2019

Match Day 19 Preview: (H) FC Ryukyu versus Ventforet Kofu (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, Kickoff at 1800, 6/22/2019.

Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms starting earlier in the day with scattered thunderstorms throughout the match. It will most likely be raining the whole time during the match so come prepared with ponchos, umbrellas, towels and bags to keep you items dry.

Yuck! The weather forecast will not help the Ryukyu attendance numbers

Intro

Kofu enter match day 19 after suffering a 2-0 loss at home to Tokyo Verdy. Kofu looked sluggish in that match and they rarely generated much going forward. FC Ryukyu, on the other hand, enter this match having come from behind twice to Kyoto on the road that saw Ryukyu earn a draw and return home with a point. I initially though this was going to be a very tough match-up for FC Ryukyu to walk away with any points, but the game footage for Kofu tells a different story.

Ventforet Kofu

Kofu come to Okinawa having won 3 out of their last five matches, in convincing fashion mind you, as well as earned a draw against Yamagata by coming from behind twice with one of those goals occurring very late in stoppage time. This team was firing on all cylinders prior to the Verdy match but since then, Kofu have suffered key injuries to their attacking front line.

Against Yamagata, Kofu had to sub off Dudu mid-way through the first half due to what looks to be a dislocated shoulder or damage to one of the ligaments. Dudu didn’t dress for the last match and I am not sure if he’ll be healthy enough to face Ryukyu tomorrow. The following match against Verdy saw the second strike partner up front, Soneda not even dress. That was massive as Soneda and Dudu have accounted for 9 of Kofu’s 26 goals, roughly one third, and pair nicely with Utaka up front. Their absence was very noticeable during the Verdy match as the once potent attack of Kofu has stalled out.

There are basically 3 scenarios facing FC Ryukyu tomorrow. First, if Dudu and Soneda do not dress, then we can expect to see a similar performance against Verdy from Kofu. If either Dudu or Soneda dress, then we can expect a back and forth match and will need to pay very close attention to Utaka. Finally, if both play, then Ryukyu face an uphill battle as these players will be well rested and this is a team that scored 9 goals in the four games prior to the injures. If scenario number one holds true tomorrow, then FC Ryukyu stand a very good chance of taking all 3 points in the match since the Kofu defense is rather poor and they lack any real attack. If either of the last 2 scenarios comes to fruition tomorrow, then FC Ryukyu are in a real tough spot with injuries to Carvajal and Tokumoto, as well as the suspension for Tanaka.

Kofu Players to Watch

I have already mentioned what Dudu and Soneda bring to the table for Kofu so let’s turn our attention to some other notable players in the Kofu squad.

#9 FW Peter Utaka. Leading scorer for Kofu with 8 goals and 1 assist so far this season. He seems to have a penchant for scoring braces as he’s had 3 games this season with 2 goals. He can overpower weaker defenders and will punish any stupid mistakes by the defender during open field challenges for the ball or in 1v1 situations. FC Ryukyu need to know where Utaka is at all times when he is in the 18-yard box.

#18 FW Koichi Sato. Comes on a substitute for most matches but has scored 4 times this season as a sub. More on that later. Can add some height to the Kofu attack and there is an outside shot he starts tomorrow.

#14 MF Shigeru Yokotani. Plays a central/defensive mid fielder role for Kofu and has 3 goals this season.

#39 DF Kenta Uchida. The defender has 3 assists on the season and can take a nice free kick for Kofu. I don’t know if Uchida is also the corner kick taker for Kofu but he can certainly deliver a nice ball into the box.

#26 MF Kazuhiro Sato & #28 MF Yuki Hashizumi. These two make the list as they are the replacements who have filled in for Dudu and Soneda the past 2 matches. Both have started 7 matches this year but do not offer the same upside to the attack that Dudu and Soneda do.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu are dealing with their own unique challenges this weekend so though it may seem they have the upper hand on paper, in reality, things are probably even between both sides. First, Tokumoto picked up a non-contact ankle injury last week against Kyoto that will see him miss 3-4 weeks. Second, Keita Tanaka will serve a 1 match suspension for the accumulation of yellow cards. This means FC Ryukyu will have to make 2 changes to a starting lineup that was starting to gel and get back to the scoring ways from earlier this season.

Tanaka will most likely be replaced by either Uejo, Kawai or Ochi but I am not sure who will feature on the bench for Ryukyu this week as I haven’t seen Koizumi’s name since Gifu. Tokumoto will be replaced by Fukui which means we will need to dress another defensive player this weekend. I appreciate that Fukui can play both in and outside defense but certainly FC Ryukyu has some real defensive depth issues if they are more willing to move both Fukui and Masutani to the FB position instead of leaving them inside and bringing up reserve FBs. I guess we will not only find out tomorrow but also during the Emperor’s Cup next month.

Aside from the unknown, Ryukyu are coming into the match having drawn twice, lost twice and won once in their last five matches. However, FC Ryukyu are a very difficult team to beat at home, as evidenced by the 30-game home unbeaten streak, and they just play better at the Tapista. Ryukyu’s last few home matches have seen them battle back against Kanazawa, overcome a late goal from Niigata to score one of their own to win and beat the number one team in J2 in Mito. This offers some hope going forward as Ryukyu is making life difficult for the visiting J2 sides.

Key Injuries or Suspensions

FC Ryukyu: MF Keita Tanaka (SUS), GK Danny Carvajal (INJ) & DF Shuhei Tokumoto (INJ)

Ventforet Kofu: FW Dudu (INJ) & MF Yutaka Soneda (INJ)

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Press the Kofu back-line into making mistakes. The Kofu defense is not that great and #22, Yuta Koieda, is a pretty bad CB. FC Ryukyu needs to press the Kofu back-line when they are in possession as they are very unsure of themselves and often make poor decisions that can lead to turnovers . With so much attacking power on Kofu they have yet to learn how to play the ball out from the back and Ryukyu should exploit this weakness. The horrible mistake by the defenders last week against Verdy led directly to Verdy’s second goal.

2. Know where all the Kofu attackers are at, at all times, but especially when they are in or just outside the 18-yard box. The Kofu attackers have the uncanny ability to lose their markers at key times and then score goals. Ryukyu cannot afford to cede an otherwise easily defended goal to Kofu tomorrow. Kofu’s formation allows the squad to crash the box once they gain possession down either flank in the deep ends of the opposition which can then overwhelm the defense. Uesato and Komatsu have to stay on top of this tactic and aide the Ryukyu back line.

3. Attack the Kofu back line with speed and misdirection passes. Koji Suzuki should have his way tomorrow with Kofu defenders so long as Ryukyu feed him quality passes. Kofu defenders don’t seem to mark well which means Ryukyu players should find plenty of space to maneuver inside the Kofu box. Kofu also doesn’t defend corners all that well so this is another opportunity for Ryukyu to get on the front foot.

4. Mark Koichi Sato in the final minutes of the match. Sato has scored an eye popping 4 stoppage time goals this season as a sub. He has earned 3 points for Kofu in those 4 matches since 3 of the games ended in draws. FC Ryukyu must maintain their focus at the end of the match and not allow Sato any time or space in the box.

Match Prediction

If this was the same Kofu squad that was brushing aside opponents from earlier in the season than I would have predicted a loss for FC Ryukyu. However, this is a weakened Kofu side that comes into the match in poor form and lacking any real punch up front outside of Utaka. Sound defending by Ryukyu coupled with a ruthless attack should see Ryukyu prevail tomorrow. FC Ryukyu 2-1 Ventforet Kofu.

Conclusion

FC Ryukyu will once again be playing in less than optimal weather conditions this weekend. Thankfully Ryukyu are becoming accustomed to playing in such poor conditions as this will be at least their 6^th time this season that they have had to endure rain and wind in a match. That fact, along with Kofu’s injuries, recent poor form and not so great record for matches started in the evening hours, sets FC Ryukyu up nicely to grab all 3 points at home tomorrow and provide a massive boost to their point tally.

See you all out there tomorrow and let’s do our best to stay dry. Come on Lads!

“Threading the Needle” Match Day 18 Preview: Kyoto Sanga F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu 6/15/2019

Match Day 18: (H) Kyoto Sanga F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium, 6/15/2019 Kickoff at 1900.

Weather Forecast: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s for the match but it is expected to rain all day with thunderstorms starting around 1500 and expected to continue until 2200. Bring your rain jackets, poncho’s, umbrellas and towels as it is going to be nasty weather out there.

Intro

Fresh off their draw with Kanazawa, FC Ryukyu travel to the Kansai area to take on a very powerful Kyoto Sanga side who are returning home after 2 weeks on the road. Sanga come into the match having been decisively beaten by Omiya Ardija but this is a team that swept the J2 League awards for May with Koyamatsu winning the best goal, Sento earning MVP honors and their manager, Nakata, rounding out the trifecta. More on them later. FC Ryukyu’s road struggles are well known at this point and with difficult matches over the next 2 months, any points FC Ryukyu can earn on the road must be viewed as a huge boost for their hopes at staying in the J2 next season. let’s look at how the two teams stack up this season.

