(6) Montedio Yamagata vs (21) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu face an uphill battle when they travel North to Yamagata this Sunday. To be fair, every game remaining may seem like an uphill battle for a team that has been riddled with injuries and shell-shocked by late goals resulting in crucial points dropped. This games kicks of five (5) tough fixtures in a row for Ryukyu which also happens to coincide with that time of the year when Ryukyu are prone to slumps. A mid season slump feels like a yearly occurrence for the club, usually due to key injuries in the squad, and if Ryukyu were to suffer another slump this season, it would likely be the next to last nail in their relegation coffin.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Traveling fans will have some nice weather to enjoy this weekend.

Click>>>> Match Day 20 Information from Montedio Yamagata

Team Previews

Montedio Yamagata: Montedio Yamagata, like they seem to do every year, started a bit sluggish before embarking on a run of nine (9) games unbeaten that included a streak of five (5) wins in a row. I would love if Ryukyu could pull of a winning streak like that, but for Yamagata, these streaks never really result in promotion. Maybe that will change this year?

Yamagata might have a tough time getting over line now that, like FC Ryukyu, they’ve lost their top scorer for an extended period of time. Yoshiki Fujimoto was on seven (7) goals this season before succumbing to a season ending ACL injury. Like Ryukyu, Yamagata will be heavily invested in the transfer window this summer to try and find a replacement. Unlike Ryukyu, they likely they have the finances and clout to replace their lost striker with a talented player.

Yamagata’s lone loss in the past two months came at the hands of Albirex Niigata last week to the tune of 3-0. They did also lose their Emperors Cup match with Thespakusatsu Gunma in the mid-week 1-3 so perhaps there is the smallest of chances that Yamagata are reeling at the moment. But I think this matchup presents a “get right” game for Montedio to get back on track for the promotion playoff race as Ryukyu have never won at Yamagata. In 2019, an 88th minute goal from Yamagata wiped out an earlier Takuma Abe PK goal. In 2020, Yamagata destroyed Ryukyu 3-0. However, in 2021 it was Ryukyu’s turn to play spoiler as they scored a late goal to end that match in a 2-2 draw.

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu are coming off a heartbreaking draw at home last Sunday against Tokushima Vortis (3-3) and a mid-week Emperors Cup loss (1-4) to Omiya Ardija. Both games were at home so those fans that did venture out were at least treated to eleven (11) goals inside of a few days. Ryukyu have some serious questions heading into one of their toughest matchups with injuries continually piling up. Luckily, Ryukyu escaped any further damage to players in the EC match with Omiya despite playing some of the regular starters. But then there was the news on Thursday that Yuki Kusano, Ryukyu’s top scorer, will be out three (3) months with a torn MCL. A crushing blow to our hopes and dreams for avoiding relegation.

There will be a new center-back duo playing this match as Yong Jick went off injured during the Vortis match which leaves Ryukyu with just a couple of healthy defenders. The obvious choice would be the Numata/Omori pairing with So Nakagawa in reserve. Omori did play the entire match on Wednesday in an attempt to get him so game experience heading into a brutal run of fixtures for Ryukyu. On the other hand, Nakagawa played sparingly compared to Yusuke Murase who made just his second ever appearance for the club, the other being last year’s Emperors Cup match with Matsumoto Yamaga. It is hard to say if any of the central defenders had a decent game on Wednesday considering we conceded four (4) goals.

It is what it is until players return from injury or we acquire some players in the transfer window next month. Speaking of depth, we got a long look at some of the players that rarely feature for FC Ryukyu against Omiya. Van Luan Pham, the on-loan player from Saigon FC, arguably had the best shift for Ryukyu that night. The defensive mid-fielder more than held his own, was involved in some nice build up plays (though rarely passed to by some of his teammates) and was an absolute spark plug you covet from a central defensive midfielder. I am not sure of how many ‘regulars’ Omiya deployed that match to accurately gauge Pham’s abilities at the J2 level, but I think he did enough to at least warrant dressing for some of the senior matches going forward. This is especially true considering Ryukyu also lost central midfielder, Kazuto Takezawa, to a shoulder injury for the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, many of the other players we would’ve liked to seen play, or liked to see them do something, were not able to during a game largely controlled by Omiya. With Ryukyu’s next five (5) games coming against some tough opponents, does Ryukyu have enough healthy players to garner some results and prevent a mid-season collapse that would all but dash any hopes for avoiding relegation?

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Concede fewer goals than Yamagata. Likelihood 1. Tough place to be in as a Ryukyu fan these days when you’re team is desperate for results and having to do it shorthanded. Good luck boys.

Kinain’ Ya Around

Ryukyu have only lost once in their last five (5) games, twice in their last eight (8), but there has been too many matches that have ended in draws (4). No doubt this is due to Ryukyu surrendering eight (8) goals after the 75th minute this season. Ryukyu have been outscored 19-10 in the second half of games with the unthinkable stat of conceding four (4) goals in extra time of the second half. Their first half performance is only slightly better with a 16-13 goals conceded to scored ratio, but they’ve also conceded four (4) goals within the allotted extra time of the first half! Killer to Ryukyu, momentum swinging for our opponents. In nineteen (19) games this season Ryukyu have managed only one (1) extra time goal in either half. And perhaps this is why teams really walk all over Ryukyu in the later stages of games.

