FC Ryukyu Mid Season Review: Part 1

Welcome everyone to the FC Ryukyu mid season review. I will provide a 3-part series for the FC Ryukyu mid-season review beginning today. In Part 1 I will focus briefly on the current state of the team, what changes have occurred at the club from the end of last season until now that have affected attendance numbers and then I will switch gears and review the Top 5 story lines. In Part 2 we will review the Top 5 matches for FC Ryukyu this season as well as the Top 10 goals scored by individual players from FC Ryukyu. Finally, in Part 3 we will conclude the mid-season review with some player reviews, discuss the FC Ryukyu MVPs up to this point and end the series by looking forward into the remaining fixtures for FC Ryukyu. Enjoy!

2019 To Date

FC Ryukyu have now reached the half way point of their inaugural J2 season. They sit 13^th in the table with 28 points and are 11 points clear of the relegation zone. They started the year out very fast winning 4 out of their first 4 matches and then drawing the next two to sit at 14 points. FC Ryukyu’s first loss didn’t occur until a mid-week match up against JEF Chiba on Match Day 7. They responded really well after that loss as they came home to earn a late draw against Kashiwa Reysol thus setting the new Home Undefeated Record for all of the J.Leauge with 26 in a row. FC Ryukyu would ultimately make it to 30 before Kofu ended their undefeated run with a 5-2 defeat.

In my opinion, there are couple of different ways to view the first half of the FC Ryukyu season. You could break it down by quarters or in halves.

If we broke it down by quarters, we see theses type of results: Matches 1-5; 4 wins and 1 draw, matches 6-10; 3 draws and 2 losses, matches 11-15; 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw and finally, matches; 16-21 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses. Right away we see a team that wins in bunches and then goes thru stretches of bad results.

By Halves: Matches 1-10; 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses and, matches 11-21; 3 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. This paints a more ominous picture as the losses really piled up for FC Ryukyu in the second part of the first half of the season.

What has greatly impacted FC Ryukyu’s point total this season is their inability win on the road. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Match Day 2 against Omiya and have suffered defeats to lower sides FC Gifu and Kagoshima. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, the fast start with 4 wins from 4 has produced the nice 11 to 12-point cushion between them and the drop zone area with teams 20-22. The expected point total to avoid relegation is between 42-46 points and FC Ryukyu are about 17 points shy of the sweet spot. This means FC Ryukyu will need at least 5 wins in the second half of the season while mixing in some draws.

A quick glance at the FC Ryukyu stat sheet this season.

2019 Changes

FC Ryukyu have averaged 4,480 fans in their 11 home games to date and those numbers are probably impacted by the poor weather that has befouled FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season. FC Ryukyu have played at least half of their home games this season in wet and windy conditions that makes life very difficult on the FC Ryukyu fan base. As some of you may know, there is only a small covered area on the West of the stadium and it truly doesn’t protect many of the fans against the elements. While all football clubs have to deal with inclement weather from time to time, keep in mind that FC Ryukyu are in the midst of trying to build and established fan base that can generate revenue and ultimately player transfer/salaries. Though FC Ryukyu have greatly improved their attendance totals from last year, ideally this club would like to average upwards of 7,000 fans per game. Realistically, I think 5,000 is the mark that FC Ryukyu could hit with their remaining 10 home games.

So, what has changed for the club and the fan base that has caused an average increase of about 1,000 fans per match this season compared to seasons past? There is no single answer I can come up with and I believe there are several factors involved. Before we get into the details as to why, let’s see the attendance records from FC Ryukyu’s past season in the J3.

*3 fewer home fixtures in 2016 compared to 2015

So, right away we see that FC Ryukyu has slowly been increasing their fan base since their inception in the J.League. FC Ryukyu began their push up the table in 2016 and followed that up by finishing 6^th in 2017. It should be no coincidence that the uptick in attendance coincided with a managerial change that brought a more attacking style of football to Okinawa. Not to mention, more goals. Of course, we’d expected to see the sharpest rise in attendance figures during the championship season but if we are going to draw one conclusion from these numbers, its fans appreciate exciting football on the pitch. Maybe the average fan just wants to see some goals and is not overly concerned with the end result. So now let’s see what has changed this season.

First, the fact the FC Ryukyu won the J3 title last season really helped pull the club out of the shadows and into the light for the Okinawa community. The crowd on hand for the title clinching game is one of the largest in FC Ryukyu history and it really helped put this team on the map. Second, the increased coverage of FC Ryukyu on television, on radio and in print, really increased the visibility of FC Ryukyu and this has almost certainly brought more people to the grounds.

Third, the front office staff for FC Ryukyu has really engaged the community on their website but more importantly, through social media. There is a more concentrated effort by the club to target new fans and expose this team to the local community. While some free attendance events have been hampered by bad weather, it is nice to see the club continually running shuttle buses for both home and away supporters to the stadium. The 3,000 Yen fee is definitely cheaper than a taxi or daiko back to Naha but I’d like to see the club offer discounted tickets for those people utilizing the shuttle since it increases the minimum cost to attend the match up to 4,000 Yen for an adult. The club has done well to offer a free parking and a shuttle from the Awase port area as the parking situation is deplorable, and outside of the control of the club, at the stadium as it is located inside a huge community park. FC Ryukyu also offer a child care program to attract parents who wish to attend but maybe reluctant because they are concerned, they’d spend more time looking after their children than enjoying the match. I believe that based on numerous personal experiences at the Tapista with my kids. The fact that you can find the president of the club, Mr. Mikami, in the A Section of the stadium each week interacting, and more importantly listening to FC Ryukyu fans, means the management and club are really trying to understand their customer and not force feed the fans what they don’t want.

Fourth, I think the fact that FC Ryukyu are playing in the J2 instead of the J3 has resonated with the local community that the club is playing in a more established, more respected, better covered tier of the Japanese Football pyramid. The notion that FC Ryukyu could be playing J1 football in the near future is very real in the minds of people here as the distance between the J1 and J2 is much shorter, both literally and figuratively than between J3 and J1. Fifth, there have been some nice improvements to the match day event. Food and drink vendors have increased, there are food vendors on the opposite side of the stadium and pre-match events are very well received by the local community. Sixth, the traveling fans. There is no doubt that the large numbers of fans from Reysol, Niigata and others have propped up the overall attendance numbers. Remember, Okinawa is a holiday destination for most mainland Japaneses so syncing up your teams match with your holiday plans isn’t a bad idea.

Seventh, the home unbeaten record helped immensely as it gained both local and national attention. It really brought people to the Tapista who may have never attended a match in their life but wanted to be a part of something special. Finally, there is just a different aura surrounding the club. I have witnessed some very sparsely attended matches in FC Ryukyu’s history and even joked that they were counting the players, front office staff and stadium support staff in their overall attendance numbers so as not to come across as team that no one bothers to watch. But all of that is in the past. Match day events are better planned, better presented and better executed. There is a much different atmosphere inside the stadium of seasons past and I am just having a hard time describing it in detail. You just have to be here to feel it I guess.

The club has been steadily improving its numbers every season and this is encouraging. The club cannot expect an average of 7,000 fans per match every week as it looks like it will take them about 2-3 more season to hit that number based on the statistical trends in the table above. It takes time to build a fan base and not everyone here in Okinawa is able to attend all the matches on a regular basis. Let’s assume that the club has set their operating budget based on average attendance rates of 3,000 per match. If that is the case, then the 4,200 fans they currently averaging each match means they will have some ability to make subtle changes within the club this season and that is very important to their overall success.

There are 10 home games remaining for FC Ryukyu against some serious opponents. Yamagata, Kyoto and Nagasaki to name a few so FC Ryukyu will need all the fan support they can garner to navigate these tough fixtures at home at such a crucial part of the season. I hope the weather for these matches improves as it is understandable that no one wants to bring themselves, let alone their family to watch a football match in rainy, windy conditions (despite the prevailing trend of poncho fashion). I’d like to see FC Ryukyu hit the 5,000-average mark by seasons end but that will take a concerted effort from the players performing each week, the management executing an affordable and targeted marketing campaign and with those of us at the grass roots level spreading the word about FC Ryukyu however we can.

Top 5 Storylines of the 2019 Season So Far

#5. The Transfer of Kazaki Nakagawa to Yokohama F. Marinos after Match Day 3.

One polarizing story emerging from the early part of this season was the transfer of Nakagawa to the J1 side, Yokohama F Marinos. Nakagawa had featured for FC Ryukyu since 2017 when he joined Ryukyu from Betis San Isidro in the 4^th tier of Spanish Football. Nakagawa’s breakout season occurred in 2018 when he netted 16 times while adding 16 assists. Nakagawa started the 2019 J2 season on fire by contributing 4 assists and it was the main reason FC Ryukyu looked like world-beaters so early on in the season. FC Ryukyu scored 9 goals in their first 3 games with Nakagawa and then it took them another 9 weeks to match that scoring total.

FC Ryukyu have really struggled to fill the void left by the Nakagawa departure and continue to tinker the lineup by inserting Uejo, Kazama and Ochi in his vacated spot. They have yet to find the right combination or get back to their free scoring ways they enjoyed early on. Keep in mind, FC Ryukyu had failed to score more than 2 goals in match since Nakagawa’s departure, until this past weekend, and this is a team designed for the attack. It was always going to be hard to replace a player of Nakagawa’s quality so it will be interesting to see if FC Ryukyu can pull off a loan with Yokohama in order to reacquire the temporary services of such an iconic FC Ryukyu player.

#4 FC Ryukyu’s Away Record this Season

FC Ryukyu started out the season brilliantly on the road by earning a massive 4-3 victory over Omiya and then followed that performance up with a draw against top side Yamagata. You may be thinking I am about to tell you how great this side has been on the road but it is quite the opposite. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Omiya and have been outscored 12 to 17 in those games. There are some instances of bad luck, when they lost Carvajal to injury during the Yokohama match in which they were winning, but for the most part the team has really failed to fire on the road. They salvaged some nice draws at Tokyo Verdy and Kyoto with late goals by Uesato and Kawai but otherwise have failed to get over the line with a win.

