2019

Intro

Fresh off their second consecutive road win, FC Ryukyu welcome 4^th placed Omiya Ardija to town on Sunday. Omiya, after having bested Verdy, Nagasaki and Mito, were shocked at home by Tokushima Vortis this past weekend. These two sides first met back on match day 2 where FC Ryukyu defeated Omiya 4-3. My how the fortunes of both sides have changed since then. FC Ryukyu would go on to win 2 more in a row, in addition to drawing 2 in a row, before they began their downward slide in the J2 table. Omiya on the other hand, weathered a slow start to the season and eventually rose into the promotion zone and are flirting with automatic promotion to the J1. I seriously doubt that FC Ryukyu will once again catch Omiya off-guard and this is will be another tough test against a formidable opponent at home for FC Ryukyu.

Weather Forecast

Cool temperatures with overcast skies and slight chance of rain. It will be a little windy so I’d bring the sunblock to prevent any windburn to your face if your sitting up high in the stands.

Recap of Match Day 2: 03/02/2019 Omiya Ardija 3-4 FC Ryukyu

On a cool, crisp, March afternoon in Saitama, FC Ryukyu had one of their most convincing wins and signature matches all season. A beautifully taken shot from Tanaka, a Koji Suzuki brace capped with Satoki Uejo opening his scoring account for the 2019 season gave FC Ryukyu 4 goals. Dany made some spectacular saves, especially late on, and Kazaki Nakagawa was the true star with 3 assists.

The scoring began with the Tanaka opener, followed by the equalizer from Omiya after Delgado redirected a shot over Carvajal. Then FC Ryukyu busted out for 3 straight goals in the opening 16 minutes of the second half to jump out to a 4-1 lead. Omiya were awarded a very late PK and then scored on quick counter in the first minute of stoppage time to bring the game to a 4-3. Dany made a great diving save to parry a shot away from danger later on and FC Ryukyu would hold on to win. A win that nobody saw coming.

There are many bittersweet memories from this match. First, it was a testament to Nakagawa’s skill and those 3 assists saw him as the top assist provider in J2 well after he departed for Yokohama F Marinos 2 weeks later. Second, Koji was happy and scoring at will and third, Uejo’s emergence was bubbling to the surface. Finally, it would ultimately take FC Ryukyu 16 more matches before they would win again on the road this season. For Omiya, they would respond with a win the following week, wobble slightly against Yamagata the next and then go on a run of 16 unbeaten that has since propelled them into the promotion battle. Oh, what could’ve been for this Ryukyu side. A side that since this Omiya match has seen no less than 6 changes to the starting lineup. Whereas Omiya has seen less than half of that total. It was one of the best footballing experiences I’ve had all season.

Omiya Ardija

Pace, Power and Height pretty much sum up Omiya at the moment. Omiya displayed a penchant for hitting teams on the counter over their last 5 games and they can quickly break out of their own end and into the opponent’s end with just a few passes. They can send long balls over the top that allow the attacking 3 to run underneath them bringing them past the oppositions defense and free on goal. Omiya were also lethal from set pieces, corner kicks in particular, where their height and power prove to be too much for opposing defenders. They can also press teams that attempt to play it out form the back if they feel this is a weakness of the opposition. They pressed Nagasaki in this manner and it resulted in a goal after a cheap giveaway in the Nagasaki end.

Even though Mito jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over Omiya, Ardija was able to fight back and score 3 goals against a team that doesn’t conceded many goals to begin with. They had some slight trouble against Verdy before converting 2 corner kicks to win 2-0 and they really made Nagasaki look like an average side in a convincing 3-0 victory. They were nearly beaten at the end by Yokohama FC when Yokohama hit the crossbar, but walked away with an important point on the road against a promotion seeking side. The only outlier in the past 5 games was the recent loss to Tokushima Vortis.

It was a back and forth contest between the 2 sides with Vortis opening the scoring from a play that seemed to catch Omiya flat footed. Omiya responded with a counter attack goal before Vortis once scored from a busted play after Omiya failed to clear. Omiya responded with a headed goal on a set piece but Vortis got the best of them at the end with a 3^rd goal.

All in all, Omiya represent a difficult challenge for FC Ryukyu this Sunday. Omiya surely want to continue their promotion push, and they may have revenge on the mind, after FC Ryukyu walked into their home ground and put 4 past them in convincing fashion earlier this year.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu responded really well after losing 5-1 to Tokyo Verdy at home by defeating Tochigi SC on the road 2-0. Two really well taken goals by Uejo, one with his left foot and one with his right foot, has put FC Ryukyu on 43 points, which is roughly 13 points clear of the drop zone. Though FC Ryukyu started the Tochigi match sluggish, they really turned it on in the last 25 minutes and Tochigi had no response. FC Ryukyu have now won 2 in a row on the road and are undefeated in their last 4 road matches. Quite a turnaround from a few months ago when FC Ryukyu were struggling mightily on the road and losing at home.

There was some shifting of the FC Ryukyu lineup this past week with Shinji Ono and Yu Tomidokoro being dropped for Shuto Kawai and Koki Kazama. However, FC Ryukyu face a real selection crisis this week as they will be without both their Right Backs, Torikai and Nishioka, who have both succumbed to injuries. Torikai picked up his ankle injury early in the first half against Tochigi, requiring Uehara to fill in at RB, and the injury will see him miss the remainder of the 2019 season. And possibly the start of the 2020 season as he rehabs a dislocated ligament. Nishioka suffered an ankle injury in training and he is scheduled to miss at least the next 3 matches. Which begs the question, who will FC Ryukyu start this Sunday at RB?

Though Uehara filled in admirably, he is certainly not the solution over the next 3 matches. Outside of Tokumoto, Okazaki and Fukui, FC Ryukyu have only 2 defenders with any match day experience this season. One of those, Arai, only featured for a few minutes on the very first match of the season. There has been no word on whether or not Shogo Nishikawa, the only other FC Ryukyu defender to feature in a match this year, has suffered an injury or is healthy enough to start. In either event, we will need both of them to be healthy and in the lineup on Sunday. That is, unless newly acquired Daniel Sanches is finally ready to make his debut? It’s really anybody’s guess at this point as to what Higuchi will do to fill the void at RB in Ryukyu the lineup.

Player Injuries

FC Ryukyu: Will be without both starting RBs in Torikai and Nishioka.

Omiya Ardija: No one significant to the starting 11. Two defenders who were hurt earlier in the season is all that is reported.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory

1. Start fast and build a multiple goal lead. This worked the last time these two sides met and almost worked for Mito a few weeks ago. Granted Mito ended up losing and this a far different lineup for FC Ryukyu. Ryukyu really do not lineup well against Omiya with their speed up top, height at the back and ability to score from counters and set pieces. There will be goals tomorrow for sure, just hope we have more than Omiya do at the end.

2. Do not concede many set pieces. This is especially true of corner kicks where Omiya’s tree trunks; Delgado and Simovic, will certainly overpower their man marking.

3. Pick your poison. If we play out from the back, I expect heavy pressing by Omiya that forces Ryukyu into making mistakes and costly turnovers. If we attempt to play high up the pitch, we risk over exposing the makeshift back 4 of Ryukyu to the speed of the Omiya counter attack. No easy choice.

4. Win the battle down our defensive right side and we may win the game. I’d expect a heavy dose of crosses and attacks emanating from our right side, the Omiya left, against whoever is asked to fill in at RB on Sunday for Ryukyu. We will need some defensive help over the top from one of the Mid Fielders for the Ryukyu RB and this could mean large stretches of little possession for Ryukyu on Sunday.

5. Clean up the garbage in the box on both ends. Don’t allow needless shots on our goal from shots that are blocked or saved. On the flip side, Omiya has a hard time cleaning up the garbage in front of their own goal and conceded a couple of goals from this spot. Somehow Omiya concedes goals, loses matches and has small defensive lapses. This is the smallest of cracks in their armor but an exploitable one.

The Contrarian Approach: Start Kawai, Koizumi and Ramon and attack Omiya with speed early and often. Start Daniel Sanches and Okazaki at CB and have Fukui slide out wide to the Right.

Match Day 38 Prediction

The numbers indicate that Omiya is on a tear with 10 to 5 goals scored/conceded ratio over the course of their last 5 matches. Ryukyu haven’t scored nearly as many but they have kept a clean sheet in 3 of those matches. 2-1 Omiya would be considered a respectable score line on Sunday.

