2 in November, and it has been by far their toughest month of the season based on the strength of their opponents, and the distance traveled in the middle parts of the week. One last note, Manager Yasuhiro Higuchi has been extended through the 2021 season for FC Ryukyu.
Surprise winners this past round, FC Ryukyu will look to extract some revenge from the 4-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of Kitakyushu back on match day three. That win for Kitakyushu ignited an impressive run that brought them to the pinnacle of the table as they jumped 17 spots in a matter of weeks. However, Giravanz couldn’t maintain their grasp on the lead and have slowly tumbled out of the promotion conversation. They will look to get back into that conversation quickly this week with a win over FC Ryukyu.
Match Day 34 Highlights: FC Ryukyu v V-Varen Nagasaki (1-0)
FC Ryukyu: FC Ryukyu carry a 3-game home unbeaten streak into this match with an overall record of 5 wins, and 5 losses, in their past 10 games. It seems odd that FC Ryukyu haven’t drawn a match in over 10 weeks and I wouldn’t expect one this round either.
With a full five days rest in between fixtures, I would expect FC Ryukyu to field one of their stronger sides on Saturday. Abe will hopefully lead the line while looking to add to his 13-goal tally. Behind him should be the combination of Kawai, Koya, Koizumi, Uesato and Koki. In defense, it is likely that Tanaka can return to his fulltime role at RB, with Numata on the left. I am not sure of the CB pairing though as Higuchi has rotated Suzuki and Yong Jick for Fukui the past few rounds. And this is definitely a match for Dany Carvajal to return to the lineup.
With only 8 games left in the 2020 season, and not much left to play for other than pride and a 2021 contract, I’d like to see some of the players who couldn’t quite get it going this year, generate some momentum heading into the 2021 offseason. It was nice to see Kawai back on the score sheet this past week as he has yet to really string together strong performances this year. Motegi is another name that needs a boost in confidence as he was one of our marquee signings this past offseason, but has yet to reach his full potential here in Okinawa.
Giravanz Kitakyushu: Kitakyushu’s fall from the top began back on match day 21 with a 3-0 loss at home to Mito Hollyhock. They then went on a 9-game winless streak that dropped them to 4th in the table before finally earning a victory on the road at Zweigen Kanazawa.
I am not quite sure what caused the massive drop off in goals scored for this side as they were averaging around 2 goals scored each game before the Mito loss. But Giravanz has seemed to fix that problem with 9 goals scored in their last 5 games. Just in time too, as they will look to embark on an end of season run to the #2 slot in J2 with a very favorable schedule outside of a tilt with leaders Tokushima Vortis.
Disaro, Takahashi, and Machino lead the attack for Giravanz and they are a formidable front line. Giravanz a very persistent side despite some of the recent set backs that has dropped them out of the promotion race as they can press hard for goals and rarely tire. They bided their time against Tochigi this past week, earned a win, and absolutely hammered Ehime before that. Though their away record has been poor the last 5 rounds, that was mainly due to facing some of the tougher teams in J2.
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. Prevent short counter-attacks. Likelihood 2. Though I’d like to believe FC Ryukyu will control the pace and possession of this game, I also thought the same thing when these two teams faced off earlier this year where Kitakyushu dominated the possession and chances. FC Ryukyu cannot afford to turn the ball over in our own end tomorrow. Unfortunately, Ryukyu are very prone to doing just that. Turnovers will allow Giravanz to strike quickly by stretching our defense which could lead to large goal deficits. Yong Jick is notorious for giving the ball away at inopportune times so limiting his touches tomorrow is key.
2. Slow the pace of the game down to a crawl. Likelihood 3. Giravanz have the ability to light up the scoreboard and they seem to be getting back to their free scoring ways. FC Ryukyu, unlike the first time these two teams played, need to maintain large spells of possession and force Kitakyushu into making some mental mistakes out of frustration. If the game maintains a frenetic pace, then Kitakyushu will hurt them on the break. If FC Ryukyu can bide their time, blunt the initial Kitakyushu onslaught, and create some chances of their own, they could pull out the win.
Match Day 35 Prediction
FC Ryukyu will need to approach this game much like they did against Nagasaki. Giravanz absolutely shredded our defense the last time out so this could easily turn into a shootout on Saturday. 3-2 to Giravanz.
