MD21 Report: Zweigen Kanazawa vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu got their first win over Zweigen Kanazawa in seven years when they defeated the hosts 2-1 on Saturday night. Ryukyu looked destined to drop points this round as they started a bit slowly in the first half and were committing some egregious turnovers in the second half. Takuma Abe provided the initial spark with a beautiful piece of dribbling inside the Zweigen 18-yard box that allowed him to pick out the on rushing Kaz Uesato for the opening goal. Then it was Kazaki Nakagawa scoring his first goal in 9-months, and on his 26th birthday, when he came off the bench and redirected Shinya Uehara’s header on net. Zweigen managed to nick a goal back with only about 7′ minutes remaining but Ryukyu were able to see out the victory and move into third place.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 21 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu CB Tetsuya Chinen: Several players made the short list for man of the match but Chinen’s overall performance on Saturday stood out the most. He made a massive clearance in the opening half to keep the score level and was all over the pitch cutting down players and ending Zweigen attacks. The thing that me and my friends constantly yell when we watch Ryukyu games is, “Chinen is always there whenever Ryukyu need someone to step up and make a play.” Unless you watch the game in its entirety, you won’t be able to see Chinen’s highlight reel as most of what he does rarely appears on tape or in the box score outside of Ryukyu keeping a clean sheet. I just hope we can retain his services for the remainder of this season.

3. Reviewing the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Start the festivities early. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu did not get off to a fast start as their first goal came just after the start of the second half. Luckily Zweigen’s shots were way off the mark in the opening period though Ryukyu did have one good chance to open the scoring inside the first 15′ minutes.

2. Defend the Right side. Likelihood 2. As we suspected, Makito Uehara got the start at RB with Tanaka out injured. Makito did well but was eventually subbed off near the end of the match to which the lone Zweigen goal did come down our right side after Koya blocked a Zweigen shot which saw the ball sit up in a very advantageous position for Kanazawa’s Oishi to smash it past Inose.

4. Prediction

Predicted a 2-2 draw so I’ll have to take the loss here. Season Record 6-5-10.

5. Talking Points from Round 21

1. Missed chances by both sides. Both Ryukyu and Kanazawa had plenty of opportunities to score on Saturday night with Ryukyu missing twice on the doorstep in the first half, and Kanazawa returning the favor in the second half. Abe nearly opened the scoring in the 8′ minute when the ball dropped right to him inside the 18-yard box. And then Numata called for the ball from Abe near the end of the first half, but he took a poor first touch which popped the ball up to his weaker right foot and allowed the defender to close him down before sending the shot high and wide. Zweigen had multiple chances in the first half but couldn’t find the target and then they were gifted some short counter attacks thanks in part to several Ryukyu turnovers in the second half. Zweigen hit the woodwork in the 58’ minute before a wayward pass by Inose caught Yong-Jick in an awkward position withthe Zweigen attacker easily overpowering Yong Jick and sending a perfectly weighted cross into the box where the wide open Kanazawa player put a header on net. Luckily Inose was able to recover in time and made a fine save by diving back across his momentum before a Ryukyu player cleared the ball off the line.

2. The substitutions determined the outcome of this game. For Ryukyu it was the introduction of Shinya Uehara and Kazaki Nakagawa that combined for the eventual Ryukyu winner. For Kanazawa, it was the removal of Rodolfo and Shion Niwa in the 77’ minute as those two were causing fits for the Ryukyu defense, though Ryuhei Oishi did score the lone Zweigen goal a short time later. I am not sure if the Zweigen subs were brought in to introduce some fresh legs with speed to run at our defense as both Rodolfo and Niwa were playing really good up to that point.

3. Ryukyu can get by with that type of performance, for now. There were plenty of nervy moments and missed chances for Ryukyu on the night and luckily for them, their next few opponents – outside of Omiya who have changed managers once again this year- won’t punish Ryukyu for their mistakes like some of the stronger clubs in the table. That doesn’t mean we can afford to sleepwalk through the next two rounds but this side is slightly disjointed with the introduction of new players due to injuries to the regular starters.

4. A big win over a team Ryukyu have failed to beat in the J2. While you may think Zweigen seems out of place next to some of the other sides on the Points Over Expectation table, they were one of the many teams at the start of the season that Ryukyu failed to defeat during their time in J2. To me, it doesn’t matter where those teams sat in the table at the time of their matches as they all represented a mental hurdle that Ryukyu needed to overcome.

6. Round 21 in J2

Jubilo Iwata are the new leaders at the halfway point of the season after defeating Albirex Niigata at home. Second place Kyoto Sanga FC were defeated by V-Varen Nagasaki at home which means there is a three point gap between them and Iwata, and only a point difference between themselves and third place FC Ryukyu. Niigata are now six points off the lead and two behind Ryukyu in fourth.

At the bottom of the table it was more of the same for the sides facing relegation. SC Sagamihara managed a scoreless draw at home to Kitakyushu but that result didn’t move the needle very much for them. Omiya, Gunma, and Ehime all lost but it was Matsumoto Yamaga’s 2-1 win over Tokyo Verdy that provided a little breathing room as we move into the second half of the season.

7. Conclusion

Ryukyu sit just outside the promotion zone at the halfway point of 2021 and have set themselves up for a nice run in by staying in the hunt despite the numerous injuries to key players. Ryukyu have two more games to go before a three week break for the Olympics during which they face both of the bottom clubs in the standings. Ryukyu need those 6-points to close out the unofficial halfway point of the season and then get healthy during their time off.

MD21 Preview: (14) Zweigen Kanazawa vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu enter Match Day 21 coming off their second biggest win of the season where they defeated Matsumoto Yamaga FC 4-0 at home. It is a different set of circumstances for Zweigen Kanazawa who enter this round on the heels of their second largest defeat when they lost 1-4 on the road to Montedio Yamagata. But Zweigen Kanazawa own a very good record overall against Ryukyu as they have yet to lose to the visitors since 2014 when they were both in the J3.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Round Highlights
Team Previews
- Zweigen Kanazawa
- FC Ryukyu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 21 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information from Zweigen Kanazawa

No changes for the way things have been since late May with Okinawa under a state of emergency.

Click>>> Match Day 21 Info from Zweigen Kanazawa

2. Previous Match Highlights

Montedio Yamagata 4-1 Zweigen Kanazawa

FC Ryukyu 4-0 Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.

3. Team Previews

Zweigen Kanazawa: I must admit, I wasn’t able to prepare for the opposing team’s preview as I normally would have this week so I sought some help from the most knowledgeable Zweigen Kanazawa fan I know. And with that I give you James Taylor from @kanazawadreamin who is doing double duty as he also made his J-Talk Extra Time debut this week with Stuart.

Although we lost heavily at Yamagata last week, I wouldn’t expect Zweigen manager Masaaki Yanagishita to make many changes to the starting lineup. Maybe one or two, but wholesale changes are not really his style. Our tactics will be the same as usual 4-4-2, defending tightly and pressuring FC Ryukyu when they have the ball, then trying to hit them on a quick counterattack. We are a very hardworking team. Up until last week our defense had been pretty tight in the league, only once conceding more than 2 goals in a game, and only once losing by more than a goal.

The defense is prone to conceding early goals though as we lead the league with 7 goals against in the opening 15 minutes of matches. We also have a habit of losing concentration at crucial times, for example the long throw for Tochigi’s equalizer or the equalizer that Gunma scored. Expect most of our attacks to be funneled down the left, through Rodolfo, who has been playing well since his return after a long term injury. On the other side, Riku Matsuda is growing into the full back role, and Shintaro Shimada has 4 goals and 5 assists from the right wing. Our shots-to-goals conversion rate is quite good, I think, but we have a tendency to run out of ideas quickly if the opposition is content to let us have the ball. This is a factor in our poor record in games where we concede first (1 win, 1 draw, 9 losses).

FC Ryukyu: It was good to see the offense come alive last week as it will be required yet again heading into this match. Ryukyu are likely to be without starting RB Keita Tanaka this round due to an injury he picked up last week. Still no word on whether Tanaka is healthy, or hurt, but I would guess we see Yuya Torikai, Makito Uehara, or Felipe Tavares make the starting eleven and reserves.