Round 20 in J2

No top of the table clashes this week but plenty of games with teams next to one another in the standings. The top three sides (Sendai, Niigata, and Yokohama) have extended their point lead to nine (9) at the top and all have games against teams in currently in the mid table. Teams ranked between fourth and fourteenth – separated by just four (4) points – are likely to see the continued churn in that part of the table.

At the bottom, where we as Ryukyu supporters are most concerned, sees (21) Iwate at home to (9) Ventforet Kofu. Iwate have lost thee (3) in a row and have yet to win at home this season with Kofu having drawn their last five (5) matches with four (4) consecutive 1-1 score lines. (20) Omiya Ardija are also at home to (16) Mito Hollyhock. Omiya are coming off two (2) wins and a draw in their last three (3) games, including the Emperors Cup, with Hollyhock suffering three (3) straight losses in all competitions. The round 20 free broadcast on the J.League International YouTube channel will feature (1) Yokohama FC hosting, and wait for it, (14) Tokyo Verdy again. Click>>>> J.League Int’l YouTube Channel.

Conclusion

Ryukyu just have to go out and defeat a team they’ve never beaten, but one they’ve had some limited success against (2 draws) on the road, without their top scorer and a makeshift back line. Drinks on me everyone!

FC Ryukyu vs Tokushima Vortis #FC琉球

Intro

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

Match Highlights

Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Match Day 19 Takeaways

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

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

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

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

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

Round 19 in J2

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

Conclusion

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

(21) FC Ryukyu vs (14) Tokushima Vortis #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu need to put their recent loss to Omiya in the rearview mirror and focus on Tokushima Vortis right now. Time is definitely not on the side of Ryukyu anymore as they quickly approach the halfway point of the 2022 season on just fourteen (14) points. Short of a miracle winning streak to push Ryukyu up the table and closer to forty points, which seems all but a pipedream at the moment, we need to collect points in as many games as we can. The best Ryukyu can hope for in the interim is to keep within striking distance of Omiya and Iwate to keep this a three horse race for relegation.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

We may actually see the sun in Okinawa for the first time in six days! But you still need to prepare for wet weather.

Click>>>> Match Day 19 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: I really have no idea what to write about for the Ryukyu team preview this week. Too many times we’ve talked about Ryukyu holding loads of possession and failing to score. Something that plagued us against Omiya. We’ve talked about the team’s inability to finish despite the aforementioned possession. Clearly indicated by the fact that Ryukyu have only scored more than two (2) goals in a game four (4) times this season, while conceding more than two (2) goals ten (10) times in eighteen (18) games. So what should we talk about then? Injuries? Sure.

Kusano’s injury is absolutely catastrophic, and since we have no idea what he is dealing with – perhaps to let whatever swelling that may have occurred in his knee to subside so they can get an accurate MRI – we can only hope it is not a lengthy injury. But then again, we never heard anything from the club about the injury (probably a pulled hamstring) that Abe has been dealing with the past twelve (12) games. We could really use Abe back in the near term, that is, until Kusano returns, or we sign a striker on loan. Compounding the current crisis are the injuries to our central defense in which we have a patchwork back line, though to their credit, is doing enough to at least put Ryukyu in a position to win some games. They are certainly not the reason why we lost at Omiya.

That loss last Wednesday stems directly from sloppy play – balls passed out of bounds, wild shots, careless turnovers – and a lack of understanding what to do when near the oppositions goal. Ryukyu have not improved at all on defending, or attacking, set pieces this year which seems a very simple thing to fix throughout training. The constant rotation of players week in, week out, has yet to produce a solid lineup and the injuries certainly don’t help. But we are also talking about a team loaded with veterans and experienced players, not a team full of rookies making their J2 debut.

What we need is an on field general to start getting in the asses of some of these players when play begins to dip. Someone needs to be more vocal out there to get the boys back in line and that starts with the captain. Taguchi currently wears the captain arm band, which could change if Okazaki returns this week, but other than setting his back line, how can he influence play at the top? At this point our only real hope is we haven’t totally capitulated and for an outfield player to assert themselves, outside of just their play, to lead this team. But who will that be?

Tokushima Vortis: Tokushima are not finding life in the J2 as easy as when they departed it back in 2020. They started off the year undefeated in their opening eight (8) fixtures but with only one (1) win to their credit. After suffering their first loss of 2022 Vortis rebounded with a pair of wins and a draw but still found themselves in the lower half of the table with fellow demoted side Oita Trinita, a place that Vortis currently occupy.