Match Day 35 in J2
Both (1) Tokushima Vortis, and (2) Avispa Fukuoka, face some stiff tests this week as they face (10) Kyoto Sanga FC and (7) Montedio Yamagata. Perhaps this a chance for (3) V-Varen Nagasaki to make up some ground on the leaders when they travel to face (15) JEF UTD Chiba.
Seeing how Giravanz has the slightest chance at promotion this year, it would be nice to see FC Ryukyu derail another side’s aspirations before closing out their 2020 campaign. But this will be no easy task. In fact, it represents another “no-win situation” for FC Ryukyu. Much like name of the Giravanz Kitakyushu manager, and scenario made famous by the Star Trek films, the Kobayashi Maru for Higuchi and the boys will be a tough one tomorrow.
It just goes to show you; that anything can happen on any given Sunday. FC Ryukyu pulled off the improbable this past Sunday afternoon when they defeated (3) V-Varen Nagasaki at the transcosmos Stadium in Nagasaki. The win, while not statistically important for FC Ryukyu, was a major boost to morale for a side that lost 2 out of their last 3 games to teams above them in the table. However, the loss has put a slight dent in the promotion hopes of V-Varen Nagasaki who now sit 5 points clear of Avispa Fukuoka in the promotion zone.
FC Ryukyu MF Shuto Kawai: Shuto scored the lone goal of this match and he was doing his best in the first half to get in and around the Nagasaki defense. He had several chances to score in the first half, which we would like to see him convert in the future, so hopefully this sets him up for a nice run in to close the 2020 campaign.
Review of the Keys to Victoryfor FC Ryukyu
1. V-Varen Nagasaki must overlook FC Ryukyu: Likelihood 1. Well Nagasaki may have done just that on Sunday. They didn’t field a totally weakened lineup, but they also didn’t look like the free scoring side we’ve seen in the previous rounds.
Match Day Prediction
I said it should have been Nagasaki with the big win. Somewhere in the vicinity of 4-1, but happily it ended 0-1 in favor of FC Ryukyu.
Match Day 34 Takeaways
1. This game was filled with drama as there were some missed calls that could have drastically altered the final result. First, there is a chance that the ball rolled over the line before Ren Ikeda passed it to Kawai on the lone FC Ryukyu goal. Second, there was a chance that Fukui committed a foul in the box that would have given Nagasaki a PK and a chance at tying the game. Finally, there was the double kick to the face on Taguchi by Ibarbo that could have warranted a booking. Convincing arguments could be made for both sides on each play but until there is VAR in J2, we will have to live with these types of decisions on a weekly basis.
2. I said in the preview that if FC Ryukyu wished to net anything positive from this game, it would require Koizumi creating chances, Uesato possibly scoring from the FK spot, and Koya’s ability to finish if we were without Abe. Well, Koya did not score but Abe came dangerously close in the first half. Uesato had a nice FK saved that would have given us the lead, and his replacement Koki Kazama, nearly netted a free kick in stoppage time as well. But the biggest takeaway has to be the chances that Koizumi created.
He set Kawai free on an excellent long through ball in the first half; spotted Abe for the dangerous shot that nearly went in; and was the one who provided the pass to Ikeda in the box that ultimately led to the Kawai goal.
FC Ryukyu head to Nagasaki to face a side that: has won 4 in a row; are undefeated in 7 straight games; have only lost once in their past 10 matches; and scored 14 goals during their last 4 games!
Match Day 33 Recap: V-Varen Nagasaki vs Fagiano Okayama (5-0)
V-Varen Nagasaki: Within reach of returning to the J1, V-Varen Nagasaki will look to keep pace, or even make up some ground on leaders Tokushima Vortis, when they face FC Ryukyu on Sunday. Nagasaki finished 12th in the table in 2019 after coming down from J1 and they split the series with FC Ryukyu with consecutive 3-2 wins for both sides. These two teams last faced each other on Match Day 5 in very poor conditions here in Okinawa with the game ending 1-1.
I made the mistake last week of saying that FC Ryukyu had experienced a modicum of success against Avispa Fukuoka in the past and therefore they may play them tough and even eek out a win. Well I am not that confident in that same sentiment this week even though it rings true based on past results. July was a long time ago, and V-Varen Nagasaki are peaking at just the right time aided by some of the best players in J2.