Ryukyu have yet to beat Zweigen Kanazawa during their time in J2, and in fact, you have to go all the way back to 2014 to find a time when FC Ryukyu defeated Kanazawa. Zweigen swept the series last year with both sides seeing out draws in 2019. Though Kanazawa has dropped off as of late, they represent a mental hurdle that Ryukyu must overcome which puts this match in the must win territory for the points over/under expectation table.

Last week it was Kiyotake, Abe and Koya leading the way for Ryukyu as each had at least 2-points on the night. Shimizu wasn’t involved as much in this game as he has been in previous matches, but his pairing up top with Abe in Ryukyu’s new 4-4-2 formation does provide a lot of space for both attackers to move in and around the box. And Shintaro has some get up in his game as he can really rise to meet headers over taller players. It seems unlikely that Ryukyu will revert back to a 4-2-3-1 until Ikeda is healthy, though Kazaki Nakagawa did make his first appearance for the club in a couple of months when he featured in the midweek Elite League match at Avispa. He could easily fill that vacated CAM role but that is solely dependent on Higuchi’s decision to include him in the lineup. Something he has opted not to do at all this year.

Ryukyu currently have four players recovering from injury and here is an updated timeline as to their progress. GK Dany Carvajal has been sidelined with a stress fracture since early march and is roughly two weeks away from the return timetable the club posted. He has been seen at training but there is no indication he is ready to return to the lineup. GK Junto Taguchi is at the halfway point (5 weeks) of his timetable to return from a broken bone in his hand and has been seen doing individual drills at practice. Ren Ikeda is only three weeks into his recovery for a fractured hip and though the timeline suggests a 10-12 week recovery, I think Ren has a long road ahead of him to get back on the pitch. The player with the chance to return the soonest is Ryohei Okazaki who is now at week six of his 6-8 week timetable recovering from a pulled muscle in his leg. It would be great to get our starting CB pairing back in time to close out the first half and change of the season.

4. 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

Start the festivities early. Likelihood 3. After reading what James said about Kanazawa conceding early, and their overall record when they concede first, seems there’s no clearer path to victory for FC Ryukyu. Question becomes, can they do it?
Defend the Right side. Likelihood 2. There is a very real possibility that Ryukyu will start Yuya Torikai and Yong Jick on the right side of our defense this week, which will play right into the strengths of the Zweigen attack. Not much we can do at this point other than hope our right side holds under the pressure.

5. Prediction

Zweigen has scored two goals against Ryukyu in the last three games these teams have played whereas Ryukyu has managed that feat only once. Could things go differently this week with Zweigen having conceded 6 goals in their past 2 games? If you recall the last time Ryukyu entered an away game off of a big win, they were decimated 0-3. I think that will change this week, but I also think this could be a barn burner ending in 2-2 a draw. Season Record 6-5-9.

6. Round 21 in J2

No easy draws for the top two sides this week as leaders (1) Kyoto Sanga FC host (8) V-Varen Nagasaki with the matchup of the week featuring (2) Jubilo Iwata facing (3) Albirex Niigata at home. Possibly no shifting at the bottom of the table at the mid season turn as all the sides face an uphill battle this week. There are two free broadcasts this round with (10) FC Mito Hollyhock at home to (15) Renofa Yamaguchi on Saturday and then (19) Ehime FC vs (13) Blaublitz Akita on Sunday. Click>>> J-League International YouTube Channel.

7. Conclusion

Despite their differences in the standings this will be no cake walk for Ryukyu as they’ve had limited success against Kanazawa to date. Ryukyu are doing all they can to make it to the break on maximum points despite the numerous injuries to the starting eleven, but they cannot use that as an excuse. The remaining schedule is favorable for Ryukyu but they cannot afford to play down to the level of their competition dropping valuable points along the way. Instead, they need to smash and grab as many goals in the next three games starting with Kanazawa on Saturday.

Thanks once more to James for bailing me out during this busy week and please give him a follow on his Twitter account as well as a listen on the J-Talk Extra Time podcast.

MD20 Report: FC Ryukyu vs Matsumoto Yamaga FC #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu shook off their 0-3 loss to Fagiano Okayama the previous round by hammering Matsumoto Yamaga FC 4-0 this past Saturday. Kiyotake became the fifth (as far as I can find) player in FC Ryukyu history to score a hat trick in a game and nearly came close to equaling Yuta Togashi’s single game record for goals scored (4) when another one of his shots rang the crossbar. The only real shame was that none of the FC Ryukyu fans could enjoy one of this team’s biggest wins this season as they are still not allowed to attend games in person while Okinawa is under a state of emergency.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 20 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu Mid Fielder Koki Kiyotake: Scoring a hat trick and getting Ryukyu a vital three points in the process.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Just score more goals than Matsumoto. Likelihood 3. Nailed it! At one point in the game FC Ryukyu had three players sitting on two points each. Kiyotake with 2 goals; Koya with a goal and an assist; and Abe with two assists.

4. Prediction

Was hoping for a 1-0 win and they exceeded that expectation. Season Record 6-5-9.

5. Talking Points from Round 20

1. Possible Injury to Tanaka. Seeing how things went so well for Ryukyu, the only thing to discuss is the potential injury suffered by starting RB Keita Tanaka in the second half. Tanaka was subbed off for Uehara in the 56′ minute where he was seen describing an injury to his left leg while sitting on the opposite sideline. Tanaka was eventually carted off due to the injury and there is no telling what occurred, the severity, or the length of time he may miss. We’ve seen plenty of players both walk off under their own power, only to spend weeks recovering from injury, as well those that have been carted off and return the following week. Tanaka’s absence will be felt throughout the entire side as he is such a key member of the team. The likely replacements are Yuya Torikai, Makito Uehara, Felipe Tavares – individuals who all participated in the midweek Elite League Match at Avispa Fukuoka – and possibly Shinya Uehara. Though Shinya did play RB in 2019 when we dealt with injuries to the RB position, that would leave FC Ryukyu extremely thin at forward considering they are playing a 4-4-2 these days with both Shintaro and Abe up top.

6. Round 20 in J2

Kyoto and Iwata both won to extend their lead over Niigata and Ryukyu to 3/4 points. Niigata’s 0-0 draw means Ryukyu are now within 1-point of Niigata. Zelvia and Kofu’s huge wins mean they both maintain their 4-point gap between themselves and FC Ryukyu. Omiya Ardija’s first win in over three months means they are at least within striking distance of pulling out of the relegation zone.

7. Conclusion

FC Ryukyu are on one heck of a rollercoaster ride these days having won 3-0, lost 0-3, and then the recent 4-0 victory. Ryukyu have three more matches before they break for the Summer Olympics in which they will need to earn all 9-points. Only four points back from the leaders, and one off Niigata, Ryukyu are still in the hunt for promotion. But with Kyoto and Iwata showing no signs of slowing down these days, Ryukyu need to max out the points in these next three fixtures to keep pace with the top teams in J2.

MD20 Preview: (4) FC Ryukyu vs (17) Matsumoto Yamaga FC #FC琉球

Intro

There are plenty of questions, and even more concerns, for FC Ryukyu heading into the match this week against Matsumoto Yamaga. Sitting just four points off the lead, FC Ryukyu have only won one game in their past five, two in their last eight. Ryukyu are slowly slipping out of contention and need a bounce back win against Yamaga, a team they lost to just a couple of weeks ago in the Emperors Cup. For Yamaga, it is the almost the same as they’ve only managed one win their last eight league games, but that was almost two months ago. If anything, Ryukyu seem ripe for the picking against a side eager to climb out of the relegation battle.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Match Highlights
Team Previews
- FC Ryukyu
- Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 20 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information from FC Ryukyu

This match will be played behind closed doors and it is highly likely, barring a lifting of the state of emergency here in Okinawa, that Ryukyu’s next home game on July 11th will also be played behind closed doors. Weather forecast seems inline with most of the games we play down here.

