(18) Tochigi SC vs (22) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Looks good enough.

Click>>> Match Day 38 Information from Tochigi SC

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Round 38 in J2

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

(11) FC Mito Hollyhock vs (22) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu head to Ibaraki this weekend to face FC Mito Hollyhock. Both these teams have only lost once in their past seven (7) matches but both ended their most recent matches in very different ways. Ryukyu twice surrendered a goal advantage at home to Montedio Yamagata while Mito had a spirited mid-week match with Oita Trinita in which they defeated their guests 2-0. Over the last four years FC Ryukyu has the most wins in this series but Mito have the two (2) most recent wins between them. Hard to believe there isn’t a single tie in this series in four (4) years so perhaps that streak remains in tact with what is hopefully a FC Ryukyu victory.

Weather Forecast and Match Day Information

Hopefully the weather holds off for the traveling Ryukyu fans.

Click>>> Match Day 33 Information from FC Mito Hollyhock

Team Previews

FC Mito Hollyhock: For a team that has only lost twice (2) in their last twelve (12) games I am not sure what prompted their manager, Tadahiro Akiba, to have some sort of outburst in his post match interview vs Renofa. But whatever that was has worked as Mito looked like a different side following their 2-0 trouncing of Oita Trinita.

In my experience as a player, coach, and fan that type of stuff works one time before it becomes the norm and simply brushed off. Will it carry over from the Oita match for Mito? Probably. They played a physical match unlike I’ve seen in their prior four games. Sure, be mad at the refs, be angry at the team for being adrift in the mid-table, scare the shit out of the players to motivate them. That will Kiely carry over into the Ryukyu game but could have some unforeseen consequences. AKA, some stupid, borderline reckless, challenges leading to sending offs for Mito.

There is no doubt that Mito are what you expect them to be while situated mid-table. Mito can score when presented the opportunity, can frustrate teams while defending, do nothing spectacular but do the necessary little things to net results. Mito drew against Kofu and Akita where they came back form a deficit following a spilled ball against Kofu and surrendered a goal after being reduced to 10-men against Akita. Mito defeated Omiya 1-0 after an early goal and only lost to Renofa after a ridiculous, some would say egregious, wonder chip of their GK from about 65 yards out!

But it was their most recent game against Oita Trinita on Tuesday evening that was most telling. Akiba extracted the most he could out of his side and they beat the brakes off Oita. Mito were physical. Mito were dominant. Mito were motivated, agitated, and determined. I am not even sure Oita even got off the bus that game. Let us hope the hubris of that performance bleeds into this match with Ryukyu.

FC Ryukyu: I am going to take this entry a different direction for this week. No point in talking about who might play, who may return from injury, or the defensive woes we may never figure out before the season ends. Instead I want to praise some of the men who have been responsible for this sudden renaissance here at Ryukyu.

Every year I fear the exodus of talent that occurs at the end of the season for FC Ryukyu. And trust me there has been plenty in my time: Togashi, Park-Il Gyu, Uejo, Tokumoto, Koizumi, and Chinen with the surprisingly early departures mid-season of Nakagawa and Koji Suzuki. Those departures usually left me bewildered as to how FC Ryukyu could replace such mercurial talent and still remain competitive. But now I welcome any departure at the end of this season for some of our most talented, yet hidden to so many players, because that would mean that a select few did the impossible in such short order, and did it to the highest degree possible.

There is no secret to the recent success of FC Ryukyu. Dany Carvajal and Sadam Sulley have been nothing short of spectacular and then there is Hitomi’s meteoric rise which has caught us all unaware that he had that type of quality in his locker. I must note that Abe getting back to his old ways has also helped a ton. All of these factors have contributed to the sudden restart of a heartbeat inside the once left for dead corpse that was FC Ryukyu under Kina. Not so much in the case of Abe but for the other three it was all about getting a chance to play and shine on the big stage. And wow how they’ve shone.

I have no idea how FC Ryukyu found Sadam Sulley and I don’t really care. Sulley is an absolute difference maker when he is on the pitch. Sulley adjusted to life in J2 quicker than Kina ever could as a manager and he is destroying everything in front of him. I truly hope (and believe he will) that Sulley ends up in double digit goals by seasons end as he is far to talented to be plying his trade down here. But I am so thankful we have him for at least another 10-games as the sky is the limit for this player who luckily wasn’t contaminated by whatever went on here prior to Nacho’s arrival.