It will not get any easier for FC Ryukyu with trips to Kashiwa, Kofu and Mito ahead of them, but ideally, we’d like to see this side grab 2 more road wins this season. Considering FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points on the road in the first half, 2 wins and 3 draws in their remaining 11 road wins should be more than enough to ensure relative safety.

#3 Emerging Talents

There are some very talented players coming into their own this season. Specifically, the emergence of Uejo, Kawai, Tokumoto and Koizumi. Uejo has scored some huge goals for the club this season and has all the makings of a great attacking mid-fielder. Kawai has been putting on a display the past few matches with his speed and ability to generate goal scoring opportunities. Tokumoto can produce some great crosses from the FB position and it is no surprise that larger clubs are looking to acquire his services this transfer window. Koizumi has only featured in 6 matches but has flashed some talented play and movement. All these players are under-25 years old and they look to be the future for FC Ryukyu. Maybe by the end of the season we will see all 3 midfielders in the starting lineup with Kawai and Uejo out wide and Koizumi playing the CAM role. In any case, this a group of talented young players that FC Ryukyu needs to hold onto for the next few seasons.

#2 New Players

There is no doubt that the signings FC Ryukyu made this offseason have paid off. First, FC Ryukyu lost GK Park – and eventually Nakagawa – to Yokohoma F Marinos and we lost Togashi to FC Gifu. It was never going to be easy to replace 32 goals but Koji Suzuki seems to want to make up that number all by himself. He currently sits on 14 and I wrote very early on after one of his braces that he may hit 26 for the season. Well he is more than halfway there and has been a phenomenal signing for the club. Dany Carvajal also joined the club in the offseason and has become one of the best GKs in all of J2. Dany’s play at the back has been nothing short of spectacular and has contributed to many favorable outcomes for FC Ryukyu. His performance late against Omiya to earn a victory, his PK save against Verdy after a bloody nose is the stuff of legends and his ability to keep FC Ryukyu in matches with timely saves has been great to watch.

Uesato has been a good central holding mid-fielder, team captain and contributed two beautiful goals. Ochi has chipped in 2 goals in 3 games that he has started while Kawai has become a starter with enormous potential. Kazama has also provided some electric moments with his free kicks and corners. All in all, these were really good signings by the club this offseason.

#1 The Home Undefeated Record

The number one storyline for the 2019 season so far was the 30-game home undefeated record for FC Ryukyu. The home unbeaten streak lasted 643 days dating back to September 30^th 2017. Some may argue that a majority of those games were against lesser opponents in a lower league. While that is a valid point, it also should be noted that FC Ryukyu could only play the opponents in front of them and that 9 of those 30, almost 1/3, occurred in the J2. Nobody, including me, knew what to expect from this team at the start of the season. If we look at the 9 unbeaten games this season, we see a nice mix of dramatic finishes, dominating performances and a bit of luck. FC Ryukyu took Reysol’s best shot and earned a draw, they beat the league leaders at the time in Mito at home and they pulled off a last-minute draw against Yamaguchi that would’ve ended the record before they could break the previous one. The fact remains that they are now holders of a very prestigious record for the J.League and no one can take that away from this club or its supporters.

Well that is it for Part 1 of the mid-season review. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far and up next is Part 2 where we will discuss the Top 5 Matches and Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu this season. See you tomorrow.

“Purple Rain” Match Day 18 Recap: Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2-2 FC Ryukyu 6/15/2019

I don’t think I could’ve come up with a more befitting title for this match based on the following: 1. Kyoto’s kits are purple, 2. it was raining the whole match and 3. it is the birth month of Prince, who wrote this song. I am not a huge fan of Prince but things lined up perfectly for this catchy title for this particular blog entry.

FC Ryukyu earned a hard-fought point on Saturday night at the Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium where they battled back twice from 1 goal deficits to tie the match. While the draw has ultimately dropped FC Ryukyu down to 10^th in the standings, the precious point is all that really matters at the end of the day.

Each team’s lineup remained unchanged from their previous matches with one exception. Kyoto put their best attacking players up front, Ishimi, Koyamatsu and Sento, to form more of a 3-4-3 formation. The move signaled to me that the manager, Ichizo Nakata, knows his side well and since this Kyoto side always starts matches very fast, he wanted to do everything he could to grab the early lead with hopes of piling on the goals later.

First Half

In the preview article I espoused that if FC Ryukyu wished to walk away with any points, they needed to keep Kyoto off the score sheet in the first half. Kyoto had 100% success rate (wins and draws) when they are the first team to score in a match and that score occurs in the first half. Within 55 seconds Kyoto already had a shot on net and their second came 1 minute and 40 seconds later. Not the start that FC Ryukyu needed by any means. FC Ryukyu were lucky to escape the early deficit when Isihimi’s shot hit the post in the 6^th minute. Things than began to get worse for Ryukyu when in the 7^th minute, Fukui had to come on place of the injured Tokumoto for what looks to be a non-contact injury to his lower left leg. It is possible he’ll miss some time depending on the severity of the injury and it couldn’t come at a worse time with Ryukyu having 8 matches over the next 6 weeks.

Kyoto had a ridiculous 77% possession rate compared to Ryukyu’s 23% around the quarter mark of the match and Kyoto were dictating the pace of play as well as creating all the chances on net. Ryukyu simply didn’t have an answer to stop the Kyoto onslaught or enough possession to slow the match down. Ryukyu’s best chance came in the 20^th minute when a ball fell to Tanaka in the 18-yard box and unfortunately, he struck it with his left foot and the shot went just wide of the net. Ryukyu then survived another scare in the 25^th minute when a long through ball found a streaking Kyoto player but luckily, Ishii and Okazaki were able to break up the cross. At the 30-minute mark, Kyoto were still enjoying a 75% possession rate and were leading in the shot category, 5 to 1 over Ryukyu.

Near the end of the first half, a long pass by Okazaki to Komatsu was quickly corralled by Sanga and they immediately sprung into a counter attack. Masutani offered a half-hearted challenge on the on-rushing Kyoto player and when Uesato was rushing back to aid in the defense, he actually stopped the pass from Kyoto that was screeching across the top of our box towards the right side. Unfortunately, Uesato’s deflection landed right at the feet of Koyamatsu, who struck a nice shot past a diving Ishii for a 1-0 Kyoto lead. I personally thought this goal was coming for a long time with the amount of possession and opportunities Kyoto enjoyed up to this point but I also thought that FC Ryukyu was going to hold Kyoto goalless heading into half time.

Kyoto had another two chances to double their lead in the 41^st and 44^th minute as they were finding it very easy to round our defenders and send crosses/shots into the box. Just when I thought all hope was lost with Ryukyu on pace for their 5^th consecutive road loss, Ryukyu caught a break. Ryukyu earned a free kick at the very end of the extra time in the first half and the initial shot by Okazaki was deflected and it found an unmarked Koji Suzuki alone at the edge of the goal. Suzuki delivered a header into the net that seemed to surprise, and disappoint, the Kyoto team. In only one instance, versus Mito, had Kyoto gone on to not win the match after scoring first in the first half and allowing the opponents to score in the first half as well. It was a massive shift in the probability projections for Ryukyu to earn a draw on the day. Basically, FC Ryukyu went from around 0.05% to 25% with that Suzuki goal. While that cannot be understated, it is more important to state what a goal means for both sides when it occurs at the very end of the first half. It was a confidence booster for Ryukyu while simultaneously letting the “wind out of the sails” for Kyoto. This was a massive goal for Ryukyu as well as Koji as it moved him into the top position in J2 with 12 goals scored this season.

Second Half

Ryukyu started the second half slowly after already conceding 68% of the possession to Kyoto in the first half. Right away in the 46^th minute, Kyoto were awarded the FK after Masutani fell to the ground from an attempted clearance. Now, Masutani was able to make the clearance, but the resulting fall took him into the path of the Kyoto player who was adjusting his run for the deflection. The Kyoto player ran into Masutani, and actually gave him a nasty knock to the head, and the ref awarded the FK. To be honest, Masutani had no idea where the Kyoto player was, didn’t stick out an arm or attempt to interfere the player, it was just the natural progression of the fall/slide that took him into the Kyoto players path. Yet the referee’s vantage point was from behind and he couldn’t see all this play out and deemed it to be an infraction and award a free kick.

An errant pass by Uesato lead to another Kyoto opportunity in the 52^nd minute but Ishii did a tremendous job in stopping the shot by Ishimi. Tanaka picked up a yellow card just prior to that play and was ultimately subbed off for Kawai. Tanaka will miss the next match due to suspension from his accumulation of yellow cards. Ryukyu’s defense was then ripped apart in the 55^th minute and luckily the clearance by Ryukyu, that hit a Kyoto player in the box, bounced off the side netting and didn’t make its way into the back of the net. Kawai’s presence could already be felt stating in the 57^th minute as his runs seemed to surprise the Kyoto side as they were fast, and straight at them and this was something Ryukyu were not doing up to this point. I don’t think Kyoto were expecting this at all from Ryukyu and they seemed more than willing to cede some acreage for Kawai to run into. At the 64-minute mark, Ryukyu had ceded 3 more chances to Kyoto and they were only able to muster one real chance but the game was about to be flipped on its head.

Another errant pass led to another Kyoto counter attack that ultimately resulted in a PK. Uesato’s challenge looked as if he got to the ball before he brought the player down but there was one small problem, he did so by going through the player legs from behind and that will always be called as a foul anywhere on the pitch. Ishimi stepped up and delivered a nice strike underneath the diving Ishii, who guessed correctly, but the shot had placement and power and would be hard for most goalkeepers to stop.

In the 74^th minute Kawai drew a foul near the edge of the 18-yard box but the resulting Tomidokoro strike sailed just a little high over the bar. However, it would be the pace and tenacity of Kawai that allowed FC Ryukyu to get back in the match when he slotted home a goal in the 80^th minute.