Click>>> Match Day Info from FC Ryukyu

2. Previous Match Highlights

Fagiano Okayama 3-0 FC Ryukyu

Matsumoto Yamaga FC 0-0 Omiya Ardija

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: My how the mighty have fallen. Ryukyu were on a torrid pace to open the season, and are still technically in the hunt for promotion, but the season has been derailed by injury and some lackluster performances as of late. Ryukyu are now going to be without Ren Ikeda for 10-12 weeks as he recovers from a fractured hip he suffered against Giravanz Kitakyushu in Round 18 when he went up for a challenge and landed hard on the fall. Add his name to the ever growing list of players who will be sidelined multiple months for FC Ryukyu. Are we the hardest hit team with injuries this season? Maybe not.

Let me just say, I really don’t know where this team is headed. We’ve hoped to elicit a positive response in the face off all this adversity but it comes in fits and spurts and not on a consistent basis. If Ryukyu can win the game this week it will leave them with a 4-3-3 record over their past 10 games compared to 8-1-1 in their opening 10 games. The midseason dip every year is a real thing down here. Part of it can be chalked up to injury, but not at all of it. We saw the same thing happen in 2019, though we weren’t battling for promotion then, which forced Ryukyu into the transfer market for reinforcements. That did result in picking up Koya Kazama and I hope that we can be that lucky if need to go that route this year.

Which once again begs the question; is it finally time to deploy Kazaki Nakagawa? I thought at the start of the season that Ikeda and Kazaki would be pushing each other for playing time in the central attacking midfield role but Ikeda seemed to have won the job outright with Nakagawa only making one appearance for the club this season. Last week we saw Shintaro Shimizu move along side Abe up top in a 4-4-2, and those two looked good up there together despite the lack of goals, so we should expect more of the same this week. Hopefully Ryukyu has worked out the kinks in this new formation with a full week of practice, and if not, will we finally see Nakagawa at least make the bench?

Matsumoto Yamaga FC: I’ll start out with the fact that Yamaga have scored 2 goals in their last 5 league games while conceding 12 in that same span. They lost four games in a row before eking out a 0-0 draw with Omiya Ardija last week. They’ve only scored 4 goals on the road all season, though 3 have come in their last 5 road matches, and have only 1 road win on the year. And they’ve conceded 15 goals both at home and on the road. Those kind of stats would normally make me extremely confident that Ryukyu could walk all over this side, but not anymore.

Matsumoto changed their lineup, and their goal keeper, at least three different times their last five games. After a 3-0 defeat to Tochigi, which could’ve been worse, they changed to a 3-5-2 and swapped out Murayama for Kakoi in net. The result was another three goals conceded to Fagiano Okayama. They kept the same formation, and set of players, for the Zelvia match the following week and that was an unmitigated disaster ending in a 5-1 defeat where Matsumoto had a player sent off early on.

Yamaga opted to switch things up once more against V-Varen Nagasaki with a 3-1-4-2 formation, and by reintroducing Murayama in goal, and looked better than they did the previous three rounds. They conceded an early first half goal but nearly leveled it in both the 85th and 87th minute. Their most recent game at home to Omiya Ardija also saw Yamaga going back to the drawing board and switching up their formation to 3-4-2-1, but this game was nothing more than two sides trading semi-good chances with neither able to secure the knockout blow.

Yamaga have some dangerous players in former Ryukyu man, Shuto Kawai, and forward Kunitomo Suzuki, but they are not a side that regularly threatens the goal. In fact, they’ve been shutout eight times this year. But I said the same thing when Ryukyu played Okayama last round and things didn’t turn out as expected.

4. 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. Just score more goals than Matsumoto. Likelihood 3. That’s it. Nothing more.

5. Prediction

Hoping for 1-0 to Ryukyu but I’ve been wrong many times before. Season Record 6-4-9.

6. Round 20 in J2

(5) V-Varen Nagasaki versus (2) Jubilo Iwata headlines the matchups this week with (3) Albirex Niigata hosting (10) FC Mito Hollyhock. This week’s free broadcast on YouTube will feature the league leaders (1) Kyoto Sanga FC hosting one of the hottest teams in J2 right now, (11) Fagiano Okayama, who have knocked off two of the top four teams in the league in consecutive weeks. Click>>> J-League Int’l YouTube Channel.

7. Conclusion

Nothing uplifting or motivating to close this preview out. Just do the job and move on down the road.

MD19 Report: Fagiano Okayama vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

For the fifth time in as many games Fagiano Okayama scored the first goal of the game between these two teams, and the Satoki Uejo strike was all they needed to take the win. Shintaro Shimizu had an excellent opportunity inside the opening seventeen minutes to put Ryukyu ahead but his low shot was saved by the Okayama keeper and Ryukyu wouldn’t have a better chance to score all night. That is not to say Ryukyu didn’t come close; Uesato had a few free kicks sail just wide and Koya had a chance to level the match in the second half following Takuma Abe’s solo effort, but Ryukyu turnovers killed any momentum – despite the large amount of possession Ryukyu enjoyed on Saturday- which led to two more Okayama goals. The loss for Ryukyu doesn’t shift their position in the table, but it now sees them four points off the leaders, three behind Albirex Niigata, and only four ahead of quickly rising V-Varen Nagasaki.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 19 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

Fagiano Okayama 3-0 FC Ryukyu

2. Man of the Match

Fagiano Okayama Central Midfielder Eiji Shirai: Bagged his first goal of the year and then added an assist on Okayama’s third goal.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Get that first goal. Likelihood 3. Obviously not. Couldn’t even muster a single goal on the day. The game played out as expected when Okayama takes a lead.

2. No excuses this time if Okayama parks the bus. Likelihood 2. It is the same thing every time from Higuchi following a match in which Ryukyu out possesses, out shoots an opponent and either loses or limps to a draw. “We created a lot of chances but couldn’t score and we need to take this loss seriously.” Great, now what? Do we need to dip into the summer transfer market to find a spark for the offense?

4. Prediction

Tipped it to end 2-1 for Ryukyu and it wasn’t even close. Season Record 6-4-9.

5. Talking Points from Round 19

1. Ikeda’s injury leads to a 4-4-2 formation. There has been no word on the extent of Ikeda’s injury stemming from last week’s nasty fall, but Higuchi started Abe and Shintaro up top in a new formation for Ryukyu. Abe and Shintaro meshed well and it was the first time all season we’ve seen Ryukyu be very direct down the middle, but they just couldn’t score. Ryukyu’s best chance, and one which would have set the game on a very different trajectory, came in the 17’ minute from a nice back heel from Abe to Shintaro, but Shimizu’s shot was of the low and hard variety instead of higher where he had the entire net to shoot at. This was definitely the turning point in the game.

2. Lucky bounces and turnovers. Satoki Uejo opened the scoring after an initial shot rang off the post and took a fortuitous bounce through several players and into Uejo’s feet where he stuck a precision shot between four Ryukyu players. Okayama’s second and third goals came directly off of Ryukyu turnovers deep in their end though I am not sure what Inose was doing dropping to his knees on the second goal, which wasn’t struck nearly as hard as the third from close range. I cannot with any certainty say that Inose should’ve got closer to the third Okayama goal as it was so well struck that Inose couldn’t react in time to get his hands up.

3. Abe did the best he could to carry the team. There were a couple of moments this game when Abe put his head down and drove on net leading to good goal scoring chances for Ryukyu. We’ve seen this before, and it was successful last year on the one occasion, but nothing materialized this past weekend. There were some shouts for a PK on one such play, but the highlights don’t lend themselves to determining if Abe was truly fouled or his momentum took him off his feet.

4. What needs to change? There isn’t much we can do while some of our key players recover from injury but the lack of goals, shutout in four of their last ten games and averaging a goal game over their last five, has seen the early season momentum stall. Ryukyu, more so than some of the other teams in the league, may really need the midseason break to get things right. They have four favorable matchups prior to the break and need to quickly rebound from their second heaviest defeat of 2021.

6. Round 19 in J2

All three of the top sides won this round with V-Varen Nagasaki continuing their climb to the top.

7. Conclusion

Heading into this game we all knew that Ryukyu were riddled with injuries to key players but also in their most favorable stretch of games. Dropping points from an unconvincing performance is not the result we needed, but I expect there to be more of this yo-yoing of results until they are back to full health. That doesn’t make this loss any better and certainly isn’t an excuse for more dropped points moving forward. It is just the reality we are dealing with at the moment. Ryukyu are far from out of it with a little more than half the season to go, but they need to turn things around over their next five games or risk falling off the pace altogether.

