Intro

FC Ryukyu continue the long, slow, march to relegation this weekend when they travel to Tochigi SC. This match should’ve been one in which FC Ryukyu had finally pulled themselves out of obscurity and into relative safety, much like Omiya Ardija has done the past few weeks. This match represents the fifth game of what was supposed to be the “make or break” part of the Ryukyu season, which unfortunately, has broken FC Ryukyu. Ryukyu, having failed to score in any of their previous five (5) matches that included games against Mito, Akita, Gunma and Renofa – all of which were winnable games (must wins) – now find themselves six (6) points adrift from safety with only five (5) games remaining this season. The are too many things that need to break Ryukyu’s way to avoid relegation and I for one do not think that is going to happen.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Looks good enough.

Click>>> Match Day 38 Information from Tochigi SC

Team Previews

Tochigi SC: It may come as shock to some, especially given the current state of FC Ryukyu, but Tochigi SC are one of the teams that FC Ryukyu holds a very good historical win rate throughout their history. In fact, Ryukyu have only lost twice (2) to Tochigi SC dating back to 2014. FC Ryukyu have won the last three (3) matches against Tochigi SC and one could only hope we make it four (4) in a row in Sunday.

Just like Ryukyu, Tochigi are winless in their last five matches but at least they’ve scored some goals and done enough to avoid relegation this season. In their last five (5) matches Tochigi drew with Thespakusatsu Gunma and then Yokohama FC, followed by consecutive losses to Vegalta Sendai and Omiya Ardija, and then drew 1-1 with V-Varen Nagasaki in the mid week.

Tochigi own one of the better goals conceded record in J2 despite their position in the table but that probably has more to do with them being the second worst team in the league when it comes to scoring goals. This game might not be the most pleasing on the eyes to watch but there is some serious weight and pressure behind it for FC Ryukyu and their fans. Ryukyu are desperate for goals and points, can this be the game that we finally see Ryukyu shrug off the goalless streak and build some sort of momentum heading into the toughest run of fixtures for any of the bottom three (3) teams?

FC Ryukyu: One of the stranger things about this sport is the added time at the end of each half. It somehow conjures up the idea, at least in my case, that whatever has transpired in the previous 90 minutes can somehow be salvaged at the very end, or also lost. Worse still it is that type of thinking when overlaid across a season that somehow leaves you hoping that there is still time to ‘right the ship’ and you begin working through all the various outcomes that ‘could’ occur to help save a team destined for relegation. Another example of how it is the hope that kills you in this sport.

FC Ryukyu could win out the remainder of the season and somehow avoid relegation as there is at least a very small chance of that occurring. But then you see that Ryukyu have failed to score a goal in five games after we lost Takuma Abe to a season ending injury. There is no amount of bargaining, pleading, or praying, that can save us now. Only goals, wins, losses by others, and simply put, a bit of good luck that has seemed to elude this club all year. There are several players that care greatly about the fate of this club but I am not sure if everyone on the squad, and in the front office, feels the same way. This depressing run of results has sucked the soul out of many of the club’s supporters and you just wonder what it has done to the members of this team.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that some are just hoping for a quick death and then to move on from Ryukyu and onto other clubs in the offseason. Perhaps after Ryukyu are officially relegated we will see a resurgence of performance from this team as they won’t have the pressures of relegation hanging over them, which was something it seems the team was never able to respond to most of the season. For me, that would be a slap in the face to all the fans of this club as it would show them that the team possessed the ability to do it all along, but just failed to do so when it mattered most.

I just cannot see a way in which Ryukyu earn half of their total points to date in these final fixtures. I guess what I am trying to say throughout this entire section is that I still haven’t come to grips with the reality that Ryukyu are relegated as I am duped into thinking that there is still a chance at survival. I guess I have only myself to blame and should just enjoy watching the game with my family, who gets so much joy out of watching their favorite players, and with my friends who have made the FC Ryukyu experience so much better for me these last nine years.