Do not be fooled into thinking Nagasaki lack a true goal scorer by the table above which indicates their isn’t one player in double digit goals for the number three side in the table. Nagasaki are well supplied with talent and any number of players can score from almost anywhere on the pitch. In the likely event that V-Varen Nagasaki follows in the footsteps of many other sides, who rotated the squad against FC Ryukyu, they can still field a very potent lineup.
The addition of Edigar Junio to this side makes the prospect of netting even a point on Sunday for FC Ryukyu, an almost impossible task. Junio – who has taken up the role of talisman for Nagasaki – has scored 4 times, while adding 1 assist, in the 4 games since his signing this fall. FC Ryukyu’s defenders will struggle to contain Junio and they will still have to contend with Ibarbo, Togashi, Cesar, Tamada, Luan, and Maikuma.
FC Ryukyu: Winners of 4 out of their last 7, all of FC Ryukyu’s losses occurred on the road during that stretch. The lone 3-0 win over Omiya Ardija away from Okinawa stands out as an outlier as FC Ryukyu only scored 2 goals, compared to 8 goals conceded, in the three losses. Without Takuma Abe anchoring the attack up top, FC Ryukyu have struggled for goals.
FC Ryukyu came close to scoring first against Fukuoka but Koizumi was denied by the post. What may have seemed like FC Ryukyu taking charge of the latter stages of the most recent game, was actually nothing more than Avispa Fukuoka sitting on their laurels while enjoying a 3 goal lead.
Ren Ikeda has filled in at striker during Abe’s absence, but it has not produced the results Higuchi might have hoped for. Ikeda can be out of position at times, as evidenced by some of the passes where the attacking midfielders expected him to be, only to see those passes end up as turnovers in the box.
It is obvious that FC Ryukyu must look elsewhere for that spark up top, with the logical choice being Shinya Uehara. If you recall last season, Shinya filled in at fullback due to injuries at the position, so he is more than capable of playing the full match. But since we still do not know why Abe has been left off the roster this past week, Higuchi may be forced into resting Uehara as much as he can in case of a lengthy return to fitness for Abe. Keep in mind, Uehara is our only healthy striker at this point in the season.
If FC Ryukyu wish to net anything positive from this match, they will need to rely on Koizumi creating chances; Koya finishing drives; and Uesato scoring from the free kick spot.
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. V-Varen Nagasaki must overlook FC Ryukyu: Likelihood 1. Unfortunately, that is all I could come up with. It cannot be anything else as we know about Nagasaki’s quality, and FC Ryukyu simply cannot match them skill for skill. Our hopes rest on Nagasaki looking past this match and towards future tougher contests. But even that seems highly unlikely when you consider their upcoming opponents are JEF UTD Chiba and Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.
Match Day 34 Prediction
If Abe does not make the lineup, or the reserves, this one could end badly if the flood gates burst open for the FC Ryukyu defense. V-Varen Nagasaki are the joint-second top scoring team in J2 this year while FC Ryukyu are third worst when it comes to surrendering goals. FC Ryukyu’s away goal difference is quite bad and on a short week, this doesn’t bode well for the boys from Okinawa. 4-1 for V-Varen Nagasaki.
(1) Tokushima Vortis travel to (7) Montedio Yamagata in what should be a tightly contested match. Any wobble by Vortis will allow (2) Avispa Fukuoka, and (3) V-Varen Nagasaki to gain crucial ground on them as Fukuoka and Nagasaki play teams at the bottom of the table. (4) Ventforet Kofu join Fukuoka and Nagasaki as they also have a relatively easy test against (21) Ehime FC.
Let us end this entry on an a positive, uplifting idea. I want you all to consider that every once in awhile in sports, a much stronger team will overlook their weaker opponent. That weaker opponent can sometimes shell-shock that stronger opponent when they quickly post some early points, thus, forcing the stronger side to recover from an unexpected punch in the mouth. Often times these stronger teams cannot recover because they were unprepared for that level of performance by their opponent. This means that any team has a fighting chance on any given day. Can that happen on Sunday? Well, “all we need is a miracle.”
Not much to say on this one other than FC Ryukyu got demolished by some rotational squad players once again. With no Abe, and no clear finisher in the lineup, FC Ryukyu came up limp against Avispa on Wednesday. The lone goal was a small consolation prize for FC Ryukyu who were able to avoid being shutout.