Link to Match Day Info on FC Ryukyu Website: http://fcryukyu.com/news/21400/

Plenty of useful info and the page can be translated into English. There are maps for free parking with shuttles to the match and a schedule of events for the match day.

Important Fixtures on Match Day 38

Conclusion

It looks as if the club is expecting a larger than usual traveling contingent of fans for this one and has adjusted the seating accordingly. This maybe due to the pre-match festivities where Bando will conduct one of his retirement ceremonies and the popular MONGOL800 band will perform just before kickoff. With that said, its probably best to get there early if you want a seat in the covered section. The club’s president, Mr. Subaru Mikami, tweeted that he’d like for the overall attendance numbers to hit 100,000 for the season and I think there will be a strong showing on Sunday somewhere in the vicinity of 7,000 to get us close to the mark.

But I am not there for the pre-match pomp and circumstance. I am there to watch my team one last time at home before I depart for a lengthy spell away from Okinawa. I will still be able to see the boys close out the season at Kofu but I want to enjoy all that has been at home this season. The drama, the thrills, the let downs, the come-backs and of course enjoying matches with all of my fellow FC Ryukyu fans and the players. With safety all but guaranteed for next season, I want to see the boys play loose, relaxed and carefree on Sunday. Omiya has more at stake than FC Ryukyu since we no longer need to hunt for results to ensure safety. FC Ryukyu are simply playing for pride, playing the role of spoiler against sides seeking promotion, but most importantly, playing for Okinawa and all the fans of this club.

So join me on the walk down the Bengara Boulevard and into Fortress Ryukyu one last time this season. Give em hell boys and make us proud. You always do!

“FC Ryukyu’s Battle for your Discretionary Income” 10/24/2019

It has been a long time since I last wrote anything that wasn’t a match day preview or report so I thought I’d take a moment to write a quick entry concerning the attendance levels for FC Ryukyu. For those of you that don’t know, FC Ryukyu have 2 home games remaining this season and there was a recent Tweet by Club President, Subaru Mikami, issuing a challenge to reach 100,000 total fans for the season. FC Ryukyu currently sit at 88,484, or 11,516 fans shy of the 100,000 mark. That means FC Ryukyu will need to average 5,758 fans over their next two games to achieve this feat. The question then becomes, can they realistically achieve that number?

FC Ryukyu by the Numbers

These tables indicate that fans only pack the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium on rare, special occasions. The inaugural J2 game for FC Ryukyu, the tilt against well known, and well followed Kashiwa Reysol and of course, Shinji Ono’s debut were the 3 highest attended games this season. FC Ryukyu’s record in those matches was 1W1D1L. The Yokohama FC match represented roughly 14% of the total amount of fans to attend all season for FC Ryukyu with the top 3 combined accounting for 30%.

Number of Fans	Times this Season FCR hit this mark
10,000 – 15,000	1
7,000 – 9,999	2
4,000 – 6,999	5
0-3,999	11

The three lowest attended matches were Ehime FC, V-Varen Nagasaki and Kagoshima United FC. The weather forecast called for high winds and rain against Ehime and could be the reason why so few attended. The Nagasaki match was on the heels of a 6-game losing streak by FC Ryukyu and the Kagoshima match also followed 3 straight losses for the club. FC Ryukyu’s record in the lowest attended matches, 3 wins and 0 losses. Not to mention that the Nagasaki match was the greatest come for behind victory for the club this season.

In another strange occurrence. It seems that the clubs performance has no direct correlation between the amount of people that attend, at least on paper. For example, during FC Ryukyu’s home unbeaten run this season (10 games) they averaged 4,620 fans while going 5 wins, 4 draws and suffering the one loss that snapped the streak. In the 9 home games since, FC Ryukyu average 4,698 fans with 3 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses. Of course the largest game attended all season is in there but if we removed it, FC Ryukyu averaged something closer to 3,800. This would indicate that at least 1,000 of the more casual fans who rarely attend games, isn’t going to attend if the team is performing poorly.

There is another aspect to this, albeit a small one, but one of slight importance to the overall numbers. And that is the number of away fans who attend. Unfortunately, I don’t have any way of knowing how many away fans attend each match as all the attendance numbers are lumped together for just an overall total on the J League website. I assume the club knows this based on entry gates but if opposing teams’ fans mix in with the home crowd in the S-Section at the stadium, then those numbers will also be inaccurate.

As mentioned earlier, FC Ryukyu will need to average 5,758 fans per game to reach the 100,000 mark. That is 1,101 more fans than they normally average. Outside of the top 3 attended matches all season, FC Ryukyu only came close to that number on two occasions (Albirex Niigata & FC Gifu). The make or break match for FC Ryukyu to hit the 100k mark will be the upcoming fixture against Omiya Ardija. First, I am going to assume that Omiya will have a nice traveling contingent of fans this Sunday as the games start time of 1300 should allow for most of the Tokyo based fans to schedule a departing flight from Naha on Sunday evening. Second, the club has been promoting the MONGOL800 band that is set to perform just prior to kickoff and this could result in more of the casual fans, as well as fans of the band itself, possibly attending the fixture. I feel that the final fixture against Kyoto Sanga will be largely attended if for no other reason that it is the final home game this year. I hope I am right in that regards.

Future challenges for the club

While it was encouraging to see more people attend FC Ryukyu games this season compared to seasons past, FC Ryukyu will need to be even more involved in off-season promotions and signings with its marketing campaign to combat the popularity of basketball and new baseball team starting in 2020 in Okinawa. There are several forces acting against FC Ryukyu and I will list them out below:

1. Discretionary Income Spending: It seems that only on rare occasions will Okinawa based fans attend a particular match. If FC Ryukyu were averaging something closer to 7,500 for their games this wouldn’t be an issue but since we are not even filling half the stadium on average, not many people are coming to watch FC Ryukyu on a consistent basis. This is a big issue and one that needs to be the focus of effort in a concentrated marketing plan by the club. If we assume that a family of 4 will spend roughly 4,000-7,500 YEN per game, I can see why they will only attend a few games all season. The club does promote free entry dates for residents of certain towns and municipalities around the island as well as particular last names but that hasn’t had the intended affect as evidenced by the overall numbers. Heck the Renofa Yamaguchi match was touted as a free entry for people with the last name Higa, which I believe is the most popular last name in Okinawa, and it was one of eight matches that failed to eclipse the 4,000 mark.

2. Direct competitors on Island are strengthening and increasing: The Ryukyu Golden Kings have several advantages over FC Ryukyu when it comes to drawing in fans for games. First, they have a climate-controlled arena in which fans never have to worry about the weather. Second, basketball is a hugely popular sport here in Okinawa and the construction of the new Okinawa Arena, that will host the 2023 FIBA World Championship, is going to draw large amounts of people, especially if tickets are cheaper than FC Ryukyu. It will have 10,000 seats, similar to the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium where FC Ryukyu currently play, but I cannot see the Kings charging the same price for tickets that is on their website for the 2019/20 season.

The Ryukyu Blue Oceans is the newly created Okinawa baseball team that will play outside the NPB in 2020 with the intent to be a fully-fledged member of the NPB once the NPB expands it cap on expansion teams. While FC Ryukyu only have to compete with the Golden Kings for fans during a short period where their respective seasons overlap, the baseball season directly overlaps with football here in Japan. This means FC Ryukyu need to be sprinting to get 7,500 fans before they are playing matches on the same day as both the baseball and basketball teams. I personally cannot see how the island can support 3 professional teams, especially with two of them playing in 10,000 seat stadiums with the possibility of the baseball team playing in the 30,000 seat Cellular Stadium in Naha. I am not sure if that is where the Blue Oceans will play, but it makes the most sense as far as existing infrastructure and concentration of the population. That is the same area for the newly proposed FC Ryukyu stadium as well. The parking and traffic will be a nightmare down there if Ryukyu and the Blue Oceans both have home games on the same day. This also assumes that FC Ryukyu have built and are playing in their new stadium, somehting for which ground has yet to be broken

The Way Forward

In the short term, FC Ryukyu would do well to have some sort of fan appreciation day in conjunction with the final game of the season. This is usually the case around most leagues and clubs will usually do something special for the fans on the final home game of the season. There are many things that could be done such as; giving away free merchandise to all that enter or throwing t-shirts/soccer balls into the stands. It could be in the form of allowing fans onto the pitch to mingle with players after the match and stay for an extended period of time for autographs/photos. It would also be great to have those FC Ryukyu players that are injured or not dressed in the reserves, to sit in the stands with the fans and watch the last game.

