Category: Match Recaps

V-Varen Nagasaki vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu pulled off an improbable 3-2 win over V-Varen Nagasaki on Saturday night in which they erased Nagasaki’s two (2) goal lead and even stopped a Nagasaki PK at the end of the match. In the preview article for this game I mentioned how Nagasaki seemed like a side that starts fast and fades throughout the match. That was the exact case this game as Nagasaki stormed out to a 2-0 lead before halftime despite not having their top man, Edigar Junio, in the lineup.

Ryukyu leveled the match at the 68′ minute mark of the second half thanks to two (2) goals by Takuya Hitomi inside a span of ten (10) minutes. Hitomi’s first was a redirection of a shot in which he was sitting almost on the goal line with two (2) Nagasaki defenders inside the goal keeping Hitomi on side. His second was a thing of beauty where he put a pass from Abe directly into the top right corner. Then Sadam Sulley added his third goal in as many games with another header in the 89th minute. But Ryukyu were not able to just walk away from this one without committing a costly foul near the end. But once again, Dany Carvajal rose to the occasion to help Ryukyu see out the win.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Not sure I need to say anything more as the actions of the entire team speak for themselves on this particular key to victory.

Match Day 31 Takeaways

1. Lineup and Roster selection for FC Ryukyu. I wondered what Nacho would do with both Kelvin and Makito this week following the Kofu game. Both players ended up getting the start and I think Makito’s early removal last week provided some motivation for him this week as he looked much better. Kelvin was his usual self and now we need to get that man on the score sheet more often, especially next week with Sulley suspended and it still being unknown when Kusano and Kiyotake will return to the lineup following their injury rehabilitations.

Abe and Sulley seem to have formed the perfect strike partnership for this league. Abe is so good at finding outlets to open Ryukyu players and just keeping plays alive for Ryukyu in the attack. The second Hitomi goal is a perfect example of what I am talking about and more goals for Abe should come soon. Sulley is really good at finding space behind, in, or around the oppositions’ defense to put him in goal scoring opportunities. Three (3) goals in three (3) consecutive weeks, four (4) points from four (4) matches. Though he’ll have to take a breather this week while on suspension from his red card last week.

2. A tale of two halves. My worst fears came to fruition after Nagasaki scored the opener and with Ryukyu again falling behind by multiple goals for the second straight week. Ryukyu seemed a bit flat in the first half with the opening Nagasaki goal traveling all the way through the box and past several Ryukyu defenders. To be fair, Sawada’s take was excellent as it had to be inch perfect from that angle.

Ryukyu had a crack at leveling the match early on but Kelvin’s take was just narrowly wide of the mark. You kind of felt that since we didn’t score from that take that another Nagasaki goal was likely in the offering. And true to form, Ryukyu surrendered the second goal that stemmed from a failed defensive clearance, followed by some really nice one-touch passing, before Cristiano buried the goal. Maybe Dany was blinded by Okazaki running in front of him but there were several Ryukyu defenders in the area that had a shot at getting something on the Cristiano shot.

You wouldn’t be wrong in assuming a goal scored just before halftime would completely let the wind out of the Ryukyu sails. But not under the current manager. Ryukyu came out firing in the second half when Hitomi scored on a redirected shot from Omoto. His first ever goal for Ryukyu. The play started with a Makito cross that Sulley won, though didn’t get on net, followed by Abe getting it back to Omoto whose shot looked to be headed for the far post to which Hitomi calmly slotted past the two Nagasaki defenders on the line.

Abe and Hitomi were not finished though as Hitomi’s second came after Abe’s initial shot was blocked, and instead of just trying to recycle the rebound back on net, Abe picked out the on-rushing Hitomi who sent a really nice ball into the top right corner. Of course the winner came from another Sulley header in a little give and go action from a quick counter attack. I truly believe Nacho and the rest of Ryukyu have figured out the J2: Pick out your taller strikers in the box with accurate crosses and let them feast.

The game wasn’t done and dusted at that point as Dany Carvajal was called into action a couple of times to make some key saves before the all important PK stop. His second stop of a PK this year that has directly accounted for four (4) Ryukyu points. I do have to say it wasn’t one of the better defensive performances from this team as it was more reminiscent of what we saw out of our defending at Kofu last week. We may have just got a bit lucky that Nagasaki couldn’t put anymore sustained pressure on our backline without their talisman Junio, but Ryukyu did enough to get the job done and that is all that matters.

Round 31 in J2

It wasn’t CV-19 rearing its ugly head to wipe out matches across the J-League this week, instead it was a tropical storm that dumped large amounts of rain across the mainland forcing matches to be called off and rescheduled for a later date.

Up Top: (2) Yokohama FC and (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma was rescheduled to this Tuesday evening leaving Ryukyu fans to wait and see if they have finally stayed level on points with Gunma. (1) Albirex Niigata took advantage of the YFC delay in fixtures to move into the top slot following their 2-0 road win at (16) Tochigi SC. And then there was (20) Omiya Ardija scoring another three (3) goals in a match to defeat a top seeded team in (3) Vegalta Sendai. Two (2) goals just a minute apart followed by a third in the first half put that one out of reach early.

Promotion Playoff Zone: (4) Fagiano Okayama was able to restore the 2-0 lead they lost to (18) Renofa Yamaguchi thanks to a 65th minute goal. (5) Roasso Kumamoto leap frogged V-Varen Nagasaki thanks to their 2-2 draw on the road at (13) Ventforet Kofu. Kumamoto missed out on all three (3) points this match having lost their 2-1 advantage in the 77th minute as well as having a PK stopped earlier in the game.

