20 #FC琉球

Intro

Disjointed, out of synch, and wasteful is the best way to describe the result from last night’s loss to Zweigen Kanazawa. FC Ryukyu had several chances to grab the early lead, but failed to do so. This allowed Kanazawa to take charge of the match early in the second half and grab the easy win.

Match Day 38 Highlights

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhoe6aL64kc

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/3468304

Man of the Match

Zweigen Kanazawa MF Raisei Shimazu. The guy scored a ridiculous goal last night, possibly a contender for goal of the year, and put this game out of reach for FC Ryukyu.

Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Possess and Press: Likelihood 4. FC Ryukyu had the foot on the gas early but failed to get across the line. The possession rate was high, but so were the turnovers and missed opportunities. The turnovers in the second half really killed any forward momentum and prevented them from scoring.

2. Get Koya firing Again: Likelihood 4. Koya didn’t start, and when he came on as a sub, coupled with the aforementioned turnovers, he could not get into any rhythm.

Key Takeaways from the Match

1. Turnovers killed us last night. It was difficult to keep track of the number as there were so many of them. And they occurred at both ends of the pitch. The ones in the attacking area derailed many of our attacks and led to our players exerting more energy that necessary to defend the quick change of possession for Kanazawa. The ones in our end provided Kanazawa with very short counter attacks. FC Ryukyu were lucky to leave the first have level due to a poor turnover that gave Kanazawa a free look on goal with no defender in sight. It was only because of a mental error on the part of the second Kanazawa attacker that resulted in an offside call. The turnovers in the second half completely killed off any chance of equalizing the game.

2. A major contributing factor for the failure to score last night was the bevy of changes that Higuchi made within the FC Ryukyu starting 11. Still without the services of Takuma Abe and Shinya Uehara, Higuchi turned to Hitomi to lead the FC Ryukyu front line. Additionally, Yamaguchi made his first start in quite some time and Ichimaru started over Uesato in the CM. These three players have very little time to make their mark before the season ends while 2021 contracts hang in the balance. Therefore, you cannot fault these guys for trying to “shoot their shot,” but that led to the attack taking a very different look than weeks past.

Ichimaru had a rough night last night as he was a major contributor in the turnover category for this side. Yamaguchi came close to scoring twice, but was off the mark on both occasions. Hitomi had a great chance to score off a Koizumi pass, but the shot went high over the keeper. In the case of Yamaguchi and Hitomi, these can all be contributed to a lack of playing time. As far as Ichimaru is concerned, it was just one of those days where he was due for a bad game.

3. @Kanazawadreamin was right in regards to the fact that playing a much tougher opponent the game prior, and achieving some level of success, buoyed the confidence and play of Zweigen. Kanazawa had zero wins, only two goals scored, along with ten conceded, over their last five road games coming into last night. That meant, when they play a lesser opponent, and the level of push back is much less, then things will seem easier for them. I would expect much of the same this Sunday when Okayama come to Okinawa after drawing with Avispa.

4. The midfielders will be expected to lead this attack for the remainder of the year as there has been no word on the status of either Abe or Uehara. Without a true talisman up top, FC Ryukyu will need to grab early leads to see out wins. Hitomi will get a chance to cut his teeth these last few games so he will need to step up in a big way to help this side. The good news is, if he does, we could have a very young prospect up top for years to come. If he doesn’t, then FC Ryukyu have some tough questions to answer heading into 2021.

Match Day 38 in J2

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/j2-league/startseite/wettbewerb/JAP2

Tokushima are now one win away from securing promotion, and two wins away from winning the league. Avispa Fukuoka were unable to defeat Okayama but still have a four-point lead over Nagasaki who lost to Kyoto Sanga FC. Kyoto have pulled off quite a nice “hate and discontent” run here at the end as they have beat 2 of the top 3 sides in the table, and thus delayed the promotion race for a bit. Kyoto face Fukuoka in 10 days and a win there could really boost the chances of Nagasaki pulling off a comeback.

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/j-league-division-2/tabelle/wettbewerb/JAP2/saison_id/2019

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sno91A44ItU

Conclusion

In a meaningless season for this team, the only thing that counts at the end is effort. The players did put forth a good amount of effort yesterday, but it wasn’t focused in the right areas so the end result was ugly. With four games remaining, all any of us want to see is for this team to end the season on a high note. That means nothing more than wins at home.