The next step for FC Ryukyu is to have a strong off-season marketing campaign. There will be the inevitable shifting of players and much needed time off for those that will return, but FC Ryukyu cannot simply drop off the radar when it comes to community engagement events, and press releases. We are really talking about a period of roughly 60 days before the 2020 training camp opens and about 90 days between the end of the 2019 season and start of the 2020 season. One major event, would be a ground breaking event for the new stadium or training ground that can be attended by fans and players alike.

The long-term goal of having the new football only stadium has to be seen through and needs to have some visible movement forward right now. There only seems to be an unfunded proposal which is nothing more than a fantasy at this point. When money is put towards the project and shovels have hit the dirt, then we can expect to see an uptick in season ticket numbers. We know the club has had several meetings concerning the dreams of reaching the J1, as well as earned their J1 license, but there was talk that FC Ryukyu were not meeting a lot of the expectations for keeping them in the J2. The recent town hall meeting showcasing the new stadium had this bombshell dropped on the fans and it would be catastrophic to this club if they had relegation forced on them and would set them back at least a decade. I am not sure if this is tied to the amount of fans FC Ryukyu are averaging each match or that they do not have their own stadium/training ground. In either case, the alarm has been sounded and actions to remedy the problems must be conducted immediately.

Conclusion

While a majority of this article seems like a regurgitation of a prior op-ed piece, I wrote way back at the start of the season, I should also mention that the club has executed some small incremental steps this season that will have further reaching benefits for seasons to come. The atmosphere in and around the stadium is far better this season compared to seasons past. There are noticeable changes of seating at pitch level, vendors inside and outside the grounds and a much better marketing campaign. This all has to be done within the financial constraints facing the club, which is no small task. They are averaging around 1,000 more fans per game than they probably budgeted for at the start of the season and could you imagine the things the club could achieve if they averaged 7,000 fans per game? We as the fans would also be reaping the benefits of a financially stronger club in both the short and long terms. Could even mean larger kit sizes (3/4/5L) someday.

In any event, the competition for our discretionary income by the 3 professional sports clubs on the island will become very tight in the near future. Each will be competing for a very small, limited pool of fans that can attend matches on a regular basis. FC Ryukyu needs to find ways to grab as large of a slice as they can from this pie and it starts with two things. It means building a beautiful, unique, and technologically advanced stadium in addition to appealing to the large contingent of foreigners visiting and living on the island. The stadium should be a destination that people want to visit, have a phenomenal experience and return too on several occasions.

And oh yeah, I think it is realistic that FC Ryukyu hit the 100,000 fan mark for the season.

“Twice as Nice” Match Day 37 Report: Tochigi SC 0-2 FC Ryukyu 10/20/2019

Intro

FC Ryukyu earned their 11^th win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tochigi SC this past Sunday. The win sees FC Ryukyu’s point total climb to 43 and puts them 13 points clear of the drop zone with only a handful of games remaining. In other words, we can reasonably assume that FC Ryukyu are safe from relegation in their first season in the J2. It was also the second time in a row that FC Ryukyu earned a victory on the road, a feat they have never done this year prior to this weekend.

Match Recap

Starting 11 and reserves for both sides. Courtesy of the J League website.

There were some notable omissions from the FC Ryukyu starting 11 this week. Shinji Ono and Yu Tomidokoro were replaced by Koki Kazama and Shuto Kawai. The Shinji move was most likely necessitated after he picked up a knock last week against Verdy. Kawai, on the other hand, was a bit more noteworthy. First, it is great to see Kawai get back to full health as his speed brings a vital element to the FC Ryukyu attack (more on that later). Second, the move signaled to me that Higuchi may have game planned for needing speed to hit Tochigi on the counter if FC Ryukyu were not going to have large amounts of possession. This was certainly a shock as the starting lineup rarely changes for FC Ryukyu based on our opponent’s apparent strengths and weaknesses, rather, it changes due to injury, suspension or players experiencing a loss of form. A welcome sign nonetheless.

There was not really much to report on in the first half of this game. FC Ryukyu looked slow to start the match and were not offering much in the attack. In fact, FC Ryukyu seemed fixated on attacking down the right side but were either bogged down or would lose possession in the Tochigi deep right end. Tochigi, on the other hand, threw all they had at us in the first half and really pressed hard to get out in front. They made calls for a possible handball from Tokumoto in the box following an overhead kick but the ref was not having any of it. Tochigi nearly broke the deadlock when a header bounced across the face of goal and harmlessly out of bounds.

FC Ryukyu’s one good opportunity came from a nice little give-and-go between Kawai and Yamada but the shot from Kawai had no real power or placement behind it and the keeper had no problem saving the shot. FC Ryukyu suffered what could be a very catastrophic injury to RB, Yuya Torikai, early in the first half. A Tochigi player came down on the inside of Torika’s right boot and though he tried to continue after initially spending several minutes on the ground, he eventually succumbed to the injury and was replaced by Uehara. That is not a typo. A striker came on at RB as FC Ryukyu dressed zero defenders on the bench for this match. I would’ve thought that a CDM or MF would’ve slid into the RB role but it was our striker. This was a bit odd as Uehara rarely plays more than 15-20 minutes per match and was now going to be asked to defend, and to play for +75 minutes. In any case, both sides headed into half time at 0-0.

FC Ryukyu started better in the second half and the Tochigi attack sort of fizzled out around the 67-minute mark when their best effort that half was saved by Dany Carvajal. FC Ryukyu did really well to absorb Tochigi’s best efforts and were now primed to go on the attack. The break through occurred in the 79^th minute when Koki found Uejo in between 2 Tochigi defenders on the left side of the Tochigi 18-yard box. Uejo did really well to let the ball roll across his body and then sent a well-aimed shot past the diving Tochigi defender giving FC Ryukyu the 1-0 lead.

With only 10 minutes remaining Tochigi were now forced to throw more into attack in hopes of equalizing which played directly into Higuchi’s strategy for hitting Tochigi on the counter. Now, the Torikai injury most likely disrupted the original game plan of bringing on Uehara late, with 1-2 MFs possibly coming on for Kawai and Koki. It didn’t matter as Kawai and Uehara were both up to task and played the full 90 and 75 minutes respectfully. In fact, Higuchi never used his 3^rd sub this game which is a bit of a shame as Ramon deserved a run out after getting back to match fitness this week.

Tochigi had one more opportunity to tie the match very late in the 4^th minute of stoppage time. A Tochigi deflected shot fell to another attacker who was able to find a wide-open Tochigi attacker inside the 18-yard box. Fortunately for FC Ryukyu, the Tochigi player miss hit the shot and it was sent wide out of bounds and harmlessly away from the Ryukyu net.

FC Ryukyu did score one more time this match when Uejo bagged his second on the day for a brace. The goal was one of the best team goals I’ve seen by this team all season. The play started from a Tokumoto long pass down the middle where Yamada then back-heeled it to a sprinting Kawai, whose run down the middle caused the Tochigi defenders to pinch in thus allowing Uejo all sorts of space out wide. Kawai waited until the very end and then found Uejo with a pass who promptly slotted home his 13^th goal of the campaign.

The goal was the very last play of the game and everyone could see the importance of this win all over the faces of the coaches and players.

Box score. Courtesy of the J League website.

Man of the Match

#14, FWD, Satoki Uejo. 2 really well taken goals and so much has been said already. Honorable mentions to Dany Carvajal for keeping his 3rd clean sheet in a row on the road and Uehara for playing out of position for the remainder of the match.

Review of the keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu on Match Day 37

1. Defend set pieces from Tochigi. PASS. FC Ryukyu blanked Tochigi but had to make it interesting along the way. Ryukyu surrendered plenty of early CKs and FKs for Tochigi and did well to prevent any goals.

2. Finish in front of goal. PASS. See Uejo’s two goals.

3. Pay attention on defense and defend against long balls over the top. PASS. Tochigi never attempted many of these and FC Ryukyu did defend well on Sunday.

4. Exploit the new Tochigi goal keeper. PASS. Only because we won 2-0 but we had so few shots on net that tested the keeper. There were long stretches of no offense by Ryukyu this game but they made it count when they needed too.

Match Day 37 Prediction

I said the match could end 1-0 in either direction but it was FC Ryukyu who did the business on Sunday.