Down Below: The only team in the bottom five (5) of the table that wasn’t mentioned in the other two sections was (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka who lost 0-1 at home to (15) Blaublitz Akita. I think it was just around the time I released the first drop zone report that I intimated that Akita could easily, and quickly, remove themselves from the relegation discussion and since then they’ve won two (2), drawn two (2), only allowed a single (1) goal in four games with three (3) consecutive shutouts while playing as the visitors. Well done!

Conclusion

What an absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions on Saturday night for all the fans watching this game. From my vantage point there was the absolute shock, and subsequent outburst of emotion following that Sulley goal. It felt so good to see us score so late in a game instead of conceding. The emotional high was briefly muted when Nagasaki lined up for the PK where we all thought, “please not again,” before yet another outpouring of raw emotions by all in attendance at my house. We have waited a long time to see Ryukyu play like this as well for us to feel this good following any game. Let’s keep the good times rolling.

Ventforet Kofu vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu’s five (5) game unbeaten run came to a crashing halt on Saturday night at Ventforet Kofu when they were defeated 5-2 (second time in four seasons we’ve lost to Kofu by that score-line). Ryukyu were unable to earn their first ever point at Kofu but they did at least manage to score two (2) goals thus ending the goalless drought that has plagued Ryukyu while traveling to Kofu. Ryukyu found themselves in a very deep hole early on following three (3) goals by Kofu within a span of fourteen (14) minutes. Two (2) of those goals were PKs that were awarded just eight (8) minutes apart. Ryukyu fought valiantly to bring the score line to 3-2 before two (2) more Kofu goals put the game out of reach.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Think we saw a concerted effort by Ryukyu to get balls into the box and we know it works as evidenced by the Sulley goal. A nearly identical goal to the one he scored last week against Kumamoto when he rose and buried a header in the bottom corner. Ryukyu really need Tanaka to find that rich vein of form he was in last season when he could pick out anyone inside the box.

Match Day 30 Takeaways

1. CV-19 was once again wreaking havoc with the FC Ryukyu roster construction this past round as there were two debutants, Barrera and Hong Quan, and only two healthy center backs in the lineup. Luckily Ryukyu made it through unscathed and we can only hope we see the return of some of the first team players next round.

Last entry I put forth the notion that there may be a changing of the guard at RB with Makito the preferred starter over Keita Tanaka. Unfortunately for Makito, he had a very rough outing that saw him subbed off in the 37th minute following two unfortunate plays. First, Kofu had been trying the long ball over the top of our defense early on and finally found the break though when Makito headed one of those balls directly back to the center where a Kofu player was making a run. The second, probably stemming from the earlier play lingering in his mind, was a blatant handball inside the box when his mind told him something needed to be done about that dangerous cross, and his body reacted. Just in the wrong way.

He wasn’t the only one to get the early hook as Hitomi was also subbed off in that change for Kelvin. Kelvin looked good in his return and I am not sure if Ryukyu are better suited at starting Kelvin or having him come off the bench. Guess that all depends on his fitness level at this point.

2. This game ends differently if Abe converts that cross from Takezawa in the 8th minute. Ryukyu nearly capitalized on some early momentum but after they missed the chance to take the lead, you could sense a slight shift in momentum back to Kofu. Now, the two PKs in short order put Ryukyu in a ridiculous 3-0 hole, but they did respond in a way that was very encouraging. Saddam Sulley notched his second (2) goal in consecutive matches along with Nakano finding the score sheet in consecutive games with an assist. What we saw from Ryukyu in the 30 or so minutes following Kofu’s third goal provides a glimmer hope, but time is not on our side. Ryukyu had the players to generate some thrust, chances and goal scoring opportunities, now they need to bring it all together for another stretch run. I would also note that, what we thought was the equalizer near the 60th minute mark, turned out to be offside. Kind of deflating and it was at that point when I felt the game was a bit out of reach based on the prior bad luck Ryukyu had already experienced in this game.

3. Old man yelling at the sky again. Thought there was some “home cooking” refereeing going this game. Granted, the ball did touch Omori’s arm in the box, perhaps he shouldn’t have left his feet, and perhaps it is at the discretion of the referee to award the PK, which he did. Ryukyu may have gotten a bit lucky on some no calls but for the most part it felt as if Ryukyu were playing against twelve men with the referee favoring Kofu. Hell, as @FLManinJP pointed out, it took a damn car crash of a challenge on a Ryukyu player to finally draw out a call from the referee. Following the game some Ryukyu fans were posting that this particular referee somehow provides about a %20 increase in winning percentage to home teams in the games he oversees. Hope he is there for our final home game against Oita.

Round 30 in J2

Up Top: (1) Yokohama FC is doing all they can to derail Ryukyu’s rise out of the gutter by once again surrendering three (3) goals in a loss to one of the bottom four sides. This time it was (20) Omiya Ardija’s turn to earn an unexpected three points against the top side. Knowing Ryukyu’s luck, YFC is likely to find their form when we play them in 8 weeks time. (2) Albirex Niigata were able to cling to their one point advantage over (3) Vegalta Sendai thanks to two (2) late goals against (14) Tokushima Vortis. Vortis now have eighteen (18) draws this season, and though I do not know the record for the most amount of draws in a single J2 season, they look primed to take the title.

Promotion Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai and (4) Fagiano Okayama both saw out comfortable wins. (6) Roasso Kumamoto once again received the post-Ryukyu-loss bounce, that at least Iwate and Tochigi got to experience, when they defeated (15) Tochigi SC. The only side to lose this round was (5) V-Varen Nagasaki. Four/five points separate this pack from 7th place with Sendai just one (1) point off of second place.

Down Below: We already mentioned Omiya’s win and Iwate’s loss in the previous sections so that just leaves (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma, who lost 0-3 at home to (10) JEF United Chiba. (18) Renofa Yamaguchi, who lost at home to (8) Montedio Yamagata, find themselves in the bottom five following (17) Blaublitz Akita’s 1-1 draw with (12) Mito Hollyhock. 19th-21st place could see some consistent shifting in the standings the next few weeks with (22) FC Ryukyu four (4) points adrift from safety. The window to make up some ground for Ryukyu is quickly shutting.