Kawai made a great run down the left and found a streaking Tomidokoro who executed a very nice back heel pass to the on-rushing Kawai. The back-heel pass by Yu seemed to tee the ball up perfectly for Kawai and Kawai’s strike went past the diving keeper of Kyoto and into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Finally, Ryukyu sprung to life in the 80^th minute of the match. A corner kick from Ryukyu found a wide open Uesato who struck home a one timed volley but he was ruled offside. It was a harsh call in my mind (obviously as a Ryukyu supporter) but that’s because the replay, and more importantly the camera angle, couldn’t really show Uesato in an offside position. That would’ve been a huge goal but nonetheless, Ryukyu really began to trouble the Kyoto defense.

Ryukyu tried to see out the remainder of the match with some controlled possession but the accurate passing just wasn’t there today. This is most likely due to the little amount of possession they enjoyed. The last few seconds of the match were very frantic in that Ryukyu earned a corner; Uesato nearly scored from a header, had it been low it may have gone in, and the resulting Kyoto last surge counter was luckily thwarted by the scrambling Ryukyu defenders to earn the 1-1 draw.

Man of the Match

#30 DF Yosuke Ishibitsu, Kyoto Sanga F.C.

It was hard not to award the MOM to Kawai from FC Ryukyu for his contributions, but Ishibitsu’s efforts really stood out and the man put in a phenomenal shift for Kyoto. The veteran made life difficult for Tomidokoro in the first half, so much so that Yu shifted from the left side to the right side in the second half so as to completely avoid Ishibitsu. Ishibitsu won some free kicks and delivered them with quality when called upon. I am jealous that this man can play at such a high level at 35 years of age and would love to see him in the Ryukyu back line even if it’s only for one season. I think one of the best examples for why he deserves MOM was his ability to close down Tomidokoro in the 39^th minute when Yu received a beautiful through pass that put him alone on net. The veteran Ishibitsu had enough pace in him to recover and force Yu to change direction which ultimately saw Yu lose possession and the Ryukyu attack fizzle out. My tally on the day had Ishibitsu besting the Ryukyu attack and players 6-1. The man simply couldn’t be beaten in defense and he offered so much in the attack for Kyoto. Well done sir.

Keys to Victory Review

A quick review of the key points I put forth in the match day preview.

1. Prevent Kyoto from scoring in the first half. Ultimately a failing mark as Kyoto did end up scoring in the first half, but Ryukyu put up a good fight and recovered for a point.

2. Harass the Kyoto back line. Pass. Kawai’s substitution proved the difference maker for Ryukyu and in all reality, it wasn’t until the 80^th minute that Ryukyu truly threatened the back line of Kyoto.

3. Score multiple goals and do not waste them in a loss. Passed with flying colors. This match was only the second time in 12 weeks that FC Ryukyu scored multiple goals in a match and the timing couldn’t have been better. This attack needs to get going as we all miss the free scoring side that can score 4, concede 3 and still end up on top. Patience is a virtue, I guess.

Takeaways from Match Day 18

1. The Referee. Spoiler Alert, plenty of bias to follow. The refereeing on Saturday was suspect. There were at least 3 bookable offenses by Kyoto that were not carded and each of them either stopped a FC Ryukyu counter attack or ended it altogether. That makes all of them bookable offenses in my mind. If an unwritten rule in football exists about how many warnings a player can receive before a booking, then I failed to see it yesterday. I say that because Tanaka was carded for his first challenge, and rightly so, but his offense was no different from the Kyoto players, yet none of the Sanga players were carded until deep into stoppage time. The refereeing in J2, in my humble opinion at least, is suspect at best; and to be honest, across Asia it isn’t that great either. Many refs fall into that “Home Cooking” philosophy whereas they just want to be liked by the home team’s supporters and get back to their vehicle safely after a match.

2. While the possession disparity between both sides is enough to make you wonder as a Ryukyu fan if they were actually playing a J1 side like Kawasaki, FC Ryukyu did nothing to help themselves on Saturday with so many errant passes. As stated earlier, this is probably attributed to how little of the ball FC Ryukyu saw throughout the match as Kyoto had a 65% to 35% possession advantage but this will occur from time to time and FC Ryukyu need to be more clinical in possession. The misguided passes sent Kyoto on their way multiple times and lead to both of their goals. If FC Ryukyu passing was better on Saturday then maybe they could’ve won the match, but as a whole, the Ryukyu passing was deplorable. There are more of these types of matches ahead of Ryukyu this year and while the “bend, but don’t break” mentality on defense works from time to time, it requires the team to be precise and lethal in limited possession.

Conclusion

Well FC Ryukyu earned their first positive result in a road match since the late equalizer by Uesato back in match day 9 against Tokyo Verdy. This means that Ryukyu broke a 4-game losing streak on the road and it also meant that Kyoto will remain winless in games started after 1800. FC Ryukyu return home next week to face a very strong, recently defeated, 4^th placed Ventforet Kofu side.

I hope the Okinawa faithful show up in full force for this match as it is another tough test for the Bengara boys to keep the home undefeated record intact as well some much-needed revenue before the transfer window opens up in July. Make no mistake, FC Ryukyu needs revenue – at least 8,000 fans per home match – as well as reinforcements. We don’t want to see Ryukyu become “sellers” in the transfer market next month. We want FC Ryukyu to be “buyers” because if not, this team may end up back in the J3. I know I always harp on the fact that FC Ryukyu haven’t earned, or possibly done, anything of note yet. Well, that is because it is so likely that recently promoted clubs are the ones relegated each season and I don’t want Ryukyu to be the first J3 side to achieve this dubious award. Staying power equals revenue and a chance at J1 football, that, is the mid and long-term goal for this club.

Nice view of the Koji header to equalize in the first half. PHOTO CREDIT: @john_level_O

Match Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZZ08x6QkA&feature=onebox

“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.

“Summertime Blues” Match Day 16 Preview: Yokohama F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu 6/2/2019

Match Day 16 Preview: (H) Yokohama F.C. vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium, 6/2/2019 Kickoff at 1400.

Weather Forecast: Cloudy all day with temperatures in the mid-70s all game (24C) with only a 5% chance of rain.

Interesting history about the club can be found at the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_FC

FC Ryukyu are on the road this week traveling to Tokyo to take on Yokohama F.C. who currently sit 13^th in the J2 standings. FC Ryukyu are coming off a 2-1 win over Niigata this past weekend behind goals from Yu Tomidokoro and Shinya Uehara while Yokohama are reeling from a 2-1 road loss to Kofu. This is third time in as many matches that FC Ryukyu will play a side, that on paper, looks evenly matched with FC Ryukyu. This will be a tough test for FC Ryukyu as their away form has been quite poor this season and the side needs to start earning some positive results away from home quickly.

Yokohama F.C. 13^th in J2 with 18 points, 5W3D7L GF16 GA18 GD -2

Current Form: DLDWL Home Record, 2W3D2L, Home Scoring Record GF9 GA10 GD -1

Record Against Common Opponents of FC Ryukyu: 4W3D3L GF13 GA11 GD +2

Yokohama vs Top 11 in J2: 0W1D6L GF3 GA11 GD-8: vs Bottom 11: 5W2D1L GF13 GA7 GD+6

Typical Formation: 4-4-2

Yokohama F.C. seem to have settled on a starting 11 in the form of 4-4-2 after a brief trial of 3-4-3 against Zelvia a few weeks back. Yokohama have the ability to start two very tall FWs in Ibba and Toshima but are opting to bring Toshima on as a sub later in matches. Yokohama could also be dealing with an injury to one of their key Mid Fielders in Domingues as he hasn’t featured in any of Yokoahama’s last two matches as either a starter or reserve.

The first match I reviewed was against Kyoto where Yokohama were hammered 3-1 at home. The defending was woeful and the team looked sluggish in the match. It was this game that prompted a change in formation the following week against Zelvia but Yokohama were unable to achieve victory and had to settle for a draw, thanks in large part to a Zelvia own goal. Yokohama reverted back to a 4-4-2 the following week against Kagoshima and that lineup didn’t change against Kofu the next week.

Ibba really dominated the Kagoshima match as his two goals proved to be the difference on the day. Yokohama were unable to replicate that performance against Kagoshima the following week against Kofu where they were defeated 2-1. Ibba added his 6^th goal of the season but the Yokohama defense let the team down once again.

Yokohama F.C. Players to Watch

Left to Right: Ibba, Toshima & Domingues

#10 Ibba FW. This guy is a handful and is in good form right now having scored 3 goals in the past two matches. He has also added 2 assists this season. Ibba will definitely be a stiff test for the Ryukyu defense as he can use his height and power to his advantage over the smaller Ryukyu defenders. Ibba also moves really well in side the 18-yard box and creates space for him to get on the end of crosses.

#9 Akira Toshima FW. Second leading goal scorer for Yokohama and has one assist on the season. He is another tall striker that Yokohma could employ but he doesn’t move as well as Ibba.

#40 Domingues MF. He seemed to be one of Yokohama’s better playmakers but he may have picked up an injury a few weeks ago. If he plays, he will likely start down the right.

#11 Kazuyoshi Miura FW. How could we talk about Yokohama F.C. without mentioning the oldest player to have ever scored a professional goal and possibly the oldest player at any competitive level in the world. The 52-year-old hasn’t featured in a match since April 7^th but it would be a treat for those FCR fans who are traveling to Yokohama this week to see him play. Let’s hope he doesn’t score against us if he does play.

Expected Starting 11 for both sides this weekend.

FC Ryukyu: 9^th in J2 with 23 points, 6W5D4L GF21 GA17 GD+4

Current Form: DLWLW, Away Record 1W2D4L, Away Scoring Record GF7 GA10 GD -3

Record Against Common Opponents of Yokohama FC: 4W3D3L GF15 GA12 GD+3

FCR vs Bottom 11 in J2 4W2D3L GF13 GA10 GD+3: FCR vs Top 11 2W3D1L GF8 GA7 GD+1

Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

FC Ryukyu’s recent road form has been poor the past 5 weeks. FCR has only earned one point in their last 5 road matches and that was way back in April against Tokyo Verdy when Uesato netted a late equalizer. During FC Ryukyu’s past 5 road matches they have also conceded 6 times, scored only twice and been shutout 3 times. These road games did not come against superior opponents mind you as FCR lost to Kagoshima and F.C. Gifu during that stretch, two teams that are at the bottom of the table. FC Ryukyu’s last road win was their first road game of the season way back on Match Day 2 against Omiya.