Match Day 37 Takeaways

1. FC Ryukyu face a real selection crisis at RB as both Torikai and Nishioka are injured. Nishioka is out at least 3 weeks with no updates at the time of this entry on the Torikai injury. Torikai’s injury was bad enough that he didn’t want to put any weight on his foot and was stretched off, possibly all the way to the bench/locker room. We cannot expect Uehara to play RB going forward and since we rarely ever know if any of the reserve players are dealing with injuries, what is the side going to do?

I don’t think the club can recall Masutani from Okayama, who at least has RB experience, and I am not sure where Nishikawa has disappeared too after his appearances in July and August. Jumpei Arai featured in the opening match of the season but that is it as far as FC Ryukyu defenders with match day experience this season. Maybe it is time to dress the youngster, Daniel Sanches, and push Fukui out to RB, a position he has played this season due to other Ryukyu injuries. Other than that, I am not sure of the fitness levels, or whereabouts, for Miyauchi, Rion Fukui, Naito and Hanafusa, who may also not be with the club at the moment.

2. FC Ryukyu also dodged a bullet when Fukui picked up a very early yellow card. Had he been sent off at any point in the match, it would have left FC Ryukyu with only 2 defenders on the pitch. Granted, this did not happen but as we’ve all seen, Fukui can make some rash challenges at times and puts himself dangerously close to getting sent off during games. In that regards, this was a very physical match some very hard tackling occurring from both sets of players. Tochigi were guilty on more than one occasion and one of their players was lucky to only be yellow carded, not red carded, for a studs-up challenge that cleaned out the Ryukyu player.

3. FC Ryukyu’s road form has greatly improved over the course of their last 4 matches. In fact, FC Ryukyu are unbeaten in their last 4 road matches. They’ve drawn twice, and then won twice in a row with those 8 points proving to be a real difference in the short term. I have been harping on the fact that the road form of this club needed to improve or else they could be facing a relegation scrap. Well, after losing 6 straight road games, FC Ryukyu have finally done what needed to be done and earned some victories on the road. Granted, those matches were against Kanazawa, Machida, Fukuoka and Tochigi. All teams in, around and below Ryukyu in the table but that doesn’t matter as they should be beating these clubs. Again, a great turn around at a crucial time of the season.

4. The second goal from Uejo displayed so many things that it needs to be discussed more than just as goal that ultimately sealed the victory for Ryukyu on Sunday. First, and back to my soap box, I have been screaming to get more speed into the FC Ryukyu attack all year. Speed scares defenders and Kawai had their undivided attention when he was running right at the central defenders at full tilt. There was no way either one of the Tochigi defenders alone was going to match Kawai’s speed thus forcing a reinforcement to pinch in. This created acres of space of Uejo to run into and eventually finish from. We’ve seen this before from Ryukyu. If you recall the Kyoto Sanga match, Kawai’s speed allowed him to get in and around the back line and resulted in Ryukyu tying the match.

Second, it was one of the best team goals by this club all season. Aside from the aforementioned Kawai goal against Kyoto, the other one was the Tanaka finish against Omiya Ardija way back on match day 2. Finally, it is going to be nearly impossible to prevent larger clubs from acquiring the services of Uejo next year. Though he made it look easy at the end there, he still had a lot to do with the finish. The Tochigi goal keeper rightly anticipated that Kawai would ultimately pass to Uejo and he though came out to cut down the angle, Uejo has become such a lethal finisher when given time and space. He simply cannot be denied in front of goal. Look at all of the goals Uejo has scored this year and there are so many that are top quality. Finishing with flair is something all to its own.

J2 Games of Note on Match Day 37

Conclusion

FC Ryukyu welcome Omiya Ardija to town for their next to last home game this season. Omiya are coming off a shocking 3-2 defeat at home to Tokushima Vortis and likely seeking revenge against FC Ryukyu for the earlier 4-3 defeat they suffered on match day 2. It is hard to not celebrate the fact that FC Ryukyu have most likely hit the expected point total for safety without remaining at least guarded until it’s all but certain. In any event, I’d like to see the side give the fans two respectable results with their remaining home games. Generating attendance numbers in the near future will become tougher and tougher with the introduction of a new basketball stadium and baseball team in Okinawa, and though they’ve improved the numbers this year, they are not nearly at the level required to generate income that drives operating budgets and promotes long term sustainability in the upper echelons of the J League. Great win boys and see you next week.

Cover photo from J League.

“FINISH HIM” Match Day 37 Preview: Tochigi SC vs FC Ryukyu 10/20/2019

Intro

Should I start with something motivating? Something inspiring and uplifting to raise our spirits? Or, should we just simply get down to business?

Weather Forecast

REVIEW OF MATCH DAY 21 7/6/2019: FC RYUKYU 3-0 TOCHIGI SC

FC Ryukyu were seeking t end their 3 game losing streak at home and did so with a 3-0 victory over Tochigi SC. Goals from Koji Suzuki, Nihioka and Ochi gave us all 3 points and at the time, at least lessened the goals scored/conceded differential for the team. That has since become a moot point as Ryukyu have conceded the most goals all season in J2 but do not have the worst differential (21). That honor currently belongs to Kagoshima United FC with a -30 this year.

Tochigi SC

1-2-2 during their last 5 games. An even 7/7 split for goals scored and conceded during that span. The 7 goals scored represent roughly ¼ of all the goals scored by Tochigi SC this season.

It would be foolish to assume that FC Ryukyu are simply going to walk in to Tochigi, kick the doors down, and bring home all 3 points. Tochigi SC, like an enemy without an avenue of escape, are a cornered animal prepared to fight to the death. This is a very dangerous prospect for any team that faces a side with a zero-sum outlook.

Against the sides seeking to avoid relegation, Tochigi went 1W2L with an even 5 goals scored and 5 goals conceded. One would then assume that against much better clubs, Vortis and Kyoto, Tochigi were sure to fail. Not the case, in fact, Tochigi rose to the occasion and drew with both Kyoto and Vortis.

Tochigi, similar to may teams at the bottom of J2, offer the same strengths and weaknesses of the clubs around them in the table. Here are the facts: The defense and Goal Keeper can be beat, the offense can produce nothing, and opponents can take home all 3 points when visiting Tochigi. Question is, can FC Ryukyu do the impossible and win 2 in a row on the road?

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu followed up an impressive run of 5 games unbeaten- one of those being only their 2^nd road win all season – with a less than spectacular 5-1 drubbing at home against Tokyo Verdy. Ryukyu have played some rather unspectacular games this season but the Verdy match ranks near the top when it comes to losses.

Though FC Ryukyu never really looked out of sorts in the last match, they never could find the back of the net to make a difference. Shinji’s presence on CK sand counters is noticeable as he hasn’t lost his touch nor his ability to unlock defenses. Problem was, FC Ryukyu couldn’t finish and often shots were right at the Verdy keeper.

FC Ryukyu will need to be clinical in front of goal tomorrow in order to put the pressure on Tochigi. As with last week, a win tomorrow would all but seal the deal for FC Ryukyu for staying in the J2 for 2020.

Injuries & Suspensions

FC Ryukyu: Listing none and not sure of any suspensions due to yellow card accumulation.

Tochigi SC: GK #50 Yoo Hyun, who was the starting Tochigi SC goal keeper all year, is out with a fractured tibia. He has been out of the lineup since but 2nd choice goal keeper, Shuhei Kawata has filled in admirably.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory

1. Defend Set Pieces. Maybe Tochigi’s only chance at besting us this weekend is from CKs and FKs.

2. Finish in front of goal. Don’t fire directly at the opposing GK, placement and power tomorrow please boys.

3. Pay attention on defense and don’t get caught flat footed on long balls over the top.

4. Exploit Tochigi SCs reserve goal keeper. He has started the last 2 matches and only surrendered 2 goals of the course of those games. Rather impressive considering he faced Tokushima and Kofu in that stretch. But, he is the backup and not the starter so he could be prone to some mistakes along the way.

Match Day Prediction

0-1 for Tochigi is possible and so is 1-0 FC Ryukyu.

Notable games in the J2 for Match Day 37

Conclusion

No time to be cute or tinker with the lineup. This is a must win game for both Tochigi SC and FC Ryukyu. Tochigi want out of the bottom 2 and FC Ryukyu want to be able to relax the remainder of the season, get some younger players into the lineup to gain some valuable match experience, and see what they have before the winter transfer window opens.