MD19 Preview: (14) Fagiano Okayama vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu travel to 14th place Fagiano Okayama tomorrow in what is shaping up as a must win game for Ryukyu. Ryukyu have done enough the past few weeks to stay in the promotion hunt, but really need to continue their forward momentum they built up last week at home to Kitakyushu. Ryukyu had a full week of preparation heading into this game whereas Okayama’s schedule was slightly disrupted with a midweek Emperors Cup match at Tokyo Verdy. However, Okayama won that match and now enter this game on a 2-game wining streak following their impressive, though slightly controversial, win on the road at Niigata last round.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Information
Previous Match Highlights
Team Previews
- Fagiano Okayama
- FC Ryukyu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 19 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Info from Fagiano Okayama

Another round with no visiting FC Ryukyu fans, but the weather looks favorable.

Click>>> MD19 Information

2. Previous Match Highlights

Albirex Niigata 0-1 Fagiano Okayama

FC Ryukyu 3-0 Giravanz Kitakyushu

3. Team Previews

Fagiano Okayama: Okayama may be suffering from a lack of goals due to the numerous injuries they’ve sustained this year, but they’ve more than made it up for it with their defense. But they are a strange side in that they’ve been both shutout 8 times while shutting out their opponent 8 times in 2021. Good for fourth in the league when it comes to clean sheets. In that same vein of being on either end of the spectrum, Okayama have won five out six games this season when they score first, but have only mustered one draw in nine games when they conceded the first goal. For the season, Okayama has a 1-0-3 record against those sides currently, who have been recently, inside the top six of the table with the notable win occurring at Albirex Niigata last week.

Fagiano Okayama went 2-1-2 over their last five games that included wins over Matsumoto Yamaga and Albirex Niigata; a draw with Omiya Ardija; and losses to V-Varen Nagasaki and Tokyo Verdy. Both sides had ample opportunities to score in the Omiya/Okayama match but neither could hit the target despite being right on the doorstep. Okayama saw a redirected ball break the deadlock in their match to Nagasaki but did come close to leveling the game at the end. Their first win five weeks came on the road at Matsumoto 3-1 when they decided to move Satoki Uejo into a forward role in a 4-4-1-1 formation, which was up from his normal attacking midfield position on the right.

Okayama looked far better in this game then they have in a long time and benefited from a failure of Matsumoto to clear their lines early in the second half for the opening goal. Then Uejo contributed a spectacular solo effort to push the score line to 2-0 before surrendering a goal to Yamaga, but then benefited once more from a Matsumoto turnover. The game against Verdy looked very similar to the one against Omiya in that both sides were trading chances, however, it was Verdy who succeeded in scoring during stoppage time. But the biggest prize in the last five games was the controversial win over Niigata.

Niigata had the preponderance of chances throughout the game but were just unlucky. Okayama took advantage of that bad luck when Uejo scored a goal, from a clear offside position, in the 68′ minute. Not sure what the linesman was looking at there but these things happen from time to time and often decide the fates of some sides. Okayama then withstood a flurry of activity by Niigata near the end that included a couple of goal mouth scrambles and a shot off the post.

On paper, Okayama looks to be a far more dangerous team on the road (5 wins and 3 draws) compared to at home where they’ve only won once, have lost three in a row, and have scored 3 goals in their 8 home games. But I think this side was buoyed by the win over Niigata as well as the recent strong performances the past three rounds. Uejo is someone you will always have to keep an eye on as he can strike, with power and placement, from just about anywhere on the pitch. It remains to be seen if Lee Yong-Jae, a forward who has given Ryukyu fits in the past, will make an appearance after missing the past 15 rounds due to an undisclosed injury. Kawamoto, on loan from Shimizu S-Pulse, pairs well with Uejo up top and Okayama, in an attempt to shoehorn in some of their better players into the lineup, are starting Shuhei Tokumoto at LM with the veteran Miyazaki taking over LB duties.

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu may have stumbled the last time they went through a favorable schedule, mustering only 4 points from 3 games against Ehime FC, Tochigi SC, and Montedio Yamagata, but they cannot afford to do the same over their next set of features against Okayama, Yamaga, Kanazawa, Sagamihara, Omiya, and Kitakyushu. A seven game unbeaten streak, starting with the win over Giravanz, over these matches would not only allow Ryukyu to keep pace with the leaders, it could see them overtake them. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet as this side is still dealing with multiple injuries and at times, can play down to the level of their competition and drop points.

Last week’s win over Kitakyushu was a start in the right direction. Inose flashed some real potential, Koya scored a brace, Tanaka added two more assists to his total points, and Chinen was doing what Chinen does best. The only downside to that performance was the loss of Ren Ikeda to a back injury and there has been no word on his status heading into the game on Saturday. I hope he misses no time as he has been one of our best young players this season, and when you factor in the disappearing act by Kazaki Nakagawa, Ryukyu cannot afford to have a gap in the central midfield for too long. Shintaro Shimizu will likely take over these duties for Ikeda in the interim, which means Higuchi will have to dress both Shinya Uehara and Shingo Akamine as the replacement strikers. It should also see Ramon return to the bench, though a start for him in the Ikeda role would be justified.

Ryukyu were also without Koki Kazama last week and no one is certain if he is dealing with an injury or it was a veteran rest week for the central defensive midfielder. It did allow Ichimaru to make an appearance and considering that we signed that young player on a full transfer from Gamba this season, I’d like to see more of him moving forward. There was news this week that a top player and staff member had contracted CV-19, but no others were deemed close contacts, so barring some changes to the lineup or reserves, we won’t have an idea as to who that was.

In the nine games that Ryukyu have played against sides in the bottom half of the table, they have earned six wins, three draws, and suffered zero losses. They’ve scored 20 goals, 2/3 of the entire goals scored this year, and have conceded 7 goals which is close to 50% of the total goals they have conceded. Ryukyu’s next six games, dependent on how Zweigen gets on of course, are all against teams in the bottom half of the table, with three of those games against sides in the relegation zone. This is a very critical moment of the season for Ryukyu as points dropped over these next few rounds would be killer to their promotion hopes. They’ve already achieved a run of five wins in a row, and 8 games undefeated this season. And they need another run like that right now.

4. 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. Get that first goal. Likelihood 3. The stats tell us that all eleven of Ryukyu’s wins, and three of their draws, have come when playing with the lead. Ryukyu have won two games from five when they were playing from behind, but lost the other three. All six of Okayama’s wins have been a result of them scoring first in matches, with the lone blemish being the loss to Mito Hollyhock. But they have not won any of the nine games they’ve been forced to play from behind. It may just be as simple as that on Saturday.

2. No excuses this time if Okayama parks the bus. Likelihood 2. This game looks and feels a lot like the game Ryukyu had with Akita a few weeks ago. Both have a similar goal scoring and conceded record which means Ryukyu, more importantly Higuchi, should be prepared for a same set of events to play out. If Okayama’s defensive game plan is to bend, but not break, then our players need to be creative in the set-up play and accurate with the shots they do take. We saw what happened when Niigata missed ample opportunities against Okayama as well as what happened when Ryukyu switched off at the end against Akita. Do not let Okayama hang around to poach a goal or equalize. That means being only the fifth team this season to score more than two goals against Okayama.

5. Prediction

I am hesitant to predict a Ryukyu win as I’ve been dead wrong the past few rounds. I will say that Fagiano Okayama will score first, as they’ve done that in every game these teams have faced one another in J2, but I will also say that Ryukyu pull this one out 2-1 in dramatic fashion. Season Record 6-4-8.

6. Round 19 in J2

It is interesting that all four of the top sides, ranked 1-4, play four teams all ranked 11-14 in the same order (1v11, 2v12, 3v13, 4v14). Guess that means that no one side has an easier game than the other with the slight advantage afforded to (2) Jubilo Iwata who are at home (12) JEF United Chiba. (1) Kyoto Sanga travel to (11) Zweigen Kanazawa with (3) Albirex Niigata facing another tough test for goals on Monday night when they travel to (13) Blaublitz Akita. (5) Ventforet Kofu and (6) V-Varen Nagasaki will look to cut their deficit when they play (16) Renofa Yamaguchi and (15) Tochigi SC.