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. Score a goal? Likelihood 1. Can’t believe it has come to this but Ryukyu have created so few goal scoring opportunities these past few weeks and are in the midst of one of their longest goalless streaks in club history. Maybe the longest. Dany is keeping the team in every game yet getting little help in the attack as it seems Ryukyu may have only a single goal scoring chance in any given match. Playing with a lead could potentially lead to more opportunities but we haven’t seen that from this club in quite awhile.

Round 38 in J2

Up Top: (1) Albirex Niigata could extend their lead to six (6) points with a win at home over (19) Omiya Ardija coupled with a loss, or any slip up really, by (2) Yokohama FC who are on the road at (8) V-Varen Nagasaki. Nagasaki are looking to rebound from a disappointing midweek match against Oita when they only drew leaving them two (2) points off the promotion playoff zone.

Promotion Playoffs: In what is likely the best match up this week, (3) Fagiano Okayama host (5) Vegalta Sendai. Elsewhere it is (4) Roasso Kumamoto traveling to (10) JEF United Chiba and (6) Oita Trinita hosting (16) Ventforet Kofu. It seems Fagiano may have the top slot, and thus home field advantage in the playoffs, sewn up which means the other three (3) teams will be jockeying for position the remainder of the season. Hopefully Oita secures the last spot prior to their final match at Ryukyu when Ryukyu may need that win to pull off a miracle.

Down Below: Since the last time I wrote for this blog it was a 4/5 team race at the bottom. It is now down to just three (3) which could really turn into just two (Gunma/Iwate) if Ryukyu continue their poor run of form. (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma, who have one of the best run in of fixtures remaining, host (14) Renofa Yamaguchi who are fresh off their convincing 1-0 win over Ryukyu last week. (21) Iwate Grulla Morioka, also with a favorable set of fixtures to close out 2022, host (17) Zweigen Kanazawa. I watched Iwate earlier this week and there is still a lot of fight left in that squad. Can we say the same about Ryukyu?

Free J-League Broadcasts: There are two (2) broadcasts this round on the J-League International YouTube Channel with the first being (13) Tokyo Verdy hosting (7) Montedio Yamagata. Click>>> Verdy v Yamagata

The second match, the marquee match of this round, that will be played on Sunday will feature (3) Fagiano Okayama and (5) Vegalta Sendai. Click>>> Okayama v Sendai

Conclusion

Is this how things are supposed to end when teams get relegated? Would any of us Ryukyu fans feel any different had Ryukyu come close to avoiding relegation instead of where we are now with such a wide margin of defeat? I honesty do not know. Really all I can think about it is the final scenes in the 1989 film Glory where the 54th Massachusetts infantry regiment finally made it into the heart of Ft Wagner after seemingly insurmountable odds only to be blown off the ramparts by a cannon barrage. The last five goalless games has felt like that cannon barrage.

Intro

Both sides enter Match Day 31 having lost the previous round. For Ryukyu, it snapped a five (5) game unbeaten run where it looked like they were getting closer to escaping the drop zone. For Nagasaki, it ended an impressive eleven (11) game unbeaten streak that saw them rocket up the table. These two sides have an identical Home and Home split when it comes to wins and losses as both have a singular victory while playing as the visitors. The lone draw between these two teams occurred in 2020 in what I think was an absolute deluge that day in Okinawa. Both teams are in a need of win; for Nagasaki it is to keep pace, possibly overtake, Fagiano in the promotion zone, with Ryukyu needing to inch closer to the teams situated 20th and 21st in the table. It should be a good one.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Some heavy rain and weather leading up to the game but according the forecast it will move on by kickoff. Seems Nagasaki is outside the projected path of a typhoon that will travel across the mainland of Japan this weekend.