Match Day 33 Highlights (or low lights for FC Ryukyu fans)
Avispa Fukuoka FWD Yuya Yamagishi: Yuya scored his 3rd brace of the season last night and was a handful for our center backs.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Withstand the early barrage. Likelihood 2. FC Ryukyu nearly survived the opening half, and they were under tremendous amounts of pressure from Avispa, but a goal – that should have been disallowed due to a blatant handball- gave Avispa the lead in the 31′ minute.
2. Grab the early lead with a strong lineup selection. Likelihood 1. No, but they came close in the 14′ minute when Koizumi hit the post. Also of note, Abe was once again left off the roster completely so we are now made to wonder if we’ll see an injury report for this player in the next few days.
Match Day 33 Prediction
I tipped this one to end 1-0 for Avispa so Avispa wrecked my prediction by shredding our defense on their other 2 goals yesterday.
Takeaways from Match Day 33
1. FC Ryukyu were the victim of a harsh hand ball call, or no call this week. Last week FC Ryukyu were able to edge out Renofa on a PK stemming from a pretty harsh hand ball call and this week they were on the receiving end. It was clear that Yamagishi “rugby carried” the ball, after it hit him in the chest, and was able to get a shot off that took a deflection off a defender and into the net. The referee didn’t bother to consult any of his assistants despite the protests from many of the FC Ryukyu players and staff.
2. Dany, Koizumi, and Tanaka did all they could last night. Dany made some crucial saves in the early part of the match before his defense let him down. Koizumi was a real problem for Fukuoka last night as he created a majority of our chances. Finally, Tanaka never gives up and his goal in stoppage time was amazing as it came from a ridiculously tight angle along the goal line.
3. I am not sure we have the talent in this side that I once thought we did. Especially if we cannot defeat teams who are rotating players for what they view as an easy game against FC Ryukyu. Many teams have done this and FC Ryukyu have been unable to defeat any of these teams. Obviously, FC Ryukyu are where they are in the table for a reason, and it seems unlikely that they match their 2019-point tally, so I am concerned for this team moving forward.
Some players will certainly move on in the winter but I am not sure where this team will look for quality reinforcements to push them up the table in 2021.
All 3 of the top sides won in convincing manner this round while Kofu were able to keep their promotion aspirations alive for at least another week. Unfortunately for Albirex Niigata, they may have squandered their chances at promotion as the draw with Jubilo Iwata leaves them 12 points shy of 2nd place Fukuoka with 9 games remaining.
It will not get any easier for FC Ryukyu in the next few games as they travel to 3rd place V-Varen Nagasaki on Sunday followed by a full five days rest before welcoming Giravanz Kitakyushu to the Tapista.
With Nagasaki in the thick of things at the top of the table, I would expect a similar result for FC Ryukyu on the weekend which leaves us very little to look forward to. All we can do now is sit back and watch how the team responds to this recent loss.
FC Ryukyu enter a brutal stretch of games where they face the number 2, 3, and 6th team in the table over their next 3 games. First up is Avispa Fukuoka. FC Ryukyu have achieved some nice results against Avispa Fukuoka in their history but Avispa, of course, will be looking to rebound from their recent loss to Matsumoto Yamaga FC in order to maintain their automatic promotion spot from the J2.
Match Day 32: Avispa Fukuoka v Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. (0-1)
Match Day 32: FC Ryukyu v Renofa Yamaguchi FC (1-0)
Team Previews
Avispa Fukuoka: There may be some cracks emerging in the Fukuoka side that went undefeated during the months of September and October as Avispa have lost 2 out of their last 3 games. While Fukuoka possess the best record for goals against (23), 1 above Tochigi SC, they have a below average goals scored record (36). They sit just one slot above 17th JEF UTD Chiba, and 22nd Renofa Yamaguchi FC in that category.
It is hard to find fault with a side that has shutout their opponent 16 times this year, good for a 50% mark, but the knock on Fukuoka is definitely their ability to score goals. Their two leading goal scorers, Tono and Delgado, seem very streaky when it comes to finding the back of the net. Meaning, they can go long spells without scoring a goal before stringing together a few games with multiple goals.