Interesting that Kyoto doesn’t score, or concede nearly as many goals at home as they do on the road. Kyoto’s record against teams in the top half of the table also offers a glimmer of hope for FC Ryukyu today.

Starting Lineups for both sides from previous match.

Kyoto Sanga F.C.

Prior to the loss at Omiya, Sanga had won 4 times and drawn twice in their previous 6 matches. Over the course of the last 6 weeks, Sanga has scored 14 goals and conceded 8. Those numbers represent 60% of to the total amount of goals Sanga has scored on the season as well as 50% of the amount of goals they’ve conceded. If we look at the first 11 weeks of the season for Sanga, the stats tell a very different story. Sanga failed to score in 5 of the first 11 matches with 4 of those shutouts occurring at home. Despite the goal scoring drought, Sanga were still able to earn 4 wins, 3 draws and only suffer 3 losses in those 11 matches. All in all; it means that they weathered the rough storm during the early part of the season, accumulated some nice point tallies along the way, are wracking up the points with what looks to be a very potent attack, all at a crucial time of the season. Basically; they are peaking and present a formidable challenge for FC Ryukyu.

Over the course of the 4 Kyoto matches I viewed for this review; Sanga displayed a penchant for starting fast. For the entire season, Kyoto has scored 13 of their 23 goals in the first half. More importantly, they have conceded 10 of their 16 goals this season in the second half of matches. Furthermore, Sanga have only played 3 matches in which they scored in the first half yet failed to score in the second half and in those matches they have gone 1W1D1L. But it should be noted that they scored first in two of those games whereas against Omiya they did not. Bottom line, FC Ryukyu needs to do all they can to stop Kyoto from scoring in the first half, if they do, then FC Ryukyu have a great shot at earning a point on the day.

Kyoto Sanga Players to Watch

Sanga’s set up plays to the teams strength, which is attacking. The talent up front for Sanga is quite good and the partnering of Ichimi and Koyamatsu looks like one of the most lethal combinations in the J2.

L to R: Koyamatsu, Ichimi, Miyayoshi, Sento & Ishibitsu

#23 FW Kazunari Ichimi. I was surprised to learn that Ichimi is only 5’10” (181cm) as he seems to play a lot “taller” than his height would indicate. He reminds me a lot of Olivier Giroud from Chelsea in that he is really good at getting the positional advantage over the defender and can get his foot to a ball and direct it into the back of the net. Ichimi is the joint top scorer for Sanga with 5 goals and 2 assists.

#22 MF Tomoya Koyamatsu. The J2 League winner of the best goal of the month for May. This particular player is a one-man wrecking ball at times. I’ve seen him gain possession near or just behind the half way line and then make a very powerful run on net single handed and then score. He is very strong and has good pace which means he will be a huge challenge of any slower, weaker defenders. He isn’t afraid to take all of them on at once and Koyamatsu has 3 goals and 3 assists so far this season.

#14 MF Keiya Sento. Joint top scorer with 5 goals and 2 assists. Plays down the right, along with Miyayoshi and Ishibitsu to form a three headed monster in attack.

#13 FW Takumi Miyayoshi. 1 goal and 3 assists so far this season from a forward position but he can provide excellent service and set up play for Sento and Ichimi.

#30 DF (RB) Yosuke Ishibitsu. The 3^rd part to the Kyoto attacking right side. Has 1 goal and 4 assists and that means he is sending quality crosses into the box for the attacking players to get on the other end of and score.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu were able to earn a draw at home this past weekend against a tough Kanazwa side. Ryukyu were without star goal keeper, Danny Carvajal, but Ishii’s performance was nothing short of excellent and he ultimately allowed FCR to claw back into the match and earn a point. The Ryukyu attack is still sputtering as they’ve only scored multiple goals in one match out of the past 11. This will be a very tough test for FC Ryukyu this week as they face a team that is firing on all cylinders and can light up the score board quickly. Keep in mind, FC Ryukyu have failed to earn a point on the road in the last 4 road matches and those were against teams not nearly as strong as Kyoto.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory

Kyoto Sanga represent the type of team FC Ryukyu aspires to be; they can make up for weak defending with a ruthless attack. There are small margins for success for FC Ryukyu this weekend as some of the statistics indicate, but FC Ryukyu are more likely to drop all the points if they concede early against Kyoto.

1. Prevent Kyoto from scoring a 1^st half goal. This is a large ask for the entire Ryukyu team but if they can do that, they have a great shot at earning a point on the day. Kyoto have failed to score in the first half in 7 games this season and in those seven matches, only twice did they score a second half goal. The results were 1W3D3L in those 7 matches for Kyoto. On the flip side, when Kyoto score first, and the goal occurs in the first half, they’ve gone on to earn 6 wins and 2 draws in 8 matches. As you can see, FCR must weather the fast start of Kyoto and prevent an early goal for any chance at positive points today.

2. Disrupt the back line of Kyoto. In the matches I watched, this seemed to be the Achilles Heel for Sanga. At times, the defenders lacked concentration, were out of position, would not mark the runs of attacking players and allow attacking players plenty of space to take shots on net in and around the box. Ryukyu will need some heroic efforts from Tanaka and Tomidokoro today if they are going to earn a good result. Ryukyu also needs to use their speed down the flanks to get around the back of the RB/LBs of Kyoto and have the remaining attacking players crash the box as this will confuse the central defenders on Sanga.

3. Score Goals. This is an obvious one but FC Ryukyu own a near even split when it comes to scoring and conceding in both halves. It has been a tale of 2 halves for FC Ryukyu this season and while it seems encouraging that they’ve been able to score 15 goals in the second half, they’ve also conceded 14. This lends credence to the first point that FC Ryukyu are more likely to earn a draw if they do not concede in the first half because they are also more likely to score late in matches. 2 goals would be great so long as they are not wasted in a losing effort. Quality shots on net from distance may prove to be the determining factor for FC Ryukyu today.

Match Prediction

This is one of the toughest road tests to date for FC Ryukyu. We haven’t faced an opponent on the road of this quality since Yamagata and therefore the likely outcome today is a Ryukyu loss. Using the “pain scale” you see at most doctor’s offices, I’ll put it to you like this. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the most debilitating pain/result: 1. If Ryukyu lose by 3 goals or more it will be embarrassing, 2. A 2-0 defeat is a very likely outcome and no one would really think different of this since Ryukyu are less than 100% with a reserve keeper in net, 3. 2-1 defeat is a very respectable outcome against a superior opponent, 4. A draw in any form is pure gold and that point will prove valuable, and finally, 5. A win against Kyoto must be considered as the most important J2 victory to date for FC Ryukyu.

Match Predction: Kyoto Sanga 3-1 FC Ryukyu

Conclusion

There is one strange factor to consider in all of this; in the 2 games this season that Kyoto have played that have started after 1800, they are 0-2. Kyoto surrendered 4 goals in those competitions and only scored once. If you factor in the start time of 19:00, that Ryukyu play a majority of their matches at these start times and that this match could be played in sloppy conditions – a situation that Ryukyu has played in multiple times this season and most recently against Kanazawa – these could come together an equal a positive result for Ryukyu today. We will have to wait and see. Enjoy the match where ever you are at and see you soon.

Come on Lads, one time here!

“Familiar Foe” Match Day 17 Preview: FC Ryukyu vs. Zweigen Kanazawa 6/08/2019

Match Day 17 Information: (H) FC Ryukyu versus Zweigen Kanazawa (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium 06/08/2019, Kickoff 19:30

Weather Forecast: Wet and Windy. This game will be played in less than ideal conditions with rain starting earlier in the day and continuing through the match. Bring rain jackets, towels to wipe the seats and an umbrella.

Match Day 17 sees FC Ryukyu attempting to push their unbeaten streak at home to 30 while taking on 8^th placed Zweigen Kanazawa. The last time these two faced each other was during the inaugural J3 season in 2014 when Zweigen won the league and was the first ever J3 side to be promoted to the J2. Ryukyu enters this match fresh off a 2-1 loss on the road to Yokohama FC that saw them lose Danny Carvajal to a sprained foot that will sideline the Costa Rican goalkeeper for at least a month. Kanazawa drew 0-0 against Tokushima Vortis at home and are looking very eager to end the Ryukyu run of unbeaten games this Saturday. One bit of good news for FC Ryukyu is that this match should see the return of Okazaki at Center Back and provide some leadership and skill to cover the new FC Ryukyu goal keeper, Ishii.