Click>>> Match Day 31 Information from V-Varen Nagasaki

Team Previews

V-Varen Nagasaki: Nagasaki always seems to be one of those sides considered for promotion each year. At least during my time watching Ryukyu in the J2 and deservedly so. While there seems little doubt they will be involved in the promotion playoffs, it might be a stretch to envision them cracking into the automatic promotion zone this season, but the way in which Yokohama FC is playing these days you never know. Nagasaki has been near the top of the table the past two seasons and the schedule is set up very nicely for them to make another undefeated stretch run.

Nagasaki went 2W-2D-1L in their last five (5) games with the wins over Zelvia and Sendai (both 2-1 score lines) falling in between two (2) draws to Iwate and Niigata (both score lines 2-2). One thing that really impressed me was Nagasaki’s ability to get out of the gate fast and on the scoreboard. In the above mentioned games Edigar Junio was (is) on fire as he has scored five (5) goals in those matches, six (6) if you go back just one more game, bringing his season total to ten (10). That is a massive uptick in Edigar’s contributions to the side considering he had just four (4) goals by Match Day 24.

But here is something interesting; eight (8) of Edigar’s ten (10) goals this season have occurred in the first half of matches! Four of his goals these past five (5) games happened at the 10′, 10′, 11′, and 14′ minute marks of the game. Somebody from Ryukyu better keep an eye on this guy. But that speaks to something I thought about this Nagasaki side all season. Starts fast, fades a little as the game wears on?

In every season I’ll watch about ten (10) highlights for each of the teams Ryukyu faces which represents less than a quarter of the season for any club. That means I cannot be 100% accurate on my assessment of Nagasaki, or anyone this season, as I am just getting snapshots of a team at any given moment. It could also be part of the Nagasaki game plan to take the lead and force their opponents into opening up and pressing the envelope to allow Nagasaki the ability to exploit any mishaps on the part of their opponents. Safe to say that eleven (11) game unbeaten run speaks to that notion.

Compounding the problem of whether or not we could label Nagasaki as fast starters who fade in games was the way in which they earned their points the past five (5) games. In their two (2) draws with Iwate and Niigata; Nagasaki either surrendered the lead or regained it later in the match. There was nothing but consolation goals for Zelvia and Sendai in their games, though Zelvia did make a go of it at then end. And it seems the only solution to getting after Nagasaki is preventing them from scoring early, and then grabbing a lead like Verdy did last week. Though the Verdy goal looked more like a rugby scrum that led to an outlet pass that somehow made its way back into the box for a headed goal.

I usually take the opportunity when Ryukyu play Nagasaki to reach out to @NagaSapo_EN to get his input as he offers up such a better preview than any outsider could. But things have been to busy for me lately so please head over to his Twitter account to see the goings on with Nagasaki these days. Nagasaki are one of those teams where there really isn’t anything there that would make you want to root against them. I can’t speak for any of their rivals and such but I would enjoy watching Nagasaki make their way through the playoffs and over whoever the J1 team will be at the end of the year. Good luck this year Nagasaki, just not this week!

FC Ryukyu: I hope the result last week was nothing more than a slight slip up for a side that was starting to round into form. The lopsided score line doesn’t really capture all that took place in that match as there were some good, and bad, takeaways from last week. First, you like to see the fight the team put up after falling behind 3-0. Two quick PKs created that hole but when Ryukyu needed to kick it into gear, they did. We must see more of this on a consistent basis as we have the players in attack that can finish off attacks so long as the service is provided. Up until a few weeks ago Ryukyu struggled mightily to reach the two (2) goal mark. They have now hit that plateau in consecutive weeks which is a first for this season.

Now for the bad. The same Ryukyu defense that only allowed two (2) goals in their prior five (5) matches completely fell apart in Kofu. There were mental mistakes abound and Kofu was finding the time and space to exploit the gaps in our defense. Granted, Ryukyu were dealing with several CV-19 cases within the squad which made for yet another depleted roster last Saturday. Looking at the FC Ryukyu Instagram this week we see that some of those players have since returned to training which will be key heading into this matchup with Nagasaki. Included in that was a late addition to the squad in the form of Kohei Kato, a defensive midfielder and former national team player with quite CV when it comes to football clubs. Wonder whose days are numbered in the central mid-field? Ikeda or Takezawa?