In the case of Hitomi he flashed a little bit back in 2020, much like Koizumi in 2019 before he went nuclear, followed by a brief loan spell. The club, I think (hope) saw enough in Hitomi to retain his services this season but Hitomi never had a shot to crack the starting eleven with so many established veterans, and whatever Kina was thinking at the the time, until injuries took hold at Ryukyu. But there is no ‘putting the genie back in the bottle’ now as Ryukyu cannot afford to take Hitomi off the pitch as he is lighting up the scoreboard with some top drawer goals.

We all know of the quality that Dany possesses and he is not only making the extraordinary look ordinary, he’s the best PK stopper in all of J2. What a luxury to have a player like that in such a key position in the squad while Ryukyu scratches and claws their way up the table. Can you believe, injuries not withstanding, we let this guy rot on the bench for so long when it was clear to many that he needed to be in the lineup? It makes you wonder how many points we could’ve had if a fully healthy Dany was in the lineup earlier?

I will also note that none of this would’ve been possible without Nacho making the changes and putting these players out there to give Ryukyu the best shot of winning each week. In the case of the three players mentioned above their is one constant theme. Heart. All these men are giving maximum effort, showing off their quality, pulling Ryukyu up by their shoelaces out of the basement. When the 2022 season comes to a close and Ryukyu sits outside the relegation zone and we are once again left wondering what will happen next season, I will be rooting for all of these men to move onto bigger and better things as they’ve earned it through blood, sweat, and my tears.

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. Flawless Execution at both ends of the pitch. Likelihood 3. Mito didn’t reveal any real weaknesses when it came to surrendering goals as most were of the milk-toast variety stemming from spilled balls. If our central defense goes comatose for any brief periods of time then Ryukyu could be in real trouble. Mito can finish when presented opportunities so we need Okazaki/Nakagawa/Omori, or whoever is in there, to be cognizant of where the Mito attackers are in the box at all times. And FFS, mark their runs in the box!

This also requires Ryukyu being clinical in very limited opportunties. Truth be told I didn’t see any team in any of the highlights taking it to Mito or ceding loads of possesion sans Oita. Not sure if Mito comes at Ryukyu or sits back and hits us on the counter. That makes for a difficult and dangerous game plan for how to attack Mito.

2. Composure. Likelihood 4. Holy shit a second key to victory? Yes. Anyways, if Mito take the physicality route, initiates some rash challenges, and fingers fucking crossed the Japanese ref sees that shit, Ryukyu may actually be awarded a PK instead of conceding one. But, and that is a big but, Ryukyu must maintain their cool when that shit ensues. Barring something egregious, or lord help us an injury from a BS challenge, Mito are likely to be smelling their own farts from Tuesday’s game and think they can do the same vs Ryukyu. Let them. Let Mito try and play physical and end up finding themselves down a man with Sulley, Abe and Hitomi out their hunting in packs. Stay cool brothers.

Round 33 in J2

Up Top: (1) Yokohama FC has a tricky one there at (5) FC Machida Zelvia while we need (2) Albirex Niigata to take care of business on the road at (21) Iwate Grulla Morioka. The more I see the games Ryukyu need other teams to win, the more I see former FC Ryukyu players. Let’s go Koji, let’s go Tokumoto, let’s help us out Koki Kazama by steering Gunma into the dumpster!

Promotion Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai are looking to rebound following two consecutive losses to teams at the very foot of the table, thanks a lot dudes, and will host (10) JEF United Chiba who beat Sendai 2-0 the last time these two teams met on MD 20. Ryukyu really need (4) Fagiano Okayama do the job over (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma on the road and I’ll cheer a little for (6) Roasso Kumamoto when they host (13) Tokyo Verdy this Sunday as I don’t particularly care for Verdy (shocker).

Down Below: (19) Omiya Ardija welcome in (8) Montedio Yamagata who are probably still steaming they didn’t beat FC Ryukyu last week. Someone throw (18) Zweigen Kanazawa a parachute before they hit rock bottom! They had a nice rest between fixtures but are they completely recovered from the CV-19 outbreak and ready to face (14) Ventforet Kofu on the road?

Free J-League Broadcasts for Round 33: First up will be Omiya Ardija hosting Montedio Yamagata on Saturday. Click>>> Omiya Ardija vs Montedio Yamagata.

The second broadcast this week on the J.League International YouTube Channel will feature Roasso Kumamoto and Tokyo Verdy. Click>>> Roasso Kumamoto vs Tokyo Verdy

Conclusion

I think this is a very winnable game for FC Ryukyu and all we need now is to have the lads go out there and execute. Firing up top, stonewalling at the back. Shit! That is what we wanted to see all season from these guys but that doesn’t matter now. Only points (wins) matter. Go get ’em boys!