Zweigen Kanazawa

The 4 matches I reviewed for this preview for Kanazawa included tilts against FC Gifu, Nagasaki, Yamagata and Tokushima. Against Gifu Kanazawa were able to grab a late winner after Gifu clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match. Kanazawa then went scoreless against their next three opponents and ended up losing one of those matches at home to Nagasaki to round out the 4 games with one win, two draws and a loss. Despite the fact that Kanazawa have scored 21 goals so far this season, 12 of those goals occurred within 3 matches and they have also been held scoreless 5 times. 3 of their scoreless games have occurred during the past 3 weeks leading up to this match versus FC Ryukyu and may very likely come to an end with the change at GK for Ryukyu and the overall approach to defending by FC Ryukyu.

Likely lineup & formation for Kanazawa. Note: # 2 will be out on suspension.

Kanazawa Players to Watch

Kanazawa have 4 players that have scored 3 goals so far this season with a majority of their goals coming from the strikers. There was not many highlights to watch in the 4 games so I am forced to make judgments on what players to watch based on the stat sheet.

#13 FW Ryuhei Oshi. 3 goals and 1 assist this season. Against Gifu he made a very nice play on a ball that was heading out of bounds and sent a dangerous cross into the box that nearly was directed into the back of the net. Likely that Oshi plays on the Left side behind the two strikers in the 4-4-2 formation.

#11 MF Kyohei Sugiura. 3 goals and 2 assists. Despite being listed as a MF on the JLEAGUE website, he plays up front in a forward position for Kanazawa.

#22 FW Giovanni Clunie. 3 goals and 2 assists. The Costa Rican striker has not featured in a match since week 12 against Fukuoka and is strangely not listed on the Japanese website I use to track injuries. He is a tall 6’3” (193cm) striker that would most likely give Okazaki, Masutani and Fukui fits at the back so I hope he doesn’t feature for Kanazawa this weekend as it looks like the goal less drought by Kanazawa has coincided with Clunie’s absence from the lineup.

FC Ryukyu

Likely lineup & formation. FCR will be without Danny Carvajal at GK.

FC Ryukyu face a stiff test this week as they look to increase their unbeaten run at home to 30. They will need to do so without the services of one of the team’s MVPs this season, Danny Carvajal. This means that FC Ryukyu will turn to Ryo Ishii to man the net during Danny’s absence and that means that FC Ryukyu really need to tighten up defensively at the back. Ryukyu failed to do this in the last 25 minutes of the Yokohama match and allowed Yokohama to take advantage of our misfortune by grabbing two quick goals shortly after Danny’s substitution. It was a shame too as Suzukii added an absolute top-notch strike to put Ryukyu out in front and it looked as if Ryukyu were going to grab a second before the injury. Regardless, FC Ryukyu are going to need to do all they can to grab maximum points at home with their current road form.

FC Ryukyu have 13 home matches left this season and need approximately 20-23 points to reach relative safety outside of the relegation zone. With a total of 39 points up for grab at home, that means FCR can only afford to drop points in 6 of those matches, or about half the games remaining. 4 of these home matches will be against teams in the top 6 with some of the other matches against teams that have already beat FCR this season.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1.) Do not allow Zweigen Kanazawa to exploit Ishii at the back. FCR needs to adopt the mentality of “total team defending” for this match. I agree that it goes against the team’s current ethos of attack, attack, attack, but the FCR attack has gone limp for some time now and we are most likely going to need to grind out some low scoring matches. Total team defending will mean our attacking players, Tanaka and Tomidokoro, must commit more to helping out in defense by providing top cover to Tokumoto and Nishioka. Tokumoto and Nishoka must also track back quickly when there are changes in possession to clog the channels and reduce the amount of space that Zweigen attackers can run into and occupy. Finally, we will need to be able to get the ball back and quickly turn to the counter attack led by Suzuki and Kazama as they’ll be the only two who can push forward if the attacking mid fielders in Yu and Keita are helping out on defense.

2.) Do not allow Zweigen to gain any momentum. They either score goals in bunches or simply cannot score.

3.) Exploit Zweigen’s defense on set pieces. One trend that emerged in the game film the past 4 matches for Kanazawa was the fact they concede a fair amount of opportunities and goals from set pieces, particularly corner kicks. While corner kicks are not the strong suit of the FC Ryukyu game, if FCR are able to earn enough of these set pieces, it is likely that FCR will score. It should also be noted that Kanazawa will be without the services of their starting LCB, #2 Yamamoto, who is out with a suspension. FCR should do all they can to exploit the new defensive pairing at the back for Kanazawa.

Match Prediction

2-2 Draw. FCR surrender goals too often and with a new goal keeper it is likely that the defense exposes Ishii and he concedes. I also believe FCR will score twice this week with the second goal leveling the match and keeping the streak intact.

Conclusion

Ishii flashed some skill in the Yokohama match despite conceding two early goals. Those were not totally his fault as the team in front of him provided no real support. During that match he made, at least what looked to be, some pretty spectacular saves. This could mean he was either slightly out of position and had to make a dramatic play on the ball to make up for poor positioning or, Ishii is actually that good. We will find out this weekend.

See you all out there this Saturday and do your best to stay dry in what could be a very wet, very sloppy affair at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium.

“Summertime Blues” Match Day 16 Preview: Yokohama F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu 6/2/2019

Match Day 16 Preview: (H) Yokohama F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium, 6/2/2019 Kickoff at 1400.

Weather Forecast: Cloudy all day with temperatures in the mid-70s all game (24C) with only a 5% chance of rain.

Interesting history about the club can be found at the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_FC

FC Ryukyu are on the road this week traveling to Tokyo to take on Yokohama F.C. who currently sit 13^th in the J2 standings. FC Ryukyu are coming off a 2-1 win over Niigata this past weekend behind goals from Yu Tomidokoro and Shinya Uehara while Yokohama are reeling from a 2-1 road loss to Kofu. This is third time in as many matches that FC Ryukyu will play a side, that on paper, looks evenly matched with FC Ryukyu. This will be a tough test for FC Ryukyu as their away form has been quite poor this season and the side needs to start earning some positive results away from home quickly.

Yokohama F.C. 13^th in J2 with 18 points, 5W3D7L GF16 GA18 GD -2

Current Form: DLDWL Home Record, 2W3D2L, Home Scoring Record GF9 GA10 GD -1

Record Against Common Opponents of FC Ryukyu: 4W3D3L GF13 GA11 GD +2

Yokohama vs Top 11 in J2: 0W1D6L GF3 GA11 GD-8: vs Bottom 11: 5W2D1L GF13 GA7 GD+6

Typical Formation: 4-4-2

Yokohama F.C. seem to have settled on a starting 11 in the form of 4-4-2 after a brief trial of 3-4-3 against Zelvia a few weeks back. Yokohama have the ability to start two very tall FWs in Ibba and Toshima but are opting to bring Toshima on as a sub later in matches. Yokohama could also be dealing with an injury to one of their key Mid Fielders in Domingues as he hasn’t featured in any of Yokoahama’s last two matches as either a starter or reserve.

The first match I reviewed was against Kyoto where Yokohama were hammered 3-1 at home. The defending was woeful and the team looked sluggish in the match. It was this game that prompted a change in formation the following week against Zelvia but Yokohama were unable to achieve victory and had to settle for a draw, thanks in large part to a Zelvia own goal. Yokohama reverted back to a 4-4-2 the following week against Kagoshima and that lineup didn’t change against Kofu the next week.

Ibba really dominated the Kagoshima match as his two goals proved to be the difference on the day. Yokohama were unable to replicate that performance against Kagoshima the following week against Kofu where they were defeated 2-1. Ibba added his 6^th goal of the season but the Yokohama defense let the team down once again.

Yokohama F.C. Players to Watch

Left to Right: Ibba, Toshima & Domingues

#10 Ibba FW. This guy is a handful and is in good form right now having scored 3 goals in the past two matches. He has also added 2 assists this season. Ibba will definitely be a stiff test for the Ryukyu defense as he can use his height and power to his advantage over the smaller Ryukyu defenders. Ibba also moves really well in side the 18-yard box and creates space for him to get on the end of crosses.

#9 Akira Toshima FW. Second leading goal scorer for Yokohama and has one assist on the season. He is another tall striker that Yokohma could employ but he doesn’t move as well as Ibba.

#40 Domingues MF. He seemed to be one of Yokohama’s better playmakers but he may have picked up an injury a few weeks ago. If he plays, he will likely start down the right.

#11 Kazuyoshi Miura FW. How could we talk about Yokohama F.C. without mentioning the oldest player to have ever scored a professional goal and possibly the oldest player at any competitive level in the world. The 52-year-old hasn’t featured in a match since April 7^th but it would be a treat for those FCR fans who are traveling to Yokohama this week to see him play. Let’s hope he doesn’t score against us if he does play.

Expected Starting 11 for both sides this weekend.