“Home Sweet Home” Match Day 38 Preview: (17) FC Ryukyu vs (18) Zweigen Kanazawa 12/2/20 #FC琉球

Intro

In the midst of a four game home stand, and coming off one of their most emphatic wins of the season, FC Ryukyu will try and keep the good times rolling when they face Zweigen Kanazawa on Match Day 38. Kanazawa got the better of FC Ryukyu the last time these two sides met thanks to a goal deep in stoppage time by Rodolfo.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VheOn2s4I1A

The win came during one of Kanazawa’s best runs of five games unbeaten, whereas the loss was the third in a row for FC Ryukyu. Zweigen are a shell compared to the team that at one point registered 2 games with 5 goals scored, as they’ve are now one of the worst teams when it comes to conceding. However, FC Ryukyu are only slightly better off in the goals conceded category yet still trail Kanazawa by one total goal scored for the season.

Match Day 37 Recaps

FC Ryukyu vs Tokyo Verdy (4-0)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qny3bl3PWw0

Zweigen Kanazawa vs Tokushima Vortis (3-4)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxS46TrTcz4

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Easily their best month this season, FC Ryukyu notched four wins and one draw from the eight games in November. The four wins are impressive as it nearly matched their season win total (6) up to the start of that month. FC Ryukyu’s home form has also been quite good the past five rounds as they are undefeated, winning 4 out of 5, with the lone draw coming against Giravanz Kitakyushu.

The fact is FC Ryukyu navigated a very treacherous slate of games this past month that not only included games against 3 out of the top 4 sides in the table, but also 2 sets of back-to-back road games, with 3 midweek matches. The easing of the fixture list, coupled with 4 out of their remaining 5 games to be played at home, now puts FC Ryukyu in a position to make a nice end of season run.

So will it be Dany or will it be Taguchi this game? Dany seems to have lost his spot to the reserve keeper the past four games for no apparent reason. If there was an injury to Dany, we would never know it, but Higuchi seems to favor the “hot hand” approach as of late. Despite the fact that Taguchi, like Dany the game prior to his demotion, surrendered 3 goals yet Higuchi has stuck with him. You have to believe Dany is the long term answer at GK for FC Ryukyu, so it is best we get him back in there before the season comes to a close.

It will be some combination of Suzuki, Yong Jick, and Okazaki at CB moving forward as Fukui has made way for Okazaki in the reserves. I do not believe Chinen is fit enough to return but Okazaki’s inclusion, along with that of Shinji Ono, Kazuki Yamaguchi, and now Takuya Hitomi, has meant that promising fullback, Makito Uehara’s development, has taken a back seat. This is unfortunate as Uehara needs more games to develop before being thrust into the lineup when relegation is a real possibility in 2021.

We may classify Tanaka and Numata as defenders in the 4-2-3-1 formation that Higuchi deploys, but in all reality, they are wing backs who are more involved in the attack than defense. It works really well when FC Ryukyu controls large swaths of the game, aided by talent we possess in the mid-field, but leaves us very vulnerable at the back when their is an ill-timed, poorly executed challenge from one of our central defenders.

Koizumi was simply unstoppable this past game but I fear the knock he took to his right foot may prevent him from featuring this round. He could be replaced by either Ikeda or Yamaguchi, who will likely be flanked by Koya and Kawai. Uesato and Koki Kazama should take up their normal starting positions at CDM.

It would be nice to see Abe return to the lineup, which would allow Ren Ikeda to drop back to the CAM role in the event Koizumi is out, but if Abe and Shinya Uehara are not match fit, than FC Ryukyu do have a few options. They could start Ren or Hitomi at FWD, and then make a switch to Yamaguchi or Ono later on. Everyone would like to see Shinji Ono score his first ever goal for FC Ryukyu, and this game presents one of the best, last, chances to do just that.

Zweigen Kanazawa: We’ve been on a poor run for most of the last two months, with some occasional flashes of good play.

In the attack, we don’t really have any big worries as indicated by our goal scoring record. Mutsuki Kato is edging towards the Zweigen single-season goal record of 16 – currently sitting on 13 – and Towa Yamane has been doing quite well up front after missing the first half of the season. Rodolfo and Taiki Watanabe have formed a nice combination down the left side of our attack as well.

Our problems are mainly at the back. We have a terrible goals against record, and we conceded 4 goals in a game 4 times in the month of November. Center Back, Ryoga Ishio, has played every minute of every game and taken several knocks to the head along the way. He clearly needs a rest, despite being a very good defender, because his form has dropped off compared to the high standards he set early in the season.