Over their last five (5) games Vortis had one (1) win, two (2) draws, and two (2) losses. They suffered consecutive losses for the first time all season when they were handily beaten by Yokohama FC before pulling one back in stoppage time, and then were shocked at home the following week when Tochigi SC beat them 1-0. This past Wednesday night they only managed a draw against Kofu after taking the early lead and even with Kofu having a man sent off in the second half. But lets not kid ourselves as Vortis are a very good defensive side having conceded only eleven (11) goals all season which is good for best in the league.

Another feather in the defensive cap of Vortis is the nine (9) shutouts in eighteen (18) J2 games played this season. That includes five (5) games with nil/nil score lines. Vortis maybe very good at shutting down the opposition’s attack, but they also struggle to find the back of the net as they’ve been shutout two other times for a total of seven (7) this the year. A bit like Tochigi SC last year, who we beat at home in 2021 despite their impressive defensive record. Still, I’d gladly switch struggles with Vortis at the moment as they are likely to figure out the problem in the attack long before they breakdown at the back.

Tokushima also have nearly identical home/road splits for wins, draws, losses and goals scored/conceded. I thought they looked a bit shaky in two of their past road matches but they turned things around against Kofu before surrendering a needless PK. Finally, forward Shota Fuji may lead the team in goals with five (5), but the Vortis attack funnels through one man, MF Kazuki Nishiya. Kazuki is so heavily involved in much of the Vortis build up play that if Ryukyu can somehow take him out of the game, tactically not physically, they could easily grind the Vortis attack to a halt.

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Execute shots from distance, pepper Vortis with crosses into the box, and for god’s sake, score from a set piece. Likelihood 1. Right, three things Ryukyu haven’t done all year and have struggled with all season. But these type of ‘long balls’ into the box maybe the only defensive weakness to this defensively strong Vortis team. Vortis can deal with the up close pressure pretty well barring some deflections, but if we dance around with possession looking for the perfect pass to unlock the Vortis defense, we will lose. If we try more of the long game approach as outlined above, like Gunma and Tochigi did, we may actually walk out of the ‘Tapista’ with points (or a win) on Sunday.

Kinain’ Ya Around

Maybe I got a little out in front of my skis last week when I assumed Ryukyu were primed to take the leap above Omiya and move up in the table. After doing a little research on transfermarkt, a phenomenal website by the way, I came across some stats that are really worrisome. Since 2019, FC Ryukyu have gone 6-3-10 (W-D-L) against teams in the relegation zone. If you include the loss to Iwate this year, though not in the relegation zone at the time of the match, as well games against teams who were in similar positions as Iwate when they faced Ryukyu earlier in the season, Ryukyu’s record stands at 7-3-12 (W-D-L). Which equates to winning about 1/3 of those games.

FC Ryukyu have zero (0) wins against teams that are either currently, or were once inside the relegation zone this season. They have suffered five (5) losses with what seems to be only a few games left this season against teams facing the prospect of relegation. Granted, anything could happen during the remainder of the campaign but Ryukyu haven’t defeated a bottom side since Matsumoto Yamaga on Match Day 35 last season. Ryukyu have only had one (1) season in which they had a winning record against the relegation sides and that was 2020 when there was no relegation so I had to use stats against the bottom four clubs that year. To sum this all up, Ryukyu struggle, regardless of Ryukyu’s position in the table at the time of matches, to defeat the bottom sides of J2 in what could’ve/should’ve been winnable and were must win games.

Round 19 in J2

(1) Vegalta Sendai could do all the teams currently in the relegation battle a favor, expect Tochigi of course, by defeating back-to-back winners (19) Tochigi SC. (3) Yokohama FC is in the same boat as Sendai, and looking to keep pace up top, when they host (18) Renofa Yamaguchi who are winless in their last four (4) matches. It would also be nice if (10) Zweigen Kanazawa continued their winning ways by defeating (22) Iwate Grulla Morioka. Writing those past few sentences makes me regret the loss to Omiya even more with how the schedule shakes out this week.

The top of the table clash that some neutral fans may enjoy will be the game between (2) Albirex Niigata and (4) Montedio Yamagata. Niigata have eight (8) wins in their last eleven (11), but Yamagata is undefeated in their last nine (9). It should be a good game to watch. And finally, there is the J-League International YouTube broadcast featuring (12) Tokyo Verdy at home to (20) Omiya Ardija. This is Verdy’s sixth, and final, match (at least this month) on the YouTube channel where they’ve won once (1), drawn once (1), and lost three (3) times. It will also be Omiya’s first game with their new manager Naoki Soma in charge. I am a bit conflicted here because Verdy is one of Ryukyu’s main rivals, and one that I enjoy watching lose at any point in the season, but we also need Verdy to win in the event that Ryukyu earn, or drop, points at home this round. Click>>>> J.League International YouTube Channel.

Conclusion

I just have that strange feeling that this game could end 0-0 on the heels of some lackluster offensive performances, or one team blows the other out in an unexpected (or expected) manner. Whatever the case maybe for Ryukyu on Sunday the fans need an uplifting performance out of their team as life is pretty drab around Okinawa these days with the CV-19 virus raging, rainy season pounding the island, and Ryukyu in the relegation zone. At least the Ryukyu Golden Kings are vying for another championship.