Conclusion

Putting this one in the rearview mirror and moving onto the next game at V-Varen Nagasaki. There were some encouraging signs this match despite the lopsided score line which needs to be built upon heading into a tough run of fixtures. Ryukyu’s ‘make-or-break’ part of the season is shaping up to be the games between Rounds 34-38 where they have a couple of games against teams in the bottom five (5) of the standings as well as some just outside of 18th place.

FC Ryukyu vs Roasso Kumamoto #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu pulled of an emphatic, and at the time, improbable win over Roasso Kumamoto this past Saturday evening thanks to two (2) goals on either side of halftime. Kumamoto entered the match with a five (5) game unbeaten streak and were the best road performing side in all of J2. That was only the second (2) loss for Kumamoto on the road all season to go along with only their second (2) loss in their last fourteen (14) matches! The win brings Ryukyu’s home victories up to two (2) this season but more importantly it is part of a five (5) game unbeaten run for FC Ryukyu in which they’ve accumulated nine (9) points and recorded three (3) clean sheets. While Kumamoto is sure to recover they do have the dubious honor of being the only side, to date, to be defeated by Ryukyu in both matches this year. Though let us not get ahead of ourselves as Ryukyu only have two (2) other teams on the remaining schedule that could also fall into this category. And I hope they do!

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. I didn’t have a clue on any Kumamoto weaknesses that Ryukyu could’ve exploited from their last five (5) games, but, Ryukyu found a way, and that is all that matters.

Takeaways from MD29

1. Coming into the match there was concern among the Ryukyu faithful for who was going to feature after a small CV-19 outbreak hit the club in the mid-week. Just looking at the team this past week you could see Ryukyu were without their back up GK Taguchi, Nakagawa and Yong-Jick in defense, and Tanaka, Van Luan, and Fukumura in the midfield. Though Tanaka was seen at a promotional event prior to the match so no telling if his absence was tactical or due to an undisclosed injury. Ryukyu did see the return of Kelvin and Noda from their injuries as well as Sittichok Paso (MF) and Yusuke Murase (CB) both dressing for just the third time this season. Ryukyu only used a total of three (3) substitutes so perhaps some of the players on the bench were there for emergency purposes only. Nacho’s comments on Instagram following the match indicated Ryukyu were/are dealing with fourteen (14) players absent due to injuries, that probably includes the positive cases, which is almost unfathomable.

2. Ryukyu were once again limited in possession but they did make the most of their opportunities. Ryukyu were able to frustrate Kumamoto for much of the night who, despite having all that possession, had fewer total shots and shots on net than Ryukyu. Kumamoto had two clean looks on goal with the first being skied high over the net when Takahashi opted for power instead of placement, and the other being a blocked shot when the ball fell at the feet of the Roasso attacker with a Ryukyu defender in the area, on the ground basically, who was able to trap the shot.

The lone Kumamoto shot on frame came from distance in the first half that was right at Dany Carvajal who easily collected the ball. We really didn’t see some of the creativity this weekend that has been a hallmark for Kumamoto the past five weeks. It is now three (3) clean sheets for Dany Carvajal in his last five (5) matches. Consecutive clean sheets for on the second time this season as well.

3. A pair of the nicest goals we’ve scored all year. I commented to my friend during the match that it would be great if Ryukyu could get a goal in the last couple minutes of the first half and not even a minute later Abe put a lovely chip over the Kumamoto keeper. That goal stemmed from a long clearance by Dany that Sulley was able to head onto Abe who was making the run on goal. Ryukyu went the entire distance of the pitch with just three touches of the ball. But if you’ve been paying attention the past few weeks you would’ve noticed how good Dany is at finding Ryukyu players down the pitch with his clearances.

The second Ryukyu goal came shortly after the start of the second half when Nakano picked out Sulley in the box who rose to send a header into the bottom corner. It has been quite awhile since we’ve seen a goal like that, not to mention it has been nine (9) games since Ryukyu last hit the two goal mark in a match. Great to see Sadam Sulley open his scoring account for Ryukyu at home to go along with his assist on the Abe goal.

Match Day 29 in J2

Down Below: (21) Omiya Ardija lost on the road to (10) FC Mito Hollyhock but every other of the four (4) teams sitting in or around the relegation zone pulled off some dramatic results. (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma nearly pulled off the win after going ahead in the 15th minute against (14) Ventforet Kofu but a 82nd minute goal from the visitors ended the game in a draw. (19) Iwate Grulla Morioka’s 3-0 away thrashing of league leaders (1) Yokohama FC pushed them five (5) points clear of the relegation zone. Not to be outdone, (19) Blaublitz Akita matched Iwate’s 3-0 score line the following night on the road at (16) Zweigen Kanazawa.

Up Top: We already mentioned (1) YFC’s loss to (20) Iwate but (2) Albirex Niigata and (3) Vegalta Sendai could only inch one (1) point closer to the leaders as both their games ended in 2-2 draws to (4) V-Varen Nagasaki and (17) Renofa Yamaguchi. There wasn’t much shifting in the standings for any of the teams in the promotion zone, or anybody really, in a week where the ‘lower seeded’ teams seemed to get things over on the ‘higher seeds’ and with so many matches this round ending in ties.

Conclusion

I think every FC Ryukyu fan can agree that it was a long time coming to have those sorts of feelings when exiting the stadium on Saturday night. Ryukyu may have been putting in performances similar to the one on Saturday night under Nacho’s tenure but were finally vindicated with multiple goals and continued solid defending. Take another day or two to enjoy those feelings from an important win, but make no mistake, we have another important match this weekend. Kofu have never conceded a single point to Ryukyu while playing at home and it is naive to think that the teams around Ryukyu will continue to drop points and allow Ryukyu to stroll out of the relegation zone. This past week being a prime example. One match at a time, one step at a time if we want Ryukyu to climb out from the bottom.