This will be no easy cake walk for either side and it will come down to some key match-ups on defense for both sides. Tochigi will look to shut down Uejo and force a narrow Ryukyu attack through the middle while looking to exploit the FC Ryukyu back line on counters and set pieces. For their part, FC Ryukyu need some creativity near the 18-yard box and to remain focused throughout the full 90 by playing total team defense.

Safe travels to all that are attending the match and lets get the job done boys.

“Green with Envy” Match Day 36 Report: FC Ryukyu 1-5 Tokyo Verdy 10/12/2019

Intro

Not the sort of performance you were hoping for coming off of 5 games unbeaten by FC Ryukyu but nonetheless, the side suffered another heavy defeat, this time in front of the home crowd of 4,800 on Saturday. The loss, while infuriating, does not put FC Ryukyu in any worse of position than they started match day 36. While that may sound encouraging, it seems the team took a big step backwards on Saturday night with that performance and I hope its simply a one-off rather than indicative of future performances.

Match Recap

When you are pasted 5-1 at home there is not much to report on, however, I am sure it was enjoyable for both the neutral and casual football fan with all those goals. The overall sense I gleaned form the match was that FC Ryukyu were not able to capitalize on their opportunities whereas Tokyo Verdy did just that. Verdy’s first goal came in the 25^th minute of the first half but FC Ryukyu had lenty chances of their own and were never outmatched by the Verdy defense. Again, it was just poor finishing in front of goal that sunk this side on Saturday. Yu flashed just high of the goal and then in typical fashion of matches like this one, Verdy hit us on a counter for a 2-0 lead.

Most of Verdy’s goals this past Saturday followed a very distinct pattern. Verdy were able to pull apart our defense with quick, accurate passes back across the pitch to change the direction of attack. FC Ryukyu could simply not recover in time to defend against the open attacker which lead to wide open looks on net. The second Verdy goal saw Torikai getting caught flat footed on a run by a Verdy attacker followed with a long over the top ball that Koike was able to get underneath and rip past our defense for a breakaway on Dany. The second Verdy goal was followed in quick succession by a 3^rd when once again, the Ryukyu defense was caught out and though Dany may have done better to get a hand to it and deflect it away from goal, the ball went slightly underneath his arm and into the bottom left corner of goal.

FC Ryukyu came out strong to start the second half and Uejo scored one of the goals of the year from a shot from distance. It was the type of shot that left the Verdy Goal Keeper completely stunned and immobilized as he assumed it was going high over the bar. Instead, the ball had so much dip on it, it went over the keeper and just inside the cross bar where it bounced off the crossbar and into the bottom of the net. Simply amazing. Uejo also had another opportunity from distance that tested the Verdy keeper and he made an awkward save on it to basically chest it out of bounds so I assume there was some swerve and dip on that shot from Uejo as well.

While that gave a flicker of hope for the home crowd, that flame was extinguished very quickly by a Verdy goal 4 minutes later on a counter attack and the fifth in the 69^th minute. The match ended 5-1 and there isn’t much more to recap.

Starting Lineups & Subs for Match Day 36. Courtesy of the J League website.

Lots of red on the right (wrong!) side. Courtesy of the J League website.

Man of the Match

#19 MF Junki Kokie of Tokyo Verdy. Bagged a hat-trick and was devastating to the Ryukyu defense.

Review of FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory for Match Day 36

1. Score from Corner Kicks. FAIL. Obviously since our only goal was from the open run of play by Uejo. However, FC Ryukyu looked better on corner kicks with deliveries from both Koya and Shinji. Their delivery is far better than I have seen on these normal set pieces and hopefully FC Ryukyu will be able to grab a goal or two from a CK in the near future.

2. Hammer Verdy on the Counter Attack. PASS. Uejo’s goal began with a Verdy giveaway in their end and FC Ryukyu were able to hit them on the break. The irony is, Verdy were more aggressive and more lethal in their counter attacks all night.

Match Day 36 Prediction

Of course, predict a FC Ryukyu 2-1 victory and get rewarded with a 5-1 drubbing.

Match Day 36 Takeaways

1. The defensive performance was particularly poor on Saturday and watching Verdy pull us apart on what seemed to be “training ground practice stuff” was hard to watch. Ryukyu defenders were often caught flat footed and Verdy were able to exploit that with deep runs past our defenders and onto long over the top balls. Ryukyu didn’t have the speed to match Verdy and this resulted in several breakaways and free looks on net. Also, the Ryukyu defenders would pinch in and leave our flanks exposed to runs, passes and crosses. Verdy showed the rest of the league how to quickly and repeatedly unlock our defense so this needs to be addressed in the near term before we see out the season with 6 straight losses.

2. Tokumotu did his bet, the combo of Pariaba and Klebinho were too much for one man to handle. In fact, he wasn’t getting much help over the top. It was a good battle to watch but we need some better defending from our mid fielders.

Match Day 36 around J2

The typhoon forced some matches to be abandoned or rescheduled and there were some interesting results this past extended match day 36 weekend.

*Still a ton to play for the top 9 sides in the table. Courtesy of J League website.*

Coming down to a photo finish at the bottom. Courtesy of J League website.

Conclusion

Best to erase this loss from everyone’s memory and move on. FC Ryukyu have 2 home game remaining against Omiya and Kyoto and hopefully we’ll be able to celebrate this sides one last time at home with a win but it looks like a long shot at this point. However, we could, and should, be celebrating some FC Ryukyu road wins the remainder of the campaign. FC Ryukyu are on the road this Sunday against Tochigi SC in a very winnable game that would once again seal safety for the boys.

“Verdy. Vidi. Vici.” Match Day 36 Preview: FC Ryukyu vs. Tokyo Verdy 10/12/2019

Intro

Normally I’d begin with some words about each side and what the outlook is for FC Ryukyu but I’d be wrong in not wishing all those affected by the typhoon slamming into mainland Japan. Stay safe, and I wish you the best from all of us here in Okinawa.

Now, down to business. FC Ryukyu come into match day 36 riding a 5-game unbeaten streak. A feat, which many us haven’t seen since the start of the season, that has propelled FC Ryukyu out of the danger zone and into a place many would consider “respectable” for a first year J2 club. Well, to hell with them I say! FC Ryukyu are all about breaking norms so keep pressing boys and aim higher. Never be content with the status quo.

Weather Forecast

Windy. 15 mph (24KMH) expected throughout the match.

Previous Meeting Recap

A very nice back and forth game during Match Day 9 where FC Ryukyu conceded in the first half, followed by Dany making an amazing PK save after bloodying his nose and ending with a Uesato cracking one-timer in the very depths of stoppage time to equalize. Tokyo Verdy 1-1 FC Ryukyu.

Tokyo Verdy

Tokyo Verdy enter this weekends fixture having lost 3 in a row. Something they have not done all season. When Verdy lost 2 in a row, they usually responded with a win or a draw so this is somewhat of an uncharted territory for the visitors. I am not quite sure what has happened to this once proud club, considering I was there in July when they fought back against Ehime and looked good in the process. Maybe a combination of transfers out or injures? The notable loss was that of FW Hayashi to Zelvia but he’s been replaced by #11 Paraiba and #31 Klebinho, who are both forces to be reckoned with and ones that will certainly test the FC Ryukyu back line.

Verdy went 1W1D3L in their last 5 matches. Paraiba had a bit of a coming out party when he announced his presence with authority against Yamaguchi where he contributed on all 4 Verdy goals that day. Verdy would’ve entered match day 36 riding a 4-game losing streak if it wasn’t for Niigata wasting golden opportunities in the last few minutes of their game that ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.

The current losing streak began with a 2-0 loss to Omiya where Verdy surrendered 2 goals from set pieces. Verdy then ran into the Kashiwa Reysol buzz saw losing 3-0 and culminating the losing steak with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Okayama.

FC Ryukyu

The 5-game unbeaten streak, with 2 of them being wins, speaks volumes for how this team has recovered from what looked to be a lost cause a few months ago. Sitting at 40 points and 11 points clear of the drop, FC Ryukyu need to see out a few more fixtures -albeit winnable or at the very least with opportunities to earn a draw – and they will be playing J2 football in 2020. The line is set at match day 38 if nothing changes from now until then.