Omiya Ardija vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

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

Match Highlights

Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

Matchday 18 Takeaways

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

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

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

Round 18 in J2

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

Conclusion

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

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

Intro

Let’s get it on! Ryukyu play their second match against a team near the bottom of the table this month and it a massive 6-pointer with Omiya Ardija. FC Ryukyu have only lost once in their last six (6) games while riding a three (3) game unbeaten streak. Omiya have failed to win in their last four (4) games while suffering consecutive defeats to Iwate and Sendai the past week. These are the type of games that Ryukyu need to win and neither side wants to leave this match without all three (3) points. The match might not have the shine of the games between teams at the top of the table, but it will have its own type of fireworks for us to enjoy.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Cool and breezy with the slightest chances of rain. But then again, I’ve been wrong before.

Click>>>> Match Day 18 Information from Omiya Ardija

Team Previews

Omiya Ardija: Omiya have been inside the relegation zone around the same amount of time as Ryukyu. They didn’t earn their first win of 2022 until Match Day 9, then experienced a bit of bump in performance when they went four (4) games undefeated (2 wins and 2 draws), before losing two (2) games in a row. Omiya has also been hit hard by the injury bug this year as they’ve lost both of their top two goalies in Yuta Minami (Achilles Tendon Rupture) and Tomoki Ueda (Patellar Tendon Rupture) for the season, and most recently FWD Seiya Nakano (hamstring). This has thrust Ko Shimura, on loan from Giravanz Kitakyushu, into the starting role where he has already conceded five (5) goals in two games.

Omiya won once, drew twice, and lost twice in their last five (5) matches. The 2-1 victory at Zweigen Kanazawa pulled Omiya out of the relegation zone for the first time since Match Day 4, which was further aided by the draws the following rounds at Tochigi and Nagasaki, but found themselves in familiar territory once again with consecutive home losses to fellow relegation team Iwate and most recently Sendai. The Iwate match was a rescheduled game due to CV-19 in which Omiya actually played three (3) consecutive matches on the road prior to Iwate and Sendai followed by what will now be three (3) consecutive home matches ending with Ryukyu.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier for Omiya moving forward as they will play Tokyo Verdy after the Ryukyu match and then play their sixth game in under three (3) weeks when they travel to Okinawa to play FC Ryukyu again, but this time for the Emperors Cup. The cup competition could be a major distraction for both sides who are trying to battle their way to safety while dealing with major injuries at the moment.

Omiya’s top three point leaders this year are: FWD Atsushi Kawata (6 goal & 1 assist), MF Shinya Yajima (3 goals & 1 assist), and MF Masaya Shibayama (5 assists). But none of these players have seen the score sheet since Match Day 13. Similarly, Ryukyu are likely to be without their top scorer in Kusano which may even things out a bit for the two teams tomorrow night.

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu are in the midst of their best stretch of results this season. Two (2) wins and one (1) draw in their last three games has resulted in Ryukyu finally moving off the bottom of the table, albeit on goal differential, but a mentally significant point nonetheless. This is a hugely important match for Ryukyu right now and unfortunately they’re likely going into this match at less than 100%. Yuki Kusano, FC Ryukyu’s leading goal scorer, was subbed off with an injury to his left knee last match and with such a quick turn around between fixtures, it is unlikely that he features for Ryukyu in the midweek.

That means the combination of Shinya Uehara and Ryunosuke Noda will lead the Ryukyu attack. Ryukyu are also unlikely to see the return of Takuma Abe (now going on eleven matches since he last featured, and still no word on his status) and Ryohei Okazaki. This probably means we will see Takuya Hitomi in a reserve role at forward with Keigo Numata returning to play CB alongside Lee Yong Jick. Ryukyu really need the offense to show up tomorrow, and more importantly, have it driven through Kiyotake and Ikeda with Kusano out. Uehara and Noda seem to be a like-for-like with each other’s playing style but I’d give the slight advantage to Uehara in the aerial department, with Noda being slightly better with the ball at his feet. Either is capable of putting it in the back of the net so long as we can provide the service to them.

It is a whole other story on the defensive side of the ball for Ryukyu as the preferred deployment of Numata over Omori at CB must be based on the need for a veteran presence along side Yong Jick and not one based solely on skill. Numata faired decently in his CB debut, and will need to do so again if Ryukyu are to grab all three points, in addition to Yong Jick going the full distance on Wednesday night. Yong Jick’s play has improved the past three weeks and we need to find a capable defensive partner for him in the absence of Okazaki.

I cannot emphasize the importance of this game enough for Ryukyu. A win would provide a three (3) point cushion over Omiya, and with Iwate playing Yokohama FC, a win could provide a three (3) point cushion from the relegation zone. Ryukyu won’t catch Tochigi, even if Tochigi lose, but it brings them just a little closer to possibly dragging Tochigi down the table. It has to be three (3) points for Ryukyu on Wednesday night.