At the bottom it is (17) Matsumoto Yamaga looking to put some distance between them and the drop when they host (21) Omiya Ardija and then there is a very important game between (19) Giravanz Kitakyushu and (20) Ehime FC. This week’s free broadcast game on the J-League International YouTube channel will be between (18) Thespakusatsu Gunma and (7) FC Machida Zelvia.

Click>>> J-League International YouTube Channel

7. Conclusion

With the race at the top ebbing back and forth, points are at a premium these days. Almost to the point where every game for the top four becomes a ‘must win game’ in order to keep pace with the pack. It took Ryukyu five halves of football before they finally scored their first ever goal against Okayama last year, but they were able to win on the road, and earn a draw at home, when they fell behind. We’d rather see Ryukyu jump out to a lead like we saw last week, and maybe the midweek Emperors Cup match for Okayama at Tokyo Verdy has disrupted preparations for this game. In any event, Ryukyu need to use their momentum from last week and take the three points on Saturday.

MD18 Report: FC Ryukyu vs Giravanz Kitakyushu #FC琉球

Intro

Behind closed doors and under some poor weather, FC Ryukyu notched their 11th win of the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Giravanz Kitakyushu. Ryukyu had two players earn multiple points but it was the surprise performance from Inose that caught my eye. The win keeps Ryukyu near the top of the table but provided a much needed boost to the psyche of this team more than anything else.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 18 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu Mid Fielder Koya Kazama: Koya scored his first goal of the season, which was all Ryukyu needed for the win, added his second later in the game, and set up Tanaka for the cross on Ryukyu’s third goal. He almost had a hat-trick but he pushed the shot high from about 8-yards out on goal. There were multiple strong performances from Inose in net as well as Chinen in defense, but scoring a brace to carry the team to victory deserves all the credit.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. No mental lapses after scoring. Likelihood 4. An obvious yes after Ryukyu secured their first clean sheet in 5 games.

2. Protect Inose with multiple goals. Likelihood 2. Yes, though Ikeda’s day was cut short due to injury, Kiyotake didn’t do all that well, but Koya Kazama had a huge day yesterday.

4. Prediction

Thought this one would end in a 2-2 draw but the boys had other ideas. Season Record 6-4-8.

5. Talking Points from Round 18

1. Not only a scoring outburst yesterday, but an emotional one as well. Ryukyu needed a performance like that yesterday and the boys really wore their emotions on their sleeves. Obviously with no fans in attendance it was easy to hear the release of frustration, anger and jubilation after so many big plays from Ryukyu. Most notably was Koya after finally scoring for the first time this year and commenting after the game that they knew they had to win this match to stay in the hunt. Then there was the play made by Chinen to keep FC Ryukyu’s clean sheet intact. Watch the video below.

🗣 #知念哲矢、吠える！

斧澤隼輝のスルーパスを受けた髙橋大悟に決定機。しかし、#FC琉球の知念が素晴らしいスライディングで阻止、そして吠えた！#GoalJ2リーグ

🇯🇵 #明治安田J2 第18節
🆚 FC琉球×ギラヴァンツ北九州
📺 #DAZN で配信中 pic.twitter.com/vMv1rahnkk
— Goal Japan (@GoalJP_Official) June 13, 2021

2. Speaking of big performances, Inose was spectacular. You can also add in Keita Tanaka who grabbed two assists yesterday when won the ball back in the Kitakyushu end and smartly picked out Koya in the opening half. Then he found Shintaro Shimizu with a perfectly weighted cross in the second. But it was the performance from the Ryukyu #3 GK Inose that really stood out. Inose made a fine save in the opening half, tipped another one over the bar in the second that doesn’t show up on the highlight reel, and then stopped a penalty kick at the end. It was encouraging to see such an effort from a 20-year old player making only his third start in J2.

3. Yong Jick looked a little too relaxed out there. He committed an early turnover that was almost costly and then was the offending party on the Kitakyushu PK when he stuck his arm out in what I can only assume was to block the Kitakyushu player behind him but ended up touching the ball. Ryukyu can get away with that stuff against lesser sides but will not be so lucky against better teams. Unfortunately, we’ll have to deal with this stuff for another few weeks until Okazaki returns.

4. Abe was once again doing his thing but couldn’t grab a goal. He came close in the first half when his chip rang the crossbar but that’s about it. However, he was doing everything we needed him to do on both ends of the pitch. Seeing him subbed off around the 60’ each week maybe a good thing as we’ll need him as close to 100% every game moving forward.

5. A goal from a CK? Yes! A rare site indeed for this club but Uesato picked out Koya who buried the header to put the game out of reach.

6. Yet another injury to a member of the Ryukyu starting eleven. Ren Ikeda took a nasty fall following a challenge on a ball in the air when he contacted Kitakyushu player, sent tumbling downwards landing on his back, and was unable to continue after several minutes on the ground and brief return to the match. Hopefully this is nothing more than some soreness that will lead to a stiff back all week as we really cannot afford to be without Ren’s services for an extended period of time.

7. A very important win. With some of the clubs ahead of Ryukyu in the standings dropping points, the 3-points keeps Ryukyu in the race and cuts the lead to just 1-point. It also pushes Ryukyu 7-points clear of 5^th place Kofu. Despite what some might think of the opponent this week, Ryukyu needed to bust the slump they were in and gain some confidence back. It was never a given that Ryukyu would easily take this match, not with all the injuries and recent results, so grabbing a win when they needed it the most was uplifting.

6. Round 18 in J2

There was plenty of activity inside the J2 table this week with Jubilo Iwata usurping Albirex Niigata in second place following their fifth consecutive victory, 1-0 over a 10-man Ventforet Kofu, and with Albirex Niigata losing 0-1 at home to Fagiano Okayama following a very controversial goal by the guests. Kyoto Sanga conceded a late equalizer at home to Thespakusatsu Gunma (2-2) but moved into first place based on goal differential. FC Machida Zelvia’s 0-2 loss at home to Blaublitz Akita means there is a 7-ppoint gap at the top for the top four teams.

Despite Omiya earning a point at home to Tochigi SC, they find themselves logged at the bottom with SC Sagamihara who lost on the road at Mito Hollyhock. There seems to be a 4-team race to avoid the drop between Matsumoto Yamaga, Gunma, Kitakyushu, and Ehime FC with Ehime looking the worst off of the bunch. There is still plenty of games to play and these four teams are not separated by many points and others just above them in the table could find themselves in similar circumstances as the season progresses.

7. Conclusion

Ryukyu are now three points shy of the 40-point mark which puts them nearly halfway to 80, a mark that Higuchi threw out at the start of the season and one likely required to keep pace with the other three teams at the top. Truly unbelievable, but there is no time to rejoice and bask in our achievements as we haven’t accomplished anything yet. Ryukyu travel to Fagiano Okayama next week, who themselves are coming off an emotional win of their own. Fagiano are a stingy defensive side and we all saw what happened to Ryukyu when they faced a similar defensive team in Akita.

MD18 Preview: (4) FC Ryukyu vs (18) Giravanz Kitakyushu #FC琉球

Intro

It seems the temperature, and pressure, down here in Okinawa are ratcheting UP simultaneously for FC Ryukyu. Ryukyu now sit fourth in the table after failing to win last week at Akita when they conceded an extra time goal just thirty seconds after taking the lead. Ryukyu have been hit hard by the injury bug this season as they are down to their third string goal keeper and will be without the services of Ryohei Okazaki for another six weeks. That means they’ll really need to pile on the goals this week to avoid falling 6 points clear of the leaders. Giravanz Kitakyushu enter the match having lost their previous two games this week. One of which was a 0-1 home defeat to SC Sagamihara in the Emperors Cup. Prior to those losses, Kitakyushu had won two games in a row in the league, earned 9 points in the month of May, and pulled themselves out of the relegation zone. But they sit precariously close to the bottom four and would love to steal some points on the road at Ryukyu.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Match Highlights
Team Previews
- FC Ryukyu
- Giravanz Kitakyushu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 18 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information from FC Ryukyu

This will be FC Ryukyu’s first home game this year – and hopefully the last but it is not looking good – to be played ‘behind closed doors.’ Also known as Remote Cheering on DAZN. It was a nice gesture by the club to accept banners from the supporters via mail to hang inside the stadium this weekend and a Big thank you goes out to Head Supporter Hiroaki Ikema @cafedecampnou for contacting the club to set that up, though I gave him a slight nudge in that direction to ask (#shamelessplug). At least no fans will have to suffer through what looks to be terrible weather conditions for the match.

