Tag: Hayashi

Match Day 9 Recap: Tokyo Verdy 1 – 1 FCR 4/13/2019

Well the “comeback kids” did it again this past weekend, and they did it in style. FCR was able to earn a draw against Tokyo Verdy at the Ajinomoto stadium behind a thunderous Uesato volley in the 95th minute in stoppage time. The 1-1 result ultimately dropped FCR to 6th in the J2 table at the weeks end but it is another vital point earned away from home for this newly promoted side.

Unlike the previous 8 matches FCR has played this season, the boys came out of the gate flying to open the match. FCR controlled a lot of the play and created several early chances. Masutani had a very nice shot on net but unfortunately it was directly at the Verdy GK. Tomidokoro was almost able to convert a header from a Tokumoto cross but the Verdy GK was once again up to the task. FCR’s best opportunity of the first half came when Keita Tanaka was set free in the right part of the Verdy 18-yard box and had a wide-open shot on net. If you recall, he converted a similar situation against Omiya by placing it low and hard back across the keeper but this time Tanaka opted for power that sent the shot high and wide of goal. 9 times out of 10 Tanaka will convert these opportunities but it just wasn’t the case today.

Verdy quickly responded with two chances of their own around the 32nd and 39th minute. A Verdy cross found a wide open #19 Junki Koike on the edge of the FCR 6-yard box who miss judged the bounce of the ball on the volley and sent it over the net. It didn’t matter though as Verdy would convert their next chance when a very penetrating run by Verdy went undefended, followed by a clever back heel to set up Kota Watanabe’s 39th minute goal. FCR looked lazy tracking back on defense and there were a few notable mistakes on the play. First, the FCR midfield afforded too much space and time to Verdy and when Kawai finally stepped up to challenge the Verdy player, he over committed and created a gap in the defense. The second one was when Fukui turned his back to the on rushing player assuming that he had defensive help in support and the Verdy player let rip with a very nice shot, through a wide-open shooting lane, that went past Carvajal to the right and into the back of the net.

The second half ended with Verdy up 1-0 but FCR was creating all the chances, however, they weren’t able to convert any of them. These things happen from time to time so it would be interesting to see how FCR would respond in the second half.

Things didn’t start out so great for FCR as they were allowing Verdy to dictate the flow of the game and nearly found themselves down 2-0 when Fukui made an unsuccessful rash challenge that sent #11 Hayashi free on goal with only Carvajal to beat. You knew the Verdy striker was going to attempt to round the keeper after Carvajal closed down the distance and you also knew it was one of those plays where if the FCR GK miss times the challenge, its surely a PK and possibly a sending off. Well, there was a PK following the Carvajal challenge as he brought down Hiyashi in the box but it was only a yellow card and Carvajal took the worst of it as he was bleeding profusely from his nose. Carvajal was able to continue and eventually ended up saving the PK to keep FCR in the match.

Danny has been a revelation for FCR back there this season and, in my humble opinion, is battling with Koji Suzuki for FCR MVP. I wish there were more shutouts for him but he is always in the right spot at the right time and you cannot fault the GK when the defenders in front of him don’t’ close down players to prevent shots.

FCR almost conceded another goal to Verdy shortly after the penalty kick, but once again Carvajal stepped up to block the shot with his chest and keep the score line at 1-0. Outside of a Tomidokoro chance that went harmlessly wide, there wasn’t much for FCR until stoppage time.

During stoppage time FCR would create 3 notable chances to tie the match. First, #28 Yoshio Koizumi sent a screamer on goal that went just wide of the post. Shortly thereafter Koji Suzuki had a chance to equalize but his attempted volley sailed over the bar. However, it was the FCR captain Uesato, who achieved the breakthrough for FCR in the 95th minute. There was a lot of extra time this half due to the Carvajal injury and that really helped FCR out as they were building a lot momentum leading up the goal.

Uesato was able to hit the ball first time after a Kawai shot was deflected by the Verdy defense, and then the clearance landed in front of Uesato, who hit it with power and placement past the diving Verdy GK. You could see how much the goal meant for Uesato ,and for FCR, but even more so for the FCR fans. You could hear our supporters cheering very loudly on the television and the place where I was watching the match erupted. It was a great moment and one I am glad to have shared with some new FCR fans.

The match would end 1-1 and push FCR up to 4th before the final results of the J2 were registered for the week’s matches.

Match Takeaways: 1.) FCR ended up with 54% possession on the day and dominated a lot of the open play. They were attacking the right side of the Verdy defense early, as I suggested as a key to success in the preview article, but the goal would ultimately come from the left side. In fact, they started attacking more down the left in the second half. FCR would also register 21 shots on the day with 14 of them on net. Nice to see these statistics from FCR and the goals will start falling eventually if they keep it up.

2.) It seems Higuchi is opting to start Kawai and then bring Uejo on in the second half of matches. Kawai definitely has speed to burn, and it can trouble the opposing team’s defenders, but Kawai needs to develop better ball control. There were a few times when he lost control in developing situations for FCR that would derail our attack. 

3.) FCR needs more work on the training ground for their set pieces. FCR had a lot of corner kicks in the first half and none of them amounted to any real chances. They were either too low and easily cleared by the Verdy defense or were unable to pick out any FCR players in the box. It is vital to the success of this team this season to start converting some of these CKs and the FKs just outside the 18-yard box.

4.) #28 Yoshio Koizumi had a good 20 minutes of play near the end of the match and it will be interesting to see if he is preferred to Kawai next week versus Kagoshima. He created a few chances in stoppage time and generally looked good on the ball during his first run out. He also isn’t afraid to shoot and nearly notched the tying goal for FCR. I’d like to see more of him before I get too far ahead of myself and suggest that he could be the potential Nakagawa replacement that FCR has been missing these past 5 weeks. Let’s also not forget FCR has another blossoming talent in Uejo and hopefully he’s match fit for a full 90 minutes next week.