Tokushima Vortis v FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu managed to keep their undefeated streak in tact (4-games) when they drew 0-0 at Tokushima Vortis on Saturday night. It was an impressive performance from Ryukyu, Dany Carvajal in particular, as they were limited to just 30% possession with just a couple of shots on frame. But deep down I know every Ryukyu fan is feeling somewhat disappointed at the result. Especially since many other fixtures this round didn’t end favorably for FC Ryukyu. As I said in the preview this week, FC Ryukyu tying games is simply not going to get it done.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. FC Ryukyu put in a really good shift. It is just a shame they were only rewarded with a draw. The team defended well from top to bottom and were just unlucky to come away with the win.

Match Day 28 Takeaways

1. We all knew that it was going to be a tall task to net all three points at Vortis on Saturday. But there were signs and indicators that it could be done. Vortis do not score a lot of goals, neither does Ryukyu, and Vortis have a similar playing style to Ryukyu (under Kina not Nacho) by producing very little from loads of possession. It really did feel like we were watching a replay of many Ryukyu games from earlier this season when Vortis would constantly pass back and forth to their central defenders and goal keeper. Vortis struggle to break other teams down and though Ryukyu didn’t see much of the ball, and only had to worry a couple of times Saturday night, there was never a feeling of dread when Vortis was passing the ball around.

In a game where only 1 goal was needed, Ryukyu couldn’t get there. Abe had a shot from a rebound cleared off the line by a Vortis defender who just happened to be in the right spot with the shot at just the right height for him to clear. And Shinya Uehara couldn’t find the placement from a wide open spot inside the box at point blank range. Conversely, Vortis had a few good chances with their best being their last when they hit the post near the end of the game.

2. There were a few changes to the Ryukyu lineup this week. Okazaki returned to CB which forced Omori back to the bench. Hitomi took over the right mid-filed duties for Tanaka who was surprisingly absent from the roster this week. Takayuki Fukumura returned to the squad for the first time in six weeks to feature as a substitute. And Ryukyu fans got a look at their recent signing, Sadam Sulley, when he came on for Kanai in the second half. Vortis did everything they could to choke the life out of the Ryukyu attack and despite all the height in the Ryukyu lineup, they couldn’t generate a single corner kick to at least stress the Vortis defense.

3. Dany Carvajal was on fire. That is now two (2) clean sheets from his last four (4) games. Ryukyu only managed three (3) in the twenty four (24) starts for Taguchi. Dany has featured a total of five (5) times and Taguchi did have one stretch of two (2) games in a row with consecutive clean sheets but I know we are seeing the quality that Dany brings to the Ryukyu GK position. Something we missed during Kina’s time in charge.

4. Old man shouting at the sky moment. It was amazing that both teams walked away from this match without incurring any yellow, or red, cards. On paper it looks as if the referee was ‘letting these two teams play.’ But I am sure Vortis fans were just as flummoxed as Ryukyu fans when it came to some of the missed calls or blatant no calls on Saturday. One of the most egregious no calls was the foul by one of the Vortis players on I think Kanai where he came up the back of his leg so fiercely that it tore his sock. Yet the ref just simply awarded a spot kick. I don’t know, but have a strong feeling, that you either have really good, or really bad, refereeing in the J-League.

Round 28 in J2

It has been a longtime since we’ve seen multiple games in one round called off due to CV-19 outbreaks and I fear that we could see more of them being called off moving forward with this particular variant of CV-19. It is one thing to try and prepare for games when dealing with injuries but now teams will have to contend with a heightened CV-19 threat that we haven’t seen since 2020. This will have some massive impacts for every club in the entire J-League. Even more so for FC Ryukyu who have to make another eight (8) road trips this year.

Saturday Night was the night for upsets around J2 as (4) V-Varen Nagasaki and (5) Fagiano Okayama took down (3) Vegalta Sendai and (1) Albirex Niigata while playing on the road. Then there was (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma’s win over (10) Montedio Yamagata and the 0-0 draws for (18) Blaublitz Akita and (22) FC Ryukyu. The only home team to find some modicum of success on Saturday was (16) Tochigi SC who defeated (17) Renofa Yamaguchi leading to these two teams swapping positions in the table.

The losses by Sendai and Niigata allowed (1) Yokohama FC to vault into the top slot after their 1-0 win at (11) Tokyo Verdy. The other game on Sunday saw (6) Roasso Kumamoto score three (3) goals at home for the first time all season, which was 1/3 of the total goals they scored at home this year, in a crushing defeat over (13) Zweigen Kanazawa.

Conclusion

One step forward, two steps back. I may feel disappointed that it was only a draw but it was a point when Ryukyu desperately need points. But it came on a night when Gunma won and Omiya drew that actually widened the point gap between Ryukyu and the three teams above them. The only ground that Ryukyu made up was on Iwate who lost to Zelvia. Ryukyu are now four, five, and six points behind the 19th, 20th and 21st teams in the table. Have to learn and build from that result and get ready for one of the best, if not the best, road teams of J2 in Roasso Kumamoto.

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (20) Omiya Ardija #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu only managed to draw 1-1 last Sunday night at home versus Omiya Ardija. While this means Ryukyu have now matched their longest undefeated streak of the season, three (3) games, it was not the result they needed. It is becoming painfully clear that if Ryukyu cannot defend a one goal lead while shutting out their opponent, they won’t win any games. Last night marked the twenty third (23) time this season where Ryukyu failed to reach the two (2) goal mark in a game.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Each side did enough to make it look like they were pushing for the win while doing everything they could to not lose.