2. Previous Match Highlights

Blaublitz Akita 1-1 FC Ryukyu

Giravanz Kitakyushu 0-2 Jubilo Iwata

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu struggled mightily last week, as have many teams in J2 this season, to break the Akita lines and secure a victory on the road. Ryukyu started slowly, and were committing turnovers all over the pitch which nearly gifted Akita the game. Ryukyu turned things around in the second half thanks to Takuma Abe breaking the deadlock in the 92′ with a nice give-and-go effort past the Akita keeper. However, much like the week prior at Niigata, Ryukyu “switched off” for a bit and allowed Akita to drive the length of the field on 2 passes and put the equalizer past Inose, who was filling in for the injured Junto Taguchi who will miss the next 3 months with a broken finger.

Ryukyu are in the midst of a summer/mid-season slump as they’ve only won once in their last six games. There was a point following the Kyoto match where Ryukyu could have really put some distance between themselves and their competition as the schedule was quite favorable for Ryukyu. However, draws at Ehime and Akita, with two consecutive losses lumped in between, resulted in Ryukyu squandering any shot at having the other teams play catchup and now find themselves chasing the leaders.

It should come as no surprise that this dip in form coincides with multiple injuries to the Ryukyu starting eleven. Ryukyu are down to their third string goal keeper, Inose, are without starting CB Okazaki for the next month and half, and were without Abe for a brief period when they lost at home for the first time all year to Montedio Yamagata. Ryukyu also conceded 8 goals within in their past 6 games which exceeded their total number of goals conceded in their first 12. We should all prepare ourselves to see a team more like the ones from 2019 and 2020 than the one that started the season so well. But that requires a massive uptick in offense for a side that has managed to score more than one goal in a game only twice in their last 8 games.

In seasons past, when defending was very questionable, Ryukyu could at least control large portions of games, create several goal scoring chances, and lean on their offense. That will need to be the case for the foreseeable future until they can get healthy at the back. The lone bit of good news this week was the lineup that Higuchi ran out during the Emperors Cup match on Wednesday. Though Ryukyu lost 0-1 to Matsumoto Yamaga, it was encouraging to see so many players, who we may have thought were dealing with injury, feature in that game. The notable player that was absent from the roster, and who has been an enigma all year, was Kazaki Nakagawa. We are nearly at the halfway point of the season and the on-loan, former Ryukyu player, has mustered a measly 34 minutes played in his only appearance. I have no clue what is going on there but it is seriously deflating to see a player of his caliber left off the roster each week.

Giravanz Kitakyushu: Giravanz started the yearly slowly by winning only one of their opening eleven games. Since then, they’ve managed to earn three victories which has pulled them, however briefly, out of the relegation zone. This is definitely not the same Kitakyushu squad that held Ryukyu to one goal scored across two games including a 4-0 drubbing of Ryukyu at home last season. Giravanz had a large amount of departures in the offseason, some on full transfers with a majority of their on-loan players returning to their parent clubs. That heavy turnover is probably why Giravanz have struggled to earn points this season, and why they will continue to struggle to remain in the J2 next season.

Kitakyushu went 2-0-3 in their last five games with the two wins coming against Omiya Ardija at home and FC Machida Zelvia away. They suffered consecutive defeats to V-Varen Nagasaki and Tokyo Verdy and lastly to Jubilo Iwata at home. They also lost their midweek Emperors Cup match 0-1 at home to SC Sagamihara. The game against Nagasaki came down to the wire with the guests pulling out the victory thanks to a 93′ goal in stoppage time. Giravanz conceded two second half goals the following week to Verdy and that was all the hosts needed to see out the win. The match with Omiya started out as an ugly one as both sides conceded own goals to keep the game level at 1-1. Then, Giravanz turned it on in the second half, looked far better than they had the previous two games, and ended up scoring two really nice goals to win 3-1.

Giravanz scored in the opening two minutes of their match with Zelvia and then hug on for dear life. Zelvia came close on numerous occasions but Giravanz were bailed out by the post/crossbar, a little bit of luck, and some fine goal keeping. If Kitakyushu were fortunate to beat Zelvia 1-0 with all the breaks going their way, they were unfortunate the following week when they ended up hitting the post or seeing their shots stopped by the Iwata goal keeper. Giravanz surrendered two first half goals to Iwata and couldn’t garner any luck like they did the previous week falling 0-2 at home.

When these two teams first met last season, Ryukyu were higher up in the table with Giravanz near the bottom, albeit, after only two games into the season. However, the 4-0 win by Giravanz sparked a nice run for our guests this week when they only lost 2 games over their next 18 matches. Giravanz can be a tricky side that plays up to their competition and can earn some nice results, but they are more prone to poor performances most of the time. They will certainly look to steal a point on the road this week with a weakened FC Ryukyu side.

4. 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. No mental lapses after scoring. Likelihood 4. It is odd that this one must be included in this week’s key to victories but after having seen Ryukyu concede goals shortly after scoring themselves in consecutive weeks, it must be stated. Considering the circumstances, I think Ryukyu will be cognizant of this problem this week and all that really needs to be done is a quick word from the team captain Uesato to the team following any Ryukyu goals on Sunday.

2. Protect Inose with multiple goals. Likelihood 2. It goes without saying that Ryukyu really need the offense to carry the load tomorrow. Giravanz routinely gets torn apart at the back by their opponent’s attacking midfielders so this game sets up really nice for Ikeda, Koya and Kiyotake, who could stretch Kitakyushu with quick passes in and around the 18-yard box. There is also the possibility we see Ryukyu take advantage of Giravanz on set pieces and corners as these two areas are where Kitakyushu concede a majority of their goals.

5. Prediction

Giravanz perform much better on the road than they do at home as they have two more road wins this season compared to playing at home. Outside of a lopsided 6-1 defeat to Kyoto Sanga on the road, Giravanz are pretty stingy when it comes to conceding goals. Ryukyu really need to rebound with a win this week in order to keep pace with the teams at the top. But, with all the injuries, and with Inose making his third start of the season, I feel this game will end in a 2-2 draw with Ryukyu conceding the equalizer late in what should be a spirited game. Season Record 6-4-7.

6. Round 18 in J2

(1) Albirex Niigata will host (16) Fagiano Okayama who have only won once in their last six games. (2) Kyoto Sanga FC will host (19) Thespakusatsu Gunma who are undefeated in their last four with two consecutive wins. (4) Jubilo Iwata versus (6) Ventforet Kofu is the game this week with the most on the line with both clubs so close to one another in the standings. The free broadcast this week on the J-League International YouTube channel will be (9) JEF United Chiba vs. (10) Tokyo Verdy.

7. Conclusion

Ryukyu need a slump buster in the worst way and Giravanz could be just what the doctor ordered after a tough few weeks. Ryukyu must do all they can to keep pace with the teams at the top until they can return to full health and that means earning wins over teams they should beat. But that won’t be easy as they’ve shown little offensive output in the past six games but all that could change with a big win tomorrow. So long as Ryukyu can keep the point game at the top between 3-5 points, they’ll have a good chance of making things interesting down the stretch. But the task at hand is to win the winnable game directly in front of them, and to look good while doing it.