Seeing how Ryukyu has the finishing quality up top in Abe and Sulley, we need to start picking these players out more frequently. I am not sure how Nacho will address the early substitution of Makito last week as that can be both a confidence deflating and motivational move if taken in the wrong or right context. Keita Tanaka made his first appearance in two games when he came on for Makito in the first half and I would like to see him start. Tanaka isn’t in the same form he was last season as he only has two (2) assists this year, but we all know what he can provide to our strikers and we need him to get back to that form quickly.

Another question will be whether or not Kelvin makes a return to the starting lineup or comes off the bench this week? Kelvin can be electric on the ball at times but it is a matter of how long he can last out there. We’ve seen a couple of our recent signings wear down after 60′ minutes or so which is probably more to do with long layoffs between signing with Ryukyu and playing their last match. But we need these players out there to give Ryukyu the best shot at winning.

As noted in the Nagasaki team preview and Keys to Victory below, Nagasaki can start very fast and taper off later in games. Which means Nacho may have a strategy for how and when to deploy certain players in the lineup this week. Does he try and survive the first half and then bring on Kelvin to give him enough time to get into the match? Or does he go for broke right away? Unfortunately we are still one (1) week away from seeing the return of Kiyotake as having him and Kelvin split time in games, until Kiyotake is back up to fitness, would be a hell of a combination in our attack. FYI, Yuki Kusano is set to return from injury, or at least according to the timeline from the press release on his injury, this week. Whether or not he is ready to go is a whole other question.

While we await the returns of both Kiyotake and Kusano Ryukyu will rely heavily upon two players who are in good form at the moment. Katsuya Nakano and Sadam Sulley have combined for three (3) goals and two (2) assists the past two (2) weeks. Sulley has really adjusted quickly to life in J2 and pending how strong he finishes this season, is probably playing his way into a contract with a larger club. Nakano is the only Ryukyu player to reach double digit points (11) this season which will make for a ‘good problem’ for Nacho when setting the lineup each week upon the returns of Kiyotake and Kusano.

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen

1. Play hard to the whistle. Likelihood 4. There is some fight in this FC Ryukyu squad these days so I truly believe they will be involved until the end. Do not worry if Nagasaki grab the early lead, but do not breakdown like we did at Kofu last week, and continue to press Nagasaki as the match wears on. We’ve seen Nagasaki provide some goal scoring chances late in games to many teams the past five (5) weeks so why should Ryukyu be any different? There is no secret to beating, or drawing, with Nagasaki. Just put shots on net. You know, “You want bread? Go to the store. You want goals? Go to the front of the net!” That’s for you brother.

Round 31 in J2

Up Top: Good god. Please tell me (1) Yokohama FC will not make it three (3) consecutive losses to a team situated near, or in, the relegation zone this week when they host (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma? I am not sure I can stand to watch another one of these sides take maximum points of the league leaders. (2) Albirex Niigata are in search of their first win in three (3) matches on the road at (15) Tochigi SC following back-to-back 2-2 draws.

Promotion Playoff Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai welcome in (20) Omiya Ardija who are fresh off their feisty win against YFC last week. (4) Fagiano Okayama, in yet another match this round featuring a top side squaring off against a cellar dweller, host (18) Renofa Yamaguchi. (6) Roasso Kumamoto are looking to make it two (2) wins in a row while traveling to (13) Ventforet Kofu who shipped five (5) goals past Ryukyu last week.

Down Below: (19) Iwate Grulla Morioka finally get a reprieve this week after playing their last five (5) matches against teams situated at the top of the table. I am hoping that (17) Blaublitz Akita can keep that fine road form that has seen them draw, and win, their last two (2) road games, while not allowing a single goal when they travel to Iwate. In fact, I am hoping that all the top teams, except Nagasaki of course, can do the job this week in the hopes that Ryukyu squeezes out a result that sees them earn points.