2. Harass the Omiya GK. Likelihood 2. Sort of, but not really. Think Ryukyu had just a few shots on net with their best chances being the narrow misses that didn’t force the Omiya GK to do anything.

Match Day 27 Takeaways

1. The match was very much back and forth in the opening twenty minutes with each team creating some good chances. Ryukyu would control most of the run of play to open the halves with Omiya looking much stronger to close them out. There wasn’t any breaks that really favored either side as Ryukyu had some narrow misses that could’ve put them ahead, only to concede a goal from a set piece after it hit the crossbar and fell right at the feet of an Omiya attacker. Sure, Omiya put themselves in a position to score but it came from a foul that was awarded after both sets of Ryukyu and Omiya players were tugging on each others kits. There really wasn’t a lot of offense (aka quality shots on frame) as you can clearly see by the finally shot totals, depending on what site you look at.

2. Makito Uehara had an up and down game where he would look really good at times and then revert into some questionable play. We know we will have to deal with this while he rounds into the player he could be and to be honest the whole FC Ryukyu team seemed to unravel around the 75′ mark of the match.

3. There was a comment by the manager Nacho that seemed to indicate FC Ryukyu are dealing with ten (10) injuries to key personnel. I saw Numata on crutches leaving the grounds before the match and it seems that ankle injury will keep him out a while longer. Kusano is only about halfway through his rehabilitation; Kiyotake most likely has some facial fracture he’s dealing with; Kelvin definitely pulled/strained a muscle; but no idea what has happened to Noda, Shinya Uehara, Uesato, Fukumura, and Tomidokoro. Maybe some of them are not injured and their absence from the lineup is tactical, but even then, we are possibly talking about one third of the Ryukyu outfield players being out injured. Why does it always feel that Ryukyu have been involved in an injury crisis each season they’ve been in the J2?

4. Only two subs made an appearance last night. Hitomi in the attack and then Yong-Jick to solidify the defense and see out the draw. Ryukyu dressed five (5) central defenders with three (3) forwards but I am not sure there was anything on the bench that could’ve provided a spark in the finally stages of the match when Ryukyu needed to go for it. It was disheartening, but understandable, to see the move towards at least securing the draw in what was a must win game.

4. Nacho’s comments following the match indicate he is not happy without the amount of set pieces and turnovers Ryukyu are conceding. Not sure how much of that he can improve this season but we have to start somewhere. The easiest would be cleaning up the turnovers and finding some sort of combination up top that will just take some chances on net.

Round 27 in J2

All three of the top sides easily saw out wins by goal margins of three (3) or more goals. Oita Trinita helped some of the teams at the bottom with their win over Gunma but that wasn’t the case with Okayama as they played to a 0-0 draw with Tochigi.

Conclusion

No time to wallow in despair. Time to focus on Tokushima Vortis. Anything positive from that match will go along way to getting out of this funk. But that will require multiple goals.

Montedio Yamagata vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Montedio Yamagata this past weekend and once again find themselves at the bottom of the table. This was the fifth time that FC Ryukyu were shutout this season (1/4 of their games), the sixth time they’ve conceded three (3) or more goals, and the second consecutive week of surrendering three (3) or more goals. Ryukyu are now two (2) points behind Iwate Grulla Morioka, who have a game in hand, and three (3) behind Omiya Ardija in the relegation race.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Concede fewer goals than Yamagata. Likelihood 1. I don’t think I need to add anything here.

Match Day 20 Takeaways

1. Yamagata were just better than Ryukyu in nearly every facet of the game. Yamagata’s first goal was a lovely chip over Taguchi – who may have drifted a little far off his line – after Ryukyu couldn’t capitalize from a strong start. The second goal for Yamagata was a mishandling of a shot from Taguchi but Yamagata were able to find plenty of space within the Ryukyu back line of three (3) defenders to operate on Sunday. Yamagata’s third goal seemed nearly identical to their second when another cross came into a dangerous area and was headed past Taguchi. Yamagata’s fourth and final goal was a lovely piece of work from Kunitomo Suzuki to put one past Taguchi on the near post. A bit worrisome that Yamagata had a conversion rate of 60% for their shots on net.

2. Ryukyu have conceded seven (7) goals within two games while being outscored 9-3 over their last four (4) matches. Ryukyu also managed to push their league leading (probably) goals conceded after the 75th minute total to double digits (10). Three (3) goals were conceded within a span of thirteen minutes. That was the fourth time this season where Ryukyu conceded three (3) goals within a time span of 16 minutes or less!

Round 20 in J2

A couple of upsets and heavy defeats highlight the fixtures from this past Round. Albirex Niigata moved back into the top slot following their draw on the road at Vortis and with Sendai losing on the road to JEF United Chiba. All three (3) of the top clubs remain level on points after Yokohama FC rescued a draw at home Tokyo Verdy. There was another four (4) goal defeat this round with Fagiano Okayama shipping five (5) past Zweigen Kanazawa on their way to a 5-1 victory.

Omiya Ardija lost for the first time in two (2) games but it was the shocking 1-0 win at home for Iwate over Kofu, which was also Iwate’s first home win of the season, that pulled them within one (1) point of Omiya and off the bottom of the table.

Conclusion

26% of teams (6/23), five (5) occurring in the last eight (8) seasons following the creation of the J3 league, that were at the bottom of the table after Match Day 20 ended up relegated that season.

FC Ryukyu vs Tokushima Vortis #FC琉球

Intro

It seems that no amount of goals scored by Ryukyu are enough to protect any lead. Ryukyu once again surrendered a late goal that led to another draw at home with points dropped in an extremely tight relegation battle. Not even the usual, momentum shifting, goal right before halftime was enough to carry us over the line. There are just twenty three (23) games remaining this season and Ryukyu will almost need to take 25 points from those matches if they hope to survive.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Execute shots from distance, pepper Vortis with crosses into the box, and for god’s sake, score from a set piece. Likelihood 1. We did and we still didn’t win. The set piece was a PK but both shots from Nakano and Tomidokoro were from distance. It was so great to finally see goals of that quality scored in front of the Ryukyu supporters section and just a shame they were wasted in another draw.