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Win the set piece battle. Likelihood 2. Omiya seems very capable in attacking set pieces, particularly corner kicks, but struggles at defending those same type of set pieces. Ryukyu don’t really earn, or capitalize, on set pieces (CKs) but this one area could make all the difference tomorrow.

Kinain’ Ya Around

In what could be Kazuki Kuranuki’s last game in charge of Ryukyu before Kina returns, Ryukyu need one more positive result inside this brief, temporary, “new boy bounce.” So far the results have been good under Kuranuki as some of things that plagued Kina’s coaching style this season – specifically opponents easily adjusting to the Ryukyu game plan mid game and Ryukyu failing to make subsequent adjustments – have largely gone away the last two weeks. Ryukyu played within themselves last week against a strong Kofu side despite having little offensive production. They seemed content on taking what was given to them by Kofu, parked the bus a little bit after taking the lead, and nearly pulled off the unthinkable. Ryukyu will need a similar type of performance this match if we wish to leave Saitama with all the points. And I think Kuranuki is up to the task.

Round 18 in J2

League Leaders (1) Vegalta Sendai headline this round’s matchups when they welcome in (6) Fagiano Okayama. But since Ryukyu are squarely inside the relegation battle, I will focus on the games for teams near Ryukyu in the standings. (22) Iwate Grulla Morioka host (3) Yokohama FC in what should be a very tough matchup for the hosts, and one in which we’d (Ryukyu fans, and Omiya fans) like to see YFC win. This only adds fuel to the fire for the Omiya/Ryukyu game as the winner could potentially move ahead of the bottom two sides. (19) Tochigi SC will face (4) FC Machida Zelvia at home in another tough matchup for a bottom four side. Tochigi surprised everybody last week with their win over Vortis but a slip up here, coupled with wins for any of the bottom three teams, would pull Tochigi further into the relegation scrap.

It maybe a bit premature to look at the games concerning JEF United Chiba as they are six (6) points ahead of the chasing pack but they do have a difficult draw at (7) V-Varen Nagasaki this round. The free broadcast on the J-League International YouTube channel will once again feature (11) Tokyo Verdy this time hosting (17) Zweigen Kanazawa in a game that some of the fans from the bottom four teams will at least monitor the score tomorrow evening. Verdy went undefeated to open the season but have only managed a single (1) win in their last nine (9) matches. This game is quickly shaping up to be one of two evenly matched teams, not on paper but based on recent performances, squaring off for the international audience. Click>>>> J.League Int’l YouTube Channel.

Conclusion

Got to have it on Wednesday. Nothing more needs to be said.

FC Ryukyu vs Ventforet Kofu #FC琉球

Intro

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

Match Highlights

Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

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

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

Takeaways from Match Day 17

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

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

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

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

Round 17 in J2

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

Conclusion

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

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (6) Ventforet Kofu #FC琉球

Intro

Finally some momentum. And this game will be a real test to see how far Ryukyu have progressed as Ventforet Kofu are undefeated in their last four (4) with only one (1) loss in their last eight (8). Kofu, and their fans, definitely come to town with three points on their mind, and why shouldn’t they? They’ve experienced nothing but success against Ryukyu in the past three seasons and now face a Ryukyu side in the midst of a relegation battle. Ryukyu, on the other hand, have done something remarkable by winning two in a row thanks to two clean sheets. Can Ryukyu do the unthinkable and win three games in a row?

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

Not a bad forecast for it being the height of rainy season in Okinawa.

Click>>>> Match Day 17 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: For those of you expecting (hoping) FC Ryukyu will win their third game in a row, let me offer this stat. Since they entered the J2 in 2019, Ryukyu have only won three (3) games in a row twice. And yes, you guessed it, those were during the fast start years of 2019 and 2021. Outside of those fast start seasons, and well into the season since that is where we are at the moment, FC Ryukyu have a record of 0-1-6 following a two (2) game winning streak. Not great. But then again, we are in some unchartered territory these days so anything is possible.

If they hope to reverse that trend then they will have to do it against a side in which they’ve only notched one (1) win in the six (6) matches they’ve played. Granted, that lone win did come at home – where this game will be played – but was also inside the early part of last season when FC Ryukyu were beating everyone. A third win in a row largely depends on Ryukyu executing a repeat performance of the last two weeks.

The fact is we need Kusano, Kiyotake, and Ikeda to get into a rhythm as we cannot rely solely on Kusano scoring each match to see out wins because that has happened on several occasions this season, only to be let down by the defending in the end. We need others to step up, especially when we are razor thin at CB these days, so we can continue to take some pressure off the defense. But who? Tanaka cannot fire in crosses from his current position on the bench; we rarely win set pieces – or corners – in dangerous areas; and we rarely get our two central defenders involved on set pieces inside the opposition’s box. I think we need to rethink how we attack teams in order to put us into advantageous situations and not simply rely on luck to see us through. The only thing we have to lose is J2 next year, which should be enough to make us as dangerous as a cornered animal.