FC Ryukyu: 9^th in J2 with 23 points, 6W5D4L GF21 GA17 GD+4

Current Form: DLWLW, Away Record 1W2D4L, Away Scoring Record GF7 GA10 GD -3

Record Against Common Opponents of Yokohama FC: 4W3D3L GF15 GA12 GD+3

FCR vs Bottom 11 in J2 4W2D3L GF13 GA10 GD+3: FCR vs Top 11 2W3D1L GF8 GA7 GD+1

Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

FC Ryukyu’s recent road form has been poor the past 5 weeks. FCR has only earned one point in their last 5 road matches and that was way back in April against Tokyo Verdy when Uesato netted a late equalizer. During FC Ryukyu’s past 5 road matches they have also conceded 6 times, scored only twice and been shutout 3 times. These road games did not come against superior opponents mind you as FCR lost to Kagoshima and F.C. Gifu during that stretch, two teams that are at the bottom of the table. FC Ryukyu’s last road win was their first road game of the season way back on Match Day 2 against Omiya.

Now for some encouraging news. FC Ryukyu have won 2 of their last 3 matches and finally broke through to score two goals in a match, something they hadn’t done since Match Day 6 against Renofa. FC Ryukyu have also settled on a lineup that sees Kazama playing the CAM role with Komatsu dropping to a central mid field role. In that last match against Niigata, Tomidokoro netted his second goal of the season and his first from a set piece. This is very important for FCR as they were lacking creativity from set pieces and having Yu deliver quality shots and crosses from set pieces is vital to this team’s success. It was also encouraging to see FC Ryukyu bring on Uehara late the past two games to add a bit of veteran leadership and height to the attack.

FC Ryukyu do a have a positive record against teams in the bottom half of the table whereas Yokohama have been dreadful against those teams in the top half of the J2 table. Yokohama have a negative goal differential against top half teams (-8) and have only managed 1 draw in 7 matches. FCR on the other hand have earned 14 points with a positive goal scoring record of +3 in their 9 matches against bottom 11 teams. There is one major point that needs to be made with these statistics, FCRs losses against bottom half teams have all occurred on the road and they were against teams that were at the very bottom of the table at the time of those matches (Chiba, Kagoshima & Gifu). Ryukyu really needs to shake off their horrible road form of late and grab all 3 points against an inferior opponent before a very rough stretch of games in June and the packed schedule of July.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1.) Start fast and get out in front of Yokohama F.C. quickly. Yokohama have conceded the first goal of a match 11 times this season and 8 of those came in the first half of games. This is a staggering stat that indicates that Yokohama are slow starters and can be put to the sword early if FC Ryukyu can attack them with speed and crisp passes.

2.) Attack the back line of Yokohama FC. Yokohama’s defending has been awful the last few matches and they can be ripped apart at the back with good runs and passes. Yokohama suffer from the same lack of concentration affliction that FCR succumbs to from time to time and allows opponents to score. The Yokohama defenders will make poor decisions at the back by failing to marking runs by opposing players, misjudging crosses and clearing balls from their own end. FCR should press the Yokohama defenders when they have the ball and make quick passes within the 18-yard box to create space and shooting lanes for the attacking Ryukyu players. A quick pass back to the top of the box from Tokumoto, Nishioka or Suzuki to a waiting Yu, Tanaka or Kazama could produce some very nice results.

3.) Mark and isolate Ibba. As with all tall, powerful strikers I’ve written about in the past, Ibba will be a handful for the FCR defense tomorrow. Okazaki must mark him on all set pieces and if Masutani draws the short straw to mark Ibba, no pun intended, then he needs to use his quickness and low center of gravity to gain the positional advantage over Ibba. If both Ibba and Toshima are in the match at the same time then Nishioka may need to provide some support to Masutani. Ibba is in good form right now and by taking him out of the match you remove Yokohama’s best goal scoring option.

4.) Do not concede too many Free Kicks and Corner Kicks. I have stated on many occasions that a tall striker provides a very nice option in the attack because the player providing the service doesn’t need to be pinpoint accurate with his cross because the tall striker can rise above most defenders and get on the end of the pass. This is easier said than done as FCR concedes a lot of FKs and CKs during their matches. While CKs may be inevitable, cheap fouls around the Ryukyu 18-yard box need to be kept to a minimum to ensure Ibba doesn’t use his height against us. It should also be noted that Ibba can take a nice FK as well.

Match Prediction

I see both teams scoring and FC Ryukyu slightly edging out Yokohama F.C. 2-1 for their second road win of the season.

Conclusion

This will be a close, tense, back and forth match that will see both sides having good chances on net. The X factor is that FCR has one of the best, if not the best GK, in J2 this season in Danny Carvajal. If FCR can carry a 2-goal advantage into half time and prevent the bombardment of Carvajal’s net in the second half, then Ryukyu could walk away with all 3 points this weekend.

Victory over Yokohama is key for FCR as this is the 10^th time this season that they have faced an opponent in the bottom half of the table. With 4 matches against Kanazawa, Kyoto, Kofu and Nagasaki on the horizon, all of which are teams jockeying for position within the top 6 positions of the J2 table, these are 3 vital points for FCR this weekend. FCR certainly want to avoid starting a 5-game losing skid as points will be at a premium this month against much tougher opponents.

I hope we get an appearance from two former FC Ryukyu players in Park and Nakagawa on Sunday since Yokohama F Marinos wrapped up their J1 game this week with a 2-1 victory of Shonan last night and the Ryukyu match is right in their backyard. It would be great for them to say hi to the FC Ryukyu fans who attend the match and I am going to be slightly jealous of you all if they do make an appearance.

Good luck and Come on Lads!!!!!

“The Orange Wave” comes to Okinawa. Match Day 15 Preview: FCR vs. Albirex Niigata 5/25/2019

Match Day 15 Preview: 5/25/2019 (H) FCR vs. Albirex Niigata (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, Kickoff at 1930.

Weather Forecast: Temperatures will be in the high 70s (77F/25C) at kickoff, and it should feel around 80F/26.7C for most of the match with the humidity. There will be a constant 12-13mph wind and only a 5% chance of rain so come on out and enjoy one of the best weather days for a match that we’ve had in a long time.

Each team enters the week 15 contest fresh off a loss. FCR suffered their loss against Okayama on the road after they conceded a PK while Niigata saw a 2 goal first half lead against Ehime disappear and lose 3-2 at home. Yet again, FCR finds themselves in need of a win against an opponent who is near them in the table. As with all FCR home previews to date, the boys will once again look to increase their home undefeated streak, this time to 29.

Albirex Niigata 13^th in J2 with 17 points, 4W5D5L, Current Form: DDWLL, GF19 GA 17 +2

Record Against Top 11 teams in J2 table: 1W5D2L; Against Bottom 11: 3W0D3L

Record Against Common Opponents of FCR this year: 3W4D4L; GF15 GA13 in these competitions.

Away Match Statistics: Record: 2W4D2L; Away GF12 GA10 +2 Overall goal scoring record; Niigata have not won away from home since 3/16/19 versus Yokohama FC and have earned 3 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 road matches.

Typical Formation 4-2-3-1.

Albirex, like Okayama last week, are a very similar team to FCR. They sit just 3 points behind FCR in the table and are 5 points clear from the bottom. Nothing really stood out in any of the 4 matches I viewed for this preview that signals a strength or weakness of Niigata. They played well against Mito and Yamaguchi and then had two massive let downs against Nagasaki and Ehime.

Against Nagasaki they were down two goals at half time and unable to recover. Against Ehime they were up two goals at half and seemed to switch off and allow Ehime to score 3 second half goals. This team has the ability to light up the scoreboard as they’ve scored multiple goals in 7 competitions this year, but they can also be pegged back as they’ve conceded multiple goals 4 times in those 7 matches resulting in 2 draws and 2 losses.

Niigata Players to Watch:

FW #9 Leonardo and MF #18 Ryoma Watanabe are the top goal scorers for Niigata this season with 4 each. Watanabe is their best play-maker in the attack and set up a nice goal this past weekend.

MF #33 Yoshiaki Takagi and FW #11 Arata Watanabe are the joint top assist leaders for Niigata with 3.

FW #19 Kisho Yano. An often-used substitute late in matches for Niigata. Not a spectacular goal scorer, as he’s only netted one so far this season, but he is someone that can provide a distinct height advantage (187cm) for Albirex. Former Japan National Team member.

FC Ryukyu: 9^th in J2 with 20 points, 5W5D4L, Current Form: LDLWL, GF19 GA16 +3

Record Against Bottom 11 Teams in J2 Table: 3W2D3L; Against Top 11: 2W3D1L

Record Against Common Opponents of Niigata this year: 4W5D2L GF14 GA10 in these competitions.

Home Match Statistics: Record 4W3D; Home GF12 GA6 +6 Overall goal scoring record at home; 2 wins and 3 draws in last 5 home matches but FCR hasn’t scored more than one goal in any match since the 3/30/19 game against Renofa; FCR are averaging 4,834 fans per match.

Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

FCR set up last week vs. Okayama. Note the Nishioka return, no Kawai in the reserves.

FC Ryukyu returns home after having suffered a defeat against Okayama this past week. Ryukyu came out firing in the first half and on a different day maybe one of those Koji Suzuki strikes would have found the back of the net. In the end they didn’t and FC Ryukyu were absolutely shell-shocked by Okayama to start the second half. They nearly conceded on a couple of occasions and it wasn’t until Okayama was awarded a PK that the deadlock was broke and Fagiano were on top. FC Ryukyu struggled to create any real chances in the second half outside of a diving Tanaka header that almost tied the match and lost 1-0.

This was also the second match in a row in which FC Ryukyu were resorting to short corners vice crosses into the box. None of these set pieces have worked the past 2 weeks and FCR opponents are becoming accustomed to FCR’s inability to score from set pieces. This is an issue I hope they addressed on the training ground this past week.

FCR keys to Victory:

1.) Maintain high levels of focus and concentration for the full 90 minutes. FCR switched off early in the second half last week and paid dearly for it. They cannot afford to do this against a very similar opponent as they will certainly take advantage of that mistake. This has been a theme for Ryukyu throughout the season and it has hurt them on multiple occasions and I have no explanation as to why it occurs with such regularity. Higuchi needs to prepare them mentally during the half time speech and lock them in as this side has started fast over the last 6-7 weeks and faded late.

2.) Goals, multiple goals. It goes without saying that the Ryukyu attack has slowed down quite a bit the past 8 weeks and I think we all would love to see them firing again. This is an evenly matched game against two teams who play similar styles of football and use similar formations. FCR must be clinical in front of goal and pounce on any Niigata mistake. They also need to maintain their intensity in the second half, similar to the match against Zelvia and see out the game. If FCR are unsuccessful in scoring any goals during their fast start, then they need to carry that over into the second half.

3.) More creativity on set pieces. Short corners are not working and the FCR FKs are not that great either. These are golden opportunities to score each week and it is the second least successful part of the FCR game. The first being defending set pieces.

Match Prediction:

Both teams to score and FCR achieves their first multiple goal game in 8 matches but we draw 2-2 at home.

Admin Notes:

The shuttle buses are running from Awase Port for those who show up late and need a place to park. Not a bad service either as it removes you from the massive traffic jam bubble after each match.

It should be great weather tomorrow night so please show up in full force to offset the Orange Wave that is rolling into Okinawa. Come on lads!!!

“The Fighting Pheasants” Match Day 14 Preview: Fagiano Okayama vs. FC Ryukyu

Match Day 14 Preview: (H) Fagiano Okayama vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the City Light Stadium, Kickoff at 1700 5/19/2019.

Weather Forecast: Temperatures will be in the low to mid 70s with what looks to be rain early in the day and possibly continuing up to and through kickoff. Winds of 10-20 MPH are expected so this could be a very nasty, very messy match played out on a wet pitch. The rain is expected to end sometime in the early evening but I’d prepare for the worst and bring my wet weather attire for this game.

The match up this week features two evenly matched teams in Fagiano Okayama and FCR. Okayama return home after two weeks on the road that saw them lose both matches against Yamagata and Kyoto. FC Ryukyu on the other hand, are coming into the match having just handed Mito Hollyhock their first loss of the season which subsequently knocked them out of first place.

Fagiano Okayama: 12^th in J2 with 16 points 4W4D5L Current Form: DWDLL Typical Formation: 4-4-2

GF15 GA 16 = Goal Difference -1; Scored 11 goals at home while conceding 9 this season.

Home Record: 3W3D1L

Record against Common Opponents of FCR: (8 games) 2W2D4L

Fagiano where an interesting team to scout this week as I see a lot of similarities between them and FC Ryukyu. The teams are only separated by 4 points in the table, each has earned victories via shutouts only twice this year and they have both been kept off the score sheet only a handful of times. It would seem that this match will feature some scoring as each side scores and concedes plenty of goals.

In match day 10, Okayama was able to overcome a sluggish start and quick goal from a Vortis PK to win 2-1 behind goals from #9 Lee Yong Jae and #19 Hayato Nakama. Okayama nearly handed the match to Tokyo Verdy the following week when they gave up a late PK but Verdy were unable to convert the PK or follow on shot. Against one of the top seeds in J2 this year, Yamagata, Fagaiano conceded a first half goal but nearly pulled out the draw after #19 Nakama was able to win the ball back in the Yamagata end and send a cross to #9 Jae, whose header glanced off the crossbar. Fagainao’s last match against Kyoto saw them cede an early own goal to the hosts (though it wasn’t credited as such) followed by a very late goal in the 84^th minute that handed them a loss.

Okayama never looked out matched or outgunned in any of the 4 matches I reviewed for this preview. If anything, Fagaiano has started out a little sluggish only to come on later in matches and this is something that FC Ryukyu needs to exploit this week.

Okayama Players to Watch:

# 9 Lee Yong Jae FW. Leading Goal scorer on Okayama with 8 on the season, 6 in his past 6 matches and is the second leading scorer in J2 this year. Lee is a big, powerful forward that FC Ryukyu will struggle against. What separates Lee from other larger strikers in J2, like Jefferson Biaino from Yamagata and Olunga from Reysol, is his pace. His quickness was evident against Tokushima and when combined with his strength, makes Lee a formidable forward. Lee is also good at finding space in the defensive back lines of teams and can rise to meet crosses in the box. He is in top from right now coming into this match and FCR had better watch out.

#19 Hayato Nakama MF. Nakama is the second leading scorer on Okayama with 4 goals and one assist on the season. Together with Lee, these two represent 80% of the goals scored for Okayama on the year. Nakama is quite the playmaker with a very lethal left foot. In the four games I watched, he and Lee, are in synch with one another and seem to find the other often in the opponent’s end.

FC Ryukyu: 8^th in J2 with 20 points 5W5D3L Current Form: DLDLW Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

GF 19 GA 15 Goal Difference of +4; FCR have scored 7 goals on the road and have conceded 9.

Away Record: 1W2D3L

Record Against Common Okayama Opponents: (8 games) 3W3D2L

FCR travel to the Okayama prefecture after having handed Mito Hollyhock their first loss of the season in a very tightly contested match. FCR were able to shut out an opponent for only the second time all season thanks in large part to the efforts by Danny Carvajal between the sticks. FCR scored early against Mito from an absolute bullet header from Koji Suzuki for his J2 league leading 9^th goal and he nearly doubled his tally shortly thereafter only to see his shot deflect over the top of the goal. Tokumoto nearly put the game out of reach late in the second half, which would’ve been a tremendous feat as Mito have yet to surrender multiple in goals in any game this year, but his shot hit the post and the resulting Tomidokoro rebound went high and wide. Nonetheless, FC Ryukyu earned a hard-fought win against the top team in J2 and secured that elusive 5^th win that has evaded FCR for the better part of 2 months.

FC Ryukyu will have some serious questions to answer this week after Okazaki picked up his fourth yellow card this year resulting in a one match ban. As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, the depth of the FCR back line is of great concern. Masutani has been forced to fill in the past 7 weeks at RB while Nishioka recovers from what I assume was an MCL, PCL or LCL sprain. I am not sure what FC Ryukyu’s plan will be for this week because we only have 3 healthy CBs, one of which is filling at RB, and haven’t tried any other player on the roster at RB in Nishioka’s absence. Does FCR slide Masutani back to his CB role and push #16 Arai into the RB slot, or, do they instead opt to start #30 Nishikawa at CB -who is always on the reserves for FCR matches – and keep Masutani at RB? These are tough questions for Higuchi to contemplate.

FC Ryukyu keys to victory:

1.) Stop the Okayama attack in the form of Lee and Nakama. Easier said than done in my mind. These two are wreaking havoc on the opposition as of late and in light of injuries and suspensions to the FCR back line, these two may prove fatal to FCR on the day. Nakama plays down the left which means he will run into either Masutani or Masutani’s replacement on Sunday. Nishiokoa was seen participating in warm ups last week but he had a large knee brace on. I doubt he is match fit and won’t be for another 2-3 weeks. I’d prefer that FCR start Masutani at RB as his speed should at least cover the quickness of Nakama. Nakama is a powerful player in his own right so Masutani must fight for positioning against Nakama at all times. I worry that so much of the FCR attack comes from our Right and Left Fullbacks that FCR could be severely punished on all counter attacks down the left.

As far as Lee is concerned, he must be marked on all set pieces. He can be seen taking some long runs into the box on set pieces to generate height and power for headers and FCR must get in the way of those runs. If you combine Lee’s ability to rise and meet headers with FCRs inability to defend set pieces, and now lack of height and experience at the back with Okazaki suspended, this seems like a recipe for disaster.