FC Ryukyu vs Montedio Yamagata #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu nearly pulled off a stunning win against Montedio Yamagata at home this past Saturday but came up just short as Yamagata erased Ryukyu’s leads twice to end the match in a 2-2 draw. There were plenty of fireworks both during the match, and afterwards (literally fireworks), that also included another Dany Carvajal PK save to secure some points. I wouldn’t argue against you if you felt that Ryukyu didn’t really earn a point so much as they lost out on two (2) points, but they are still earning points to put them into a position to quickly escape the relegation zone when others falter later this season.

Match Highlights

Takeaways from Match Day 32

1. The Ryukyu Lineup. We all knew Sulley was going to sit this one out following his red card in the match against Nagasaki but it came as a bit of a shock to see Kelvin completely removed from the squad on Saturday with Yu Tomidokoro filling that role. Perhaps Kelvin is dealing with an injury or was the player who tested positive for CV-19 earlier in the week. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he gets back out there sooner rather than later. Returning to the bench was both Lee Yong Jick and Junto Taguchi while Kohei Kato was dropped for Kazuto Takezawa. Not sure if there is anything going on with our recent signing, or it was a case of rest and maintenance after featuring in both the top team and reserve fixtures at Nagasaki last week.

2. Old man yelling at the clouds, again. This game was completely disjointed by all the starts and stops, and not just from the goals and substitutions. There were nearly thirty (30) fouls committed in this game, though it was completely lopsided in favor of Ryukyu who picked up twenty-one (21) of those fouls on Saturday. Peter Cklamovski, Yamagata’s manager, said it best in his post game presser where he stated that the amount of restarts made this a very difficult game to play since it was hard to build any momentum. You could tell he was visibly frustrated that his side didn’t win (even said as much) but Ryukyu have been frustrating many teams in recent weeks. From the Ryukyu supporter section point of view, we thought there were some very soft fouls (maybe outright wrong) called on Ryukyu but we’ve seen this before so nothing new.

3. Ryukyu jumped out to an early lead from a typical, as cool as you like, sending the shot back across the keeper, goal from Takuma Abe. Ryukyu maintained that lead for roughly 45′ minutes before conceding the equalizer after Dealltorre found space in the central Ryukyu defense when Makito was dusted by a run down the left hand side by an attacking Yamagata player who then sent in the cross to Dellatorre. What came as a bit of a shock was the Yamagata goal wasn’t even posted to the scoreboard when Ryukyu responded with their second (2) of the match, a tremendous low and hard header, from Takuya Hitomi, his third (3) goal in two games, only one (1) minute after the restart. For a moment I though the Yamagata goal had been called off as the scoreboard read 2-0 Ryukyu but that wasn’t the case. The lead was lost for good in the 81st minute following a repeat of events leading up to Yamagata’s first goal. Makito got turned around, couldn’t mark the run, a cross was sent in, and Dellatorre was able to get past Okazaki for the tap in equalizer.

4. Ryukyu are struggling to defend and clear their lines lately. Makito had another up and down game where he, along with Okazaki, were involved in both of Yamagata’s goals. There were several occasions where Ryukyu failed to clear their lines that led to quick strikes requiring Dany to be called into action to bail out the defense. I said in the preview that Ryukyu needed to stop conceding so many PKs in matches but they somehow found a way to conceded their fourth (4) PK in three (3) consecutive games. The very epitome of, ” shooting yourself in the foot.”

One thing that hasn’t really changed at all in the nine (9) years that I’ve watched this club is the fact that Ryukyu seem to rely (hope) on trying to outscore your opponents with multiple goals in order to paper over the cracks in defense. That can work at times but is not a sound strategy and it is not realistic to think Ryukyu can score 3 or 4 goals each week to see out victories. Ryukyu will need to win some of those “squeaky bum” games they were doing just a few weeks ago, but against tougher opponents. Though Sulley, Hitomi and Abe might make it possible to blow away our competition the way they are playing right now. It is what it is for the remainder of the season but Ryukyu needs to strengthen that back line in the offseason.

5. Dany Carvajal. Perhaps I do not need to say anything more than his name as it should garner a certain thought in your heads if I am putting his name in his own section in any match day report. Great reactionary save in the first half to keep the score level. Great save in the second half to maintain a fragile one (1) goal lead for Ryukyu. Nearly got to the Yamagata equalizer, and of course, saved another stoppage time PK to allow Ryukyu to walk away with any points on the night. He is now the best PK stopper in J2, and while you love to see him in action on all these PK stops (9 games played and has faced 5 PKs), let’s give the man a break! And our collective blood pressure too.

Round 32 in J2

Up Top: The two top of the table clashes this round saw (1) Yokohama FC maintain their one (1) point lead over (2) Albirex Niigata as both teams each won 1-0 at home over (4) Fagiano Okayama and (6) Roasso Kumamoto.