MD17 Report: (13) Blaublitz Akita vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

This was not the type of performance you expected, or wanted, to see out of Ryukyu following a tough defeat to Niigata last week. Ryukyu were extremely sloppy in the first half and only mustered a single shot on net the entire opening period. We all knew Blaublitz Akita was going to be a tough nut to crack at the back, but Ryukyu looked uninspired in the attack all day. The dozen or more turnovers that Ryukyu committed didn’t help the situation though Takuma Abe and Tetsuya Chinen did all they could to keep Ryukyu in the game. Abe finally returned to the score sheet with an impressive solo effort in stoppage time where his shot took an in-between-bounce over the Akita keeper to break the deadlock. But the joy of taking the lead late in the game was short lived as within 30 seconds of Abe’s goal, Ryukyu conceded the equalizer.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 17 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Day 17 Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu DF Tetsuya Chinen: Whenever Ryukyu needed someone to step up and make a play, Chinen was there. He was closing down attackers, cutting off passes, getting back into position after several dozen Ryukyu turnovers and was our spark plug at the back. The only smudge on his otherwise clean record was when he came out a little too far to challenge for the ball in the air on Akita’s goal as it pulled him a little out of position and he wasn’t able to kill the drive with a clearance.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Get to the 2-goal mark first. Likelihood 3. Fail! Ryukyu didn’t even get to the one goal mark until the 2nd minute of stoppage time in the second half.

2. Do not take them for granted. Likelihood 4. They may have just enough to allow Akita back in the game. It was a tale of two halves as Akita completely dominated Ryukyu in the first with Ryukyu taking charge in the second. But it was the mental collapse in the final sixty seconds of the game that did Ryukyu in.

3. Same as last week, set pieces will be key. Likelihood 2. Pass. Ryukyu gave Akita ample opportunities in the first half to score from set pieces but held firm in the end. However, when the offense was struggling to generate much of anything, and Ryukyu were gifted a few set pieces in dangerous areas, they couldn’t convert any of them.

4. Prediction

I said 2-1 to Ryukyu with Martin correctly tipping it to end in a 1-1 draw. I’ll take the loss here. Season Record 6-4-7.

5. Talking Points from Round 17

1. The injury crisis deepens. Taguchi’s surprise absence on the roster sent shockwaves through the Ryukyu fan base hours before kickoff. Word of his injury, 10-12 weeks with a broken bone in his hand, wasn’t released until the following Monday. This means Ryukyu are now down to their 3^rd and 4^th string goalies with only a special designated 16-year-old player as an emergency back-up. Inose took a knock to his ankle early in the first half but he was able to remain in the game, and Chinen was seen hobbling a little near the end of the game. Taguchi is likely gone until September, with Dany hopefully just a few short weeks away, but every minor injury now becomes a crisis situation. Much like 2019 when Ryukyu went through a midseason collapse that coincided with several injuries, we are seeing a carbon copy of that script here in 2021.

That ties into the question I brought up last week about the level of training Ryukyu conduct back here in Okinawa, and whether or not it needs to be dialed down a bit. Let’s be honest, we have a much older squad on average than most teams in J2, specifically in that most of the starters are over, or very close, to 30-years of age, so how much physical training is required for these guys to maintain peak performance each week? The news release from Ryukyu stated that Taguchi injured his hand during the Niigata match but I find it hard to believe he would’ve been able to continue in a game, one in which Ryukyu used only 4 out of the possible 5 substitutes, if he truly broke the bones at any point in the match. Especially one with so much at stake.

Ryukyu may have started off very strong this year, but if the training truly has been too brutal on the guys, then we are seeing the effects as the season progresses. Right now, Ryukyu are dealing with no less than 4 injuries, if we read the tea leaves on some players where there’s been no word of an injury, which seem to be related to unnecessary wear and tear. Granted, injuries will always occur throughout the season, but is enough being done during training to limit the impact of a 42-game season with large amounts of travel?

2. Turnovers were killer. FC Ryukyu couldn’t generate any type of attack in the first half with the high number of turnovers they committed in the central midfield. This provided Akita with numerous short counter attacks and chances to take the lead. Inose made a fine save on one such play but Ryukyu were bailed out on another when Yong Jick committed a heinous turnover in their end and it was very lucky that the Akita player severely miss hit the shot. Kiyotake can also be included in the egregious offender category for turnovers on Saturday. This was a day that the offense really needed to carry the day with the defense reeling with injuries and they simply couldn’t penetrate the Akita back line.

3. Mental lapses rearing their head once more. Aside from the aforementioned turnovers, there was the break down at the end of the game that saw Ryukyu concede a goal within 1-minute of scoring for the second consecutive week. Akita managed to make it all the way into the Ryukyu 18-yard box on 2 passes and put one past Inose to level the game with less than 60 seconds of stoppage time remaining. First, Chinen may have missed judged the flight of the ball when he came out a little too far, and then was unable to get into position to challenge the initial long ball from the Akita goal keeper. Then, Yong Jick opted to play the man, not the ball, which allowed the Akita player to knock the ball forward. Koki Kazama did all he could to delay the inevitable but Mikami was strong enough to hold off the challenge from Ryukyu. Seeing how Mikami was basically falling backwards, there was only one way he was going to put the shot on net and that was high. For his part, Inose stated in his post-game comments that he should have done better when setting the defensive line on that play but I think he should have seen how Mikami was setting up and played for the high shot, not a low liner from that tight of an angle.

4. Higuchi’s post-match comments. Higuchi received a lot of flak in the days following this game as he severely criticized Akita for “not playing football.” I don’t agree with those comments, nor condone them, as a way of shifting blame for how the team performed. First, your opponent always has a say in the game and if you are unable to make the necessary adjustments during the game, that is a failure of coaching. Second, it was evident that Akita were playing a physical type of football with Ryukyu early on and continued to do so when the referee allowed that type of play to continue unabated. The only card to be shown in the first half was awarded to the Ryukyu goal keeper coach who took umbrage with a late challenge to Inose who was nursing a bit of a knock to his ankle.

Third, give credit where credit is due to Akita. They had a game plan, executed that game plan, and earned a valuable point. In fact, Akita were probably more deserving of that point as they could’ve easily defeated Ryukyu had they not missed a few chances. Finally, you have five opportunities to make changes throughout the game and if you thought Akita was truly out there parking the bus, then you should have made changes earlier than the last 10 minutes of play so those changes could have a meaningful impact on the game.

5. It is going to be a cruel, cruel summer. Fire up Bananarama on your playlists and brace for a bumpy ride as Ryukyu face a daunting task of staying in the promotion race until the summer break. What was once a position of strength for Ryukyu, defense, has turned into their Achilles heel as of late. Ryukyu are no longer seeing out low scoring games for wins and that is unlikely to improve the next few months until players return from injury. To that point, the two categories for points accumulated over expectation and points dropped are starting to get to dangerously close to one another. Ryukyu probably sit about 10 points shy of avoiding relegation at this point, but I am not sure they will be able to maintain a place near the top of the table by the time fall rolls around.

6. The Emperors Cup looms large. Ryukyu will play their opening match of the Emperors Cup this Wednesday at Matsumoto Yamaga. I’ve never been a huge fan of this tournament, mainly because of the way it has to be organized with so few clubs owning their own stadium to go along with the drain on limited resources forcing Ryukyu to play another road game during an already long season. Higuchi stated that this is an important tournament for the club this year. I would agree that we need to get some bench players some playing time as injuries begin to mount but Ryukyu shouldn’t gamble with any of the starting eleven in the midweek. Tsumita is likely to start in net, needs some playing time if Inose is indeed dealing with an injury, with whole sale changes across the back and front. Ramon, Motegi, Nakagawa (?), Ichimaru, Yu, Shintaro, Fukui, Torikai, Makito, Yamashita, Murase, Paso, and Hitomi should all make the squad and see playing time. I would even like to see Sho Sawada (17) and Koki Yushin (16) get a call up. But you never know these days as it looked as if Ryukyu remained on the mainland for training in between these games and are unlikely to have flown in several replacements for this game.

6. Round 17 in J2

All three of the top three sides drew this week which allowed Jubilo Iwata to leapfrog FC Ryukyu into third place following their fourth win in a row. Apparently the four wins in a row is a franchise record for Jubilo Iwata. No real change after the top 4 sides this week but the gap near the bottom is beginning to widen for Omiya Ardija, on another managerial change this week, and SC Sagamihara.

7. Conclusion

Rocked by multiple injuries, with confidence waning, and the notion of promotion slowly slipping away, Ryukyu need to regroup and change whatever it is that they’ve been doing the past 7 rounds that has seen them tumble 2 spots outside of promotion. The midweek EC match is not what this team needs right now, though I can understand that it is an opportunity for some of the players to get some match minutes who have infrequently, or never, appeared for Ryukyu this season. This may turn out to be significant in the event we need to look to some of these players in the near future if the injuries continue to pile up.