This is not to say the side should relax and set the cruise controls. On the contrary, they need to press onward for a strong finish to drive up attendance while simultaneously getting a look at some of the youth we have in the reserves. A win, coupled with a loss by the bottom 3 this weekend, who all have much tougher match-ups than FC Ryukyu, would pretty much seal it and we can then all breathe a sigh of relief.

Injuries and/or Suspensions

FC Ryukyu: Possibly without the services of Shinji Ono following an ankle injury he picked up last week against Avispa Fukuoka.

Tokyo Verdy: Could be without one of their top scorers in Leonardo who was listed as injured with no timetable for return.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory

1. Score from Corner Kicks. Easier said then done. I can appreciate your sentiments as FC Ryukyu have been lackluster from corners all season. However, Verdy surrendered at least 4 goals in their last 5 games from corner kicks so if we can get multiple chances, maybe we can crack that egg.

2, Hammer Verdy on the counter attack. This one requires some speed being in the FC Ryukyu lineup but Verdy have real trouble defending quick counter attacks. Kawai, Kozumi, Uejo, Ramon could all feast on these. Is Higuchi watching the same tape I am to see this vulnerability?

Match Prediction

Not the same Tokyo Verdy squad and a chance to win, do I? Or do I do the reverse psychology thing and predict an unfavorable outcome resulting in an actual favorable outcome? Don’t be scared right? FC Ryukyu 2-1 Tokyo Verdy.

Important Match Day 36 Fixtures in J2

Conclusion

There has been some noise and distraction from the proposed new FC Ryukyu stadium presser at the end of the week but let’s put all that behind us and focus on Verdy. The players cannot build the stadium, only the club and its management along with whatever businesses and investors bought stake in the club. If they fail us, so be it. The players have been the one constant all season and they have responded admirably to some serious adversity. Boys, bring it home, give Okinawa something memorable these last 3 home matches. Love Ya.

“Lordy, Lordy, Look who’s at 40!” Match Day 35 Report: Avispa Fukuoka 0-1 FC Ryukyu 10/5/2019

Intro

It took 217 days and 2 hours but FC Ryukyu have finally won their second road game this season. FC Ryukyu sealed the win via a 90^th minute goal by none other than Uehara. Uehara has scored some huge goals for the club this campaign, and his latest helped put to bed one of the longest winless runs by any J2 side away from home this season. However, the job isn’t done and FC Ryukyu need to see out the upcoming fixtures to guarantee their safety.

Match Recap

FC Ryukyu came out quickly and controlled a majority of the play in the opening 20 minutes of the first half. The only problem was the FC Ryukyu attack couldn’t break down the Avispa back line and often our attacks would stall out near the top of the 18-yard box. Then the momentum swung in the direction of Fukuoka beginning in the 23^rd minute.

Fukuoka really enjoyed acres of space with plenty of time down our right side, their left and had four attempts from there within 7 or 8 minutes. They nearly opened the scoring had it not been for the cross being slightly behind the Fukuoka attacker, who was alone on goal. The give-and-go passes Fukuoka were executing in this stretch really opened up the shooting lanes and Ryukyu were lucky that the shots were either miss hit or off target. Fukuoka were also a bit lucky in this half to not have a player sent off.

Their forward #9, Yang Donghyen was lucky not be carded after a heated exchange with the referee. Yang was lucky the referee showed tremendous restraint because technically this infraction warranted a yellow card. Yang was also involved in a horribly timed challenge in the opening minutes that should’ve seen his first yellow card. Regardless, the game proceeded on and Dany Carvajal was called into action to maintain the 0-0 score line.

Dany made 2 really nice saves within a span of 2 minutes to keep the score level. The first save included a save from the initial shot and then recovery to collect a deflection that was heading in for an own goal. The second, was one of his best this season when Fukuoka once again had a free look on net and despite Dany diving in the opposite direction, he got an arm to the shot to deflect it out of bounds for a corner kick. The half would end 0-0 thanks to this man.

Much how the first half ended with Fukuoka on the front foot, the second half started the same way. Tokumoto had a great opportunity to put FC Ryukyu in front when he was left wide open down the left side and alone in the box with only the keeper to beat in the 61st minute. It seems Tokumoto opted for power over placement with the shot and the hard struck ball went straight into the side netting. Though Ryukyu failed to score at that moment, it resulted in a shift of momentum back in Ryukyu’s direction.

The introduction of Koizumi quickly saw an uptick in chances for Ryukyu. Ryukyu were flashing in front of goal but couldn’t get anything on net or past Serantes, who had already made a tremendous first half save on Koya. Uejo was fouled inside the box but a call by ref never came so the game headed into the last 10 minutes plus stoppage time.

Right after Uehara came on in the 80th minute, Yamada had a free look on net from the left side. However, his shot, much like Tokumoto’s, missed and the score remained level. It wasn’t until the 89^th minute when a Fukuoka player mishandled a clearance with his hand leading to an FC Ryukyu free kick deep in Fukuoka territory.

The free kick was unspectacular but when Fukuoka attempted to clear it from danger, it fell to Kazama who recycled the ball back into the box where there players from both sides everywhere. After the ball took a few deflections, it landed at the feet of Uehara who was alone near the 6-yard box and sent a low screamer to the bottom right corner of the Avispa goal past the diving Serantes. Ryukyu would now need to see out the remaining stoppage time in order to achieve their first victory on the road in well over 7 months. Luckily there was only 3 nervy minutes of stoppage time though Fukuoka never really threatened the Ryukyu goal and then bedlam ensued, at least from where I was watching the match.

Man of the Match

Dany Carvajal GK FC Ryukyu. Dany recorded his second shutout in consecutive weeks and was one of the main reasons why FC Ryukyu were able to walk away from Fukuoka with all 3 points. There were 2 highlight reel saves that everyone should watch for validation of Dany’s performance on Saturday.

Review of the FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Exploit Avispa’s weakness at defending passes emanating from our deep lying MF. FAIL. FC Ryukyu attempted only a handful of these and none were on the mark. Avispa really packed it in at the back and made life difficult for the FC Ryukyu attack.

2. Pressure the Avispa back line with quick passes. FAIL. FC Ryukyu just couldn’t unlock the stingy Avispa defense on Saturday. The Ryukyu attack would often become to narrow and bog down near the top of the box. There were too many attempts at dribbling through the defenders instead of passing around them this past week.

3. Finish off drives with goals. FAIL/PASS. FC Ryukyu were never really able to finish off drives due to the fact that they only had 3 opportunities in front of the Avispa goal. The lone goal came from a recycled set piece near then end of the match.

4. Defend against Fukouka’s tendency to attack down their right side, FC Ryukyu’s left side. PASS. But only because Fukuoka found fertile hunting grounds down the left side of the Ryukyu defense. All of Fukuoka’s quality chances started down our left and you could see Fukuoka attempting to send a long cross into the box with the intent of having the striker head it back across goal or back out to waiting attacker in 6/18-yard box. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, Fukuoka were never able to capitalize on any of these attempts.

Match Day Prediction

I predicted 1-1 and was once again proven wrong. However, Fukuoka had their opportunities and nearly got on the score sheet on Saturday but all we care about is the 3 points.

Match Day 35 Takeaways

1. A Win, finally! This was a huge boost to the clubs hopes of staying in the J2 for next season and it has put some serious pressure on the teams below them in the bottom 3. It was nice to see Ryukyu break a ridiculously long win-less streak on the road and hopefully this will propel them throughout the rest of the season.

2. FC Ryukyu may have lost Shinji Ono to an ankle injury after the mid-fielder picked up a knock on his ankle late in the first half. The injury was severe enough to warrant a half time substitution by Higuchi and Shinji was seen with a large ice bag taped to his ankle on the bench.

3. It seems Highuchi is content with bringing on Kazama for Shinji and Uehara for one of the FC Ryukyu attackers in recent matches. And why not, as it has proven fruitful. This means FC Ryukyu only have 1 opportunity per game, to bring on an attacking player such as Kawai, Ramon – if match fit- or even Koizumi. It also means that FC Ryukyu cannot get a good look at their younger players with such limited opportunities late in games. At some point, FC Ryukyu will be safe from relegation and need to start seeing what they have in the reserves for the 2020 season because this will greatly influence their approach to transfers this off-season. Personally, I’d like to see what the attacking line of Uejo, Kawai, Koizumi and Koya could produce before 2 of those players return home. I think we can all assume with a great deal of confidence, that FC Ryukyu are likely to lose Uejo to a J1 or larger club this off-season and therefore, the club really needs to take a hard look at their prospects with the remaining games this season.