J.League International Broadcasts for Round 31: The first of two broadcasts this week will feature (11) Tokyo Verdy traveling to (12) FC Mito Hollyhock in a titanic mid-table clash on Saturday. Though I’d trade places with either team in a heartbeat right now. Click>>> FC Mito Hollyhock v Tokyo Verdy

The second broadcast on Sunday will have (14) Tokushima Vortis playing at home – angling for the record amount of draws in a single J2 season – against (9) Oita Trinita. Click>>> Tokushima Vortis v Oita Trinita

Conclusion

It is really starting to come down to the wire and every little bit of points will help. It is not out of the realm of possibilities for Ryukyu to earn points on Saturday as Nagasaki are one of those teams, maybe the only team in J2, that Ryukyu seems to play tough every game. The last time these two teams played Nagasaki got the better of Ryukyu with 92′ minute header. That was just two months ago and perhaps it is Ryukyu’s turn to return the favor this week. Let’s go boys!

Intro

It is pretty simple from a Ryukyu standpoint; continue the undefeated streak or risk falling further behind the pack. FC Ryukyu are currently on a five (5) game undefeated streak but travel to Kofu where they have yet to take even a single point from Ventforet in three (3) seasons while on the road. Kofu also enter the match on an undefeated run but do not seem to be the type of Kofu team that has been a lot stronger than Ryukyu in past seasons. Kofu maybe to far from the promotional playoff zone with only pride left to play for, but for Ryukyu, it is a matter of life or death.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Looks like the rain is following FC Ryukyu around the country. Stay as dry as you can for those fans traveling to the match.

Click>>> Match Day 30 Information from Ventforet Kofu

Team Previews

Ventforet Kofu: Kofu enter Match Day 30 on a three (3) game unbeaten run. Their longest unbeaten run this season stands at five (5) games which were all draws with their longest winning streak at four (4) near the start of the season. Following Kofu’s draw with Ryukyu on Match Day 17 Kofu has tumbled out of the promotion playoff zone and into the bottom third of the table. So perhaps this isn’t the strongest Kofu side that Ryukyu has had to face while playing as the visitor.

Kofu had their match with JEF postponed due to CV-19 a few weeks ago but in the five (5) games played prior to the one with Ryukyu this Saturday Kofu went 1W-2D-2L. The lone win was sandwiched in between a pair of losses and then a pair of draws. Those two (2) losses came at the hands of Nagasaki and Sendai with both those teams shutting out Kofu in each of their matches. Following a 0-3 defeat to Sendai on the road Kofu responded with a 3-1 victory at home against Blaublitz Akita.

The next round saw Kofu take the lead against Mito in the first half, but they ended up surrendering that lead just nine (9) minutes after halftime kicked off. Their most recent match at Gunma ended 1-1 where Kofu fell behind early but came back to level the match near the end. Each team had a couple of chances near, and in, stoppage time to take the lead but neither could get a goal.

I am really not sure what to make of this Kofu side this season and I think they could be ripe for the picking if Ryukyu can execute the same way they have been the past few weeks. Kofu had some strong performances against Nagasaki, despite the loss, and of course Akita, but otherwise looked the part of a mid-table team. Somewhere I’d love to be at the moment.

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu now have to contend with playing eight (8) road games; travel to those road games; and avoid the raging CV-19 virus that is infecting upwards of 40,000 people a week on Okinawa with many more on the mainland of Japan. The team may want to institute some sort of protective bubble, and possibly restrictions, on their players as they cannot afford to lose key personnel to CV-19 in such a critical part of the season. Especially now considering they are generating momentum and earning points while entrenched in the relegation battle.

Ryukyu have built this momentum brick by brick, result by result the past five (5) weeks. It started with defending, which is a solid base from which to build from, and finally reached the multiple goal plateau to safely see out a win. Last week Ryukyu were hit hard by the CV-19 bug as six (6) players were unavailable to Nacho. There is a strong possibility that we see the return of some of those players, if they are healthy, symptom free, and fit, to at least provide some options to Nacho during his roster construction. But we have seen at least two (2) players test positive this week and there is no telling if more will pop in the coming days.