2.) Stretch the pitch laterally and pull the back line of the Okayama 4-4-2 apart. One of the easiest ways to create scoring opportunities against the 4-4-2 lineup is quick changes in direction. Tomidokoro, Tanaka and now Kazama up front need to be quickly passing it off down the flanks as this will create the mismatches in defensive coverage. From there, crosses into the box for Suzuki or over the central defenders to the other attacking Mid Fielders of Ryukyu should open up plenty of shooting lanes for the Ryukyu attack.

3.) FC Ryukyu need to start fast and get out to an early 2 goal lead. This will allow FCR to deal with the Okayama onslaught from Lee and Nakama and open up Fagiano for a 3^rd goal.

Match Prediction: Seeing how I am like 1-12 on the year so far with match predictions there really is no point in providing any educated guess. All I will say is that FCR could really benefit from their second road win of the season as the matches will get tougher from here on out for the boys from Okinawa. I like both teams to score and see this match ending 1-1.

For those of you staying in Okinawa to watch the match, please join me at the Arcade Resort Okinawa or Café Camp Nou (if it is open) to catch the game. Good Luck boys!

“The Mito Boa Constrictor” Match Day 13 Preview: FCR vs Mito Hollyhock 5/11/2019

Match Day 13: (H) FCR vs Mito Hollyhock (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, Kickoff at 1800.

Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy with temperatures in the mid-70s all match with a 5% chance of rain. Winds will be calm at 7-mph so all in all it should be comfortable all match.

The Mito “Boa Constrictor” is coming to town this week to take on FC Ryukyu who are looking to keep their home undefeated record intact. These two teams find themselves on two different trajectories at the moment. Mito are on an ascending track having not lost all season while also not surrendering more than one goal in any of their matches. FCR, however, on a downward spiral at the moment as the attack has failed to fire over the course of the last 9 matches which has seen FCR tumble out of the top 6 and into 9^th place.

Mito Hollyhock: 1^st in J2 on 26 points, 7W5D0L GF14 GA4 Goal Difference of +14 Current Form DWWDW

Typical Formation: 4-4-2

Record vs Common Opponents of FCR: 3W4D

The statistics for Mito are both impressive and staggering. As mentioned above, Mito are still undefeated this season and they have yet to surrender more than one goal in any of their matches. Here is a snapshot of the FCR opponent this week: 1.) Mito have earned 5 wins and 2 draws while playing away from home this season, 2.) Mito have scored 8 goals while conceding only 2 in all road matches, 3.) Mito have scored first in 8 of their matches and in only two instances did those games end in a draw after the opponent scored very late, 4.) Mito has conceded the opening goal of the match only twice all year and they were still able to earn a win and a draw in those games and most impressive, 5.) Mito have shut out the home team 5 times this season while traveling.

So, what does all this mean? Quite simply, Mito chokes the life out of the opponents attack similar to the way a boa constrictor does with their prey. It also means Mito never panics when they are playing from behind and they have the ability to see out tightly contested matches when they have a small lead. This really does not bode well for FC Ryukyu this week since the attack has gone missing since match day 4.

Players to Watch: #32 Atsushi Kurokawa MF & #14 Shintaro Shimizu are the joint top scorers for Mito with 3 goals each.

The entire Back Line of Mito and their GK. It will be something to see if the FCR attack can get going because we will then see an unstoppable force versus an immovable object.

FCR: 9^th in J2 on 17 points 4W5D3L GF18 GA15 Goal Difference of +3 Current Form DDLDL

Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

Record vs Common Opponents of Mito: 2W2D3L

FCR is coming into the match having conceded two late goals on the road against the bottom team in the J2 table at the time, FC Gifu. FC Ryukyu were able to grab an early lead off of a nicely taken shot by Uesato but were unable to net a second goal for the remainder of the match. FC Ryukyu came close on several occasions by hitting the post early but the ball simply didn’t break the way it needed to for FCR on the day.

FCR maintain a perfect 3W3D record at home and they have scored 11 of their 18 goals this season at home while conceding 6 at the #fortressryukyu. As a reminder, FCR are now on their 27^th undefeated match dating back to 2017 but this is going to be one of the hardest tests so far to maintain that record.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory: 1.) Score multiple goals, something they have not done in 9 weeks and something that Mito has never done all season. We have no idea how Mito will react if they concede a second goal and possibly try and chase the game. Mito never panics and by jumping out to a 2 goal lead they may pull themselves apart at the back and allow FCR some running room. Mito are well coached and play really well at the back and it is a monumental ask of the FCR attack to score multiple goals against a superior opponent.

2.) FCR needs to throw everything it has at Mito all match and not worry about the result until it’s over. It is almost cliché to say that FCR will concede a goal in their matches but it is a very likely outcome. FCR should set themselves up to constantly bombard the Mito defense and run them ragged all game. This will open FCR to several counter attacks but a back line of 3, instead of 4, that doesn’t push wing backs up into the attack should be able to cover the Mito counter.

3.) Change the FCR lineup and set up. 3-4-3 with Uejo and Koizumi flanking Suzkui up front, Uesato and Tomidokoro down the middle and Tokumoto and Kawaii out wide. Come out firing with speed from the flanks, quality passes through the middle by Tomidokoro and penetrating runs into the box from Uejo and Koizumi.

4.) Stop mucking about on Free Kicks and Corners. Tomidokoro needs to be more involved in set pieces, period.

Match Prediction. It has proven very challenging the past few weeks to remain positive when it comes to predicting the outcomes of FCR matches. They have faced several inferior opponents yet they either drew or lost those games. The most likely outcome is FCR loses the match 2-0. I cannot see Mito conceding a goal despite the fact that FCR prides themselves on their attacking prowess. Unfortunately, this means the undefeated record will come to a close.

If what I am seeing on twitter is any indication, then I believe Bando will make an appearance at the stadium this week to cover the match. I hope he takes a tour of the grounds and meets and greets some of the fans either prior, during or after the match. See you all out there on Saturday night.

Match Day 12 Preview: FC Gifu vs. FC Ryukyu 5/5/2019

Match Day 12 Info: 5/5/2019 (H) FC Gifu vs FC Ryukyu (A) at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, Kickoff at 1800

Weather Forecast: Temperatures will be in the low 70s/High 60s for most of the match. Looks like it will rain prior to kickoff but only a 25% chance of showers during the match. Winds will be at 6-7 mph so it should be a nice cool evening to watch the final match of week 12 in the J2 league.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. FCR is on the road, against an opponent at the bottom of the table who does not score a lot of goals and lacks confidence. I’ve said that at least twice this season in prior match day previews only to see FCR eek out a draw or lose. The situation is no different against FC Gifu. Gifu, like Ryukyu, are targeting this match up for 3 points. Gifu would like to get out from the bottom of the table and FC Ryukyu would like to get that elusive 5^th win and put an end to the tumble down the table they’ve been experiencing the past few weeks. Like @UeYuina and @becutechic in the cover photo, it’s all business this week for FCR.

FC Gifu: 22^nd in J2 with 9 points, 2W3D6L Goal Differential of -4, Current Form LLLLD

Typical formation: 4-3-3 as a diamond and then a more traditional 4-3-3 vs Tochigi this past week.

FC Gifu started the season with 2 wins and a draw in their first 4 matches but since then have only been able to muster 2 draws in their last 7 matches. During that same 7 game stretch, FC Gifu has only scored twice while conceding 13 goals. Gifu are an even split at home with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses and those results came in that very same order this season.

From what I’ve seen on the game film, FC Gifu is a team who is starting to play as if they have nothing to lose. FCR has seen this before against Kagoshima and that “backed into a corner mentality” has gotten the best of FC Ryukyu this season on several occasions. The FC Gifu draw against Tochigi, that came on a late goal, may be the spark that generates some confidence in Gifu and emboldens them to take it to Ryukyu on Sunday evening.

Players to Watch: #14 Koya Kazama. He is the Gifu leading scorer with 2 goals this season.

#10 Ryan de Vries FWD. A large forward that Okazaki and Fukui will have to deal with during the match.

#16 Yu Togashi FWD. How could he not make the list? Always enjoy seeing former FCR players, especially those from the tittle winning season, so let’s hope he out there tomorrow. Strangely, he hasn’t featured in over a month and I don’t know if it is due to injury or he is unable to break into the starting 11 or the reserves.

FC Ryukyu 7^th in J2 with 17 points, 4W5D2L Goal Difference of +4 Current Form LDDLD

Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1 but was a 4-1-4-1 this past week against Zelvia.

FCR has a chance to put some distance between themselves and the bottom of the table against an opponent in FC Gifu who has failed to fire the past few weeks. The match up against Gifu is the last “easy” match up for a while for FCR if you want to look at match ups based solely on the standings within the J2. However, we’ve seen time and time again this season, that when FCR plays what could be considered an inferior opponent, FCR seems to breathe life back into those squads and not achieve the expected winning result. This game sets up the same way so many have this season and I hope FCR can come out firing to an early lead.