Promotion Zone: In yet another shocking upset from a team facing relegation against one of the top three (3) sides, (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma defeated (3) Vegalta Sendai at home 1-0. (5) FC Machida Zelvia moved into the fifth (5) spot thanks to their 2-0 road win at (19) Omiya Ardija in addition to (7) V-Varen Nagasaki and (18) Zweigen Kanazawa having their match postponed.

Down Below: (21) Iwate Grulla Morioka lost 0-3 on the road at (9) Oita Trinita with (17) Renofa Yamaguchi moving five (5) points clear of the drop zone, maybe more importantly, moving four (4) points ahead of the bottom four teams, with a 1-0 victory at home over (13) FC Mito Hollyhock. Strange that Ryukyu’s match was the only one not to end in a shutout for someone this round.

Conclusion

Ten games left and there is still plenty to play for in all three areas of the table. Though I am not overly concerned with what is going on at the top, except when they cede points to teams around Ryukyu in the standings. Ryukyu just need a little bit of luck to grab a victory when all the others lose to springboard out of the relegation zone and possibly send three teams that are just above them to just below them for a brief period. For now it is on to FC Mito Hollyhock.

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (8) Montedio Yamagata #FC琉球

Intro

As the season starts to wind down the relegation battle is morphing into a three (3), maybe four (4), team race. FC Ryukyu currently sit level with Gunma on 27-points while trailing Iwate and Omiya by 3 and 4 points. This is yet another tough draw for Ryukyu against a side situated in, or near, the promotion playoff zone but more importantly, against a team that Ryukyu has never defeated during their time together in J2. Yamagata, who always seem to have one of those lengthy undefeated streaks each season, has rebounded nicely to win four (4) of their last five (5) games following some surprising losses.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

One of the better forecasts we’ve had around here in quite some time. Hope it holds true.

Click>>> Match Day 32 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: One thing is for damn sure and that is, this team under Nacho’s direction doesn’t quit. Of course you would prefer to see Ryukyu playing from a position of strength vice having to respond to early adversity and goal deficits, but, you take the good with the bad. FC Ryukyu have only suffered a single (1) single loss in their last seven (7) games bringing Nacho’s record to an even 3W-3D-3L in the nine (9) games he has managed for Ryukyu. He now has an even tougher task this week to defeat a Yamagata side while being shorthanded one of his best players.

The last time FC Ryukyu achieved any sort of positive result against Yamagata at home was back in 2019 when both sides drew 3-3 in which Ryukyu required two (2) late goals to level the match. The last time we took a point off of Yamagata was in 2021 when yet another Shinya Uehara goal late in the game earned Ryukyu a point. For the most part, Ryukyu seems to somehow come apart against Yamagata by conceding two (2) or more goals in the past six (6) games against Yamagata with four (4) of those games reaching three (3) and four (4) marks. If Ryukyu historically play Nagasaki strong each season, it is the complete opposite case for Yamagata.

If Ryukyu wish to garner any points from this match then they will have to come up with a different game plan that doesn’t include bombing in crosses to Sulley. In his absence it is likely we see Noda return to the starting lineup but I am not sure who will be in reserve at striker for Ryukyu. Hitomi may move back to the bench but that would mean starting one of either Tanaka or any injured player who hasn’t featured for Ryukyu in some time. If recent signing Kohei Kato is prepared to play a full 90 then we could see a return to the right side for Ren Ikeda. Conversely, Kelvin could start there. I think Nacho has plenty of options at his disposal, pending any new CV-19 cases, but we are not trying to cobble together a patch work lineup, but one that can compete, and defeat, Yamagata.

One area that needs addressing this week is the defense. Ryukyu have conceded three (3) Penalty Kicks in two (2) games. That shit needs to stop now! Makito’s may have been an example of a brain fart; Nakagawa’s as a but harsh on the part of the ref; but Okazaki’s foul late in the game is inexcusable. Sure, that foul probably started outside the box but it ended inside the box while nursing a crucial 1-goal lead. Tired legs, desire to show the manager you belong may have all contributed to that foul but the mental presence of knowing what is going on that late games was not a consideration. If you’re set on fouling the player, do it earlier. I guess the gamble this week is whether to roll the dice on Omori and Nakagawa or some combination of them and Okazaki.

We’ve seen Ryukyu earn points while playing with limited possession and passing the past seven (7) weeks so I am not sure that will somehow change this week. They’ve been getting better at controlling more of the game but that is probably a byproduct of being down multiple goals with the opposition ceding possession in favor of defending those leads. If Ryukyu are going to do it this week then they’ll need those horses that have the ability to defend for long stretches of time and then quickly strike on the counter attack with as few passes as possible.