Many Ryukyu fans have seen the social media posts with Kiyotake and Kusano at training but hold your horses there as we have no idea, for Kusano at least, on how these players will respond after a lengthy lay off (aka can I trust my body to do what my mind is wanting it to do?). In the meantime we should focus on the attack duo of Abe and Sulley. Both strikers seem very adept at hold up play and each compliments the other while driving the attack. We caught a glimpse of what this attack duo can do last week, now we are hungry for more.

We also must come to grips that we are seeing the future RB of FC Ryukyu in Makito Uehara. Makito, at least in the short term, has usurped Keita Tanaka at RB indicated by Nacho’s choice of Uehara there despite Tanaka being healthy at times. There is an outside chance that Nacho was tinkering with the lineup to get as much firepower into the lineup then, but I think we are witnessing a changing of the guard at RB. A perfect wet dream would be to permanently retain the services of Nakagawa and Omori at CB to pair with Makito at RB but we all know as Ryukyu fans this is a nothing more than a fantasy. A problem for the future but a nice combination that is providing immediate returns.

So what should we expect from FC Ryukyu on Saturday? Little possession and clinical in finishing? That would be nice but I feel we’ll see the slightest of shifts towards Ryukyu getting on the front foot and controlling more of the match than we’ve seen the past few weeks. How so? Well, players are responding, and executing, Nacho’s system. Which means eventually they will start controlling play as their confidence grows in line with their trust of the managers’ philosophy and forthcoming results. Ryukyu are not going to go undefeated the rest of the year so get that notion out of your minds. But they can at least achieve results to see them out of relegation once the trust, confidence, and belief returns/grows. Something they have been without for much of the season.

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. Crosses into the box. Likelihood 3. I believe this was the same thing I said last time when these two teams played to a draw in Okinawa. It seems Kofu really hasn’t figured out the defending at the back and are very susceptible to some crosses, from any distance really, into the box. The Kofu defense gets stretched when teams are out wide so that should create loads of space for Abe and Sulley to occupy. Now we just got to get them the ball in space.

Round 30 in J2

Up Top: First place (1) Yokohama FC travel to (21) Omiya Ardija and let’s hope we don’t have a repeat of last week with YFC losing to a team near Ryukyu in the standings. (2) Albirex Niigata will host (13) Tokushima Vortis with (3) Vegalta Sendai traveling to (16) Zweigen Kanazawa. (4) V-Varen Nagasaki will travel to (12) Tokyo Verdy for one of the free J-League International YouTube broadcasts this week. Click>>> Tokyo Verdy v V-Varen Nagasaki.

Down Below: (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma will welcome in (11) JEF United Chiba who are both coming off 1-1 draws the previous round. (18) Blaublitz Akita could push themselves clear of danger with a win at home over (10) FC Mito Hollyhock, coupled with some losses by the teams below them, as that would provide about a ten (10) point cushion between them and the sides currently facing relegation. Finally we have (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka hosting (5) Fagiano Okayama on the second broadcast this round for the J-League International YouTube channel. Click>>> Iwate Grulla Morioka v Fagiano Okayama.

Conclusion

OK. Onto the task at hand. We know Ryukyu has yet to earn a point on the road at Kofu. But they have also never scored a single goal there either. Let’s start with getting our first goal in Kofu and see where that leads. Come on Lads!

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

Click>>> Match Day 29 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen

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

Round 29 in J2

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

Intro

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

Match Day Weather Forecast & Information

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

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

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen

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

Round 28 in J2

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

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

Conclusion

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

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

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

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen

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

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

Match Day 27 in J2

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

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

Conclusion

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

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

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

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory (or any sort of points) for FC Ryukyu

The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen

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

Round 26 in J2

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

Conclusion

Good luck to us all!!!!