FCRs last match up saw them score very early on from a nice cross into the box from Tomidokoro that found a surging Masutani, who was able to generate some serious power behind the header. At last! Well, at least that is what I thought. FCR had finally scored first again and I thought that the attack maybe firing again. As we all know, that wasn’t the case and FCR saw out a draw against Zelvia after Machida began dictating play and netted the late equalizer.

FCR Keys to Victory: 1.) Score first and Score Often. It goes without saying that it is highly likely FCR concedes a goal in this match up as they’ve only kept one clean sheet all season. Therefore, FCR needs to get going and get going fast against Gifu. FC Gifu can be put out of their misery with some quick consecutive goals and its high time that Suzuki gets back to his scoring ways.

2. Harass the Gifu back line. For whatever reason, FC Gifu’s defense seems to lose concentration at the back and can go missing at the worst times. FCR needs to be making solid runs through the channels in the Gifu defense in order to confuse and pull the Gifu defense apart. This will lead to some breakdowns in coverage and communication for Gifu and should see an FCR attacker alone and open on goal.

3. Weather the FC Gifu strong start and remain calm if Gifu do score first. This game could see FC Gifu coming out to a blazing start and that means that FCR will once again be under pressure and rely heavily on Danny Carvajal to bail out the defense. FCR must utilize its Right and Left Mid Fielders to cover the Right and Left backs who get so deeply involved in the FCR attack. Gifu’s formation suggests that they will try to punch a hole right through the center of the FCR defense but this would be a mistake. FCR is strong through the center but rather weak on the flanks, and even more so now that Masutani is playing RB due to the Nishioka injury.

4. Let Koizumi start over Ochi and Kawai. FCR needs to see more out of Koizumi and this match up would be the perfect coming out party to introduce himself to the J League. Kawai’s speed is likely going to be needed at the end of the match so let’s save him and Tanaka as late subs.

Match prediction: At the end of the day I see FCR dropping points on the road. This could be either a draw or a loss, but I feel that a loss is more likely as FCR seems unable to handle the “caged animal” mentality by those teams at the bottom of the J2 table.

Let’s hope the Bengara boys can go out there and grab that 5^th win and push their point tally a little closer to 42. The schedule is going to get a lot tougher for FCR in the coming months and this match up versus FC Gifu has to be treated as a must win for FCR.

Match Day 11 Preview: FCR vs Machida Zelvia

Match Day 11 Info: 04/27/2019 (H) FCR vs Machida Zelvia (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 19:30.

Weather Forecast: Overcast with temperatures around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22C) with 11 mph winds expected all game and only dropping down to 71 degrees (21.6C) by the end of the match. There is no rain in the forecast but I would double check the weather before leaving the house.

Match Day 11 sees FCR squaring off at home against old J3 rivals Machida Zelvia. You may recall that Zelvia gained promotion to the J2 after the 2015 season when they defeated Oita Trinita in a home and home series and were the first, and last, J3 team to achieve that feat. The J League has since done away with that format where now the bottom two from J2 and top 2 from J3 are automatically demoted/promoted (promotion still requires a J2 license).

FCR’s historical record against Zelvia is not great. They have only ever faced each other during the 2014 and 2015 seasons in the J3 with Zelvia holding the preponderance of victories at 5 to 1. In fact, Zelvia holds a 16-3 margin of goals scored compared to FCR during those years and I can vividly recall one of the hardest matches I’ve ever had to witness as an FCR fan here in Okinawa that came against Zelvia. It was during the 2014 season and Zelvia traveled to Okinawa City and lambasted FCR 7-1 on our home turf. One of those players responsible for a lot of that damage was Koji Suzuki who netted 19 goals and was the leading goal scorer in J3 that season. Well, all that has changed now as the teams are certainly different from 4 season ago and now it is FCR that has Koji “The Shredder” Suzuki up front leading the attack.

Machida Zelvia: 13^th in J2 with 13 points 4W1D5L Goal Difference of -6 Current Form WLDWL

Typical Formation: 4-4-2

Zelvia come into match day 11 having just lost at home to Omiya whereas FCR is also coming off of a loss to Kagoshima last weekend on the road. Zelvia has doubled their goal tally on the season over the past 5 matches bringing their season total to 7, while only conceding 3 during that span compared to their first 5 matches where they allowed 10 goals. Zelvia has begun to solidify themselves at the back beginning with match day 5 against Kagoshima and have turned around an ugly start to the season.

Zelvia have a much better goal scoring record on the road compared to at home but they have also conceded a majority of their goals on the road. Across the 5 road matches Zelvia has played this year they are conceding about 1.5 goals per match. While that sounds promising for the prospects of FCR netting some goals, there was one outlier where Zelvia conceded 6 against Kanazawa early in the season. They have only conceded 1 in their last 3 road matches and I fear that FCR will find a clogged mid field with little space to operate against the Zelvia defensive lines.

I did not see much in the 5 Zelvia games I was able to review on DAZN that leads me to believe FCR should fear the Zelvia attack. It is obvious that they miss a player of Suzuki’s quality up front but that is not to say they don’t have some creative players of their own. What it boils down to is creating chances for those players and this seems to be a weakness of Zelvia this year. During the last five matches, Machida was able to secure victories against Ehime at home, Fukuoka on the road with their lone draw this season occurring against Kofu at home. The losses included the previously mentioned one against Omiya at home and one against Nigata on the road.

It looked like in their most recent victory against Fukuoka that Zelvia may have turned things around with their attack but that wasn’t the case against Omiya the following week where they generated very little. They were done in by a late Utaka goal against Kofu that ultimately led to the draw when they had a momentary lapse in judgment when playing the ball out from the back that resulted in a giveaway to Kofu and the equalizer. Starting with that Kofu match, Zelvia began making some wholesale changes to their lineup to which they continued to tinker with the lineup against Fukuoka. There were no changes to the lineup against Omiya and it is likely, barring any injuries that Zelvia may have picked up against Omiya or during this past week of practice, that FCR will face that same lineup this Saturday, .

Zelvia Players to Watch:

#9 Caymen Togashi FW. Togashi is the leading goal scorer this season for Zelvia with 2. He scored early in the season against Verdy and most recently against Fukuoka.

#32 Hiroki Todaka MF. Todaka’s lone goal this season came against Kofu where he was able to control the ball from a cross with his legs and then take another touch to gain some shooting space from the defenders and deliver a nice strike. He seems to create the most opportunities for Zelvia in the attacking end and despite his diminutive stature, he is a handful to deal with from what I’ve seen on tape. He reminds me of Togashi with his playing style and FCR cannot afford to allow Todaka too much time and space in or around the 18-yard box.

#18 Yuki Okada FW. Has provided 2 assists this season but is very lethal with his passing and is someone who can set players like Togashi and Todaka free on net.

FCR 6^thin J2 with 16 points 4W4D2L Goal Difference of +4 Current Form DLDDL

Typical Formation 4-2-3-1

FCR is coming off a deflating road loss to Kagoshima especially since they had so many opportunities to score. The FCR attacks has slowed down mightily since the opening of the season where they were running roughshod over teams on their way to scoring 11 goals in their first 4 matches. FCR has only scored 5 goals in their last 6 matches while conceding 7 and it is obvious that more lineup changes are required to get the attack going again. FCR has had Uejo and Tomidokoro occupy the CAM role behind Suzuki but this has not proven to be effective after the Nakagawa transfer. For one thing, Uejo hasn’t been healthy enough to play a full 90 minutes since he injured his foot against Tokushima and it is baffling the way FCR is using Tomidokoro this year. Yu is lethal when coming in from the left side and unleashing his right foot. He is even in better on free kicks but FCR is selecting Uesato to take the long range FKs with Kazama taking the ones closer to the 18-yard box as we witnessed this past week. Tomidokoro needs to be taking more of these in order to regain the form we saw last season.

While FCR created many chances last week most of them were taken from support personnel and not our 4 attacking front men. Masutani had two golden opportunities but neither amounted to anything and Uesato took the very close FK in the Kagoshima box as a result of a back pass. If you go back to the Renofa match, you can see that FCR is requiring some very late goals to bring matches level. While this is great because it still has earned the squad some points, FCR needs to be getting out on the front foot and scoring first similar to the way they operated at the start of the season.

FCR Keys to Victory:

1.) FCR must overcome Zelvia’s 4-4-2 formation that will inevitably clog the mid-field area and make it difficult for FCR to create chances. As we’ve seen in FCR games this season when opponent’s pack the mid-field with players, FCR is really challenged to create opportunities. This started after we sold Nakagawa which means someone on the FCR squad needs to step up and take over that role. The best way to defeat the 4-4-2 is to make quick changes in direction across the pitch in order to create positional and numerical superiority against Zelvia. If done correctly, FCR should find some space to operate in, or at the very least, space to run into the channels created by dragging the 4-4-2 formation across the pitch in order to cover the mismatch.