Now for some encouraging news. FC Ryukyu have won 2 of their last 3 matches and finally broke through to score two goals in a match, something they hadn’t done since Match Day 6 against Renofa. FC Ryukyu have also settled on a lineup that sees Kazama playing the CAM role with Komatsu dropping to a central mid field role. In that last match against Niigata, Tomidokoro netted his second goal of the season and his first from a set piece. This is very important for FCR as they were lacking creativity from set pieces and having Yu deliver quality shots and crosses from set pieces is vital to this team’s success. It was also encouraging to see FC Ryukyu bring on Uehara late the past two games to add a bit of veteran leadership and height to the attack.

FC Ryukyu do a have a positive record against teams in the bottom half of the table whereas Yokohama have been dreadful against those teams in the top half of the J2 table. Yokohama have a negative goal differential against top half teams (-8) and have only managed 1 draw in 7 matches. FCR on the other hand have earned 14 points with a positive goal scoring record of +3 in their 9 matches against bottom 11 teams. There is one major point that needs to be made with these statistics, FCRs losses against bottom half teams have all occurred on the road and they were against teams that were at the very bottom of the table at the time of those matches (Chiba, Kagoshima & Gifu). Ryukyu really needs to shake off their horrible road form of late and grab all 3 points against an inferior opponent before a very rough stretch of games in June and the packed schedule of July.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1.) Start fast and get out in front of Yokohama F.C. quickly. Yokohama have conceded the first goal of a match 11 times this season and 8 of those came in the first half of games. This is a staggering stat that indicates that Yokohama are slow starters and can be put to the sword early if FC Ryukyu can attack them with speed and crisp passes.

2.) Attack the back line of Yokohama FC. Yokohama’s defending has been awful the last few matches and they can be ripped apart at the back with good runs and passes. Yokohama suffer from the same lack of concentration affliction that FCR succumbs to from time to time and allows opponents to score. The Yokohama defenders will make poor decisions at the back by failing to marking runs by opposing players, misjudging crosses and clearing balls from their own end. FCR should press the Yokohama defenders when they have the ball and make quick passes within the 18-yard box to create space and shooting lanes for the attacking Ryukyu players. A quick pass back to the top of the box from Tokumoto, Nishioka or Suzuki to a waiting Yu, Tanaka or Kazama could produce some very nice results.

3.) Mark and isolate Ibba. As with all tall, powerful strikers I’ve written about in the past, Ibba will be a handful for the FCR defense tomorrow. Okazaki must mark him on all set pieces and if Masutani draws the short straw to mark Ibba, no pun intended, then he needs to use his quickness and low center of gravity to gain the positional advantage over Ibba. If both Ibba and Toshima are in the match at the same time then Nishioka may need to provide some support to Masutani. Ibba is in good form right now and by taking him out of the match you remove Yokohama’s best goal scoring option.

4.) Do not concede too many Free Kicks and Corner Kicks. I have stated on many occasions that a tall striker provides a very nice option in the attack because the player providing the service doesn’t need to be pinpoint accurate with his cross because the tall striker can rise above most defenders and get on the end of the pass. This is easier said than done as FCR concedes a lot of FKs and CKs during their matches. While CKs may be inevitable, cheap fouls around the Ryukyu 18-yard box need to be kept to a minimum to ensure Ibba doesn’t use his height against us. It should also be noted that Ibba can take a nice FK as well.

Match Prediction

I see both teams scoring and FC Ryukyu slightly edging out Yokohama F.C. 2-1 for their second road win of the season.

Conclusion

This will be a close, tense, back and forth match that will see both sides having good chances on net. The X factor is that FCR has one of the best, if not the best GK, in J2 this season in Danny Carvajal. If FCR can carry a 2-goal advantage into half time and prevent the bombardment of Carvajal’s net in the second half, then Ryukyu could walk away with all 3 points this weekend.

Victory over Yokohama is key for FCR as this is the 10^th time this season that they have faced an opponent in the bottom half of the table. With 4 matches against Kanazawa, Kyoto, Kofu and Nagasaki on the horizon, all of which are teams jockeying for position within the top 6 positions of the J2 table, these are 3 vital points for FCR this weekend. FCR certainly want to avoid starting a 5-game losing skid as points will be at a premium this month against much tougher opponents.

I hope we get an appearance from two former FC Ryukyu players in Park and Nakagawa on Sunday since Yokohama F Marinos wrapped up their J1 game this week with a 2-1 victory of Shonan last night and the Ryukyu match is right in their backyard. It would be great for them to say hi to the FC Ryukyu fans who attend the match and I am going to be slightly jealous of you all if they do make an appearance.

Good luck and Come on Lads!!!!!

I told YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! Match Day 15 Recap: FCR 2-1 Albirex Niigata 5/25/2019

FC Ryukyu were able to secure their 6^th win of the 2019 J2 season with a 2-1 victory over Albirex Niigata in front of a crowd of 5,100 this past Saturday night. FCR have now won 2 out of their last 3 matches and ended the 55-day drought for not having scored more than one goal in any match. The win kept FCR at 9th in the table, but more importantly, it pushed them 11 points clear of the relegation zone.

As we have come to expect, FC Ryukyu came out in their 4-2-3-1 and started out fast in this match. Albirex also came out in a 4-2-3-1 formation and opted to leave Leaonardo on the bench.

FCR earned a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the 11^th minute and Yu Tomidokoro delivered a quality strike that this squad has been missing for a long time. One of my FCR keys to victory in the preview article was that FCR needed to be more creative on set pieces. Well, they were, and were rewarded with an early goal. The ball took a slight deflection but nonetheless it went into the top right corner past the diving Albirex goal keeper.

FCR followed that nice FK with another quality take, this time by Kazama in the 26^th minute. FCR nearly doubled their lead as Kazama’s shot went over the wall, and had Kazama taken the shot from about 1-2 meters farther back, we would’ve score but instead it hit the crossbar.

Albirex were lucky as the keeper was beaten and FCR could’ve had a massive 2 goal lead at half time.

Albirex had some really good chances to equalize in the first half but once again, Danny Carvajal stepped up to keep the score line 1-0. At the break, each side had taken 5 shots with 3 of them finding their way on net. Ryukyu’s third chance came from Keita Tanaka who made a nice run down the right side and surprised the Niigata keeper as I believe he was expecting a cross and not a shot from that angle and distance.

The second half saw Albirex applying some serious pressure on the FCR net for about 15 minutes. Albirex had a couple of chances early on but it wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the match when they really turned up the heat. You could sense a goal was coming from Albirex, at least from where I was sitting in the stadium, and another key to FCR victory was to not lose focus during moments like these in the match. FCR deserves some credit here as they did maintain their focus and the Albirex equalizer in the 83^rd minute was well deserved stemming from their hard work and determination. We have seen in the past when the set piece is initially defended, FCR can sometimes lose their defensive shape and positioning during the chaos and thus create gaps and opportunities for opponents to exploit. It was no different on the Albirex goal as an attempted clearing by FCR landed at the feet of an Albirex player who had the space to dribble past the outside of the FCR defense and put a low hard shot on net that Carvajal had to quickly drop down to the ground and parry away from danger. Unfortunately for FCR, this type of shot is not easily corralled by goal keepers and even though Danny did quite well to stop that hard shot from that distance, the resulting rebound found Albirex’s Leonardo, who was rushing the net and he slotted home the equalizer.

Diving Carvajal made a nice save on the initial shot but the rebound fell directly to Leonardo.

Two points about the goal. First, it was just one of the plays that happens in football from time to time and is not a reflection for how FCR were defending all game. Most of Albirex’s chances came from distances outside the 18-yard box and had the ball been deflected a meter to the left or right, an FCR defender would’ve been able to clear it away from danger. Second, I wish FCR would take more shots like this during matches as they are extremely effective. Low hard shots that force a goal keeper to drop down always have a good chance of seeing a rebound come back into the box for a player to get on the end of and score. I hope the FCR attacking forwards, primarily Tanaka and Tomidokoro, will try these types of shots in the future (similar to how Tanaka scored against Omiya in week 2).

FCR were lucky not to concede again after the first Albirex goal as they had another quality chance on net shortly after their first goal. Now, FCR could’ve packed it in and brought on an extra defender to see out the draw but instead they opted to take a chance and go for the win by bringing on Uehara in the 85^th minute. Uehara was on the pitch for only about 60 seconds before a very nice long cross from Nishioka found the rising Uehara in the box, who then headed it home to put FCR in front 2-1 with only about 5 minutes and stoppage time to play.

Uehara’s header is moving to the far post where it ricocheted in off the post.

It was a massive relief to see FCR finally score a second goal in a game as it has been so long since they’ve accomplished that feat. The stadium erupted and hope for an FCR victory was restored. FCR saw out the remainder of the match and earned a vital 3 points.

Dejected Albirex fans after the match. I’ve been there many times myself this season.

Match Takeaways:

As I stated in the match preview, these are two evenly matched and similar teams.

1.) Finally allowing Yu to take some FKs. In one of my earliest blog entries I stated that Yu wouldn’t be the top goal scorer for FCR but he would score some of the most important goals for this team. Case in point this week from his FK. Tomidokoro’s confidence should start growing each week with each FK and I hope the staff continues to allow him these opportunities.

2.) This was the second time in as many matches that Higuchi brought on Uehara and his presence offers a lot of upside for the FCR attack. He could provide the hold up play later in games that Suzuki has been doing so well this season and allow Suzuki to push forward in the attack. Also, he can provide a large target to aim at from our full backs and Mid fielders who are sending crosses into the box. His height means crosses do not need to be pin-point accurate and only need not be floated near where the GK can come out and pluck it out of the air.

3.) Whatever was done on the training ground certainly paid off for FCR this week and even though FCR didn’t score from a corner kick, they were at least creative on set pieces.

4.) FCR didn’t lose their concentration in the match but were under some serious pressure in the second half. One of these days FCR will be able to hit a team on the quick counter while under this pressure and it will certainly tip the match in their favor, but in the meantime, FCR needs to find ways to slow the match down when the opponent is playing with their tails up and hunting for a goal.