Match Day 19 Takeaways

1. Ryukyu played one of their best games of the season and it still wasn’t enough to get the win. This game was a six-goal thriller with a little bit of everything that included multiple PKs and four nice goals during the run of play. The match was evenly contested by both sides with each team having really good looks on goal. There were also some good player battles between Shinya Uehara and Caca, as well as Keita Tanaka and Kazuki Nishiya. In the opening half, Vortis looked more lethal with their shots on net, but Ryukyu were controlling large portions of play and knocking on the door. After trading PKs in the first half, Ryukyu, for the first time in a long time, were playing some spirited football in the opening twenty minutes of the second half.

Ryukyu were rewarded with a spectacular goal from Nakano on the edge of the 18-yard box. Ryukyu followed this up with three close calls on net (Tanaka, Uehara, Kanai) but failed to push the lead to two goals before Vortis equalized in the 85′ minute. But then out of nowhere, Yu Tomidokoro sent an absolute screamer from about 25-yards out into the top corner of the net to once again give Ryukyu the lead. Unfortunately, and so indicative for how the season is going for Ryukyu, they surrendered a goal from a CK on the very last play of the game.

Ryukyu have been extremely poor when it comes to defending, and scoring, from CKs this season which shows us that they haven’t learned much during their time in the J2. It isn’t a matter of defenders not defending, but rather midfielders defending set pieces. Poor Yu, the hero just moments earlier, was caught in no man’s land on the last shot and didn’t know whether to track a runner on the outside or the man directly in front of him who found the space to score. Probably something that stems from the multiple set piece goals conceded by Ryukyu this season were opposing players are constantly getting free near our defensive lines. Heartbreaking for the fans in attendance.

2. Another injury to deal with. Ryukyu finally put out a lineup that seemed to work and work well but Lee Yong Jick, who was having an off night thanks to a foul leading to a PK, was carted off in the 80th minute following a kick to his lower right leg/ankle in the 77th minute. He carried on for a bit but it seemed he was in too much pain to see out the match. No coincidence that Ryukyu conceded a goal a few minutes later and hopefully it is nothing more than a knock that will just be sore for a few days. In the mean time it is back to the drawing board to figure out another lineup. If Yong Jick is set to miss anytime, that leaves with just one healthy CB on the roster, Omori, which could force Makito Uehara, or never used Yusuke Murase into the lineup. Not what we need right now despite the owner promising some offensive reinforcements when the transfer window opens up on July 15th.

3. When results wane, anger and focus shifts to external factors that seem to be acting against you. Ryukyu have found themselves at the mercy of the referee in three consecutive matches. First, they were not allowed to execute a CK at the end of the Kofu match. Second, the blatant handball no-call at Omiya near the end of that game. And lastly, the Vortis CK after the 5 minutes of allotted time had expired. Sure, had anything other than a Vortis players scoring would’ve probably drawn the whistle, but luck is not on our side right now. If we can’t even catch a few breaks along the way, I am not sure we will be able to stave off relegation. Just some consistency from the leagues referee’s would be a welcome sign.

Round 19 in J2

FC Ryukyu got the help they needed from teams at the top of the table, but Tokyo Verdy couldn’t get past Omiya Ardija, who looked the far better side in the second half of that game and should’ve won. Albirex Niigata continued their push for promotion but handing Montedio Yamagata their first loss in nine (9) matches. Lastly, Zweigen kept Morioka at the foot of the table with winner in the 80th minute.

Conclusion

More injuries and questions but the same amount of concern and frustration. It must feel as if the weight of the entire world is on the shoulders of everyone at the club and since we haven’t exactly put ourselves in a position to succeed this year, we are leaving it very late for a miracle. Enter the Emperors Cup match with Omiya on Wednesday. Not sure who is going to play with our current injury crisis, players out on international duty and no news from the club on the status of some of our players. Just what we needed.

Omiya Ardija vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

Ouch. This one is going to sting for a long time. Ryukyu failed to continue their climb out of the relegation zone by dropping three (3) crucial points at Omiya Ardija last night. Ryukyu controlled nearly every aspect of this game but were not able to convert a single shot, despite the nearly 70% possession. They simply allowed Omiya to hang around all game and grab the win in the second half. The loss drops Ryukyu back into the relegation zone with now a 3-point gap between them and Omiya. This was a must win game for Ryukyu last night and they simply couldn’t get over the line. It is not good and with the season nearly half over, there probably isn’t enough time to recover if the point gap gets even slightly wider.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Win the set piece battle. Likelihood 2. Ryukyu did not, and as predicted, this match came down to a set piece goal where Omiya found the breakthrough. Ryukyu finally won some corner kicks and free kicks in dangerous areas but couldn’t convert a single one.

Matchday 18 Takeaways

1. The attack really missed Kusano. As expected, Kusano was not in the lineup following his injury from the previous match. Without him, Ryukyu looked limp in the attack. Despite some great build up play, shots were sent high, wide or weakly hit directly at the Omiya GK. Omiya, even with such limited chances, looked far more dangerous in the attack and with their shots. Omiya were asking questions of Taguchi whereas Ryukyu seemed genuinely disinterested in scoring at all last night even with Omiya struggling with goalkeeping as we did nothing to test the Omiya GK. The stat sheet says we had eight (8) shots on net but I’m hard pressed to believe it was anymore than two (2). Ren Ikeda and Kiyotake had decent games, nearly scored in the opening half, but it should’ve been Kiyotake receiving the pass from Ren on the fast break, and not Nakano, as Kiyotake scores from that part of the box nearly every time. How can we be so bad at finishing?