Ventforet Kofu: Kofu started the season slow with only one (1) win their opening eight (8) fixtures. Where have I seen that before? Never mind. They then embarked on a four (4) game winning streak that propelled them into the sixth spot of the table. A position, despite some recent wobbles, they still maintain as of match day 17.

Kofu have two (2) wins, two (2) draws, and one (1) loss in the past five (5) matches with wins over Verdy and Gunma; draws with Tochigi and Renofa; and the lone loss suffered at the hands of Mito Hollyhock. One thing that immediately jumps out about this Kofu side is their speed up top and relentless pursuit of rebounds in the box. That kind of makes them a forward leaning side that are extremely vulnerable at the back, which, seems to be the team’s Achilles’ heel at the moment.

Kofu had several moments where they were hitting their opponents on either counter attacks or straight from the center of the pitch with long breakaways. But they also looked extremely poor when playing it out from the back with a bevy of costly turnovers, or simply allowing the opposition to exploit their weakest position in the team. There is no doubt that Ryukyu must respect the speed of Kofu in the attack, but not fear it, because the Ryukyu attack needs to find away to create havoc within the Kofu back line that could lead to turnovers and goals. That also means Ryukyu players in the starting eleven that may not enjoy tracking back in games really need to this game. And since the Kofu attack seems to come in multiple waves, Ryukyu cannot be caught ball watching the initial shot as the on-rushing attackers from Kofu will certainly be there to pounce on any rebound.

Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Take the game to Kofu. Likelihood 3. No frills or messing about here just dictate the terms of play inside the Kofu 18-yard box. We are keen to own loads of possession, yet do very little with it. Change that. Take risks, create chances, ask questions in dangerous areas and let’s see what happens. Otherwise, it is more of the same old drab that got us to where we are right now.

2. Someone steps up in central defense. Likelihood 2. We looked so good to start the season with Nakagawa and Omori in central defense, but that denigrated into something completely different as the season wore on. Perhaps Nakagawa is injured, but we cannot gamble by throwing Makito Uehara to the wolves and think he’ll be OK out there. Yong Jick had a great game last week, but we need consistent performances out of the senior man in defense, not just a singular good game. Ryukyu will have to contend with loads of speed and counter attacks from Kofu, which means defending has to be a total team effort, and we better have the horses out there on Saturday to do it.

Kinain’ Ya Around For Whom the Bell Tolls

Kina gets a bit of a reprieve as he was absent for last weeks win as he will be for this weeks match with Kofu after succumbing to CV-19. However, it still seems that Kina can do no wrong. How he is still here is beyond me. Sure, he was in charge when we won our second game of the season, in week 15! But was it just me or did the entire club enjoy a relaxed, worry free environment last week to earn their third win?

Now humor me as we venture down this loosely cobbled path of logic. We all know that sometimes clubs can experience a bit of a ‘bounce’ when there is a managerial change. Ryukyu saw this last year when we switched from Higuchi to Kina, and we are witnessing it right now with FC Gifu and to some extent, Omiya Ardija when they added Hiromi Hara as head of the Omiya Football headquarters. In the games following these moves, each club experienced a change in fortunes. Some were brief, and some are still going, but how important were those changes for the clubs this season?

In the case of Omiya, it pulled them off the bottom of the table. Something Ryukyu desperately need to do these days. And right now, Ryukyu are in the midst of the slightest of ‘bounces’ with head coach Kazuki Karanuki taking over duties in Kina’s stead. How huge would it be for Ryukyu if we had two, even three (possibly serving as coach for Omiya with such a quick turnaround in fixtures) games with wins and or points? The change may only be temporary, and the bounce brief, but it could be enough to pull us up a little bit and provide vindication that a change in manager is needed. This is especially true if Ryukyu go straight back into the trash bin upon Kina’s return. Just saying, think about it.

Round 17 in J2

We all know that the real excitement in any season is watching how the relegation battle plays out, bit of recency bias down here these days for sure, and not just the boring promotion race (though I do miss that dearly) where a couple of teams pull far away from the pack. The sheer look of disappointment and frustration written across many teams, coaches and their fan’s faces make the battle for survival all the better. However, I should mention that there is a very nice top of the table tilt between (3) Albirex Niigata and (2) Yokohama FC this week that could see those teams swap positions or YFC extend their lead to six (6) points in the automatic promotion zone.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at those teams struggling at the foot of the table. (19) Tochigi SC, who haven’t won in nine (9) games, travel to (11) Tokushima Vortis. Vortis are coming of consecutive losses (1 in J2, 1 in the Levain Cup), are looking to rebound, and are the best defensive side in the table based on goals allowed while Tochigi is one of the worst scoring sides in J2. (20) Omiya Ardija host (1) Vegalta Sendai after losing to Iwate in the midweek while down their starting GK. Omiya will have played two (2) games inside of a week when Ryukyu come to town so perhaps they rest some players (aka rollover) in order to prepare for the all important 6-pointer with FC Ryukyu next Wednesday. Perhaps Ryukyu does the same this week??