FCR travels to Tokyo next week to take on a Yokohama FC side at the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium who are fresh off a 2-1 loss to Kofu. I’ve been to this stadium before for a F. Marinos game and it is an awesome stadium to watch football so enjoy it for those planning on attending.

“The Fighting Pheasants” Match Day 14 Preview: Fagiano Okayama vs. FC Ryukyu

Match Day 14 Preview: (H) Fagiano Okayama vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the City Light Stadium, Kickoff at 1700 5/19/2019.

Weather Forecast: Temperatures will be in the low to mid 70s with what looks to be rain early in the day and possibly continuing up to and through kickoff. Winds of 10-20 MPH are expected so this could be a very nasty, very messy match played out on a wet pitch. The rain is expected to end sometime in the early evening but I’d prepare for the worst and bring my wet weather attire for this game.

The match up this week features two evenly matched teams in Fagiano Okayama and FCR. Okayama return home after two weeks on the road that saw them lose both matches against Yamagata and Kyoto. FC Ryukyu on the other hand, are coming into the match having just handed Mito Hollyhock their first loss of the season which subsequently knocked them out of first place.

Fagiano Okayama: 12^th in J2 with 16 points 4W4D5L Current Form: DWDLL Typical Formation: 4-4-2

GF15 GA 16 = Goal Difference -1; Scored 11 goals at home while conceding 9 this season.

Home Record: 3W3D1L

Record against Common Opponents of FCR: (8 games) 2W2D4L

Fagiano where an interesting team to scout this week as I see a lot of similarities between them and FC Ryukyu. The teams are only separated by 4 points in the table, each has earned victories via shutouts only twice this year and they have both been kept off the score sheet only a handful of times. It would seem that this match will feature some scoring as each side scores and concedes plenty of goals.

In match day 10, Okayama was able to overcome a sluggish start and quick goal from a Vortis PK to win 2-1 behind goals from #9 Lee Yong Jae and #19 Hayato Nakama. Okayama nearly handed the match to Tokyo Verdy the following week when they gave up a late PK but Verdy were unable to convert the PK or follow on shot. Against one of the top seeds in J2 this year, Yamagata, Fagaiano conceded a first half goal but nearly pulled out the draw after #19 Nakama was able to win the ball back in the Yamagata end and send a cross to #9 Jae, whose header glanced off the crossbar. Fagainao’s last match against Kyoto saw them cede an early own goal to the hosts (though it wasn’t credited as such) followed by a very late goal in the 84^th minute that handed them a loss.

Okayama never looked out matched or outgunned in any of the 4 matches I reviewed for this preview. If anything, Fagaiano has started out a little sluggish only to come on later in matches and this is something that FC Ryukyu needs to exploit this week.

Okayama Players to Watch:

# 9 Lee Yong Jae FW. Leading Goal scorer on Okayama with 8 on the season, 6 in his past 6 matches and is the second leading scorer in J2 this year. Lee is a big, powerful forward that FC Ryukyu will struggle against. What separates Lee from other larger strikers in J2, like Jefferson Biaino from Yamagata and Olunga from Reysol, is his pace. His quickness was evident against Tokushima and when combined with his strength, makes Lee a formidable forward. Lee is also good at finding space in the defensive back lines of teams and can rise to meet crosses in the box. He is in top from right now coming into this match and FCR had better watch out.

#19 Hayato Nakama MF. Nakama is the second leading scorer on Okayama with 4 goals and one assist on the season. Together with Lee, these two represent 80% of the goals scored for Okayama on the year. Nakama is quite the playmaker with a very lethal left foot. In the four games I watched, he and Lee, are in synch with one another and seem to find the other often in the opponent’s end.

FC Ryukyu: 8^th in J2 with 20 points 5W5D3L Current Form: DLDLW Typical Formation: 4-2-3-1

GF 19 GA 15 Goal Difference of +4; FCR have scored 7 goals on the road and have conceded 9.

Away Record: 1W2D3L

Record Against Common Okayama Opponents: (8 games) 3W3D2L

FCR travel to the Okayama prefecture after having handed Mito Hollyhock their first loss of the season in a very tightly contested match. FCR were able to shut out an opponent for only the second time all season thanks in large part to the efforts by Danny Carvajal between the sticks. FCR scored early against Mito from an absolute bullet header from Koji Suzuki for his J2 league leading 9^th goal and he nearly doubled his tally shortly thereafter only to see his shot deflect over the top of the goal. Tokumoto nearly put the game out of reach late in the second half, which would’ve been a tremendous feat as Mito have yet to surrender multiple in goals in any game this year, but his shot hit the post and the resulting Tomidokoro rebound went high and wide. Nonetheless, FC Ryukyu earned a hard-fought win against the top team in J2 and secured that elusive 5^th win that has evaded FCR for the better part of 2 months.

FC Ryukyu will have some serious questions to answer this week after Okazaki picked up his fourth yellow card this year resulting in a one match ban. As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, the depth of the FCR back line is of great concern. Masutani has been forced to fill in the past 7 weeks at RB while Nishioka recovers from what I assume was an MCL, PCL or LCL sprain. I am not sure what FC Ryukyu’s plan will be for this week because we only have 3 healthy CBs, one of which is filling at RB, and haven’t tried any other player on the roster at RB in Nishioka’s absence. Does FCR slide Masutani back to his CB role and push #16 Arai into the RB slot, or, do they instead opt to start #30 Nishikawa at CB -who is always on the reserves for FCR matches – and keep Masutani at RB? These are tough questions for Higuchi to contemplate.

FC Ryukyu keys to victory:

1.) Stop the Okayama attack in the form of Lee and Nakama. Easier said than done in my mind. These two are wreaking havoc on the opposition as of late and in light of injuries and suspensions to the FCR back line, these two may prove fatal to FCR on the day. Nakama plays down the left which means he will run into either Masutani or Masutani’s replacement on Sunday. Nishiokoa was seen participating in warm ups last week but he had a large knee brace on. I doubt he is match fit and won’t be for another 2-3 weeks. I’d prefer that FCR start Masutani at RB as his speed should at least cover the quickness of Nakama. Nakama is a powerful player in his own right so Masutani must fight for positioning against Nakama at all times. I worry that so much of the FCR attack comes from our Right and Left Fullbacks that FCR could be severely punished on all counter attacks down the left.

As far as Lee is concerned, he must be marked on all set pieces. He can be seen taking some long runs into the box on set pieces to generate height and power for headers and FCR must get in the way of those runs. If you combine Lee’s ability to rise and meet headers with FCRs inability to defend set pieces, and now lack of height and experience at the back with Okazaki suspended, this seems like a recipe for disaster.

2.) Stretch the pitch laterally and pull the back line of the Okayama 4-4-2 apart. One of the easiest ways to create scoring opportunities against the 4-4-2 lineup is quick changes in direction. Tomidokoro, Tanaka and now Kazama up front need to be quickly passing it off down the flanks as this will create the mismatches in defensive coverage. From there, crosses into the box for Suzuki or over the central defenders to the other attacking Mid Fielders of Ryukyu should open up plenty of shooting lanes for the Ryukyu attack.

3.) FC Ryukyu need to start fast and get out to an early 2 goal lead. This will allow FCR to deal with the Okayama onslaught from Lee and Nakama and open up Fagiano for a 3^rd goal.

Match Prediction: Seeing how I am like 1-12 on the year so far with match predictions there really is no point in providing any educated guess. All I will say is that FCR could really benefit from their second road win of the season as the matches will get tougher from here on out for the boys from Okinawa. I like both teams to score and see this match ending 1-1.

For those of you staying in Okinawa to watch the match, please join me at the Arcade Resort Okinawa or Café Camp Nou (if it is open) to catch the game. Good Luck boys!

1st Quarter 2019 Season Review for FCR.

We are officially past the quarter mark of the 2019 J2 season and I think it is a good time to reflect back on what FC Ryukyu has accomplished so far along with some of the standout performers in the club, the memorable moments for the team and where this club could improve moving forward.

There are 42 games in the J2 season so in order to break the season down into 4 separate quarters, we will say the first quarter includes the first 11 matches followed by 2 quarters of 10 matches each and then concludes with the 11 remaining matches of the J2 season.

FC Ryukyu currently sit 7^th in the J2 table with 17 points coming from 4 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses in 11 matches this season. FC Ryukyu have scored 17 goals and conceded 13 and are averaging just under 5,000 fans per game, most of who are being treated to some very exciting football along the way.

Not many people pegged FC Ryukyu to be in the position they are in right now, least of all me. FC Ryukyu has experienced some serious “highs” and “lows” of the early 2019 J2 season and below are the standout performers for FC Ryukyu as well as the 5 most memorable moments to date and some areas for improvement.

Koji Suzuki

The signing from Zelvia has been in top form so far this season. He currently sits at 8 goals in 11 matches and is the top goal scorer in J2 this season. Granted, he hasn’t scored since the Renofa match but he has been vital in starting counter attacks with his hold up play and is doing everything he can to help this team win.

Danny Carvajal

Danny has been a tremendous signing this season. He has singly handily kept FC Ryukyu in so many matches this year with his efforts between the sticks. One of his best performances to date was against Verdy where he stopped numerous shots on net and made a vital PK save that ultimately allowed FCR to earn a draw. We are lucky to have a player of his caliber on our team and need to provide some better defensive play in front of him so he can begin registering shut outs.

Satoki Uejo

Uejo has been a revelation this season and provided some much-needed spark after the loss of Nakagawa in the transfer window. He currently sits as the joint top 4 goal scorer in J2 with 4 goal. His volley against Reysol was terrific and earned FC Ryukyu a point as well as the J League record 26 home matches played without defeat record.

Going to rely on this emerging player the rest of the season

5. Opening Day: February 24^th 2019

It was a historic day for the club as they would play their first ever J2 game. The weather didn’t cooperate as it was overcast, then raining and windy but that wouldn’t dampen the spirits of the 7,385 fans who showed up to watch this special moment. The team repaid the fans dedication by achieving a 3-1 victory over Avispa Fukuoka behind a brace from newly signed Koji Suzuki. Since no one truly knew how FC Ryukyu would respond in the J2, it was so meaningful that their first ever match ended in a victory. This victory would start FC Ryukyu down a path of 4 consecutive victories in a row to open the J2 season.