2. No room to complain on the blatant missed handball call at the end. The fact is Ryukyu should’ve taken care of business a lot sooner and not merely relying on the luck of a handball deep into the match. Sure, it would’ve been great to see Ryukyu get back into the game with a PK, but it didn’t happen. I believe there was a couple of these no calls on handballs from the referee, Toru Kakinuma, last night. And he really should of sought some assistance from the linesman that was right there when Tanaka took the shot that the Omiya defender raised his hand and deflected out of bounds. But, such is life sometimes when there are some bad no calls that go against your team.

3. 70% possession with over 700 passes and only 2 shots on net. Do we have eleven (11) good players to start each week? Is it coaching or effort at this point? Perhaps the yearly talent drain at Ryukyu has finally caught up to us. Nearly impossible to make wholesale changes with injuries, but Ryukyu need to find a spark from somewhere and it should start with giving some run outs to unproven players who have a desire to crack the starting lineup, play, play well, and succeed.

Round 18 in J2

Tochigi executed another shocker when they defeated Zelvia 1-0 to increase their cushion over the relegation sides to seven (7) points. If Omiya pulls any further away from Ryukyu then it is all but over as there aren’t too many winnable games coming up in that Ryukyu schedule. Also, it seems the best thing that teams can look forward too these days if they suffer a surprise loss to Ryukyu is, you almost go on a little bit of winning streak right after (see Kumamoto and Tochigi). Sendai remained top with their draw but allowed Niigata and Yokohama to inch a little closer with both of their 3-goal performances last night. Kanazawa also had a nice win in which they netted three (3) goals against Tokyo Verdy on the J-League International YouTube channel.

Conclusion

The supporters of FC Ryukyu deserve better, but until that happens, here are some great photos by the supporters at the Omiya match.

FC Ryukyu vs Ventforet Kofu #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu almost did the unthinkable on Saturday night when they were just four minutes from winning their third game in a row. The game was largely controlled by Kofu and it is just unfortunate that Shinya Uehara’s beautiful 71st minute header was nullified by a 90th minute goal from Kofu ending the game in a draw and pushing Ryukyu’s record to 0-2-6 following a run of two wins in a row. But, Ryukyu were able to grab a crucial point when others around them dropped points this weekend. The draw pushes Ryukyu out of the relegation zone, based on goal differential over Omiya and Iwate, for the first time since Match Day 5.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Take the game to Kofu. Likelihood 3. No. Ryukyu may have come close to splitting the overall possession with Kofu, but a preponderance of that possession was in our own end. Ryukyu created three (3) goal scoring chances this match with the goal being the lone shot on net.

2. Someone steps up in central defense. Likelihood 2. Almost. Yong Jick was having a decent game, with some mental errors/turnovers mixed in, but once he came off for Omori, Kofu scored their goal.

Takeaways from Match Day 17

1. Kusano’s injury. This one could be catastrophic for FC Ryukyu. Ren Ikeda collided with Kusano in the 40th minute after going for a contested ball and being slightly tripped up by the Kofu defender. Ikeda fell directly into Kusano’s left knee, bending it inward, and immediately dropping Kusano to ground. Kusano was seen grabbing his knee and the Ryukyu trainer was performing the initial assessment to see if a ligament (ACL) was snapped. While Kusano was not writhing in pain, he was not able to carry on. Hopefully it is something minor, but I am not a doctor, and if it season ending, or even a 2-3 month recovery time, Ryukyu are in big trouble. Uehara stepped up later for a goal, and thankfully Noda has returned to the lineup, but are we sure that either one of those players can lead the Ryukyu line like Kusano? I don’t know and it would help to see Abe return as that only leaves Hitomi, Vinicius, Paso (who we haven’t seen in months) and possible Kelvin – if he signs with Ryukyu – at the forward position. Goal scorers like Kusano just don’t grow on trees and would be nearly impossible to replace in the summer transfer window.

2. May have felt dejected we didn’t see out the win, but have to be happy with the result. Kofu had several opportunities, with quality looks on net, that went narrowly wide. Ryukyu dodged a serious bullet following a Numata foul at the top of the box and then having the Kofu shot taker put it just inches high over the bar. Ryukyu didn’t really offer much in the attacking department on Saturday but played well enough in defense to avoid conceding more than just one. The upsetting part of the Kofu equalizer was, unlike their earlier attempts, the Kofu goal scorer was unmarked and all alone inside our 18-yard box while some Ryukyu defenders were wildly chasing the ball. I do not know who blew their responsibility for marking that man but that has been the typical mental breakdown Ryukyu suffer through this season that drastically change outcomes of their games. The Kofu match marks the sixth time this season where Ryukyu have lost the lead and ended the games in either a loss or a draw (0-3-3).

3. Lineup choices. We were wondering who would start at CB for Ryukyu after the Okazaki injury last week. Well, it turned out to be LB Keigo Numata. That is an interesting choice considering Omori is fit enough to dress, and come off the bench, as a natural CB. I am not sure of the reasoning behind this choice and it seemed to work up until we took Yong Jick off late in the second half. It seems Ryukyu only have two (2) healthy CBs at the moment and choose to start just one (1) in their 4-4-2 lineup. Sure would be nice to know the status of some of other central defenders on the roster as well as see Ryukyu make a move for a central defender in the summer transfer window. I cannot see Numata being the long term solution to our central defender injury crisis.

4. The ‘new boy bounce’ is helping. Kina missed his second game in a row due to CV-19 and Ryukyu earned a point and our now in the midst of a three game unbeaten run. It would be great to see Kuranuki lead the team in a few days at Omiya in what is going to be a crucial 6-point match up in the relegation battle. If we can get one more game out of Kuranuki, with all three points, it would release some of the pressure on the team before a run of six difficult matches in a row.