Then there is (21) Iwate Grulla Morioka, who usurped FC Ryukyu in the standings with their 1-0 win on the road at Omiya on Wednesday and who travel to (17) FC Mito Hollyhock. Prior to that victory Iwate were on a seven (7) game losing streak and now they face a Mito side who has won (3) out of their last six (6) games. Omiya and Ryukyu have the toughest path to points this week with Tochigi a close second, followed by Iwate who looked far better against Omiya than they have in recent weeks. But that’s just it, teams down here always seem to look good against each other, which needs to be taken with a grain of salt when jumping to conclusions for any side at the bottom.

The free broadcast this week will feature (8) Blaublitz Akita hosting (9) Tokyo Verdy. This will be Verdy’s fourth appearance on the free broadcast this month, with still two (2) more to go. Perhaps Verdy can make it three consecutive losses in a row on the channel. Click>>>> J.League Int’l YouTube.

Conclusion

I am glad we won our first home game of the season last week as weekly blog entries felt more like obituaries than posts in recent months. But now we need do something different, and that is to win a third game in a row deep into a season marked by strife and setbacks. I’ll be there, the Ryukyu Army will be there, will you join us in spirit?

FC Ryukyu vs Tochigi SC #FC琉球

Intro

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

Match Highlights

Takeaways from Match Day 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

Round 16 in J2

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

FC Ryukyu vs Zweigen Kanazawa #FC琉球

Intro

And still we wait. Ryukyu were gifted a PK, and then a man advantage, and yet still managed to exit match day 12 with only a single point. Truth be told, we were lucky Kanazawa didn’t win it at the end thanks in large part to the man of the match Taguchi. Who also had a fine performance throughout the night with multiple double saves. Though the man advantage was only about fifteen minutes in total, Ryukyu really needed a bit of luck to snap what ever funk they are in right now. But it just wasn’t meant to be last night.

Match Highlights

Takeaways from Match Day 12

1. Sure, no one expected much, but then again Ryukyu’s strong starts seem to always lure us into a false sense of security. After about 8 minutes that wet dream was over. And of course, right on cue, Ryukyu conceded. That was followed up by 40 minutes of Taguchi having to bail out the defense with a few Ryukyu chances mixed in. Nothing from Ryukyu really made the highlights after the Kusano PK goal. Then, out of nowhere, a Kanazawa player did the unthinkable, and earned himself a second yellow card and sending off. We repaid that kindness by attempting 1, maybe 2, chances at net before Taguchi had to be recalled into service for a double save to prevent an absolute catastrophe at home. Ryukyu played better in the second half but ultimately couldn’t find the breakthrough.

2. Seven home games, zero wins. Not sure where the disconnect is but no Ryukyu fan is loving those results. We get another crack at it on Saturday but Ryukyu are starting to flirt with some dangerous historic numbers and outcomes when it comes to their low point total. See below.

3. Three (3) games down and only a single point earned so far, though the losing streak has stopped at two. Any change would be a welcome sight while Ryukyu continue to pile drive their way back to the J3. 926 fans attending a match speaks volumes (I got it, terrible weather and mid week game). The fans ain’t there because the results ain’t there.

Round 12 in J2

Omiya, JEF, Kofu and Niigata all grabbed some nice wins with Omiya slowly inching towards Morioka in the standings. Leaders Yokohama FC drew with Zelvia which allowed Machida to go level on points, but one place higher in the standings, with Tokyo Verdy due to their loss at Kofu. Seems about 2/3 of the table is still within striking distance of the promotion playoff zone with about four teams currently looking the part of the relegation battle.

Conclusion (Fan section)

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (7) Zweigen Kanazawa #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu have not earned a single point during this opening stretch of six games inside twenty three days. They may have ended a four game losing streak with a draw at home, but they are already two games deep into yet another losing streak. There just seems to be so many things going wrong these days at FC Ryukyu and there isn’t one, two, or three, simple solutions to the bevy of problems facing the team. Sure, a win would help, but would it only paper over the large existing cracks? We cannot stop other teams from scoring while we ourselves cannot score even a single goal in games. How can you fix that and how can they recover? The likely answer is, you may not be able to. But then there is Zweigen Kanazawa, who, are feeling pretty good these days as they are undefeated on the road and knocking on the door of the promotion playoff zone.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Hopefully the thunderstorms and rain clear out before kickoff. If not, it will only add to the misery.

Click>>>> Match Day Info from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu enter this match having lost their last two games while also losing six (6) of their last (7) games. Ryukyu haven’t won since match day four which is now over a month and half ago. We were shutout the last two games and the offense, if there ever really was one, has ground to a complete halt. It is an absolute night and day difference compared to this time last season when Ryukyu were one of the best defensive units in J2. This season, they are the absolute worst.