4. The first and only road win to date. March 2^nd 2019

The match against Omiya was an amazing spectacle to witness and I am glad I was able to enjoy it firsthand. I tip my cap to the Omiya organization and their fans as it was one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed during my time as a football fan. Fresh off their first victory, FC Ryukyu came out blazing against Omiya Ardija. Tanaka opened the scoring early on a very nice take and then the second brace in as many games for Koji Suzki pushed the score to 3-1. FC Ryukyu were not done yet as Uejo netted his first goal of the season and FCR were flying with a 4-1 advantage thanks in large part to 3 assists from Nakagawa. Omiya made a late push to bring the match close at 4-3 before FC Ryukyu were able to see it out and hold on for their first ever, and last as of this article, J2 road win. The feelings of joy throughout the match in the FCR supporter end will be something I carry with me the rest of my time as a supporter of this club.

3. The Nakagawa Transfer March 15^th 2019

One of the most painful memories of this early season is the transfer of Kazaki Nakagawa to the Yokohama F Marinos. Nakagawa was an unbelievable player during his time at FCR. His 16 goals and nearly as many assists in J3 last season propelled FCR to the J3 title. His ability to unlock defenses and set players up for success like he did early in the year with Tanaka, Tomidokoro, Uejo and Suzuki really made the FC Ryukyu attack lethal. However, he is gone and we all wish him the best since he rightfully deserves his opportunity at the J1 level. His departure can be measured by the facts that in the 3 games FCR played with him this season, the club netted 9 goals whereas FCR has only managed 8 goals in the 8 games since his departure. FCR must find a suitable replacement fast to keep this team afloat in the J2.

This hurt the club and fans a lot but wish him the best

2. Late Game Heroics: Matches versus Renofa, Reysol, & Verdy.

In each of the three contests listed above, FC Ryukyu required some late game heroics to see out draws and net positive points. Most of the games, on paper, seemed winnable in my opinion but things rarely turn out as you expect. Against Renofa, FCR scored first behind Koji Suzuki’s 3^rd brace of the season. FCR then promptly conceded 2 goals and experienced playing from behind for the first time all year. However, Koji Suzuki would score an 89^th minute equalizer to bring FCR level and allow them to earn a point at home and maintain a 6-game unbeaten streak to start the 2019 season.

FCR would follow up that home performance with an incredible draw against a much larger club in Kashiwa Reysol after a mid-week defeat to JEF. Reysol are early favorites to win the J2 this season and this was be a huge test for the newly promoted side from Okinawa. FC Ryukyu proved resilient after the fast start by Reysol that resulted in an early goal for the visitors. FCR responded with a phenomenal volley from Uejo in the 82^nd minute to see out the draw and it sent the home crowd into a tizzy.

The final match mentioned here was against Tokyo Verdy on the road. FCR left it very late, 95^th minute in stoppage time, when Uesato scored a volley from a deflected clearance and earned FCR a point on the road. The match was a very tense affair and thanks in large part to a Carvajal PK save, FCR were able to muster some positive points away from home.

1. The Record April 7^th 2019 & continuing on still

How could it be anything but the record as the most memorable event to date for FCR? FC Ryukyu entered the match against Kashiwa Reysol requiring only a point to set the all time J League record for consecutive home matches without a defeat at 26. The record looked nearly impossible to achieve against a much stronger opponent but the home side was able to manage a draw after a tightly contested affair. This a huge piece of history for the club and its supporters and one that cannot go unnoticed. Some will argue that a majority of the games occurred against lesser competition in the J3, but I would counter with you can only play the opponent in front of you. FCR and all of Okinawa should be so proud of this record and it continues on still and is now currently at 27 matches after the draw against Zelvia this past weekend.

To wrap this up I think it is imperative we discuss some of the things that FCR may need to improve or change in order to see out the remainder of the 2019 J2 season outside of the relegation zone.

1. How the club is using Yu Tomidokoro.

Tomidokoro is a player known for his quality on FKs and accurate shots. He is never going to be the top goal scorer for FCR but he will provide plenty of service to the attacking players and offers tremendous upside on set pieces. If you recall from last season, he was nailing FK after FK for goals and it was a thing of beauty. This season is a much different story. Tomidokoro is rarely used on set pieces in and around the 18-yard box. Those duties are falling to Uesato and Kazama. Uesato opts to shoot from long range more than he does to provide service to our attackers and I don’t see much in the delivery from Kazama that leads me to believe he is better at taking those types of kicks compared to Tomidokoro. The bottom line is Yu needs to be taking a majority of the FKs and CKs in order to restore some of that swagger and confidence he had from last season which will ultimately lead to more goal scoring opportunities for our attackers.

2. A suitable replacement for Nakagawa in the Central Attacking MF role.

FCR hasn’t been able to find a suitable replacement up front since the departure of Nakagawa. It was always going to be unlikely that there would be a direct one for one replacement in our current lineup but at the very least, FCR needs to get someone behind Suzukui that can provide the same level of service Nakagawa once did, albeit, at a much lesser rate. I think a change in formation is required because that CAM role is so vital to a 4-2-3-1 and FCR simply doesn’t have an answer for the missing piece.

3. Change the formation from a 4-2-3-1 to more of 3-4-3, 3-2-4-1 or 3-5-2.

When you combine the loss of Nakagawa and the injury to Nishioka that has forced Masutani out wide, the FCR attack has gone missing the past 8 matches. I think FCR should experiment with a back line of 3 and get more players into the lineup such as Koizumi and Kawai. Maybe we should also get a strike partner up front with Suzuki so he isn’t forced to constantly drop back to assist on defense only to be the starting point for counter attacks that he can never join in on later.

4. Make some summer transfer window signings.

The summer transfer window for the J League begins July 15^th and runs through August 14^th. FCR should take a long look at the J3 talent that is out there as well as across the J2 for unused players and finally ask J1 clubs to loan out their unused talent. One player I think would be an interesting fit here at FC Ryukyu would be Joao Gabriel from SC Sagamihara. Having watched this player all last year I think there are several ways FC Ryukyu could employ him as a FWD. First, he is not a direct replacement for Suzuki but could help his fellow strike partner out by executing the holdup play that Suzuki does so well so as to allow Suzuki some free release as part of the counter attack. Second, he can be a player FC Ryukyu brings on late in matches than can provide some strength, height and tenacity. Gabriel plays with a bit of an edge and can make life very difficult for teams that are trying to win a match or see out a draw. His height would be beneficial for set pieces during both the attack and defense. Having a player that can help clear balls while defending leads or ties as well as the ability to rise up and meet set pieces for headers late would provide FC Ryukyu more opportunities to see out some low scoring affairs or win matches outright. Finally, if it looks like SC Sagamihara are not going to be promoted and are stuck in the middle of the J3 table this year, it’s worth the risk to sign a young player of his quality.

Using his height to reach out and bury a header

5. Improve the visibility of the club.

FC Ryukyu desperately needs to increase the visibility of the club both on island and off. They may be hamstrung by laws and regulations from the Okinawa City office but there are some small steps they could take to mitigate these hurdles. There are plenty of free marketing vehicles out there for the club and they need to maximize those outlets early enough to get more fans to stadium for the remaining home matches in 2019. Lastly, and I do not read enough of the JLeague news articles that are in the Japanese language to know for certain, but they could be one of the first clubs that is truly open and transparent in the J League. This would mean disclosing things such as finances, which they’ve done, player injuries with expected recovery times, player signing values, wages and issues surrounding the club. This type of transparency would appeal to much more than just the Japanese football fan and would allow to the club to generate more fans and followers on both a regional and global level.

It has been an amazing start to the season and I hope FC Ryukyu can reach the 42-point threshold to secure J2 football in 2020. I am sure there will be more memories throughout the remainder of the season and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.

Match Day 11 Preview: FCR vs Machida Zelvia

Match Day 11 Info: 04/27/2019 (H) FCR vs Machida Zelvia (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 19:30.

Weather Forecast: Overcast with temperatures around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22C) with 11 mph winds expected all game and only dropping down to 71 degrees (21.6C) by the end of the match. There is no rain in the forecast but I would double check the weather before leaving the house.

Match Day 11 sees FCR squaring off at home against old J3 rivals Machida Zelvia. You may recall that Zelvia gained promotion to the J2 after the 2015 season when they defeated Oita Trinita in a home and home series and were the first, and last, J3 team to achieve that feat. The J League has since done away with that format where now the bottom two from J2 and top 2 from J3 are automatically demoted/promoted (promotion still requires a J2 license).

FCR’s historical record against Zelvia is not great. They have only ever faced each other during the 2014 and 2015 seasons in the J3 with Zelvia holding the preponderance of victories at 5 to 1. In fact, Zelvia holds a 16-3 margin of goals scored compared to FCR during those years and I can vividly recall one of the hardest matches I’ve ever had to witness as an FCR fan here in Okinawa that came against Zelvia. It was during the 2014 season and Zelvia traveled to Okinawa City and lambasted FCR 7-1 on our home turf. One of those players responsible for a lot of that damage was Koji Suzuki who netted 19 goals and was the leading goal scorer in J3 that season. Well, all that has changed now as the teams are certainly different from 4 season ago and now it is FCR that has Koji “The Shredder” Suzuki up front leading the attack.

Machida Zelvia: 13^th in J2 with 13 points 4W1D5L Goal Difference of -6 Current Form WLDWL

Typical Formation: 4-4-2

Zelvia come into match day 11 having just lost at home to Omiya whereas FCR is also coming off of a loss to Kagoshima last weekend on the road. Zelvia has doubled their goal tally on the season over the past 5 matches bringing their season total to 7, while only conceding 3 during that span compared to their first 5 matches where they allowed 10 goals. Zelvia has begun to solidify themselves at the back beginning with match day 5 against Kagoshima and have turned around an ugly start to the season.