The manager, Masaaki Yanagishita, seems to be trying out different combinations and players in different positions with an eye on next season. He seems to have a prominent role in mind for midfielder Toshiya Motozuka.

The main player to watch tomorrow is Yota Shimokawa, who has been by far our best player this season. He can play left, or right, wing/back, and has even had a go in the central midfield spots. He is deadly accurately with either foot on crosses, and also leads the team in assists. If he’s in the lineup tomorrow, expect most of our attacks to funnel through him.

Even though we lost 4-3 to Tokushima this past match. Our comeback from down 0-3, to level at 3-3, versus arguably the best side in J2 right now, provides some hope that we maybe able to end this current slump, and finish the season on a high note.

Thanks again to our man over at @Kanazawadreamin for putting this Zweigen Kanazawa preview together for us on such short notice.

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. Possess and Press: Likelihood 4. Kanazawa are hemorrhaging goals at the moment whereas FC Ryukyu are coming off one of their largest wins to date. If FC Ryukyu can play their preferred, possession based style of football, they should have ample opportunities to score on Wednesday. The slight worry is that FC Ryukyu will be without their top playmakers in Koizumi and Abe. But they still have enough firepower in Koya, Kawai and Tanaka to light up the scoreboard.

2. Get Koya Firing Again. Likelihood 4. The veteran was in fine form just a few matches ago, but the combination of some easy misses and bad luck may have caused a slight drop in confidence. It is just one of things that players go through from time to time, and Koya is in the midst of an unlucky stretch right now. He missed a chance to put FC Ryukyu up early last week before having another shot saved from point blank range. He has formed a nice partnership with Keita Tanaka this year, and it was working well the last time these two sides met, so hopefully Tanaka can spring Koya for a goal in order regain some of the confidence that was lost the past few weeks.

Match Prediction

@Kanazawadreamin outlined the fact that Zweigen conceded 4 goals inside of 4 games this month. Maybe FC Ryukyu don’t have all the pieces to make this a convincing victory on Wednesday, but I think they have enough to push the score line to 2-1 for the win.

Match Day 38 in J2

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/j-league-division-2/startseite/wettbewerb/JAP2

This pressure to close out the promotion race seems to be increasing each game. Match Day 38 presents the best, and possibly only, remaining chance for (2) Avispa Fukuoka and (3) V-Varen Nagasaki to make up some ground on leaders (1) Tokushima Vortis. Vortis host (4) Giravanz Kitakyushu in the premier matchup this round as both Fukuoka, traveling to (15) Fagiano Okayama, and Nagasaki, traveling to (10) Kyoto Sanga FC, have easier matchups on paper.

Nagasaki has the toughest remaining schedule of the top 3 as they will face Kyoto, Yamagata, Verdy, and Kofu before the final match day. Fukuoka has the easiest schedule of anyone and Vortis may have the league wrapped up by Match Day 40. While the final game looms large for both Avispa and Nagasaki, Vortis may rest some players ahead of their Emperor’s Cup match if they win the league, thus allowing Fukuoka a cake walk into the J1.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ET7txLk0vM

Conclusion

Just your typical, end of the year, teams at the bottom of the table, tilt tomorrow. Both sides have experienced their fair share of ups and downs this year while looking nearly equal on paper heading into this one. A slight advantage is afforded to FC Ryukyu as they are at home on the short week, but they could be devoid of much of their playmaking ability due to injury.

Still, being undefeated at home with 4 wins out of 5, and 10 goals scored compared to only 2 conceded in that time, it sure is good to be “home sweet home.”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmrh42foUsg

Nothing to it, but to do it boys!

“Hard 1 Done!” Match Day 32 Recap: Zweigen Kanazawa 2-2 FC Ryukyu 9/14/2019

Intro

2-2 was the final and it was a hard earned, well earned, possibly gifted point this weekend but the point is all that really matters in the end. FC Ryukyu are now at the point where results matter more than the form in which they were awarded. “By Hook or by Crook” is a famous saying and the countdown to J2 football in 2020 is now on. If FC Ryukyu can maintain their 10-point lead over bottom side Tochigi SC than the boys will be safe from relegation within 6 weeks of this entry. If not, hang onto your butts as it will get very dicey later on.