Round 17 in J2

Albirex Niigata ran rampant over Yokohama FC this week and moved into second place. Blaublitz Akita roared back from three goals down to draw with Tokyo Verdy at home. League leaders Vegalta Sendai defeated Omiya Ardija 4-2 for a result that helps Ryukyu. Though the end of this match was marred with some scuffles between each teams fans. Another result that helped Ryukyu was the 3-0 defeat of Iwate by FC Mito Hollyhock. One result that didn’t help Ryukyu was the shocking win by Tochigi on the road at Tokushima Vortis that snapped their winless run at nine (9) games.

Conclusion

It doesn’t get much bigger for Ryukyu this year when they travel to Omiya on Wednesday. But I’ll leave that for the Match Preview tomorrow. For now, some fan photos from Round 17.

FC Ryukyu vs Tochigi SC #FC琉球

Intro

Two wins in a row on the back of two clean sheets for FC Ryukyu. Wow. Ryukyu’s 1-0 victory over Tochigi SC was their first home win this season (9 games), first win at home in eleven (11) games dating back to the 2021 season, and the first time that Ryukyu have won consecutive matches since Match Days 20 and 21 of last season. And boy did they need that win. Though the win doesn’t move them up the standings all that much, at least it has narrowed the gap between them and the teams just above them as well as those in 17th and 18th place.

Match Highlights

Takeaways from Match Day 16

1. Yuki Kusano scores for the fifth game in a row. Kusano is now up to seven (7) goals on the season, good for second place in the league, and nine (9) total points. As if there was any doubt who our best player is this year. Just a shame that we only have him on loan.

2. Ren Ikeda was nearly the man of the match. It was Ren’s sliding effort to keep the play alive that set up Yuki Kusano for his easiest goal of the season in the twelfth minute, and those two nearly linked up again in the 63rd minute when a Kusano cross found Ikeda all alone in the box. Unfortunately the header went just wide for Ren. Let us hope these two can get into a good rhythm moving forward.

3. Lee Yong Jick had a surprisingly good game at the back. Lee was winning every aerial dual that came his way and was stifling the Tochigi attack whenever he could. We will need that from him going forward as Ryohei Okazaki was carted off in the 54th minute with what looks to be a left calf strain (non-contact injury) in which Okazaki knew right away that he was done for the night. This is certainly not the first time we’ve seen Okazaki head to the trainers table for muscle pulls/tears so I’d expect another lengthy absence on his part. That means Rio Omori should slot in at CB with hopefully So Nakagawa making a return to the bench.

4. Ryukyu may have made that win a little more difficult than it needed to be, but they did just enough to grab a win for a team struggling with results and consistency. And they did it without Kina at the helm as he was considered a close contact before the match and unable to attend the game. That meant head coach, Kazuki Kuranuki was the one who earned Ryukyu’s first home win of the season (let that sink in for a moment). You could tell how much that meant to many of the players if you saw some of the Twitter posts following the match, and one of them is below.

5. Some general team information and news. As I mentioned, Okazaki will now join Abe on the injured, but never updated publicly, list for Ryukyu. Third string GK Kosuke Inose will be out about four (4) months following surgery to repair his right shoulder. Ryunosuke Noda returned to the team for the first time in eight (8) games since his injury and then there is a bit of buzz surrounding Ryukyu these days with another potential transfer into the club. FC Ryukyu have been linked (albeit, mainly through their fans) to Kelvin Mateus de Oliveira, once of FC Porto after he was spotted wearing a players pass/badge and sitting next to fellow countryman Vinicius at the most recent Ryukyu match.

No idea if this is true, if he’ll sign, or if he’ll even play for Ryukyu (you all know our track record when it comes to playing foreign players). It could represent either an injury assurance policy if Kusano, Kiyotake, or one of our elder statesmen strikers goes down for the long term. Or, it could signal that Ryukyu realize they need a massive upgrade in the goals department. I do not know much about this player, and whether he has fully recovered from a previous serious injury, but if he has anything left from his highlights on YouTube, we could be in for a real treat. All credit to @MiyagiRyukyu for breaking this bit of news on Twitter.

Round 16 in J2

The result that mattered most for Ryukyu fans this past week was the 0-0 draw between V-Varen Nagasaki and Omiya Ardija. That prevented Ryukyu from going level on points with Omiya, who, look a far better team in recent weeks with three (3) wins, two (2) draws and only one (1) loss in their past six (6) games. League Leaders Sendai made easy work of visitors Zweigen Kanazawa at home who have now lost as many games in the past four (4) matches as they had in their opening twelve (12).

Yokohama FC were able to keep pace with Sendai at the expense of fellow demoted side Tokushima Vortis with a 2-1 win at home. Albirex Niigata dropped out of the automatic promotion zone with their 2-1 loss on the road at Machida Zelvia. Mito, Kumamoto, and Akita all picked up nice wins with the latter shrouded in a bit of controversy by the home supporters of JEF, which has drawn the ire of the league and both clubs.

Conclusion

The back-to-back wins were crucial for Ryukyu, but things do not get any easier for them. Ryukyu do play two (2) of the bottom sides in the table in the next nine (9) weeks, but that also includes three (3) games against teams vying for promotion (Kofu, Yamagata and Zelvia), as well three (3) matches against teams (Vortis, Nagasaki and Okayama) that Ryukyu have struggled to beat – or even own a winning record against – and then there is the heated rivalry game with Tokyo Verdy who embarrassed Ryukyu the last time these two sides met. But, such is life at the bottom of the table.

Anyways, the conclusion section is still all about showing love to the Ryukyu supporters who make their way to the grounds around Japan, regardless of the weather conditions, and who have kept the faith this season.