For me that is the same set of players we saw last week with a few minor tweaks. Kelvin is going to be crucial in this game along side Abe. Kelvin has to be one of the major contributors to any Ryukyu breakout in attack and somehow, someway, we have to find Abe in space so he is not out there to just execute hold up play. Nakano will surely get his opportunities but we’ll need some clinical finishing, or at the very least, some dangerous shots that lead to rebounds with Ryukyu players waiting in the area. We cannot afford to have soft shots or ones that flash just wide that don’t provide a chance of scoring from spilled balls.

Montedio Yamagata: Yamagata sit just two (2) points outside of the promotion zone with a very favorable set of fixtures the next three (3) weeks. They will travel to bottom side Ryukyu this week, then onto (19) Omiya Ardija and then finally returning home to face (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka. If Yamagata is going to make a push back into the promotion zone it has to happen these next three weeks.

The last time these two teams met was Match Day 20 when Yamagata completely dismantled Ryukyu in a 4-0 home victory. However, since that Ryukyu win – which was just one (1) game removed from a ten (10) game unbeaten run for Montedio – Yamagata has suffered some losses to teams near the bottom of the table. In the ten (10) games after the half way point of the season, Yamagata has already matched their loss total, four (4), in just ten (10) games compared to the four (4) they lost in their opening twenty one (21) fixtures.

A couple of those losses were to Tochigi and Gunma in which Yamagata was shut out. The Gunma loss is Yamagata’s most recent loss in a stretch of five (5) games where they’ve gone 4W-0D-1L with only two (2) goals surrendered. After Yamagata lost at home to Kumamoto on Match Day 26, they rebounded nicely at Akita with a 2-0 win; fell victim to Gunma at home 0-1; and then reeled off three (3) straight wins over Zelvia, Yamaguchi and Kanazawa. Perhaps Yamagata has a bit of bad luck at dropping points in games where they are favored to go along with a bit of good luck at playing sides when they are dealing with multiple injuries/suspensions and are in bad form? Luckily for them they get a Ryukyu a side this week who will be without one of their top players, Sadam Sulley, who is currently serving a one (1) match suspension for his red card last week.

Round 32 in J2

Up Top: There are two pretty big matchups at the top of the table this week. First, (1) Yokohama FC, fresh off their first win in two (2) games, host (4) Fagiano Okayama who are undefeated in their last seven (7) games. Second, (2) Albirex Niigata welcome in the high flying road team of J2, (5) Roasso Kumamoto.

Promotion Playoff Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai head to (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma who just lost this past Tuesday to Yokohama FC. You know how I want this match to turn out. (6) V-Varen Nagasaki are also on the road against struggling (17) Zweigen Kanazawa.

Down Below: (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka, winless in their last two games, travel to (9) Oita Trinita who themselves are on a nine (9) game undefeated streak. (19) Omiya Ardija, on a bit of a heater themselves having only lost once in their past six (6), host (7) FC Machida Zelvia who have somehow lost four (4) times since that 1-0 win over Ryukyu two months ago. Winless in their last seven (7) games and sliding closer to the drop zone, (18) Renofa Yamaguchi play at home to (13) FC Mito Hollyhock. Mito are undefeated in their last five (5) games but had two (2) games postponed due to CV-19 and weather and have only played four (4) games since July 10th.

This match will also be broadcast for free on the J-League International YouTube channel as the first of two free broadcasts this round. Click>>> Renofa Yamaguchi v FC Mito Hollyhock

The second free broadcast this week will feature (11) Tokyo Verdy vs (12) Ventforet Kofu in a mid-table clash on Sunday evening. Click>>> Tokyo Verdy v Ventforet Kofu

Conclusion

Everything is impossible until it isn’t. Ryukyu have never beaten Montedio Yamagata but this isn’t the same Ryukyu squad from seasons past, or, the one that was flattened 4-0 earlier this season. This Ryukyu squad has surprised us several times in recent weeks, why not one more? Come on boys!

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.

(5) V-Varen Nagasaki vs (22) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

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

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

Apologies in advance. I couldn’t highlights for this match on either the Nagasaki or Verdy YouTube sites

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Round 31 in J2

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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.

(14) Ventforet Kofu vs (22) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

Click>>> Match Day 30 Information from Ventforet Kofu

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Round 30 in J2

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

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

Conclusion

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

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.

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (6) Roasso Kumamoto #FC琉球

Intro

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

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

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

Click>>> Match Day 29 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Round 29 in J2

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

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

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

Conclusion

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