Match Recap

FC Ryukyu came out in their typical 4-2-3-1 with Shinji Ono taking up a CDM position. However, Ramon, Uejo and Koya led the attacking MF. It didn’t long for Kanazawa to ask questions of the Ryukyu back line from set pieces and it was Dany Carvajal who had the save of the match (actually for all of J2), when he first stopped the initial shot from the CK and then pulled the next shot from out of the air before it could fully cross the goal line. It was the second time in 3 weeks where FCR would be involved in some sort of goal line controversy but who cares, it was their turn to be on the rewarding end for once. It was all for not though as Kanazwa were able to rip the Ryukyu back line wide open 9 minutes later with two very nice passes that ended with Clunie’s deft little flick over his fellow countryman Dany giving Kanazawa the early 1-0 lead. Ryukyu nearly equalized a minute later before a phenomenal pass from Ramon sent Uejo free on net to which the Okinawa native slotted home is 10^th goal of the campaign in the 37th minute. For what it’s worth, I hope for 2 things for Uejo. First, I hope that FC Ryukyu have or can sign him before some larger club gets him on a free transfer since it was FC Ryukyu that provided the platform for Uejo to succeed and the club should bea warded financially. Second, I hope he goes outside of Asia to ply his trade as this would be massive for an Okinawa born player.

Kanazawa grabbed the 2-1 lead from yet another Fukui mishandling of the situation. I’m starting to think the cheers for Fukui in Mito where not the welcoming back of a former player kind but rather the thank goodness he left town. In any case, Ryukyu were once again down on the road. Uehara was able to salvage a draw for FC Ryukyu from a Tanaka cross, that should’ve been cleared by the Kanazawa captain, but instead he bottled and allowed Uehara to slot home the equalizer. The match saw a few more dramatic twists and turns that included a shot off the post by Kanazawa that would’ve sealed the game but the local lads earned a point and pushed the magic number of matches and points to 6/10.

Review of the Keys to Victory

1. Maintain a steady presence at the back: FAIL or PASS. Steady as in nothing has changed, we are terrible back there.

2. Minimize mental mistakes: UNDECIDED. Looked good for parts of the game but there were certainly nervy and punishable mistakes made by our side.

3. Cover the back line: FAIL. Cannot protect them from set pieces and counters. Nothing we can do but hold on and wait for a change next season.

4. Exploit the confusion in the Kanazawa back line. PASS! With flying colors. Ramon’s and Tanaka’s unlocked the back line and led to both goals.

Conclusion

Oh, what could’ve been with the likes of Koji, Uejo, Ramon, Nakagawa and Koya up front. But alas, it will never be so all we can do is hope for J2 football in 2020, a decent finish that increases the fan base and some reinforcements this off-season. For now, its Yamagata on Saturday with a 10-point lead on the relegation zone. See it out lads.

“Branch Breakers”Match Day 32: Zweigen Kanazawa vs. FC Ryukyu 9/14/2019

Intro

Welcome Back! I apologize for the lengthy gap but we all have commitments outside of FC Ryukyu right?. Anyways, in the time that I’ve been gone we’ve seen FCR lose twice and then win an all-important 6-point match against Kagoshima at home. The win brings FC Ryukyu within 8 points of the relative “safety zone” of 42 points that I’ve been touting the past few weeks. But make no mistake, those are going to be the toughest 8 points FC Ryukyu need to earn all season. This is a tall task for FC Ryukyu as they play 7 of their remaining games this season on the road.

Weather Forecast

Absolutely gorgeous. See the picture below.

Zweigen Kanazawa

Kanazawa come into this match having lost their last 2 matches in a row. Prior to these losses they had reeled off 6 straight matches without a defeat. An accomplishment FC Ryukyu haven’t achieved since their opening 6 matches of the season. When these two sides last met three months ago at the Tapista, FC Ryukyu earned a draw off the back of a Koji Suzuki 69’ minute goal (tears) after conceding an early goal to Zweigen. Zweigen are certainly looking to avenge that draw and aide their chances of promotion by moving within 3 points of the playoff zone with a win over FC Ryukyu. And as we all know as FC Ryukyu fans, targeting a win against FC Ryukyu when they visit your stadium is very bankable these days.