Match Day 35 around the J2 League

About 10 teams still vying for promotion to J1 with 7 matches remaining. From the J League website.

Different story down at the bottom with FC Gifu in real trouble, Tochigi looking to drag Kagoshima down, who, are trying to avoid relegation in their first J2 season. J League website.

Conclusion

It felt really good to watch FC Ryukyu finally earn all 3 points on the road. The experience was made even more memorable, as I was able to watch the match in the company of several FC Ryukyu fans at a public viewing party. I have attended a couple of these events throughout the season, along with some away matches, and they have felt more like funerals vice a party atmosphere. But all of that is in the past and FC Ryukyu sit at 40 points with a chance to end the season on a high note. Though we sit 10 points shy of the halfway mark in the table (11th place), it is not out of the realm of possibilities for FC Ryukyu to claw their way back up to the top half of the table. There is no doubt that the club have generated some serious momentum following a run of 5 games unbeaten and with a little more luck, we could find ourselves in a part of the table that we haven’t seen for some time.

“Pest Control” Match Day 35 Preview: Avispa Fukuoka vs FC Ryukyu 10/5/2019

Intro

Avispa Fukuoka and FC Ryukyu square off this weekend in a crucial, 6-point relegation match at the bottom of the J2 table. It was FC Ryukyu who got the better of Avispa the last time these two teams met when they opened the J2 season in February. But this is a very different FC Ryukyu team who is traveling for the second week in a row and who has yet to earn a win on the road in quite some time.

Fukuoka’s lineup from that opening fixture has remained largely intact with the exception of an occasional injury or player being dropping to the bench. Whereas Ryukyu have made 5 changes to the starting lineup that bested Fukuoka 3-1 to start the season. Avispa enter match day 35 having secured 7 points from their previous 5 fixtures with FC Ryukyu bringing a 4-game unbeaten streak to the Kyushu prefecture. Only 2 points, and 2 positions in the table separate these two sides so this is going to be a massive bottom of the table tilt on Saturday.

Weather Forecast

The weather looks great with little prospect of rain.

Avispa Fukuoka

Avispa went 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses over the course of their last five fixtures. Their win against Ehime FC was quite impressive and seemed to be sparked by a spectacular save by their foreign goal keeper Serantes. Fukuoka scored 3 of the best goals I saw from them in the review and looked like a team that was getting ready to storm back up the table and out of the relegation scrap. However, they followed the Ehime victory with a 1-0 loss to Nagasaki. In a game where Fukuoka had a majority of chances, Nagasaki caught the Avispa back line napping with a surgical pass to Hirota Goya who scored his 18^th goal of the season.

Fukuoka rebounded nicely to win 1-0 on the road against another opponent seeking to get out of the relegation zone, Tochigi SC. Fukuoka where then lucky to earn a late draw against Okayama after on-loan FC Ryukyu defender, Masutani, fouled a Fukuoka attacker in the box and gave Avispa a PK to tie the match. Avispa’s most recent match against Renofa Yamaguchi ended 2-0 in favor of Renofa despite another highlight reel save by Serantes.

On paper and on film, FC Ryukyu and Avispa Fukuoka look like two very similar teams. Each have a strong goal keeper and both have questions in defense. Both teams can score some beautiful goals while also suffering through patches of goalless games and little creativity. Fukuoka, like FC Ryukyu, are prone to some mental mistakes with the occasional lapse of concentration at the back that can allow opponents to get on the front foot. The only real difference I see between the sides is that while FC Ryukyu have suffered some heavy defeats with score lines of +4 goals conceded, Fukuoka have not. However, Fukuoka have been shut out in many more matches this season than FC Ryukyu.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu are in the midst of their longest winning streak since the one they opened the season with that included 4 straight wins and 2 draws. Unbeaten in 4 and looking to separate themselves from the bottom 4, FC Ryukyu are desperate for a positive result on the road this weekend. It is no secret that FC Ryukyu own one of the worst, if not the worst, road records in J2 this season. 1 win, 5 draws, 8 points out of a possible 48 and no wins since match day 2 way back in March. Despite all of that, things are looking up for FC Ryukyu on the road.

FC Ryukyu have drawn their last 2 matches on the road that includes a come from behind draw at Kanazawa. While we all would’ve loved to see FC Ryukyu take all 3 points last week at 19^th placed Zelvia, an improvement in the road form is a welcoming sign heading into the last 2 months of the season. Keep in mind that FC Ryukyu play only 3 out of the final 8 matches at home so road points are massive. One reason for the new found success should be attributed to the change in the FC Ryukyu lineup. Shinji’s presence in the deep lying mid field, coupled with the presence of Koya Kazama in the attack, has provided the much-needed structure Ryukyu were missing during their rough stretch of games this summer. With that said, FC Ryukyu will need both of these players, along with Uejo, Koizumi, Kawai and Ramon, to be firing on all cylinders this weekend to secure all 3 points.

Injuries/Suspensions

Avispa Fukuoka will be with out #16 MF, Ishizu Daisuke this weekend as he tore his Right ACL back in early July. I do not know of any suspended players for Fukuoka this weekend.

FC Ryukyu are reporting no injuries or suspensions this week.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Exploit Avispa’s weakness at defending passes that emanate from the deep lying Mid Fielders. A majority of the goals I witnessed Fukuka concede for this review were of this nature. This was also a strength of FC Ryukyu against Renofa and Kanazawa but one which they failed to employ successfully against Zelvia. Shinji, Yu, Uesato, Koya and even Tokumoto and Torikai can all unlock the Fukuoka defense with precision passing through the central defense of Avispa.

2. Pressure the Fukuoka back line with quick passes in and around the top of the box. Avispa seem very disorganized at the back and often get caught ball watching. This often leads to opposing attackers being left alone and unmarked in the 18-yard box. This sets up well for the Ryukyu if they make quality runs and can find the open spaces between the Fukuoka defenders.

3. Finish off drives. Fukuoka have one of the best goal keepers in J2 in Serantes. The goal keepers’ performance this season is a large reason why Fukuoka are not farther down the table. Ryukyu will need to be clinical in front of goal even if they get behind the Fukuoka defense as this man has proven to be a stalwart in net.

4. Defend against Fukuoka’s tendency to attack down their right side. A majority of the attacks for Avispa in the 5 matches I watched were down the right side. The play that worked the best seemed to be the one where; their RWB would cross a pass over the immediate defender and CB; thus leaving the remaining CB to cover the run of the Fukuoka striker; and leave a slight gap at the top of the box for the CAM to pick up the ball and have a free look on net. Knowing that, it would require Uesato or Ono to track back and cover the top of the box to prevent any dangerous shots on net.

Match Prediction

I feel another 1-1 draw is on the horizon.

Interesting Facts

J2 Match Day 35 Fixtures of Note

Conclusion

These two evenly matched sides are producing some solid results in the short term that should help their long term prospects of staying in the J2 for 2020. Avispa are no slouches and could easily run the score up on Ryukyu tomorrow if the Okinawa side starts slow and never gets going.

However, a win is close to coming and it will feel like such a relief for this side when it does. But the sooner the better. Starting last week against Machida, FC Ryukyu’s next 4 road fixtures include; Avispa, Tochigi, Yamaguchi and Ehime. Certainly, a win can be found in there somewhere along with enough points to reach safety if FC Ryukyu can maintain their current form. Safe travels for all the FC Ryukyu fans heading to Fukuoka this Saturday and good luck to the boys.

“Status Quo Intact” Match Day 34 Report: Machida Zelvia 0-0 FC Ryukyu 9/29/2019

And the streaks continue! Machida Zelvia are still without a win at home and FC Ryukyu are still without a win on the road since March. Impressive or Depressing?

There really is not much to summarize from the 0-0 draw that played out this past Sunday. Both Zelvia and Ryukyu looked dominant during parts of the match and it really was a game of missed opportunities by both sides. Zelvia created some trouble for our back line and their best chance rang off the post. Ryukyu’s best chance came off a header where Uejo went horizontal on a shot that ended up being saved by the keeper. Had he struck the ball down there is a chance it could of crept by the keeper on the bounce but it’s hard to criticize a guy who’s making a tremendous effort from that height, with little prep time for where he wants to place the shot.