Zelvia have a much better goal scoring record on the road compared to at home but they have also conceded a majority of their goals on the road. Across the 5 road matches Zelvia has played this year they are conceding about 1.5 goals per match. While that sounds promising for the prospects of FCR netting some goals, there was one outlier where Zelvia conceded 6 against Kanazawa early in the season. They have only conceded 1 in their last 3 road matches and I fear that FCR will find a clogged mid field with little space to operate against the Zelvia defensive lines.

I did not see much in the 5 Zelvia games I was able to review on DAZN that leads me to believe FCR should fear the Zelvia attack. It is obvious that they miss a player of Suzuki’s quality up front but that is not to say they don’t have some creative players of their own. What it boils down to is creating chances for those players and this seems to be a weakness of Zelvia this year. During the last five matches, Machida was able to secure victories against Ehime at home, Fukuoka on the road with their lone draw this season occurring against Kofu at home. The losses included the previously mentioned one against Omiya at home and one against Nigata on the road.

It looked like in their most recent victory against Fukuoka that Zelvia may have turned things around with their attack but that wasn’t the case against Omiya the following week where they generated very little. They were done in by a late Utaka goal against Kofu that ultimately led to the draw when they had a momentary lapse in judgment when playing the ball out from the back that resulted in a giveaway to Kofu and the equalizer. Starting with that Kofu match, Zelvia began making some wholesale changes to their lineup to which they continued to tinker with the lineup against Fukuoka. There were no changes to the lineup against Omiya and it is likely, barring any injuries that Zelvia may have picked up against Omiya or during this past week of practice, that FCR will face that same lineup this Saturday, .

Zelvia Players to Watch:

#9 Caymen Togashi FW. Togashi is the leading goal scorer this season for Zelvia with 2. He scored early in the season against Verdy and most recently against Fukuoka.

#32 Hiroki Todaka MF. Todaka’s lone goal this season came against Kofu where he was able to control the ball from a cross with his legs and then take another touch to gain some shooting space from the defenders and deliver a nice strike. He seems to create the most opportunities for Zelvia in the attacking end and despite his diminutive stature, he is a handful to deal with from what I’ve seen on tape. He reminds me of Togashi with his playing style and FCR cannot afford to allow Todaka too much time and space in or around the 18-yard box.

#18 Yuki Okada FW. Has provided 2 assists this season but is very lethal with his passing and is someone who can set players like Togashi and Todaka free on net.

FCR 6^thin J2 with 16 points 4W4D2L Goal Difference of +4 Current Form DLDDL

Typical Formation 4-2-3-1

FCR is coming off a deflating road loss to Kagoshima especially since they had so many opportunities to score. The FCR attacks has slowed down mightily since the opening of the season where they were running roughshod over teams on their way to scoring 11 goals in their first 4 matches. FCR has only scored 5 goals in their last 6 matches while conceding 7 and it is obvious that more lineup changes are required to get the attack going again. FCR has had Uejo and Tomidokoro occupy the CAM role behind Suzuki but this has not proven to be effective after the Nakagawa transfer. For one thing, Uejo hasn’t been healthy enough to play a full 90 minutes since he injured his foot against Tokushima and it is baffling the way FCR is using Tomidokoro this year. Yu is lethal when coming in from the left side and unleashing his right foot. He is even in better on free kicks but FCR is selecting Uesato to take the long range FKs with Kazama taking the ones closer to the 18-yard box as we witnessed this past week. Tomidokoro needs to be taking more of these in order to regain the form we saw last season.

While FCR created many chances last week most of them were taken from support personnel and not our 4 attacking front men. Masutani had two golden opportunities but neither amounted to anything and Uesato took the very close FK in the Kagoshima box as a result of a back pass. If you go back to the Renofa match, you can see that FCR is requiring some very late goals to bring matches level. While this is great because it still has earned the squad some points, FCR needs to be getting out on the front foot and scoring first similar to the way they operated at the start of the season.

FCR Keys to Victory:

1.) FCR must overcome Zelvia’s 4-4-2 formation that will inevitably clog the mid-field area and make it difficult for FCR to create chances. As we’ve seen in FCR games this season when opponent’s pack the mid-field with players, FCR is really challenged to create opportunities. This started after we sold Nakagawa which means someone on the FCR squad needs to step up and take over that role. The best way to defeat the 4-4-2 is to make quick changes in direction across the pitch in order to create positional and numerical superiority against Zelvia. If done correctly, FCR should find some space to operate in, or at the very least, space to run into the channels created by dragging the 4-4-2 formation across the pitch in order to cover the mismatch.

2.) FCR needs to start fast, score early and score often. Zelvia has conceded a majority of their goals on the road this season whereas FCR has scored most of their goals at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Zelvia have a 2-1 ratio for conceding goals on the road compared to home and the same can be said about FCR’s goals scoring with a 10-5 split that is also a 2-1 advantage at home. Something has to give in this match and FCR needs to be flying all over the pitch by making runs to pull the Zelvia defense apart. Hopefully there is a little “revenge narrative” for Koji Suzuki since Zelvia is his former club and they let him go this past off season. If Koji does score, I doubt that he will celebrate too much since he has spent his entire career at the club up to this season notching 65 goals during that time.

3.) FCR needs to make some lineup changes. I am not sure if we will see the return of Nishioka this week or if Higuchi will try and change the personnel behind Suzuki in an attempt to start generating more forward thrust. This is a perfect opportunity to get a player like Koizumi some playing time and see what he can do in the CAM role. He flashed some nice skills during the draw against Verdy and nearly equalized himself before Uesato brought the game level for FCR. Higuchi could also opt to start Tanaka, as long as he is not injured, in that role to see if he can provide the service that Suzuki desperately requires. I also think FCR needs to be bringing Kawai off the bench later in games so his speed can be used to its full extent by running against the tired legs of the opposing teams defense. This would require a healthy Tanaka and Uejo but is something I hope FCR will explore over the next 2 matches.

Match Prediction: I am split between two reasonable outcomes for this match. I think that this game could see both teams score as evidenced by their track records this season or see out a scoreless draw. First, we know how FCR doesn’t keep many clean sheets and how Zelvia is susceptible to conceding goals on the road that could lead to a 2-1 FCR victory. Second, on the other hand, the solidifying of the Zelvia defense over the past few road games in conjunction with the slowing down of the FCR attack, means we could easily see a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Against common opponents this season both teams have achieved the same amount of points with Zelvia going 4W3L against those opponents compared to FCR’s 3W3D1L. This basically boils down to these two sides being very similar despite the differences in their overall statistics.

This is an important match for FCR to get going again for two reasons. First, there is only a 4-point difference between FCR and the 14^th placed team in the J2 table. A loss on Saturday combined with some unfavorable results around the league could see FCR tumble further down the table. FCR needs to be earning 3 points at home against similar or inferior opponents to keep them out of the relegation scrap at the end of the season. Second, the schedule will get decidedly harder next month and FCR needs to get that elusive 5^th win this week. A win that has escaped us since match day 4. FCR shouldn’t care about the top of the table this year as there is no need to concern themselves with promotion as they do not currently have a J1 license. The bottom of the table is of the greatest concern to FCR and therefore their focus should be on doing all they can to avoid that location.

I look forward to seeing all of you out there on Saturday and hopefully seeing our boys achieve victory. I believe there is a ceremony scheduled for Koji Suzuki and how fitting it occurs when Zelvia is in town. Good luck!

Match Day 5 Recap: Montedio Yamagata 1 – 1 FCR 3/24/2019

FC Ryukyu was chasing history this week when they traveled to the Yamagata Prefecture to take on Montedio. Unfortunately, history will have to wait as the boys were able to earn a draw against a tough Yamagata side in less than ideal footballing conditions. Let’s not take anything away from the result because it is still positive points earned on the road in the early part the season that will pay dividends later this season. Also, it leaves FCR at the top of the J2 table when the other teams around them stumbled this weekend.

As mentioned above, the weather in Yamagata was around 40 degrees at kickoff with some wind and that’s pretty cold for a football match. For the first 15 minutes, FCR looked very sluggish while giving away the ball far too easily from bad passes. On the other hand, Yamagata looked up for it and created all the early chances in the match. I wrote in the match preview that #9 from Yamagata, Jefferson Baiano, would create all sorts of problems for the FCR back line and therefor it was Okazaki who drew the marking duties. While Okazaki performed admirably in the first half by keeping Baiano off the score sheet, it was evident that Baiano’s power would be too much for the two FCR center backs to handle all game.

FCRs first chance of the match came in the 18^th minute when Uesato found Nishioka on a cross from a corner kick but the ball took a weird bounce that seemed to surprise Nishioka and thus he couldn’t generate any power or accuracy for the header. A cheap giveaway by Montedio in the 21^st minute led to a long over the top ball from Uesato that was able to pick out the run of Suzuki. He initially split the two Yamagata CBs but his first touch took him out wide left and left him with a bad angle to shoot. He looked like he may have been fouled on the play but he was just losing his balance as his shot ultimately hit the side netting. Just one minute later, Yamagata was allowed to get one of their long balls over the top through to Baiano who overpowered Okazaki on his way to the net. Thankfully, he scuffed the shot and it rolled harmlessly wide to the right of Carvajal and over the touch line.

The remainder of the first half saw two more chances of note for FCR. First, Masutani was able to pick out Tokumoto on a very long cross from the FCR end. The Yamagata defender misjudged the ball in the air and this led to an opportunity for FCR. Tokumoto was all alone on his run into the left side of the Montedio box but instead of carrying the ball deep into the box, he opted to pass early back across the box and it was nearly intercepted by Yamagata. He was able to get the ball back but his cross was dealt with by Montedio. The second chance came from #6, Kazama, who had a ball fall to him near the top right part of the Yamagata 16-yard box but because of the bounce it took, he was only able to attempt a chip over the keeper that found the top netting.

FCR started the second half much better than the first and the game seemed to open up to both sides. Each side created a couple of chances in the first 15 minutes of the half but none threatened the goal. In the 62^nd minute, Tomidokoro was able to draw a foul in the box that gave FCR a PK. Before I go into the details surrounding the PK, I’ll admit that I didn’t see much in play that led to this being called a PK. The replays were not great from DAZN but I assume the Yamagata defender either pushed Tomidokoro from behind or took his feet out from underneath him, but I couldn’t see either. While I am a massive fan of FCR and it would be easy to simply not care since it ultimately led to my team being awarded a PK, I have to rightfully admit that it may not have been a penalty.