In Kanazawa’s last 5 matches they earned 3-2 wins over Machida and Niigata; a 2-1 victory over FC Gifu; and then suffered 2-1 and 3-1 defeats to Kagoshima and Mito. The run of sloppy play for Zweigen really began in the Niigata match where they were awarded their second PK in as many matches but also surrendered 2 PK opportunities to Niigata. Fortunately for Zweigen, Niigata were unable to score on the very late PK attempt by Leonardo that would’ve tied the game. Probably due to the ridiculously slow and elongated run up to the ball by Leonardo that was followed up by a rather poor shot on net.

Despite escaping the Niigta match with a win, the run of poor play by Kanazawa was just beginning. Please note, that when I mention poor play, it is not to the degree or scenes we’ve witnessed from FC Ryukyu the past few months. I am simply stating that things have become a little undone for Zweigen the past few weeks. This offers the smallest glimmer of hope for the traveling FC Ryukyu side who have been awful on the road all season but this is not an easy match by any means.

Kanazawa lost 2-1 to Kagoshima after taking an early 1-0 lead and though they were tied with Mito at one point, they never really looked on the front foot for much of the match. What better way to break out of a 2-game losing streak than by welcoming a side that boasts the worst away record in J2.

FC Ryukyu

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points from a total of 42 possible points on the road this season. They haven’t earned a positive result on the road since a draw against Kyoto way back in June. FC Ryukyu have lost 9 out of their last 10 road games and suffered some heavy defeats along the way. And the most worrying sign heading into the last quarter of the season,, it has been 195 days since FC Ryukyu last won on the road. With so many road games ahead of FC Ryukyu, and the fact that we need to take our destiny into our own hands and not rely on our opponents losing beneath us, FC Ryukyu desperately need some points on the road.

There have been some sweeping changes to the FC Ryukyu lineup the past few weeks. Some good and some interesting. Most notably are the changes to the defense and mid-field. Torikai has replaced Nishioka at RB and Shinji Ono has slotted in next to Uesato in the CDM role to sure up, or provide direction, to the back line. Also, Uejo has moved into the CAM role behind the newly acquired striker, Yamada. The lineup produced the 2-1 victory over Kagoshima so I’ll reserve judgement for after this match. I hope to see the return of Kawai to the reserves as I feel his speed, along with Ramon’s, could really trouble defenses later on in games.

Team Injuries

Zweigen Kanazawa: #24 DF Hasegawa Takumi looks to have torn his ACL late in August and may be one of the reasons why Zweigen has conceded so many goals the last 2 matches.

FC Ryukyu: None.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory

1. Maintain a steady presence at the back. The last road game saw FC Ryukyu come apart rather quickly after taking an early 1-0 lead. 6 straight goals from Vortis was inexcusable but these things happen from time to time. Mark the runs of opposing attackers, clear the garbage from the front of the net and for god’s sake, close players down near the edge of the box.

2. Minimize the mental mistakes. We could insert this one every week but I haven’t been able to watch the team the last few weeks to know if they’ve overcome the numerous mistakes from games past so we’ll leave this one right where it is.

3. Cover the back line. Hopefully we can prevent long balls over the top that catch Fukui and Okazaki out and force them into rash challenges or mistakes. This means FC Ryukyu in turn need to play a bit of long ball themselves and allow players with speed to run underneath the passes. I hope that either, or both, Uesato or Shinji sit a little deeper and try to pick apart the Zweigen defense from afar while not allowing them to break against our back line.

4. Exploit the confusion and poor run of form in the Zweigen back line. Kanazawa often conceded some rather soft goals due to confusion and the best way to attack that is with speed. Does FC Ryukyu have enough speed in the lineup to round the Zweigen defenders that will create some space and time for Uejo and Yamada to shoot?

Match Prediction

Much like the last time I wrote a preview article when FC Ryukyu were on the road, I cannot sit here and say that FC Ryukyu will come out on top this week because the away record speaks volumes. I, along with all of you, would love to be pleasantly surprised at an FC Ryukyu victory and/or draw at this point. There is a chance that could occur tomorrow but I have said that way too many times to believe it anymore so we’ll go with a 3-1 defeat. The prediction aligns with the average amount of goals that FC Ryukyu score and concede during road games this season.

Conclusion

11 matches remain in the J2 season. FC Ryukyu will need to earn at least 8 more points to feel relatively comfortable about their chances of avoiding relegation. They will need to earn these 8 points from 7 road matches against some pretty strong sides. It is both as simple and as difficult as that. Good luck to all that attend and to FC Ryukyu, we need it.