As mentioned earlier, Avispa Fukuoka are very stout in defense and are anchored by arguably one of the best goal keepers in the J-League in Serantes. Serantes missed all of October to an injury (I assume) but has returned for their last two games. Salomonsson looks to be Fukuoka’s most creative player with 8 assists, though he only has one goal to his name this year. He is very lethal from the dead ball spot and is someone to watch out for on Wednesday.
Fukuoka went 2-1-2 in their past 5 games. They defeated Chiba and Mito, drew with Zelvia, and lost to Iwata and Matsumoto. In those five games, Avispa had an equal 3 goals scored, 3 goals conceded while registering 3 shutouts. It was difficult to draw any conclusion from the highlights as to what constitutes the Fukuoka game plan other than they look to start fast, grab a lead, before putting up a formidable defense. And they seem very comfortable in doing just that.
FC Ryukyu: Winners of 3 out of their last 5, FC Ryukyu will look to continue their successful trend against Fukuoka on Wednesday. FC Ryukyu rested some key players this past weekend and I hope that is due to necessity rather than injury.
Leading scorer Abe, a major part of the FC Ryukyu offense, will look to increase his goal tally of 13 tomorrow with the help of Koizumi, Koya and Motegi up top. It has been quite some time since we’ve seen the four of them in the lineup at one time and it looks as if Motegi is finally getting over the effects from CV19.
In defense, it is anyone’s guess as to who will be lining up at CB with Chinen likely out for the year, and Yong Jick sent to the bench last week.
What is certain though, is that Dany Carvajal is playing some of his best football to date and looks to be over the lingering ankle injury that cost him much of 2019. If there is one thing I know about sports injuries; it’s that, it takes more time to recover mentally than physically. Trusting your body to do what it did pre-injury is no easy task. It often requires small gains in confidence in order to reach optimal performance. We are finally seeing the Dany of early 2019 and it is great to know we have locked him up on a long term deal through 2022.
FC Ryukyu have the better record of these two sides but that is only counting games the past 2 seasons. Last year, Fukuoka were adrift when FC Ryukyu defeated them for only their second road game victory of 2019 in the late fall. This is a very different situation now as Fukuoka sit atop of the table with FC Ryukyu middling at the bottom.
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. Withstand the early barrage. Likelihood 2. Over the course of their last 5 matches, Avispa Fukuoka display a penchant of creating chances and scoring goals inside the opening 30 minutes of games. FC Ryukyu must weather that storm by preventing an early goal from Fukuoka if they wish to prevent the inevitable “parking the bus” from Fukuoka.
2. Grab the early lead with a strong lineup selection. Likelihood 1. It should be: Abe, Koya, Ikeda, Motegi, Koizumi, Uesato, Tanaka, Numata, Suzuki, Fukui, and Dany tomorrow. I think FC Ryukyu should amass as much firepower as they can in order to grab an early lead. This should force Fukuoka into more of an attacking role, something they may not be accustomed to executing. How else will we unlock such a stout defense unless we force their hand by pressing for a goal when they are behind?
Match Day 33 Prediction
Neither side has lit up the scoreboard as of late so this sets up as a low scoring game. Since FC Ryukyu’s 3 goal outburst against Omiya Ardija, they have failed to score a goal from open play in the last 2 matches. Fukuoka on the other hand, have only scored 3 goals in the past 6 games.
This could easily end 1-0 in favor of Avispa Fukuoka because they have the defense to keep FC Ryukyu off the scoreboard.
A mere 5 points separate the top 3 sides in J2 with current leaders (1) Tokushima Vortis, trying to maintain their grip on the pole position when they host (8) Tochigi SC this round. Meanwhile, (3) V-Varen Nagasaki will be rooting for a (2) Fukuoka slip up against FC Ryukyu, plus a win of their own, when they host (11) Fagiano Okayama.
(4) Albirex Niigata may have the toughest draw this round as they travel to (10) Jubilo Iwata who beat them 3-1 in the previous leg. Niigata can ill afford to drop any points this round as they have a nice stretch of winnable games before clashing with V-Varen Nagasaki at the end of the month. (5) Ventforet Kofu is in a similar situation as Niigata as they will need to earn a win over visiting (12) Mito Hollyhock, who drew with the hosts the last time they played, due to a much tougher slate of games this month for a team that is 10 points outside of promotion.
Avispa Fukuoka has a long history of never being crowned in any national competition here in Japan. Thus, making them the “Kings of Nothing.” So…………………………..
ryukyuarmy.com 