2nd Match: Omiya vs FCR

FCR 4-3 Omiya

What a day for FOOTBALL! Gorgeous weather and phenomenal atmosphere inside the stadium.

We came out in a 4-2-3-1 however we were without the services of Tomidokoro. Not sure of the mechanism or extent of his injury. Lets hope its short lived.

Omiya wasted chances early and we answered in kind. Nakagawa won the ball back in midfield and made a very calm and collective pass to Tanaka who allowed to the ball to run a little wide right, thus pulling the Omiya GK out wide as well, and then slotted it home with a hard shot low back across the GK. Very hard to defend and absolutely clinical from a player of Tanaka’s quality.

Of course we responded in kind by conceding 2 minutes later off a miss direction set piece, which that type of play may be the bane of our existence all season long.

No worries half ended 1-1.

Omiya came out flying but again were wasteful with their opportunities. Then our FW, Suzuki, netted his second brace in as many games within 3 minutes. First one was a lovely cross by Tokumoto ending in a quick one touch into the back of the net and the second was a true strikers goal by securing, turning and striking home under the GK.

Our last goal, that sent the crowd into a tizzy, was a nice take by Uejo who once again sent it low and hard across the Omiya GK. Apparently his height meant nothing when it came to stretching for low shots across his body.

From here it turned into a long 30 minutes of hoping to hold on. Omiya was gifted a PK, that they converted and then another misdirection play that we conceded to make it 4-3 with less than 3 minutes to go.

Omiya definitely had chances but what may go unseen was Carvajal’s effort in front of goal. He saved at least 2 shots that would have tied the game. Outstanding effort by him and the boys; hard 3 points won.

50 points to safety

6 won

44 left togo.

1st Match FCR vs Fukuoka 02/24/2019

Weather was brutal for the historic moment of FCR in their first ever J2 match but roughly 8,000 fans braved the conditions to lobby their support for the local lads.

First goal by FCR was a tasty little cheeky dink by Suzuki (9) and it got the team rolling.

We conceded shortly thereafter with a slight lapse in concentration when an easily catch able ball slipped though Carvajal’s hands which led to a free kick, followed by some back and forth heading by boht squads but ultimately a bullet header from close range over FCR GK.

Unsurprisingly it was Tanaka who won FCR a PK that Suzuki converted and we were once again rolling. As conditions deteriorated, Tomidokoro was able to deflect one past the Fukuokoa keeper and the 3-1 victory was wrapped up at home.

Big Takeaways:

  1. First ever J2 game in Okinawa
  2. First ever win for FCR in the J2
  3. Suzuki looks lethal up front
  4. Carvajal is an outstanding signing
  5. I’m assuming that 50 points is required for safety so well on our way
  6. Tomidokoro and Tanaka are gonna be fun to watch all year.

Attending My First FC Ryukyu Away Match

Stepping off the train we were greeted with a banner welcoming the FC Ryukyu fans. Walking through the arcade leading to the stadium while dressed in the FC Ryukyu colors was certainly enjoyable and luckily we were not hassled along the way. The Omiya fans we did encounter we either kind enough to say hi or just mind their own business and carry on to the stadium.

We arrived at the stadium about an hour and forty-five minutes prior to kickoff and what a beautiful stadium in Omiya. The stadium itself sits right in the heart of a residential area and the most redeeming quality is the proximity of the stands to the pitch. I have sat in stadiums throughout Asia with a similar set up and I must say that the experience in these types of stadiums is second to none. Personally, I hope FC Ryukyu could copy this model as a Football only stadium and not a multi-purpose venue if they are ever to consider building a stadium in the future.

Upon entry I was pleased to see the head of the supporters’ club, and my good friend, Hiro along with dozens of FC Ryukyu fans from “mainland Japan”. I was also joined by my good friend who was a season ticket holder with me in Okinawa before he relocated to the Kanto area for work last year (Which means he missed watching FC Ryukyu win the J3!).

We quickly hung our FC Ryukyu flags next to so many others and just began to enjoy the company and stories from the fans in our section. Now that FC Ryukyu has been promoted to the J2 the stadiums separate the visiting fans with their own seating section, gate entrance, food stands and bathrooms. For those attending games in visiting stadiums the entry gate will be printed on the ticket.

We did our best to meet and greet so many people in our section despite my inability to speak Japanese. I will provide the match recap in a different blog but safe to say it was a memorable experience.

When it was time to head back to the station and depart mainland I truly enjoyed the walk back through the surrounding area and arcade that greeted us when we arrived. It goes without saying that it feels much better to have achieved a favorable result when exiting the home town team’s stadium as you stroll past all the opposing teams supporters. None of the opposing teams fans said anything that could be construed as derogatory, but then again I wouldn’t understand if they did. We left with our heads held high and excited about what the future holds for this club.

The First Post.

Greetings to all of you and thank you for your interest in FC Ryukyu (FC琉球). This blog will be dedicated to discussing all topics pertaining to FC Ryukyu in English. The inspiration for this blog came from the head of the FC Ryukyu Supporters Club, Hiro, after I voiced my frustration at the lack of entries on the FC Ryukyu home page in English as well as attempting to use online translation tools when going from Japanese to English. 

It is my hope that this blog will generate interest in the FC Ryukyu club for the many non-Japanese speaking people living in Japan and ultimately bring you to the stadium to experience a match.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never done anything remotely close to this in the past so I am not sure how well this will be perceived or how well written some of the entries will be that I post.

Thank You and Enjoy!