“Everything is going to be O.K.” Match Day 17 Recap: FC Ryukyu 1-1 Zweigen Kanazawa 6/08/2019

On a day when the weather conditions were less than ideal, FC Ryukyu managed to keep their unbeaten streak alive and earn a valuable point that should keep them in the top half of the table at the weeks end. The real story of the night belongs to Ryo Ishii who filled in admirably for the injured Danny Carvajal. Ishii’s presence in goal was a real concern of mine heading into a very tough stretch of games and I must admit, I was wrong to judge him so quickly. Ishii’s efforts were the main reason FC Ryukyu earned 1 point on the day and prevented the unbeaten streak from being broken.

First Half

The first half started out very quickly for Kanazawa and they broke through early because of some rather poor defending on the part of FC Ryukyu. In the 6^th minute, Uesato was attempting to play the ball out from the back and though his pass found Komatsu, Komatsu took an errant touch and turned the ball over. The turnover really caught the FC Ryukyu defense in bad positioning as they were in the middle of transitioning into the attack. The worst part of the goal was Okazaki’s attempt at defending the on-rushing Kanazawa player. It seems as if Okazaki couldn’t decide how he wanted to attempt his clearance of the ball, and this probably led to some confusion on his part, which ultimately resulted in him bumbling over the ball -though he never really tracked the ball and was fixated on the Kanazawa attacker strangely enough, and this allowed the Kanazawa player a free shot on net. Taiki Kato slotted the opening goal past a diving Ishii and Masutani to put Kanazawa up 1-0.

Not exactly sure what Okazaki is attempting to do here , but the result was catastrophic.

In the 17^th minute, Kazama had a very nice attempt on net that was sent just wide by the outstretched arms of the Zweigen goal keeper. Shortly thereafter, Ishii was called into action once more as the Ryukyu defense broke down and Kanazawa had yet another free look on net. Ishii chested the shot down and quickly scooped up the rebound thus ending the Zweigen opportunity. Tanka had an absolute gifted chance in the 22^nd minute that was saved by the Kanazawa keeper to keep Ryukyu off the scoreboard. I hope these “near misses” that Ryukyu are currently experiencing at the moment will turn into goals. We are going to need some of these to start finding the back of the net the next 2 months. Ryukyu nearly tied the game heading into half time when a shot from Okazaki off a corner kick landed directly at the feet of Suzuki. The resulting shot from Suzuki was saved and the rebound fell right to Masutani who unfortunately sent the third shot high over the bar. Ryukyu would be kept off the score sheet at the half despite several good chances.

Second Half

Zweigen started the second half quickly and had two chances to increase their lead in the 49^th and 55^th minute. Each attempt saw a break down in defending by Ryukyu that left Ishii extremely exposed. FC Ryukyu were lucky that Kanazawa sent the shots wide or things would’ve ended very differently that night for Ryukyu. Finally, in the 69^th minute, Suzuki would level the match and put Ryukyu on the front foot for the first time all game.

Suzuki was able to slip past his marker and found some wide-open territory between the Zweigen defenders and then sent his shot around the Zweigen goalie for his J2 league leading 11^th goal of the season. It was a very nice take from the seasoned veteran and it is a shame that FC Ryukyu doesn’t have someone who can provide Suzukui the constant service a top-class striker deserves. Ryukyu’s only other chance of note came in the 77^th minute went Uejo sent a shot just over the crossbar. The game would end 1-1 and the unbeaten streak would be pushed to 30.

Suzuki slipping past his marker, taking a touch and then rounding the keeper with a nicely placed shot.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory Review

I put forth 3 keys to victory for FC Ryukyu in the preview article so let us review: 1. Do not allow Zweigen Kanazawa to expose Ishii at the back, 2. Do not allow Zweigen to gain any momentum and finally, 3. Exploit Zweigen’s defense on set pieces.