5.) The overall depth of our back line is surely to be tested for the next few matches until Nishioka returns. Tokumoto looks tired and his crosses don’t nearly have the same height or venom compared to earlier in the season. FCR needs reliable reinforcements back there that can spell our starting 4 defenders because they are one injury away from having to answer some very though questions.

Well, I really enjoyed watching the match with some new friends and fans of FCR, especially Shimabukuro. I will see all of you later this week with the Match Day 10 preview. 

Match Day 9 Preview: Tokyo Verdy vs FCR

Match Day Info: 04/13/2019 (H) Tokyo Verdy vs FCR (A) at the Ajinomoto Stadium Kickoff at 14:00

Weather Forecast: Sunny with temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (24C) at kickoff with slight 5 mph winds. Temperatures will stay near the high 50s low 60s all game and there is a 0% chance of rain at the time of this posting. It seems as if it will be cool but sunny so I’d recommend a light jacket and hat/sunglasses.

FCR will once again travel to the Tokyo area this time to take on Tokyo Verdy at the 49,000 seat Ajinomotoa stadium. Verdy share this stadium with FC Tokyo but don’t bring in nearly the same size of crowds as the J1 tenants. In fact, they are averaging around 4,300 per match but that also includes a home game played at a much smaller venue this past mid-week. FCR are coming off their historic performance against Kashiwa Reysol this past Sunday where they drew 1 all to become the all time J League leader in consecutive undefeated matches at home with 26.

Tokyo Verdy: 16th in J2 with 8 points. 2W2D4L Current Form LDWDL Typical Formation 4-2-3-1

Verdy are a strange team in that they can show flashes of brilliance at certain times but also display a penchant for losing their concentration at critical moments of the game. They responded rather quickly against Tochigi when the visitors were up 1-0 but then let the game slip away with 2 late goals to lose 3-2. They narrowly earned a draw against Tokushima on the road when a later corner was deflected in off the back of one of the Verdy players.

Verdy looked like a totally different team against Kashiwa Reysol two weeks ago as they pounced on the visitors for two early goals and ended up shutting out a good Reysol team 2-0 at home. Verdy then faced off against one of the early table toppers in Mito in the mid-week but this was a lackluster game that ended in a 0-0 draw.

Against J2 League leading Yamagata they nearly pulled off the upset on the road by taking the lead in the 44th minute only to concede in the 60th and 90th minute resulting in a 2-1 loss.

Players to Watch: #11 Ryohei Hayashi FW. He is their leading scored with 4 goals so far this season. He has a very dangerous left foot and has a penchant for heading balls into the back of the net. In the 6 games that I’ve seen his highlights, he moves effortlessly in the box, as well as around and in between the opposing teams’ defenders to create space for himself. He times his runs very well which almost seems to lull the opposing teams’ defenders to sleep before he quickly turns on the speed and gets past them and onto the end of a cross in the box. I feel Okazaki will have his hands full with Hayashi tomorrow.

FCR: 5th in J2 with 15 points. 4W3D1L Current Form WDDLD Typical Formation 4-2-3-1

Emotions are riding high for FCR coming off their historic achievement this past weekend. I believe the late goal against Reysol will bolster their confidence and hopefully push them out to an early lead away from the friendly confines of Okinawa. Uejo’s 4th goal of the season was massive for the club and community but has also propelled him into the joint top 4 scorer in J2 this season. While his two prior goals may have been originally intended as crosses for Suzuki, this last goal left little doubt in anyone’s mind when he smashed it home on the volley.

FCR have failed to win in their last 4 matches but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are experiencing a drop off in performance. They have faced some tough teams over that stretch that includes drawing on the road against the current league leaders Yamagata, coming from behind twice to secure draws at home against Yamaguchi and Kashiwa and the tough loss during the shortened week where they nearly made something of the match against JEF.

FCR Keys to Victory: 1.) Attack the left side of Tokyo Verdy. In the matches I reviewed for this preview they were absolutely terrible down the left side of their defense. This means that either Tanaka, and hopefully a healthy Nishioka, can exploit Verdy with plenty of open space to send crosses into the box. For whatever reason, the Verdy defense down the left cannot organize itself and allows acres of space to opposing teams as well as ample opportunities to send shots and crosses into the dangerous 6-yard box. 2.) Take #11 Hayashi out of the match with good man marking and Verdy will have little to offer in the attack going forward. If FCR can keep a close eye on Hayashi and make life difficult for him then we should have no problem slowing down the Verdy attack.

3.) Dominate the possession and shots on net. The more FCR can pressure Verdy at the back the more chances that their defense will crumble and begin conceding goals. The Verdy defense is not that great but it is imperative FCR get on the front foot, shrug off any slow start and begin attacking. Tomidokoro could have a very nice game here by setting up Suzuki and our defenders with some well placed crosses into the box from the right side.

Match Prediction: I like both teams to score and for FCR to possibly upset the home side. We can expect, with a high degree of certainty anyways, that FCR will start out slow and allow their opponents some early opportunities. Verdy has capitalized on that once this season so it is crucial that FCR bend, but don’t break, on defense and then begin the attack on the Verdy defense.

Well good luck to Hiroaki Ikema, the FC Ryukyu Kanto region supporters and everyone else I haven’t mentioned that intends to show up to this match. Cheer the boys on as loud as you can and bring home the victory.

See you on Monday with the match recap.