Things then took an interesting turn for both teams once Suzuki lined up over the ball. Suzuki’s attempt was a low shot just to the right of the keeper that the Yamagata goalie was able to stop. However, the goal keeper was yellow carded for coming off of his line too early and FCR was allowed to retake the kick. That call may have also been a bit harsh because I assume the referee could make that same call on 99% of all PKs taken but I’ve rarely seen it awarded. The ensuing chess match between Suzuki and the Yamagata goal keeper saw Suzuki shooting at the same spot, albeit a little harder, while the Yamagata keeper dove in the opposite direction. FCR 1-0.

This was the 5^th time in 5 matches that FCR was able to score first. Naturally, the match really opened up at this point and there were several chances by both sides. Baiano almost tied the game on a nice cross but his header went high over the bar. Kawai, who came on in place of Tomidokoro, miss hit a wide-open opportunity and then Uejo attempted a weak shot from the right side despite being sprung loose on a nice pass from Suzuki.

The last 7 minutes of the match were by far the most intense and saw Yamagata tie the match in the 87^th minute. A nice cross by #4 Miki wasn’t properly dealt with and a deflection came to Baiano, whose header bounced off the bar, and fell right to a Yamagata player, who was emerging from the carnage in front of Carvajal, who then calmly headed it into the back of the net. It was heartbreaking to concede a goal that late but that was the theme this weekend in the J2 were there were so many late goals that either sunk or saved a team.

Now, no one could fault FCR if they wished to secure the draw and see out the rest of the match by packing their own box and sending long clearances down range. To their credit, FCR never let up and they continued their attacking style of play that led to some of their best chances of the game.

In the 90^th minute Nishioka should’ve passed to a streaking Suzuki but he opted to shoot. Kawai had a chance in the 91^st minute but he could get any power behind his shot. Tanaka picked out #19, Ochi, whose header from a difficult angle surprised everyone when it hit the cross bar. Of course, these FCR chances came at a cost as Yamagata was able to create few of their own. The nerviest moment in stoppage time was a low hard shot on net by Montedio that was blocked and cleared out of danger. The final play of the match saw FCR streaking down the pitch on a counter attack with a serious man advantage but Suzuki took the shot himself and maybe missed Nishioka on his right who could’ve run free into the box and possibly passed to it someone who found themselves wide open. However, the Suzuki shot sailed high and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

There a few takeaways from the match that I noticed. First, FCR started very slow and their bad passing allowed far too many opportunities for Yamagata. I am not sure if it was the cold temperatures, the long travel or a combination of both but thank goodness this was the farthest trip East FCR will have to make all season barring any ridiculous scheduling for the Emperor’s Cup. Second, FCR did well to limit the amount of free kicks and corners by Yamagata but it was ultimately a free kick that once again was the undoing of FCR. Third, Baiano was a handful for the FCR defense and players with similar build and disposition will cause problems throughout the season for FCR. Fourth, Yamagata really attacked our left side today and was exploiting the lackluster performance on defense by Tokumoto. Tokumoto was rounded far too easily by the Yamagata mid fielders on several occasions and this led to multiple chances for the home team. Fifth, despite FCR having 59% possession on the day, a majority of that was in the FCR end. FCR, as predicted by me, created very few opportunities from open play and couldn’t exploit any of them for a goal. While this was to be expected from their opponent, it is a worrying a trend I see emerging. Yamagata really crowded the MF and FCR lacked any creativity to unlock Yamagata defense. On a much lighter note, the last thing I noticed was that Keita Tanaka is really good at employing the so called “dark arts” of football. Dark Arts are considered to be deception, diving and professional fouls and I enjoy watching him work every week. I say this because he was almost booked for simulation when he was able to make it look as if he was dragged down in the box but the referee saw Tanaka hook the arm of the Yamagata defender and bring him down on tip of him.

In closing, nothing but praise for a job well done by FCR who were able to get positive points on the road against a tough opponent in harsh weather conditions. It is easy to be critical of FCR for making mistakes but this is the path of a newly promoted team who has been consistently asserting themselves over stronger competition this season. There will be struggles for sure, but with those struggles comes experience, and it is better to be at the top of the table earning points than starring up at it from the bottom wondering where and when you will earn the points needed to stave off relegation.

Match Day 4 Preview: FCR vs Tokushima Vortis

Match Day Info: 03/16/2019 (H) FCR vs Tokushima Vortis (A) at the Tapic Stadium (Okinawa Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 1800.

Welcome everybody to the Match Day 4 preview. This week we see FCR taking on Tokusima Vortis at home. FCR is riding high with a 3-game winning streak while Tokushima is reeling from a recent loss at home to Omiya.

Weather Forecast: One word, Perfect! Kickoff will see temperatures around 64 degrees with a slight Northeast wind between 8-10 miles per hour for most of the match and no rain in the forecast. Temperatures will stay in the mid 60’s all game so a light jacket is probably all you need.

Tokushima Vortis: 14^thin J2 W1D0L2, Current Form LWL

Typical Set Up: Depends on where you do your research. On the JLeague website, it lists them as always setting up in a 3-5-1 but on the DAZN broadcast it has fluctuated every week this season; Started 4-1-2-3, then 3-4-2-1 and the last match was more of a 4-5-1.

Tokushima seems to be searching for the right combination at the back. They switched goal keepers after the first match, and rightfully so, as his poor play directly contributed to 3 of Kagoshima’s goals. Also, against Kagoshima, they were very disorganized at the back. Despite erasing both of Kagoshima’s leads in the game, the Tokushima defense let them down once again for a late winner.

Against Gifu in their second match they were much better in the attack but had two horrible giveaways in their own box from free kicks that almost resulted in Gifu scoring. #13 Kiyotake made an acrobatic kick in the last minute of extra time, on what was a very chaotic play, to give Tokushima their first victory.

Tokushima once again started out fast against Omiya but they were unable to score. They asked some questions of the Omiya keeper early on but ultimately it was a very nice take by Babunski from Omiya that handed Vortis their second loss of the season.

Players to Watch: #13 MF Koki Kiyotake. He’s their leading goal scorer and has a very quick powerful shot from distance. He needs to be marked and dealt with when roaming the MF as he’s not afraid to shoot from distance. #3CB Jordy Buijs. He’s not on the list because of his superb defensive skills, but because of his offensive skill. He won a ball against Kagoshima at the center circle, carried it all the way to nearly the top of the box; and I guess Kagoshima assumed he wouldn’t shoot but he unleashed a tremendous shout with pace, accuracy and a curl that beat the keeper. So FCR shouldn’t be encouraging him to take any shots is what I am saying.

FC Ryukyu: 1^st in J2 W3D0L0, Current Form WWW, typical formation 4-2-3-1

FCR is bringing some serious momentum into this match after taking maximum points from all 3 games this season. They have displayed the ability to win at home despite the fact that we didn’t have a majority of the possession as well as the ability to win big on the road in a tough atmosphere.

Similar to Tokushima attempting to get the right combination at the back, FCR has been forced to change their lineups each of the past 2 matches. This is mostly due to injures to Tomidokoro and Masutani but now they will face an uphill battle to replace one of the top goal scorers from J3 last season and a player I was very excited to watch develop. Unfortunately, FCR has sold (assuming that’s the case but I never see anything on JLeague transfers) Kazaki Nakagawa to the Yokohama F Marinos. He will be sorely missed and I wish him all the best but that begs the question, who will take his place as the attacking central midfielder?

My suggestion would be to slide Tanaka into the CAM role and put #13 Kawai into the Left Mid Field position. We saw what Kawai did late on vs Ehime FC last week and I believe his speed could cause real trouble for Tokushima at the back. Tanaka is an excellent service provider for through balls and passes and he’s probably the best player to take over that role until Tomidokoro returns.

With that in mind we’d still assume to see Tanaka flanked by #14 Uejo as the Right Mid Field with the leading J2 League Goal scorer, #9 Suzuki, up front. That would leave #20 Uesato and #6 Kazama as our two holding Central Defensive Mid Fielder. At the back, barring any injuries, is #3 Nishioka, #4 Okazaki, #5 Tokumoto and #33 Fukui. This line was solid last week and I hope that continues because it is so vital to have a cohesive unit back there that is just stopping all attacks and clearing the danger away from goal.

Danny Carvajal will once again man the posts for FCR and what an outstanding signing he has been. The clean sheet last week was amazing and the man continually puts himself in the right place at the right time to stop the shots. We’ll once again require his strong performance to bring home the three points.

Keys to the Match: 1. Weather the early attacking storm from Tokushima. They will likely start fast and create a few chances within the first 20 minutes of the match.

2. Close down their attacking Mid Fielders when they have the ball outside the top of the box. The Tokushima MFs are not afraid to shoot from distance or outside the box. FCR can not allow them space even 30 yards out as they have no fear striking from that distance or greater distances. I believe this is due to the fact that Vortis hasn’t created a lot of chances, nor provides any good crosses or service, to their strikers.

3. Attack from our Left side, the Vortis Right side on Defense. This is a weak spot for Vortis and FCR should do everything they can to exploit them out there. Use Kawai’s speed and get behind the Vortis defense. While they scramble to deal with that pressure, its most likely that an FCR player will be unmarked in the box and get a free shot on net.

4. Pressure the back line of Vortis and take lots of shots. Vortis is usually disorganized at the back and has made several lineup changes meaning, the players are still getting to learn to play as a unit. Applying pressure from Free Kicks or when Vortis tries to play out from the back may see FCR get a cheap takeaway in the Vortis end that they can convert into a goal or two. While the Goal Keeping play has improved the last two matches, the Vortis keeper can be beat rather easily so long as we keep the shots at the posts and not down the middle.

FCR should just continue to attack, attack and attack the Vortis defense and GK. If Uejo, Kawai and Suzuki can find some space in the Vortis end with Tanaka unlocking the defense to set them on the way to goal, then FCR should easily beat Tokushima at home.

Game Prediction: Goals, hopefully more for FCR than Vortis. See you at the match in Section A with the big England Flag, you can’t miss me!