MD17 Preview: (12) Blaublitz Akita vs (3) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu will make their longest road trip of the season when they travel to face Blaublitz Akita this Saturday. That comes on the heels of their third longest road trip of the year to Niigata last week, and just before another road trip to Matsumoto Yamaga the following Wednesday for an Emperors Cup match. These two teams are very familiar with one another stemming from their time together in both the JFL and J3, but this will be the first time they face each other in the J2.

Both enter Match Day 17 following a loss the previous round and both are looking to rebound in a big way. These two sides are dealing with some injuries to their back line which has seen their strong defensive performances to start the season taper off as of late resulting in consecutive losses for Ryukyu and Akita failing to win since their 2-1 victory at V-Varen Nagasaki one month ago. On a much more positive note, Martin Spivey will be joining the FC Ryukyu blog this week to preview Blaublitz Akita so please enjoy the change to the normal opposition’s preview I churn out.

Blaublitz Akita versus FC Ryukyu Match Day 17

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Match Day Highlights
Team Previews
- Blaublitz Akita
- FC Ryukyu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 17 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Maybe some wind to contend with during the match but otherwise a very nice forecast. And once again there will be no visiting FC Ryukyu fans allowed to attend while Okinawa is under a state of emergency.

Click>>> MD 17 Info from Blaublitz Akita

2. Previous Match Day Highlights

Tokyo Verdy 3-1 Blaublitz Akita

Albirex Niigata 2-1 FC Ryukyu

3. Team Previews

Blaublitz Akita: As a Blaublitz Akita supporter of almost a decade, I have to say I’m in Dreamland. From JFL to J3 and now J2. After our J3 victory in 2017, I honestly thought we wouldn’t get another chance of promotion any time soon when our J2 license application was rejected. But here we are. And last season took me by surprise. A real underdog story that I feel mirrors Ryukyu’s rise (if I may say such a thing!). Until about 5 seasons ago, both clubs were stuck in the mid-table of J3 with similar crowds and set-ups and now we face each other in the league above, 12th at home to 3rd.

Both teams have seen their form (and results) tail off a little bit in recent weeks but after watching bits of Ryukyu here and there, I can see they will be a really tough opponent. A great passing side that knows how to score goals. As for Akita, well, I imagine we can be a hard watch for the neutral at times. Our strength is in our strong work ethic – the players never stop running. A long throw-in into the box from RB Suzuki or MF Fukoin can be expected at every possible opportunity or a long ball from the center of defense for pacy forward Keita Saito to run on to. Akita will sit back and let Ryukyu have most of the possession but hopefully it won’t be all one-way traffic.

There are concerns about our central defense, with Kaito Chida having been out all season and Shigeto Masuda missing the last few games. Veteran legend Kenichi Kaga is a solid back-up but he needs a break soon you feel. If he starts, and has tired legs, then the Ryukyu attack may want to try and run at him from the start! After Ryukyu, Akita have Machida and Niigata coming up so I fear we could go on a run of 6 or 7 games without a win. Still, I find the outcome of this game a little hard to predict.

Ryukyu could smash us by 3 or 4 if we’re not at the races but we could also nick a win. A 1-1 draw wouldn’t be a total surprise based on our home results so far this season. Can we benefit from the fact there will be no away supporters in the ground? I just wanna see a good, clean fight. May the best team win! (I’ll take a point though…)

Thank You Martin for that great preview of Blaublitz Akita. You can find Martin on Twitter @bantam84 for all things Akita.

FC Ryukyu: May was a rough month for FC Ryukyu as they won two, drew two and lost two. In Ryukyu’s first twelve games of the season they surrendered more than one goal in a game only once. Ryukyu have now conceded 2 goals in each of their past 3 games. The injury to starting CB Okazaki has compounded that problem and will do so for the next 7 weeks. For a team that was winning on the back of great defensive performances, and steady offensive output, Ryukyu have really come apart at the seems this past month.

Takuma Abe’s return up top helped last week and we should see the Ryukyu talisman get back on the score sheet this week. Yong Jick has been forced to drop back into the starting CB role along side Chinen and since we only have the one game to make any judgement on whether or not he has improved from last season in that role, we will have to reserve judgment for a later date. Fukui has now become the emergency defender on the bench and though Ryukyu have not seen Akamine in the squad for a few weeks, I felt they fielded their strongest bench this season last week.

Dressing three forwards, vice four, for each match allows some of the talented mid fielders on the roster a shot at making the bench. Though it is anyone’s guess whether or not they will appear in a game. So far we’ve seen Higuchi prefer to play Yu Tomidokoro over Ichimaru in the central midfield with Motegi filling in for Kiyotake and Uehara coming on late in place of Koya. Shimizu will likely spell Abe at some point in the match while Abe gets back to full match fitness levels following an injury he picked up at Ehime FC.

Still, I would like to see Nakagawa make the bench but with no idea of who is actually hurt these days, we must always wait for the team to tweet out the starting lineup a few hours before kickoff. Perhaps it would be best to not practice in the hot Okinawa heat during the day and tailor practice times to mirror kickoff times that week so guys can remain somewhat fresh and get their bodies in tune for that time of the day. Ryukyu have three road games in a row, which included last weeks game at Niigata, spread across 10 days meaning they will lose anywhere between 5-6 days of practice for travel. This may be the only rest they get in between games the next few weeks while it is getting really hot down here in Okinawa.

4. 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. Get to the 2-goal mark first. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu have hit the 2-goal mark only twice in their last 8 games while being held to 1-goal (3) or shutout (3) in the other 6 games. The two-goal mark maybe enough to see out the win as Akita have only managed to score 2 goals in a game, both on the road, on 2 occasions this season. If Akita follow the same path of our previous three opponents and score 2 goals against us, it may be a tough ask to score 3 goals against a team that has only allowed 2 or more goals in a game 4 times this year.

2. Do not take them for granted. Likelihood 4. Several of Akita’s opponents may have overlooked them as the newly promoted side but that has resulted in Akita earning victories over Kyoto, JEF, Mito and Nagasaki while nearly earning a win over Iwata. Ryukyu need to go out there and set the pace early as Akita have proven themselves a resilient team this season.

3. Same as last week, set pieces will be key. Likelihood 2. Akita scores, and concedes, most of their goals from set pieces and though Ryukyu turned the corner last week by not allowing a goal from a set piece, they will need to do the same this week at Akita.

5. Prediction

Akita will be no easy nut to crack for Ryukyu as they have shut out their opponent on four times while playing at home. However, they have conceded all three of their goals at home in their last three home matches. Akita and Ryukyu earned the same results, and near identical goals scored/conceded record, over their last five games, but Ryukyu’s overall goals conceded on the year matches the total for Akita’s overall goals scored tally. I appreciate Martin going in for the point, and see that as a real possibility, but Ryukyu need a rebound win following two consecutive defeats so therefore I’ll say to 2-1 to Ryukyu. Season Record 6-4-6.

6. Round 17 in J2

All Times Listed are in Japan Standard Time

Round 17 kicks off Friday evening with (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma taking on (10) FC Mito Hollyhock. (1) Albirex Niigata will play their fourth game in a row against a top six side when they travel to (5) Ventforet Kofu on Saturday with (2) Kyoto Sanga FC also on the road this week at (16) Tochigi SC. (4) Jubilo Iwata and (6) FC Machida Zelvia are also on the road this round when they face (18) Giravanz Kitakyushu and (17) Matsumoto Yamaga FC respectively.

(22) SC Sagamihara will take on (7) V-Varen Nagasaki for the free J-League International YouTube broadcast this Saturday and the link can be found below the infographic.

7. Conclusion

It will be interesting to see how Ryukyu respond in the face of adversity following two losses in a row. Akita could take advantage of some tired legs from Ryukyu, as well as some depressed morale, so Ryukyu really need to gut this one out. A couple of nice goals from Takuma Abe, set up by Koya Kazama and Keita Tanaka, could provide the much needed boost in confidence for this side who are still in the thick of things this far into the season.