Man of the Match

Dany Carvajal. The FC Ryukyu GK kept a clean sheet for the 4^th time this season and the draw extended FC Ryukyu’s current unbeaten run to 4 games. Dany made some quality saves throughout the game and is large reason why FC Ryukyu were able to secure a point on the road. His good form will be key to the club’s success in the coming weeks.

Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Play the match exactly as you did against Yamagata. FAIL. FC Ryukyu failed to score against an inferior opponent on the road as has been the case many times this season. They created some opportunities but should’ve really departed Tokyo on Sunday with all 3 points.

2. Continue the penetrating runs and precision passing from our deep lying MFs. FAIL. Didn’t see much of this at all during the match. This could be attributed to Zelvia anticipating this type of play by Ryukyu and defending against it, or, FC Ryukyu not wanting to get caught on the counter. Either way, it was shame as the FC Ryukyu bench has some speed that can exploit defenses and is necessary for each game going forward.

Match Prediction

I said 1-1 and it ended 0-0. Not much else to say on that.

Key Takeaways from Match Day 34

1. FC Ryukyu are unbeaten in 4 and this their longest unbeaten run since the start of the season. That is huge as most of us were probably anticipating fits and spurts for points going forward. Mainly in the form of the occasional win but every little bit helps. But yeah, a win on the road would be oh so nice.

2. It almost felt if either side were playing “not to lose” this past Sunday despite some of the near misses. The Kazama substitution for Shinji – which is what has occurred nearly every match to date- seemed like Higuchi never really wanted to go for the win and expose himself or our defense. Kazama is one of the Ryukyu CDM and with Koizumi starting, and both Ramon and Kawai match fit, why not put in an extra attacker and try to get something out of this match?

3. Neither side was luckier than the other on Sunday. Zelvia hit the post and Ryukyu nearly won the match on the last play when a header from a CK was just wide of the Zelvia left post. Guess what I am trying to say is that both sides will fell as if they let 3 points slip away on Sunday.

Conclusion

FC Ryukyu’s October schedule includes an away match to 18^th placed Fukuoka this week, followed by a home game against Tokyo Verdy (13^th place), a trip to 21^st placed Tochigi SC and then their next to last home game this season against promotion seeking side Omiya Ardija. On one hand, there are plenty of revenge game narratives this month as FC Ryukyu beat 3 out of the 4 sides they face this month as well as earned a late game draw against Verdy from a spectacular Uesato shot. On the other, there is also plenty of opportunity for FC Ryukyu to solidify their place in the J2 for 2020 with some favorable results. 5 points from the 4 matches would put FC Ryukyu at 42 points which has been touted as the magic number this year. Of course, as you all know by now, all that needs to happen is for FC Ryukyu to win a game or two on the road.

Photo Credits

Cover: William Gallagher from the FC Ryukyu Kanto Area Foreign Supporters Group

Dany Carvajal from JLeague website

“Something has to Give! (?)” Match Day 34 Preview: Machida Zelvia vs FC Ryukyu 9/29/2019

Intro

Something has to give. Literally. These two teams each bring an interesting dynamic/aspect to this match. Zelvia have only amassed 2 wins at home all season while FC Ryukyu have only won once on the road. If ever there was a match that FC Ryukyu could break this ridiculous streak, you’d figure this could be the one. But hold on folks, teams target FC Ryukyu match-ups as wins whenever they visit and they have every right too. I am sure the Machida faithful are targeting this game as one in which they can break their unlucky streak of not having won at home since match day 6, which is about 6 calendar months ago. This is definitely not your typical “immovable object against an unstoppable force” scenario as neither of these sides are a juggernaut in any one area of the game but hopefully it is FC Ryukyu that snaps their unfortunate streak while pushing themselves slightly higher in the table at the expense of Machida Zelvia.

Weather Forecast

Mostly cloudy with 25% chance of rain and slight breeze. Comfortable.

Machida Zelvia

Zelvia’s unfortunate situation at home this season is their problem and not FC Ryukyu’s. Zelvia have either failed to score against their opponent at home, or have lost the lead later in matches 12 out of 16 times this season (75%). In fact, they’ve only come back twice to earn a favorable result (draw) at home. FC Ryukyu displayed a “never give up” attitude versus Yamagata and if Zelvia switch off for any bit of time tomorrow then FC Ryukyu will make them pay for that transgression.

Machida’s last 5 results are: 3-0 win against Okayama on the road, 1-1 draws at home to JEF Chiba UTD and Omiya followed by an 0-2 loss to Kyoto away from home and a 0-0 draw with Yokohama at home. It is hard to make heads or tails of this team when you see those results. On one hand, they’ve achieved some nice results against sides above them in the table. On the other, they’ve failed to score the past few weeks and do not present a massive challenge to any opponent.

Prior to the Okayama win, Zelvia didn’t win for roughly 2 months. A streak that many FC Ryukyu fans can relate to. However, FC Ryukyu were at least scoring goals in their defeats. Zelvia have been shutout in 14 of their 33 games this season compared to that of FC Ryukyu who’ve only been blanked 6 times. You know, as I am writing this, I recall that Yamagata had inverse numbers compared to FC Ryukyu and that game ended very differently than I thought it would, perhaps I should stop here and move on.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu have emerged from a rough stretch of games that saw them only win 1 out of 9 games but now they have gone 3 games in a row with out a loss. A feat they haven’t been able to repeat since that remarkable run of games to begin the season. FC Ryukyu are 8 points clear of the drop zone and a win tomorrow, plus a loss by Tochigi to Ehime, would put Ryukyu 11 points clear with 8 games remaining. Meaning they would only need to see out 4 more matches at the current point total to guarantee safety.

I have harped on safety and staying in J2 all season and for some of you this may seem very pessimistic. I can understand, but the first year of any promoted team must always be about survival. Especially when you are a small club with limited resources. To FC Ryukyu’s credit, they have been able to scout, employ and sell some very talented players to their advantage the past few years. Hopefully they will become a “buyer” of talent compared to a “seller” in the future but for now, its Zelvia and Match Day 34. FC Ryukyu have a chance to send an opponent, who is near drowning, further down to the bottom of the table while simultaneously saving themselves and securing their survival.

That analogy may come across as brutal or harsh but it is simply reality. We fight for survival every day and the sport of football is no different. 3 points away from home would be massive and can be achieved with some quality play. Shinji is starting to come into his own back there and our attack looks so much more lethal than it has the past 5 months, give or take. Our defense has been our weakest link all season and there is no indications that will change for this match which means it is so important that our attack finish off drives with goals that can provide some breathing space to our back line and GK, whoever that is this weekend.

Player Injuries/Suspensions

Machida Zelvia: Not sure as the site I usually utilize is blocked while I am writing this entry from the Marriott resort here in Okinawa. Oh well, wouldn’t matter much anyways.

FC Ryukyu: The side should see the return of #20 Uesato at CDM after having served his 1 match ban for accumulating 5 yellow cards. The more concerning issue is that of GK Dany Carvajal and his health. He was absent from the Yamagata match and I hope for a speedy recovery and return to the FC Ryukyu lineup.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Play the exact same way against Zelvia as you did against Yamagata. Yamagata is a much more superior team than Zelvia but the road form factor has to be taken into account. With that said, demonstrate some poise, tact and tenacity like we did last week and a win is almost guaranteed.

2. Continue those penetrating runs by our attacking players coupled with the near precision passes emanating from the central midfield and/or wing backs. Yamada opened the scoring on one of these types of plays last week and FC Ryukyu nearly connected on 3 of these that could have led to more goals against Yamagata. Whatever has changed inside the club tactically has been for the better so continue to hammer these passes and good things will follow.

Match Prediction

A 2-1 FC Ryukyu loss is the likeliest of outcomes based on the form and statistics of both sides this season. But I am going the opposite direction and say that this game ends 1-1 with FC Ryukyu netting a late equalizer.

Conclusion

Though Zelvia have earned 14 of their 33 points this season at home compared to just 7 of 36 from FC Ryukyu on the road, this match presents a tremendous opportunity for FC Ryukyu to right the ship. This is one of 3, 6-point, swing matches facing FC Ryukyu over the next 4 weeks. We are in the crunch time period for teams to assert or save themselves with only 9 matches remaining and the points matter so much more now. I wish everyone safe travels who intend on traveling to see FC Ryukyu and leave you all with this sentiment.

It has been 183 days and 28 match days since Machida Zelvia last won at home. It has been 210 days and 32 match days since FC Ryukyu last won away from home. Something has to give (CHANGE!!).