1. FC Ryukyu absolutely exposed Ishii at the back on multiple occasions and Ryukyu were extremely lucky to earn a draw. The defending on the part of Ryukyu that night was woeful. Zweigen were constantly getting through the middle of our defense and they were also able overpower and round Tokumoto and Nishioka. Hopefully Okazaki just had one of those “brain farts” when he allowed the Zweigen player in on net and this doesn’t become a trend. However, what is a trend is the poor defending by Ryukyu this season. It just goes to show you how good Danny Carvajal, and now Ishii, are at the back as well as how vital these 2 keepers are to the Ryukyu season. The defending issues need to be addressed both on the training ground and in the transfer window this summer. Ryukyu cannot expect to play on the razors edge all year and come out on top. Result: Fail

2. Zweigen began to generate momentum early in both halves but Ryukyu did well to slow them down and prevent them from grabbing a larger lead. Granted, Zweigen had not scored in 3 games leading up to this match but we fully expected them to score against Ryukyu. That statement could be tied directly to the first point I made in this section. Ryukyu wobbled for a bit early in the second half but it wasn’t to the extent we’ve seen them lose concentration in the past. Luckily Zweigen missed those opportunities and Ryukyu recovered nicely. Result: Pass

3. Ryukyu had a golden opportunity near the end of the match to take the lead on a corner kick but unfortunately, Ryukyu’s Uehara was not match fit and therefore we couldn’t get the advantage over Zweigen. I mentioned in the preview that Zweigen would be without their starting LCB and it was crucial for Ryukyu to exploit the new defensive pairing for Zweigen. They did, but it took them until the 69^th minute when the Zweigen defender came out too far and the resulting turnover to Ryukyu found Suzuki onside and alone at the top of the box. Result: Pass

Man of the Match

Ryo Ishii. It couldn’t be anyone else on the day despite the lovely goal by Suzukui. Ishii was an unknown commodity heading into this important match up and he really rose to the occasion. He made an absolute stunning save on a set piece that made it over the top of the wall and on net. Some could argue that it was the perfect height for the keeper to save but Ishii still did well to get to the shot and push it away from danger.

Ishii diving and stopping a nice FK by Zweigen.

I mentioned earlier that he also kept Ryukyu in the match when they were down 1-0 when Zweigen had their second free look on net and Ishii did well to stop the original shot and collect the resulting rebound. There are some aspects of his game that I am sure will tighten up with time and experience and I am not going to nitpick a tremendous performance by Ishii that directly led to the favorable outcome for Ryukyu.

Looking Ahead

FC Ryukyu are on the road next week to take on 5^th place Kyoto Sanga. Kyoto are coming off a 3-1 loss to Omiya on the road and are returning home after spending the last two weeks on the road. The games are going to get a lot tougher for FC Ryukyu the remainder of this month and therefore any points earned on the road should be considered a blessing.

“Familiar Foe” Match Day 17 Preview: FC Ryukyu vs. Zweigen Kanazawa 6/08/2019

Match Day 17 Information: (H) FC Ryukyu versus Zweigen Kanazawa (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium 06/08/2019, Kickoff 19:30

Weather Forecast: Wet and Windy. This game will be played in less than ideal conditions with rain starting earlier in the day and continuing through the match. Bring rain jackets, towels to wipe the seats and an umbrella.

Match Day 17 sees FC Ryukyu attempting to push their unbeaten streak at home to 30 while taking on 8^th placed Zweigen Kanazawa. The last time these two faced each other was during the inaugural J3 season in 2014 when Zweigen won the league and was the first ever J3 side to be promoted to the J2. Ryukyu enters this match fresh off a 2-1 loss on the road to Yokohama FC that saw them lose Danny Carvajal to a sprained foot that will sideline the Costa Rican goalkeeper for at least a month. Kanazawa drew 0-0 against Tokushima Vortis at home and are looking very eager to end the Ryukyu run of unbeaten games this Saturday. One bit of good news for FC Ryukyu is that this match should see the return of Okazaki at Center Back and provide some leadership and skill to cover the new FC Ryukyu goal keeper, Ishii.

Zweigen Kanazawa

The 4 matches I reviewed for this preview for Kanazawa included tilts against FC Gifu, Nagasaki, Yamagata and Tokushima. Against Gifu Kanazawa were able to grab a late winner after Gifu clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match. Kanazawa then went scoreless against their next three opponents and ended up losing one of those matches at home to Nagasaki to round out the 4 games with one win, two draws and a loss. Despite the fact that Kanazawa have scored 21 goals so far this season, 12 of those goals occurred within 3 matches and they have also been held scoreless 5 times. 3 of their scoreless games have occurred during the past 3 weeks leading up to this match versus FC Ryukyu and may very likely come to an end with the change at GK for Ryukyu and the overall approach to defending by FC Ryukyu.

Likely lineup & formation for Kanazawa. Note: # 2 will be out on suspension.