2.) FCR needs to start fast, score early and score often. Zelvia has conceded a majority of their goals on the road this season whereas FCR has scored most of their goals at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Zelvia have a 2-1 ratio for conceding goals on the road compared to home and the same can be said about FCR’s goals scoring with a 10-5 split that is also a 2-1 advantage at home. Something has to give in this match and FCR needs to be flying all over the pitch by making runs to pull the Zelvia defense apart. Hopefully there is a little “revenge narrative” for Koji Suzuki since Zelvia is his former club and they let him go this past off season. If Koji does score, I doubt that he will celebrate too much since he has spent his entire career at the club up to this season notching 65 goals during that time.

3.) FCR needs to make some lineup changes. I am not sure if we will see the return of Nishioka this week or if Higuchi will try and change the personnel behind Suzuki in an attempt to start generating more forward thrust. This is a perfect opportunity to get a player like Koizumi some playing time and see what he can do in the CAM role. He flashed some nice skills during the draw against Verdy and nearly equalized himself before Uesato brought the game level for FCR. Higuchi could also opt to start Tanaka, as long as he is not injured, in that role to see if he can provide the service that Suzuki desperately requires. I also think FCR needs to be bringing Kawai off the bench later in games so his speed can be used to its full extent by running against the tired legs of the opposing teams defense. This would require a healthy Tanaka and Uejo but is something I hope FCR will explore over the next 2 matches.

Match Prediction: I am split between two reasonable outcomes for this match. I think that this game could see both teams score as evidenced by their track records this season or see out a scoreless draw. First, we know how FCR doesn’t keep many clean sheets and how Zelvia is susceptible to conceding goals on the road that could lead to a 2-1 FCR victory. Second, on the other hand, the solidifying of the Zelvia defense over the past few road games in conjunction with the slowing down of the FCR attack, means we could easily see a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Against common opponents this season both teams have achieved the same amount of points with Zelvia going 4W3L against those opponents compared to FCR’s 3W3D1L. This basically boils down to these two sides being very similar despite the differences in their overall statistics.

This is an important match for FCR to get going again for two reasons. First, there is only a 4-point difference between FCR and the 14^th placed team in the J2 table. A loss on Saturday combined with some unfavorable results around the league could see FCR tumble further down the table. FCR needs to be earning 3 points at home against similar or inferior opponents to keep them out of the relegation scrap at the end of the season. Second, the schedule will get decidedly harder next month and FCR needs to get that elusive 5^th win this week. A win that has escaped us since match day 4. FCR shouldn’t care about the top of the table this year as there is no need to concern themselves with promotion as they do not currently have a J1 license. The bottom of the table is of the greatest concern to FCR and therefore their focus should be on doing all they can to avoid that location.

I look forward to seeing all of you out there on Saturday and hopefully seeing our boys achieve victory. I believe there is a ceremony scheduled for Koji Suzuki and how fitting it occurs when Zelvia is in town. Good luck!

Derby Day! Match Day 10 Preview: Kagoshima United FC vs FCR

Match Day Info: 04/21/2019 (H) Kagoshima United FC vs FCR (A) at the Shiranami Stadium Kickoff at 1300

Weather Forecast: partly cloudy with temperatures around 76 degrees (25C) with a 0% chance of rain. Should be great weather for football.

This week’s match up features the two J3 promoted teams from last season in what some – mainly me – are billing as the “Western Japan derby.” Here are my reasons why this could be considered a derby day: 1.) There is plenty of history between these two squads coming out of the J3, 2.) FCRs old manager is now the current manager of Kagoshima, 3.) Even though these teams are in different prefectures, they are not that far away from each other geographically (see the photo), and finally, 4.) Because there are so many great derby’s featuring two teams with the color scheme of red and blue. For example, Arsenal and Tottenham, AC Milan and Inter Milan and of course Manchester United and Manchester City. While we are a long way off from being considered in the same breath as those previously mentioned, it is good for both teams and their fans to develop a but of a rivalry that will enhance the match-ups each season. Now onto the preview.

Kagoshima United FC: 22^nd in J2 with 4 points, 1W1D7L Current Form LLLLL

Typical Formation: They employed a 4-1-4-1 for a long time but switched to a 4-2-3-1 this past week.

Often there are times in sports where a team will experience a poor run of results that seems to have no end in sight. It usually starts out with a few unlucky breaks in matches and then begins to morph into something much worse. You’ll start to see the wind taken out of the teams sails with every missed opportunity and every goal conceded and then players will start exhibiting disbelief and heads will begin to drop. I believe Kagoshima is in one of these slides right now but if you just looked at the box scores you wouldn’t see the whole picture.

Kagoshima hasn’t scored in 7 weeks, since match day 2, but they have come so close on several occasions. Things are just not breaking Kagoshima’s way and that has led them down the path to the bottom of the J2 table. The matches against Machida and Mito can simply be summed up as unlucky. They nearly equalized against Machida late but the ball wouldn’t drop for them and then only lost to Mito on an own goal.

Kanazawa really thrashed them at home 3-0 and this is probably the first match this season where you could see the doubt, frustration and disbelief starting to appear in the Kagoshima demeanor on the pitch. The late second goal by Omiya the following week really crushed the spirits of the Kagoshima squad as almost all of their heads were hung and the players just stopped in place with that bewildered look of “when will it stop?”

Last week’s match against Renofa had so much on the line for both teams as each found themselves at the bottom of the table. I am going to assume that the pressure was immense for both squads but more so for Kagoshima as everyone expected them and FCR to be in this very same position at the start of the season. For Renofa it’s a little different because many still believe this is a good team that will rebound at some point and begin their climb up the table. This was definitely a match that Kagoshima felt they could have won and they nearly did just that.

The switch to a 4-2-3-1 saw an increased amount of chances for Kagoshima and they were certainly testing the Renofa GK. #10 Rei Yonezawa had an excellent opportunity on a break away to end the goal drought and allow Kagoshima to play with an advantage for the first time in quite some time. However, his shot was stopped by the Renofa GK and then you could see the disbelief all over his face. Of course, the inevitable happened where very late in the game the Kagoshima GK switched off for a moment and didn’t secure the ball properly and it slipped out of his hands as he was sliding inside the 18-yard box. A Renofa player controlled the ball and shot it past the sliding Kagoshima defenders to take a 1-0 lead with only about 1-minute left in regulation. The goal was massive for both sides as you could see relief in the Renofa player’s and more of the same disbelief in Kagoshima. Kagoshima had two very late chances with one nearly dropping, but once again, they were unlucky.

Players to Watch: #10 FW Rei Yonezawa is a nice playmaker for Kagoshima and if he is given time and space, he can test Carvajal. #32 MF Taku Ushinohama has created some nice shots on net in the few games I watched. #13 GK Ahn Joon Soo, I assume he is the preferred GK for Kagoshima as he slid right back into the lineup after the Kanazawa match up. He seems to have lapses in judgement and concentration which has directly contributed to two goals this season.

FCR 6^th in J2 with 16 points, 4W4D1L Current Form DDLDD Typical Formation 4-2-3-1

FCR is coming of yet another emotional, late point grabbing performance this season. They were able to secure the draw against Tokyo Verdy from a very late goal by Uesato despite looking like the better squad on the day. FCR has conceded first half goals their past 3 matches and has been forced to play “catch-up” which is a far cry from the start of the season where FCR was scoring first and forcing the other teams into that role. While the performances by FCR have been commendable as of late, it is high time that they get back to wining ways and beat an opponent lacking confidence on the road this week.

Keys to FCR Victory: 1.) Play relaxed as the home squad has all the pressure in the world on their shoulders. An early goal will be a dagger through the heart of that team and FCR must be ruthless. 2.) FCR must maintain their composure in what could be a very feisty affair. I expect Kagoshima to throw everything they have at FCR in hopes of ending their scoring drought and possibly earning a point on the day. FCR should just focus on their game plan, create opportunities up front and stifle the Kagoshima attack.

3.) Attack. FCR needs to continue their attacking ways and test the Kagoshima GK. I’ve mentioned that he can be a bit lackadaisical at times and that means FCR should just bombard him with shots. I do not know who has traveled with the squad but lets hope the boys are well rested with the extra day and the tired legs we saw last week are just a distant memory. 4.) Do not breathe life into the Kagoshima squad, crush it! A first goal will be massive for Kagoshima so FCR must not allow that to happen.

Match Prediction: Well nothing solves a scoring drought like a match against FCR. While that may seem a bit harsh to say, FCR has only kept one clean sheet all season and if you think about our style of play the past few seasons, we score as well as concede a lot of goals. Granted this is a different team now but it’s very likely that FCR allows a goal here. With that in mind I think FCR could leave Kagoshima with all 3 points by a 2-goal margin.

Well, I am looking forward to attending my second road match of the season and cannot wait to get to the stadium on Sunday and meet everyone who traveled to the game.