FC Ryukyu have surrendered multiple goals in every game this year but two. One was just recently at home to Gunma but Ryukyu have failed to record a single shutout of their opponent since week one of the 2022 season. To make matters worse, Ryukyu have only scored multiple goals in games three times of which two resulted in a loss and a draw. So not scoring, and cannot stop others from scoring. I don’t know if there is a solution to their woes as the changes that have been made, with whatever healthy personnel we have left, has not worked. We may just need to prepare ourselves mentally for a season in which nothing will go right as we fall back into the J3.

And that sucks! It was great seeing Ryukyu earn promotion in 2018, but now it seems that if they cannot do it on skill, luck, and a limited budget, we are probably best suited for lower league football. Averaging less than 1,700 fans per game is not sustainable for a club with any ambitions. In fact, it is likely a contentious point within the ownership and management of this club that they cannot seem to grow attendance here in Okinawa despite all their efforts. Corona killed the buildup they were attempting to achieve after 2019, the new Ryukyu Golden Kings stadium is a far better sports venue than what FC Ryukyu currently possess, and there has been almost no update on the status of their new stadium in Naha. If we drop, would anyone approve funding for a new stadium here in Okinawa during these cash strapped times?

Things are not going to get any easier for Ryukyu in the near term as they face two opponents inside the top half of the table within three days of one another. As I said the other day, it looks highly unlikely that Ryukyu will earn their first home win of the season this week, and likely not for a long period of time. They need a serious injection of offense to overcome the deficits they place themselves in each week and I for one have no idea where that is going to come from. Paso & Vinicius time? Why not? We’ve tried everything else to no end these past few weeks.

Zweigen Kanazawa: Zweigen are in really good form these days as they’ve only lost once in their past seven (7) matches. Like Ryukyu, Zweigen have yet to win at home in the opening quarter of the season, but they haven’t lost on the road all season. In their last five (5) games Zweigen own a 2-2-1 record with wins over Oita and Tochigi, draws with Kumamoto and Mito, and the lone loss to Ventforet Kofu. But instead of me providing you a limited perspective as an outsider, James Taylor of @kanazawadreamin’ and the host of the @JTalkET podcast has kindly agreed to provide a much richer insight into Kanazawa this week.

“It’s been a good start to the season for us, especially away from home. I think we’re set up to counter attack and so far, it’s worked most of the time. At home, performances have been reasonable but the results haven’t followed yet. The standout players in my opinion have been the full backs, Yuto Nagamine on the left and Riku Matsuda on the right. Nagamine is in his first full season and has been pinging in excellent crosses for the likes of Yohei Toyoda. Matsuda clearly learned a lot in a difficult 2021 and is putting it to good use, contributing more to the attack but also committing fewer mistakes in defense. “

“Winger Sho Hiramatsu is playing well, has a couple of goals and seems to be in high confidence at the moment. Masamichi Hayashi is our top scorer, while Honoya Shoji is keeping things tight at the back. I would be very surprised if our away form continues in this vein for much longer, but I also expect our home results to pick up. I think we’ll still be top half come the halfway point of the season, but I think a playoff push will be out of reach this year.”

For Whom the Bell Tolls

I ran a poll this weekend asking when people thought Ryukyu would make a change at manager. A lot of people felt it would be at the conclusion of the Zweigen Kanazawa match pending another disappointing result. Still, a fair amount of people believe there will be no change and you can’t count that reality either. A change at manager in the midweek would force one of the coaches into a caretaker role with such a short turnaround before the Niigata match in just two days time. Ryukyu will now play four (4) games in eleven (11) days so ay change will likely see a caretaker in charge for the duration of those matches, or no change at all.

Are we looking at potential candidates to replace Kina? Have we reached out to them to gauge their level of interest in managing a J2 side at the bottom of the table requiring a massive overhaul in the way they prepare and play matches? I hope there is someone out there qualified enough, and motivated enough, to accept the position if the management finally decides that enough is enough. But for now, all we can do is hope and pray that Ryukyu turn things around internally despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Round 12 in J2

A clash near the top of the table is this weeks standout fixture with (1) Yokohama FC taking on the not so distant but still not a derby (5) Machida Zelvia. Elsewhere we have (2) Vegalta Sendai taking on (13) Roasso Kumamoto who are undefeated in their last three games, and (3) Tokyo Verdy taking on (9) Ventforet Kofu who are on a three game winning streak themselves.

Likely that there is no change at the bottom of the table as all three sides at the bottom take on teams sitting inside, or very near, the promotion playoff portion of the table. The free J-League International YouTube broadcast this week will feature (10) Tokushima Vortis taking on (15) Montedio Yamagata at home. As always, the link can be found under the picture.

Click>>>> J-League Int’l YouTube Channel

Conclusion

Thanks again to James for providing that piece on Kanazawa during a short week and busy schedule. I think Zweigen’s fine road form will notch another victory in their belt this week as Ryukyu have done more for the tourism industry in Okinawa this year than any go-to campaign could ever accomplish. Come, enjoy the lovely island, take in a bit of culture, enjoy the food, watch a match, and as a parting gift, your team can leave with all three points.