Kanazawa Players to Watch

Kanazawa have 4 players that have scored 3 goals so far this season with a majority of their goals coming from the strikers. There was not many highlights to watch in the 4 games so I am forced to make judgments on what players to watch based on the stat sheet.

#13 FW Ryuhei Oshi. 3 goals and 1 assist this season. Against Gifu he made a very nice play on a ball that was heading out of bounds and sent a dangerous cross into the box that nearly was directed into the back of the net. Likely that Oshi plays on the Left side behind the two strikers in the 4-4-2 formation.

#11 MF Kyohei Sugiura. 3 goals and 2 assists. Despite being listed as a MF on the JLEAGUE website, he plays up front in a forward position for Kanazawa.

#22 FW Giovanni Clunie. 3 goals and 2 assists. The Costa Rican striker has not featured in a match since week 12 against Fukuoka and is strangely not listed on the Japanese website I use to track injuries. He is a tall 6’3” (193cm) striker that would most likely give Okazaki, Masutani and Fukui fits at the back so I hope he doesn’t feature for Kanazawa this weekend as it looks like the goal less drought by Kanazawa has coincided with Clunie’s absence from the lineup.

FC Ryukyu

Likely lineup & formation. FCR will be without Danny Carvajal at GK.

FC Ryukyu face a stiff test this week as they look to increase their unbeaten run at home to 30. They will need to do so without the services of one of the team’s MVPs this season, Danny Carvajal. This means that FC Ryukyu will turn to Ryo Ishii to man the net during Danny’s absence and that means that FC Ryukyu really need to tighten up defensively at the back. Ryukyu failed to do this in the last 25 minutes of the Yokohama match and allowed Yokohama to take advantage of our misfortune by grabbing two quick goals shortly after Danny’s substitution. It was a shame too as Suzukii added an absolute top-notch strike to put Ryukyu out in front and it looked as if Ryukyu were going to grab a second before the injury. Regardless, FC Ryukyu are going to need to do all they can to grab maximum points at home with their current road form.

FC Ryukyu have 13 home matches left this season and need approximately 20-23 points to reach relative safety outside of the relegation zone. With a total of 39 points up for grab at home, that means FCR can only afford to drop points in 6 of those matches, or about half the games remaining. 4 of these home matches will be against teams in the top 6 with some of the other matches against teams that have already beat FCR this season.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1.) Do not allow Zweigen Kanazawa to exploit Ishii at the back. FCR needs to adopt the mentality of “total team defending” for this match. I agree that it goes against the team’s current ethos of attack, attack, attack, but the FCR attack has gone limp for some time now and we are most likely going to need to grind out some low scoring matches. Total team defending will mean our attacking players, Tanaka and Tomidokoro, must commit more to helping out in defense by providing top cover to Tokumoto and Nishioka. Tokumoto and Nishoka must also track back quickly when there are changes in possession to clog the channels and reduce the amount of space that Zweigen attackers can run into and occupy. Finally, we will need to be able to get the ball back and quickly turn to the counter attack led by Suzuki and Kazama as they’ll be the only two who can push forward if the attacking mid fielders in Yu and Keita are helping out on defense.

2.) Do not allow Zweigen to gain any momentum. They either score goals in bunches or simply cannot score.

3.) Exploit Zweigen’s defense on set pieces. One trend that emerged in the game film the past 4 matches for Kanazawa was the fact they concede a fair amount of opportunities and goals from set pieces, particularly corner kicks. While corner kicks are not the strong suit of the FC Ryukyu game, if FCR are able to earn enough of these set pieces, it is likely that FCR will score. It should also be noted that Kanazawa will be without the services of their starting LCB, #2 Yamamoto, who is out with a suspension. FCR should do all they can to exploit the new defensive pairing at the back for Kanazawa.

Match Prediction

2-2 Draw. FCR surrender goals too often and with a new goal keeper it is likely that the defense exposes Ishii and he concedes. I also believe FCR will score twice this week with the second goal leveling the match and keeping the streak intact.

Conclusion

Ishii flashed some skill in the Yokohama match despite conceding two early goals. Those were not totally his fault as the team in front of him provided no real support. During that match he made, at least what looked to be, some pretty spectacular saves. This could mean he was either slightly out of position and had to make a dramatic play on the ball to make up for poor positioning or, Ishii is actually that good. We will find out this weekend.

See you all out there this Saturday and do your best to stay dry in what could be a very wet, very sloppy affair at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium.