Tag: koya

MD24 Preview: (19) Giravanz Kitakyushu vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

And we’re back! FC Ryukyu resume their 2021 campaign after a three week break for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Ryukyu will travel to 19th placed Giravanz Kitakyushu looking to to get back to their winning ways that have escaped them the past few weeks while the side deals with a multitude of injuries to key personnel. For their part, Giravanz will look to continue the trend of teams in the relegation zone nicking points against FC Ryukyu like SC Sagamihara and Omiya Ardija have done in consecutive weeks leading up to the break. There are 19 games remaining in the 2021 season and FC Ryukyu’s hopes for promotion are hanging on by the thinnest of threads which makes every game, especially those against lower ranked sides, crucial.

  1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Info
  2. Previous Round Highlights
  3. Team Previews
    • Giravanz Kitakyushu
    • FC Ryukyu
  4. Keys to Victory
  5. Prediction
  6. Round 24 in J2
  7. Conclusion
giravanz kitakyushu versus fc ryukyu

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

No change from the way things before when we entered the break, AKA, no visiting FC Ryukyu fans allowed.

Click>>> Match Day 24 Info from Giravanz Kitakyushu

2. Previous Round Highlights

V-Varen Nagasaki 3-2 Giravanz Kitakyushu
Omiya Ardija 2-2 FC Ryukyu

3. Team Previews

Giravanz Kitakyushu: I don’t have may notes for this side, but I also tread lightly when making disparaging remarks on our opponents as we end up dropping points when I do. Zero wins in their last five; 3/4 of their wins came within a stretch of 5 games between rounds 12 and 16; and only 1 win at home.

I literally have five lines of notes from watching Giravanz’s last 5 games. They surrender early and often with the only goals scored during this stretch occurring last round at Nagasaki The most exciting play during these games was watching a Kitakyushu player headbutt the goal post when attempting to defend a set piece/corner kick. I literally switched off after that as a casual fan watching what looked to be 11 men doing whatever they want without any direction. I hope that by addressing the talking down of a club it will reverse the curse of terrible results for Ryukyu when I have done it in the past. Perhaps Kitakyushu loaded up in the transfer window, but I don’t know. Consult the experts over at the J-Talk Extra Time please.

FC Ryukyu: What’s done is done, I am referring to the one point earned from a possible six against the two lowest ranked teams in the table as FC Ryukyu have to push forward into a must win game game against Giravanz Kitakyushu. FC Ryukyu have to be one of, if not the most, hardest hit sides when it comes to injuries this season as they’ve been without six of their original starting members for quite some time. But they did dip their toes into the summer transfer window for reinforcements and I believe their is a strong possibility of seeing two of them make their debut for Ryukyu on Monday night, along with a possible return of Dany Carvajal in net.

Despite being tied for second in the league when it comes to goals scored, the Ryukyu attack has been lurching forward in fits and spurts. Ryukyu were shut out four times in their first seventeen games but have suffered two shutouts inside their last five games. What’s worse is that they’ve become accustomed to surrendering quick equalizers shortly after taking the lead in games but that has to because they’ve lost 4 out of the 5 starting members of the back line and goalie. Hopefully the newly signed Takashi Kanai from Ventforet Kofu can provide a boost to the much maligned Ryukyu defense and start providing the crosses our attackers need, that, to be brutally honest, we haven’t seen from Numata all season.

Prior to the break Kazaki Nakagawa was starting to round into form and I hope Higuchi continues to employ the man in the attacking or central mid field role moving forward. Nakagawa has found it hard to break into the starting eleven since rejoining this side in the offseason, but he could be the catalyst this side needs to make a strong push for promotion. Last game he was making plays all over the pitch and once he regains his touch on shots and passes, look out. It will be a good problem for FC Ryukyu when Ren Ikeda returns from his fractured spine, if he can return to the form he was in pre-injury, but Ryukyu (Higuchi in particular) needs to find a way to incorporate on-loan Hidetoshi Takeda into the team.

That will be no easy task as Takeda’s natural position, Right Mid-Field, is currently occupied by Koya Kazama, so who drops out to shoehorn in this electric player? Will he be used primarily to spell Koya near the end of games to keep both players fresh and lethal in the attack? Or will Higuchi try something bold and use him in RB position, much like he did with Tanaka starting in 2020, to overload the attack and go all out for promotion this season? There is no time for hesitation or playing it safe these days.

4. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Work harder than Kitakyushu. Likelihood 4. What else you want me to say? We’ve beat them 3-0 just 5 games ago and there is nothing there to be concerned about. Other than our now persistent switching off after scoring, but even then, Kitakyushu looks a mess.

5. Prediction

Giravanz have been shutout seven times at home this season, four in a row leading up to tomorrow’s match; they have only won once at the Mikuni World Stadium in 2021, and have conceded multiple goals in half of their home games. I think the introduction of some new players into the Ryukyu lineup, coupled with Nakagawa’s resurgence, could see FC Ryukyu take this one 3-1 tomorrow. Season Record 6-6-11.

6. Round 24 in J2

League leaders (1) Kyoto Sanga FC take on (7) FC Machida Zelvia this round with (2) Jubilo Iwata traveling to (5) Ventforet Kofu, which is also the Free broadcast on the J-League International YouTube channel this week. (3) Albirex Niigata restart their season at home to (22) Omiya Ardija and elsewhere there are some bottom of the table clashes with massive relegation implications with (22) SC Sagamihara hosting (17) Tochigi SC and (18) Thespakusatsu Gunma welcoming in (20) Ehime FC for a six point swing contest.

Click>>> J.League International YouTube Channel

7. Conclusion

FC Ryukyu need a quick injection of confidence and there is no better way to do that than earning a win on the road. They’ve had three weeks to prepare for this game, as did Giravanz, so there really should be no excuses for the offense not scoring goals, the defense meshing to prevent the lapses that have sunk us the past few weeks and someone stepping into the captain’s role while Uesato is recovering from injury. Got to have it tomorrow lads, got to have it!

MD23 Preview: (21) Omiya Ardija vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

Both FC Ryukyu and Omiya Ardija need this win on Sunday. Ryukyu, currently fourth, are circling the drain and risk falling out of the promotion race with another loss, or dropped points, to a bottom four side. Omiya, who are starting to get something going on the heels of some recent strong performances by Kurokawa and Ibba, could climb out of the relegation zone for the first time in months with a win over Ryukyu and some results in the league going in their favor. These two sides played to a 0-0 draw the last time they met, but that was the old Omiya with Ken Iwase in charge and Ryukyu fully fit. Ryukyu has reached, or exceeded, the three goal plateau every time they have traveled to Saitama and that would be a welcome sight after last week’s results and before heading into the summer break.

  1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
  2. Previous Match Highlights
  3. Team Previews
    • Omiya Ardija
    • FC Ryukyu
  4. Keys to Victory
  5. Prediction
  6. Round 23 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information from Omiya Ardija

With the priority prevention measures in Saitama, as well as the state of emergency in Okinawa, this game will be capped out at 5,000 fans with no visiting fans allowed to attend. Click>>> Match Day 23 Info

2. Previous Match Highlights

V-Varen Nagasaki 1-1 Omiya Ardija
FC Ryukyu 0-1 SC Sagamihara

3. Team Previews

Omiya Ardija: Pretty much left for dead, Omiya Ardija have turned things around the past few weeks. They’ve earned 6 points from their last 5 games, a point total that took them 13 weeks earlier in the season to match, and won their first game in over three months. Omiya are also on their third manager this season after parting ways with Ken Iwase in May, and then caretaker manager Norio Sasaki making way for Masahiro Shimoda. Last week I mistakenly thought that SC Sagamihara were ripe for the picking when truly it was Ryukyu who were the ones ready to be plucked for points and things are shaping up to the same way this week.

After suffering three consecutive defeats, Omiya took the early lead over Tochigi SC in the fifth minute but conceded the equalizer inside the first half. Against Matsumoto Yamaga they had a chance at breaking the 0-0 deadlock but Ibba’s shot right on the doorstep ended up hitting the post. That first win in over three months for Omiya came at Renofa Yamaguchi when Kurokawa scored his first goal this season. Omiya nearly doubled their lead at the end but were denied by their own player, whose momentum took him into the net, and was subsequently hit on the backside by a Nermin Haskic shot to deny the goal.

At home to Montedio Yamagata the following week Omiya once more took the early lead from an Ibba goal, only to see them lose a lead for the second time inside their last five fixtures. On the road last week at V-Varen Nagasaki, Omiya clawed their way back into the game and scored an 87′ minute equalizer from Atsushi Kurokawa who has now scored two goals inside of his last three games. Both Kurokawa and Ibba look to be the most dangerous players for Omiya that Ryukyu need to concern themselves with on Sunday as each is in fine form. And both players have a limited history of scoring against Ryukyu as Ibba has notched two goals and Kurokawa one in these fixtures.

Omiya’s track record against the top four clubs this season is not good, as one might expect from a team currently sitting in 21st position. However, the lone point they have earned against these sides came back on match day six when they traveled to FC Ryukyu and held the hosts to a 0-0 draw. That game also happened to occur after Omiya had a strong performance against V-Varen Nagasaki the previous week and perhaps the recent run of form, coupled with the early success against what is now a much weaker FC Ryukyu side, might just be enough to buoy this team to their first home win in four months.

FC Ryukyu: We know Omiya’s track record against the top four sides in J2 isn’t that great, well, FC Ryukyu’s record against the bottom four isn’t something to boast about either. In the five games this season against the bottom four clubs, FC Ryukyu have managed 8 points out of a possible 15 with 2 wins, 2 draws and the lone loss occurring last week at home to SC Sagamihara. Oh, where would Ryukyu be with even some of those dropped points?

Though Ryukyu are not quite out of it yet, and with the top sides squaring off against one another this week, Ryukyu must get the job done in Saitama. During the past week FC Ryukyu played another reserve match against Kagoshima United FC which saw some of our injured players return to action. Most notably, Dany Carvajal in goal, and Ryohei Okazaki in defense. Each player played one half of that game and hopefully that is enough, for Okazaki at least, to enter the starting eleven this round.

Ryukyu has the uncanny ability to both play up, and down, to their competition this season. A trend that cannot continue in the short term as they need all three points this week. Most of Ryukyu’s dropped points this season have occurred during games when the opposition affords Ryukyu the majority of possession, frustrates Ryukyu in attack, and then hits us on the counterattack. Both coaches and players lament this fact after each of these games and if that is Omiya’s game plan this week, then we need to adjust quicker to Omiya’s tactics instead of sticking with what we though would work at the start of the match and hope for a lucky breakthrough.

For me, that means Abe taking this team on his back like he has done so many times in the past and pulling the team across the finish line. Possibly without both our starting fullbacks, as Numata wasn’t on the matchday roster last week, we also need Koya and/or Kiyotake, Shimizu and Nakagawa to be heavily involved with penetrating runs in and around the box and not simply laying the ball off back to Uesato and our center backs.

4. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Respond to Omiya’s fast start: Likelihood 3. Omiya seemed to really go after their opponents in the opening 15’ minutes of games as evidenced by the Ibba goals inside 10 minutes against Tochigi SC and Montedio Yamagata. If Omiya do take the lead, expect what we’ve seen in the past with teams packing the defensive box so we better figure it the heck out on offense.

2. Help Abe out: Likelihood 2. Abe scored three goals in the first five games of 2021, which FC Ryukyu were undefeated, but has only managed 1 goal over his last 15 games, with none in his last five. Though, he has chipped in three assists the last three weeks, but this man needs to be scoring goals more than setting them up. He is too good of a striker to be sitting on such a low goal total. But he also needs support from the cast surrounding him. Abe can create space by drawing defenders in and it is time some of the other players do the same for Abe.

5. Prediction

Omiya sort of have the same thing going for them this week that SC Sagamihara had last week, and earned a quarter of their total points all season when they played Nagasaki and Ryukyu in back-to-back weeks. I think this one ends in disappoint for FC Ryukyu to the tune of 2-1 to Omiya. Season Record 6-5-11.

6. Round 23 in J2

There are some big games at the top of the table this week as (1) Jubilo Iwata host (6) Montedio Yamagata and then (2) Kyoto Sanga host (3) Albirex Niigata. Really makes those dropped points by Ryukyu last week hurt even more now. The free broadcast this week will feature Omiya Ardija and FC Ryukyu. Tune in and enjoy (maybe). Click>>> J.League International YouTube Channel.

7. Conclusion

This is the last time we will see FC Ryukyu in action until August. I honestly have no idea which FC Ryukyu team will show up on Sunday and we can only hope it is the one that secures all three points and not the one that drops us out of the promotion race before the break. Come on lads!

MD22 Preview: (3) FC Ryukyu vs (22) SC Sagamihara #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu have a golden opportunity to extend their winning streak to three games this weekend when they face the bottom side SC Sagamihara at home. Ryukyu are in the midst of their most favorable schedule for their remaining fixtures and need to continue to hold serve with the league leaders by defeating a team that is struggling mightily this year. It will not be like the first time these two teams met this season when Ryukyu hit five past Sagamihara as Ryukyu are still dealing with a bevy of injuries to both the attack and back line.

  1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
  2. Previous Match Highlights
  3. Team Previews
    • FC Ryukyu
    • SC Sagamihara
  4. Keys to Victory
  5. Prediction
  6. Round 22 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information from FC Ryukyu

Could be a very muggy evening for football. Hope the boys are hydrated. The state of emergency in Okinawa has been extended to August 22nd which means no fans in the stands for at least the next two home games.

Match Day 22 Info from FC Ryukyu

2. Previous Match Highlights

Zweigen Kanazawa 1-2 FC Ryukyu
SC Sagamihara 0-0 Giravanz Kitakyushu

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu have won three out of their last four games in which they’ve managed to score more than two goals in all three of those victories. The lone blemish on that record was the 0-3 defeat they suffered to Fagiano Okayama. During a time when Ryukyu really need the offense to lead this team, they have responded to the call. It also helps that the fixture list has been favorable to Ryukyu the past few rounds as well as the next three games including this one.

FC Ryukyu own one of the best home records in J2 having suffered a single defeat to Montedio Yamagata on match day fifteen. They also own an impressive goals scored to conceded ratio in the eleven games, though they’ve conceded 80% of their total goals allowed in their last five home games. Still, with so many injuries to so many key players, what more can you ask for than earning wins either by hook or by crook.

Last week we saw the introduction of Makito Uehara at RB filling in for the injured Keita Tanaka who will be out for the next six weeks. Ryukyu didn’t concede a goal when Makito was in the lineup so it will be interesting to see if Higuchi gives the youngster another run out, in what could be a confidence boosting match, or he opts to start Yuya Torikai instead. I think it is 50/50 between how Makito’s strength, or Torikai’s experience, will match up with either Yuri or Hiramatsu from SC Sagamihara.

Though Abe hasn’t hit the back of the net in five games, he is flourishing in Ryukyu’s 4-4-2 formation with three assists in his last two games. Abe is far off his pace last season when he scored 10 times before the halfway point, but I think he can turn things around in time for the big month of September. For his part, Koya Kazama has been red hot as of late scoring three goals and adding one assist in his last four games. With Tanaka out, he will be the main set up man down the right side of the Ryukyu attack. Last week saw the first point by Kazaki Nakagawa in a Ryukyu uniform since 2019. Though the point alone doesn’t justify switching back to a 4-2-3-1 with Nakagawa in the CAM role, I hope it was enough to get him more involved in matches moving forward. Getting him going, along with Abe, could lead to some of those high scoring games we’ve seen at Ryukyu when he was paired with Koji Suzuki in 2019, and when Yoshio Koizumi was paired with Takuma Abe in 2020.

SC Sagamihara: It has been a rough first year in the J2 for SC Sagamihara. Things started out promising for this side, earning 10 of their 13 points this season in their opening 10 fixtures, along with achieving some unexpected results (the 2-2 draw with Niigata), but Sagamihara has not won since round 10 and has managed to score only four goals since that time. Sagamihara did make one managerial change this year already but former Omiya Ardija manager, Takuya Takagi, has yet to improve the standing of this club who has lost three times and drawn twice in his first five games in charge. Though he was at the helm for their Emperors Cup win over Giravanz Kitakyushu.

Sagamihara lost three times in a row and then drew twice in their last five matches. They surrendered an early first half goal to V-Varen Nagasaki before looking the better side the remainder of the game with a majority of the chances on net. Their two goal loss to Mito Hollyhock highlighted how disorganized Sagamihara can be at the back with this side being pulled apart for the opening goal with the second being a long ball over the top where the Mito attacker had a 50-yard breakaway.

Two second half goals was all that Tokyo Verdy needed to see out their win over SC Sagamihara with the first stemming form a corner kick where Akihiko Takeshige forgot where he was in relation to the goal when his save carried him into the net, followed by more chaotic defending that led to another goal. Sagamihara managed to level their match with Blaublitz Akita in the 68′ minute when Reoto Kodama, fresh from his transfer from Sagan Tosu (who managed to hurt himself in the moments following the goal), which was the only goal Sagamihara has scored in the last five games. But it was Kota’s Hoshi missed opportunity to put the team ahead, much like he has done on several occasions this season, that consigned this team to a draw, but first point in six matches.

The bottom of the table clash between SC Sagamihara and Giravanz Kitakyushu ended in a scoreless draw with both sides trading chances throughout the match, though it was Giravanz who looked as if they might score from the frenetic defending on set pieces by Sagamihara at the end. Perhaps the recent run of form – consecutive draws and taking Urawa to the break in the Emperors Cup match in the midweek – has allowed a little bit of confidence to sneak back into this team. But for the most part, SC Sagamihara seem destined for the drop and ripe for the picking.

4. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Do not sleep on Sagamihara. Likelihood 4. Probably the biggest key to victory this week as it would be very easy for Ryukyu to look past Sagamihara, who, to their credit, own one of the poorest away records and goal scoring ratios in the league. But, with points at a premium these days, and with only two games to go before an extended break, Ryukyu need to win this game in the first half, sub in some guys who need some match minutes, and possibly continue the streak of scoring 5 goals against SC Sagamihara. Just like they’ve done the previous three matches against this opponent.

2. Take full advantage of the chaos that is the Sagamihara defense. Likelihood 4. It isn’t pretty back there with players constantly caught out of position, multiple changes at goal keeper, and a general lack of organization from Sagamihara the past few weeks. The Ryukyu attacking players should have ample space and opportunity to operate on Sunday and it hurts that Keita Tanaka won’t be there to carve them up with his crosses.

3. Win the battle against the two strikers of Sagamihara, win the match. Likelihood 4. Though Juri was sent to the bench last week, he is a big powerful striker that will give fits to our back line. I think Chinen is up to the task, but there is no telling how our fullbacks and other center back will respond to this player. Ryukyu also need to be mindful of Kodama, and Hiramatsu – their leading scorer (3) – if he makes the squad.

5. Prediction

SC Sagamihara hasn’t conceded more than two goals in a game since their first match with FC Ryukyu back in early May. They also haven’t scored more than one goal in a game since early April while being shutout twelve times in twenty-one games. Ryukyu on the other hand has been on a bit of a goal scoring tear the past few rounds. Though I really want to hit the smash button for a large Ryukyu win, based on my past tendencies and track record, I think it is best I keep it somewhat conservative. I think this one ends 3-1 in favor of Ryukyu considering these aren’t the same two teams who already faced each other this season. Season Record 6-5-10.

6. Round 22 in J2

All the games this round kickoff on Sunday evening. The top fours sides all have matches against teams at, or near, the bottom of the table, as do the teams chasing the leaders with the lone exception being (8) FC Machida Zelvia hosting (12) FC Mito Hollyhock. The free broadcast this week will feature (2) Kyoto Sanga FC traveling to (18) Giravanz Kitakyushu. Click>>> J.League Int’l YouTube Channel.

7. Conclusion

With the very real possibility of none of the other three tops sides dropping points this round, nor the group of teams just behind Albirex Niigata, FC Ryukyu need to continue their fine form at home by taking it to SC Sagamihara. For SC Sagamihara, this could be the first nail in their coffin as they face FC Machida Zelvia, Ventforet Kofu, Albirex Niigata and Jubilo Iwata in their next five matches following Ryukyu.

MD20 Report: FC Ryukyu vs Matsumoto Yamaga FC #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu shook off their 0-3 loss to Fagiano Okayama the previous round by hammering Matsumoto Yamaga FC 4-0 this past Saturday. Kiyotake became the fifth (as far as I can find) player in FC Ryukyu history to score a hat trick in a game and nearly came close to equaling Yuta Togashi’s single game record for goals scored (4) when another one of his shots rang the crossbar. The only real shame was that none of the FC Ryukyu fans could enjoy one of this team’s biggest wins this season as they are still not allowed to attend games in person while Okinawa is under a state of emergency.

Photo Credit: @iritettsu40
  1. Highlights
  2. Man of the Match
  3. Review of the Keys to Victory
  4. Prediction
  5. Talking Points
  6. Round 20 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

Photo Credit: FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu Mid Fielder Koki Kiyotake: Scoring a hat trick and getting Ryukyu a vital three points in the process.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Just score more goals than Matsumoto. Likelihood 3. Nailed it! At one point in the game FC Ryukyu had three players sitting on two points each. Kiyotake with 2 goals; Koya with a goal and an assist; and Abe with two assists.

4. Prediction

Was hoping for a 1-0 win and they exceeded that expectation. Season Record 6-5-9.

5. Talking Points from Round 20

1. Possible Injury to Tanaka. Seeing how things went so well for Ryukyu, the only thing to discuss is the potential injury suffered by starting RB Keita Tanaka in the second half. Tanaka was subbed off for Uehara in the 56′ minute where he was seen describing an injury to his left leg while sitting on the opposite sideline. Tanaka was eventually carted off due to the injury and there is no telling what occurred, the severity, or the length of time he may miss. We’ve seen plenty of players both walk off under their own power, only to spend weeks recovering from injury, as well those that have been carted off and return the following week. Tanaka’s absence will be felt throughout the entire side as he is such a key member of the team. The likely replacements are Yuya Torikai, Makito Uehara, Felipe Tavares – individuals who all participated in the midweek Elite League Match at Avispa Fukuoka – and possibly Shinya Uehara. Though Shinya did play RB in 2019 when we dealt with injuries to the RB position, that would leave FC Ryukyu extremely thin at forward considering they are playing a 4-4-2 these days with both Shintaro and Abe up top.

6. Round 20 in J2

Transfermarkt

Kyoto and Iwata both won to extend their lead over Niigata and Ryukyu to 3/4 points. Niigata’s 0-0 draw means Ryukyu are now within 1-point of Niigata. Zelvia and Kofu’s huge wins mean they both maintain their 4-point gap between themselves and FC Ryukyu. Omiya Ardija’s first win in over three months means they are at least within striking distance of pulling out of the relegation zone.

Transfermarkt

7. Conclusion

FC Ryukyu are on one heck of a rollercoaster ride these days having won 3-0, lost 0-3, and then the recent 4-0 victory. Ryukyu have three more matches before they break for the Summer Olympics in which they will need to earn all 9-points. Only four points back from the leaders, and one off Niigata, Ryukyu are still in the hunt for promotion. But with Kyoto and Iwata showing no signs of slowing down these days, Ryukyu need to max out the points in these next three fixtures to keep pace with the top teams in J2.

MD19 Report: Fagiano Okayama vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

For the fifth time in as many games Fagiano Okayama scored the first goal of the game between these two teams, and the Satoki Uejo strike was all they needed to take the win. Shintaro Shimizu had an excellent opportunity inside the opening seventeen minutes to put Ryukyu ahead but his low shot was saved by the Okayama keeper and Ryukyu wouldn’t have a better chance to score all night. That is not to say Ryukyu didn’t come close; Uesato had a few free kicks sail just wide and Koya had a chance to level the match in the second half following Takuma Abe’s solo effort, but Ryukyu turnovers killed any momentum – despite the large amount of possession Ryukyu enjoyed on Saturday- which led to two more Okayama goals. The loss for Ryukyu doesn’t shift their position in the table, but it now sees them four points off the leaders, three behind Albirex Niigata, and only four ahead of quickly rising V-Varen Nagasaki.

Photo Credit: @Chan_chi777
  1. Highlights
  2. Man of the Match
  3. Review of the Keys to Victory
  4. Prediction
  5. Talking Points
  6. Round 19 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

Fagiano Okayama 3-0 FC Ryukyu

2. Man of the Match

Photo Credit: Fagiano Okayama

Fagiano Okayama Central Midfielder Eiji Shirai: Bagged his first goal of the year and then added an assist on Okayama’s third goal.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Get that first goal. Likelihood 3. Obviously not. Couldn’t even muster a single goal on the day. The game played out as expected when Okayama takes a lead.

2. No excuses this time if Okayama parks the bus. Likelihood 2. It is the same thing every time from Higuchi following a match in which Ryukyu out possesses, out shoots an opponent and either loses or limps to a draw. “We created a lot of chances but couldn’t score and we need to take this loss seriously.” Great, now what? Do we need to dip into the summer transfer market to find a spark for the offense?

4. Prediction

Tipped it to end 2-1 for Ryukyu and it wasn’t even close. Season Record 6-4-9.

5. Talking Points from Round 19

1. Ikeda’s injury leads to a 4-4-2 formation. There has been no word on the extent of Ikeda’s injury stemming from last week’s nasty fall, but Higuchi started Abe and Shintaro up top in a new formation for Ryukyu. Abe and Shintaro meshed well and it was the first time all season we’ve seen Ryukyu be very direct down the middle, but they just couldn’t score. Ryukyu’s best chance, and one which would have set the game on a very different trajectory, came in the 17’ minute from a nice back heel from Abe to Shintaro, but Shimizu’s shot was of the low and hard variety instead of higher where he had the entire net to shoot at. This was definitely the turning point in the game.

2. Lucky bounces and turnovers. Satoki Uejo opened the scoring after an initial shot rang off the post and took a fortuitous bounce through several players and into Uejo’s feet where he stuck a precision shot between four Ryukyu players. Okayama’s second and third goals came directly off of Ryukyu turnovers deep in their end though I am not sure what Inose was doing dropping to his knees on the second goal, which wasn’t struck nearly as hard as the third from close range. I cannot with any certainty say that Inose should’ve got closer to the third Okayama goal as it was so well struck that Inose couldn’t react in time to get his hands up.  

3. Abe did the best he could to carry the team. There were a couple of moments this game when Abe put his head down and drove on net leading to good goal scoring chances for Ryukyu. We’ve seen this before, and it was successful last year on the one occasion, but nothing materialized this past weekend. There were some shouts for a PK on one such play, but the highlights don’t lend themselves to determining if Abe was truly fouled or his momentum took him off his feet.

4. What needs to change? There isn’t much we can do while some of our key players recover from injury but the lack of goals, shutout in four of their last ten games and averaging a goal game over their last five, has seen the early season momentum stall. Ryukyu, more so than some of the other teams in the league, may really need the midseason break to get things right. They have four favorable matchups prior to the break and need to quickly rebound from their second heaviest defeat of 2021.

6. Round 19 in J2

Transfermarkt

All three of the top sides won this round with V-Varen Nagasaki continuing their climb to the top.

Transfermarkt

7. Conclusion

Heading into this game we all knew that Ryukyu were riddled with injuries to key players but also in their most favorable stretch of games. Dropping points from an unconvincing performance is not the result we needed, but I expect there to be more of this yo-yoing of results until they are back to full health. That doesn’t make this loss any better and certainly isn’t an excuse for more dropped points moving forward. It is just the reality we are dealing with at the moment. Ryukyu are far from out of it with a little more than half the season to go, but they need to turn things around over their next five games or risk falling off the pace altogether.

MD19 Preview: (14) Fagiano Okayama vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu travel to 14th place Fagiano Okayama tomorrow in what is shaping up as a must win game for Ryukyu. Ryukyu have done enough the past few weeks to stay in the promotion hunt, but really need to continue their forward momentum they built up last week at home to Kitakyushu. Ryukyu had a full week of preparation heading into this game whereas Okayama’s schedule was slightly disrupted with a midweek Emperors Cup match at Tokyo Verdy. However, Okayama won that match and now enter this game on a 2-game wining streak following their impressive, though slightly controversial, win on the road at Niigata last round.

  1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information
  2. Previous Match Highlights
  3. Team Previews
    • Fagiano Okayama
    • FC Ryukyu
  4. Keys to Victory
  5. Prediction
  6. Round 19 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Info from Fagiano Okayama

Another round with no visiting FC Ryukyu fans, but the weather looks favorable.

Click>>> MD19 Information

2. Previous Match Highlights

Albirex Niigata 0-1 Fagiano Okayama
FC Ryukyu 3-0 Giravanz Kitakyushu

3. Team Previews

Fagiano Okayama: Okayama may be suffering from a lack of goals due to the numerous injuries they’ve sustained this year, but they’ve more than made it up for it with their defense. But they are a strange side in that they’ve been both shutout 8 times while shutting out their opponent 8 times in 2021. Good for fourth in the league when it comes to clean sheets. In that same vein of being on either end of the spectrum, Okayama have won five out six games this season when they score first, but have only mustered one draw in nine games when they conceded the first goal. For the season, Okayama has a 1-0-3 record against those sides currently, who have been recently, inside the top six of the table with the notable win occurring at Albirex Niigata last week.

Fagiano Okayama went 2-1-2 over their last five games that included wins over Matsumoto Yamaga and Albirex Niigata; a draw with Omiya Ardija; and losses to V-Varen Nagasaki and Tokyo Verdy. Both sides had ample opportunities to score in the Omiya/Okayama match but neither could hit the target despite being right on the doorstep. Okayama saw a redirected ball break the deadlock in their match to Nagasaki but did come close to leveling the game at the end. Their first win five weeks came on the road at Matsumoto 3-1 when they decided to move Satoki Uejo into a forward role in a 4-4-1-1 formation, which was up from his normal attacking midfield position on the right.

Okayama looked far better in this game then they have in a long time and benefited from a failure of Matsumoto to clear their lines early in the second half for the opening goal. Then Uejo contributed a spectacular solo effort to push the score line to 2-0 before surrendering a goal to Yamaga, but then benefited once more from a Matsumoto turnover. The game against Verdy looked very similar to the one against Omiya in that both sides were trading chances, however, it was Verdy who succeeded in scoring during stoppage time. But the biggest prize in the last five games was the controversial win over Niigata.

Niigata had the preponderance of chances throughout the game but were just unlucky. Okayama took advantage of that bad luck when Uejo scored a goal, from a clear offside position, in the 68′ minute. Not sure what the linesman was looking at there but these things happen from time to time and often decide the fates of some sides. Okayama then withstood a flurry of activity by Niigata near the end that included a couple of goal mouth scrambles and a shot off the post.

On paper, Okayama looks to be a far more dangerous team on the road (5 wins and 3 draws) compared to at home where they’ve only won once, have lost three in a row, and have scored 3 goals in their 8 home games. But I think this side was buoyed by the win over Niigata as well as the recent strong performances the past three rounds. Uejo is someone you will always have to keep an eye on as he can strike, with power and placement, from just about anywhere on the pitch. It remains to be seen if Lee Yong-Jae, a forward who has given Ryukyu fits in the past, will make an appearance after missing the past 15 rounds due to an undisclosed injury. Kawamoto, on loan from Shimizu S-Pulse, pairs well with Uejo up top and Okayama, in an attempt to shoehorn in some of their better players into the lineup, are starting Shuhei Tokumoto at LM with the veteran Miyazaki taking over LB duties.

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu may have stumbled the last time they went through a favorable schedule, mustering only 4 points from 3 games against Ehime FC, Tochigi SC, and Montedio Yamagata, but they cannot afford to do the same over their next set of features against Okayama, Yamaga, Kanazawa, Sagamihara, Omiya, and Kitakyushu. A seven game unbeaten streak, starting with the win over Giravanz, over these matches would not only allow Ryukyu to keep pace with the leaders, it could see them overtake them. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet as this side is still dealing with multiple injuries and at times, can play down to the level of their competition and drop points.

Last week’s win over Kitakyushu was a start in the right direction. Inose flashed some real potential, Koya scored a brace, Tanaka added two more assists to his total points, and Chinen was doing what Chinen does best. The only downside to that performance was the loss of Ren Ikeda to a back injury and there has been no word on his status heading into the game on Saturday. I hope he misses no time as he has been one of our best young players this season, and when you factor in the disappearing act by Kazaki Nakagawa, Ryukyu cannot afford to have a gap in the central midfield for too long. Shintaro Shimizu will likely take over these duties for Ikeda in the interim, which means Higuchi will have to dress both Shinya Uehara and Shingo Akamine as the replacement strikers. It should also see Ramon return to the bench, though a start for him in the Ikeda role would be justified.

Ryukyu were also without Koki Kazama last week and no one is certain if he is dealing with an injury or it was a veteran rest week for the central defensive midfielder. It did allow Ichimaru to make an appearance and considering that we signed that young player on a full transfer from Gamba this season, I’d like to see more of him moving forward. There was news this week that a top player and staff member had contracted CV-19, but no others were deemed close contacts, so barring some changes to the lineup or reserves, we won’t have an idea as to who that was.

In the nine games that Ryukyu have played against sides in the bottom half of the table, they have earned six wins, three draws, and suffered zero losses. They’ve scored 20 goals, 2/3 of the entire goals scored this year, and have conceded 7 goals which is close to 50% of the total goals they have conceded. Ryukyu’s next six games, dependent on how Zweigen gets on of course, are all against teams in the bottom half of the table, with three of those games against sides in the relegation zone. This is a very critical moment of the season for Ryukyu as points dropped over these next few rounds would be killer to their promotion hopes. They’ve already achieved a run of five wins in a row, and 8 games undefeated this season. And they need another run like that right now.

4. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Get that first goal. Likelihood 3. The stats tell us that all eleven of Ryukyu’s wins, and three of their draws, have come when playing with the lead. Ryukyu have won two games from five when they were playing from behind, but lost the other three. All six of Okayama’s wins have been a result of them scoring first in matches, with the lone blemish being the loss to Mito Hollyhock. But they have not won any of the nine games they’ve been forced to play from behind. It may just be as simple as that on Saturday.

2. No excuses this time if Okayama parks the bus. Likelihood 2. This game looks and feels a lot like the game Ryukyu had with Akita a few weeks ago. Both have a similar goal scoring and conceded record which means Ryukyu, more importantly Higuchi, should be prepared for a same set of events to play out. If Okayama’s defensive game plan is to bend, but not break, then our players need to be creative in the set-up play and accurate with the shots they do take. We saw what happened when Niigata missed ample opportunities against Okayama as well as what happened when Ryukyu switched off at the end against Akita. Do not let Okayama hang around to poach a goal or equalize. That means being only the fifth team this season to score more than two goals against Okayama.

5. Prediction

I am hesitant to predict a Ryukyu win as I’ve been dead wrong the past few rounds. I will say that Fagiano Okayama will score first, as they’ve done that in every game these teams have faced one another in J2, but I will also say that Ryukyu pull this one out 2-1 in dramatic fashion. Season Record 6-4-8.

6. Round 19 in J2

All Times Listed are JST

It is interesting that all four of the top sides, ranked 1-4, play four teams all ranked 11-14 in the same order (1v11, 2v12, 3v13, 4v14). Guess that means that no one side has an easier game than the other with the slight advantage afforded to (2) Jubilo Iwata who are at home (12) JEF United Chiba. (1) Kyoto Sanga travel to (11) Zweigen Kanazawa with (3) Albirex Niigata facing another tough test for goals on Monday night when they travel to (13) Blaublitz Akita. (5) Ventforet Kofu and (6) V-Varen Nagasaki will look to cut their deficit when they play (16) Renofa Yamaguchi and (15) Tochigi SC.

At the bottom it is (17) Matsumoto Yamaga looking to put some distance between them and the drop when they host (21) Omiya Ardija and then there is a very important game between (19) Giravanz Kitakyushu and (20) Ehime FC. This week’s free broadcast game on the J-League International YouTube channel will be between (18) Thespakusatsu Gunma and (7) FC Machida Zelvia.

Click>>> J-League International YouTube Channel

7. Conclusion

With the race at the top ebbing back and forth, points are at a premium these days. Almost to the point where every game for the top four becomes a ‘must win game’ in order to keep pace with the pack. It took Ryukyu five halves of football before they finally scored their first ever goal against Okayama last year, but they were able to win on the road, and earn a draw at home, when they fell behind. We’d rather see Ryukyu jump out to a lead like we saw last week, and maybe the midweek Emperors Cup match for Okayama at Tokyo Verdy has disrupted preparations for this game. In any event, Ryukyu need to use their momentum from last week and take the three points on Saturday.

MD18 Report: FC Ryukyu vs Giravanz Kitakyushu #FC琉球

Intro

Behind closed doors and under some poor weather, FC Ryukyu notched their 11th win of the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Giravanz Kitakyushu. Ryukyu had two players earn multiple points but it was the surprise performance from Inose that caught my eye. The win keeps Ryukyu near the top of the table but provided a much needed boost to the psyche of this team more than anything else.

Photo Credit: @iritettsu40
  1. Highlights
  2. Man of the Match
  3. Keys to Victory
  4. Prediction
  5. Talking Points
  6. Round 18 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

Photo Credit: FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu Mid Fielder Koya Kazama: Koya scored his first goal of the season, which was all Ryukyu needed for the win, added his second later in the game, and set up Tanaka for the cross on Ryukyu’s third goal. He almost had a hat-trick but he pushed the shot high from about 8-yards out on goal. There were multiple strong performances from Inose in net as well as Chinen in defense, but scoring a brace to carry the team to victory deserves all the credit.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. No mental lapses after scoring. Likelihood 4. An obvious yes after Ryukyu secured their first clean sheet in 5 games.

2. Protect Inose with multiple goals. Likelihood 2. Yes, though Ikeda’s day was cut short due to injury, Kiyotake didn’t do all that well, but Koya Kazama had a huge day yesterday.

4. Prediction

Thought this one would end in a 2-2 draw but the boys had other ideas. Season Record 6-4-8.

5. Talking Points from Round 18

1. Not only a scoring outburst yesterday, but an emotional one as well. Ryukyu needed a performance like that yesterday and the boys really wore their emotions on their sleeves. Obviously with no fans in attendance it was easy to hear the release of frustration, anger and jubilation after so many big plays from Ryukyu. Most notably was Koya after finally scoring for the first time this year and commenting after the game that they knew they had to win this match to stay in the hunt. Then there was the play made by Chinen to keep FC Ryukyu’s clean sheet intact. Watch the video below.

2. Speaking of big performances, Inose was spectacular. You can also add in Keita Tanaka who grabbed two assists yesterday when won the ball back in the Kitakyushu end and smartly picked out Koya in the opening half. Then he found Shintaro Shimizu with a perfectly weighted cross in the second. But it was the performance from the Ryukyu #3 GK Inose that really stood out. Inose made a fine save in the opening half, tipped another one over the bar in the second that doesn’t show up on the highlight reel, and then stopped a penalty kick at the end. It was encouraging to see such an effort from a 20-year old player making only his third start in J2.

3. Yong Jick looked a little too relaxed out there. He committed an early turnover that was almost costly and then was the offending party on the Kitakyushu PK when he stuck his arm out in what I can only assume was to block the Kitakyushu player behind him but ended up touching the ball. Ryukyu can get away with that stuff against lesser sides but will not be so lucky against better teams. Unfortunately, we’ll have to deal with this stuff for another few weeks until Okazaki returns.

4. Abe was once again doing his thing but couldn’t grab a goal. He came close in the first half when his chip rang the crossbar but that’s about it. However, he was doing everything we needed him to do on both ends of the pitch. Seeing him subbed off around the 60’ each week maybe a good thing as we’ll need him as close to 100% every game moving forward.

5. A goal from a CK? Yes! A rare site indeed for this club but Uesato picked out Koya who buried the header to put the game out of reach.

6. Yet another injury to a member of the Ryukyu starting eleven. Ren Ikeda took a nasty fall following a challenge on a ball in the air when he contacted Kitakyushu player, sent tumbling downwards landing on his back, and was unable to continue after several minutes on the ground and brief return to the match. Hopefully this is nothing more than some soreness that will lead to a stiff back all week as we really cannot afford to be without Ren’s services for an extended period of time.

7. A very important win. With some of the clubs ahead of Ryukyu in the standings dropping points, the 3-points keeps Ryukyu in the race and cuts the lead to just 1-point. It also pushes Ryukyu 7-points clear of 5th place Kofu. Despite what some might think of the opponent this week, Ryukyu needed to bust the slump they were in and gain some confidence back. It was never a given that Ryukyu would easily take this match, not with all the injuries and recent results, so grabbing a win when they needed it the most was uplifting.

6. Round 18 in J2

Transfermarkt

There was plenty of activity inside the J2 table this week with Jubilo Iwata usurping Albirex Niigata in second place following their fifth consecutive victory, 1-0 over a 10-man Ventforet Kofu, and with Albirex Niigata losing 0-1 at home to Fagiano Okayama following a very controversial goal by the guests. Kyoto Sanga conceded a late equalizer at home to Thespakusatsu Gunma (2-2) but moved into first place based on goal differential. FC Machida Zelvia’s 0-2 loss at home to Blaublitz Akita means there is a 7-ppoint gap at the top for the top four teams.

Despite Omiya earning a point at home to Tochigi SC, they find themselves logged at the bottom with SC Sagamihara who lost on the road at Mito Hollyhock. There seems to be a 4-team race to avoid the drop between Matsumoto Yamaga, Gunma, Kitakyushu, and Ehime FC with Ehime looking the worst off of the bunch. There is still plenty of games to play and these four teams are not separated by many points and others just above them in the table could find themselves in similar circumstances as the season progresses.

Transfermarkt

7. Conclusion

Ryukyu are now three points shy of the 40-point mark which puts them nearly halfway to 80, a mark that Higuchi threw out at the start of the season and one likely required to keep pace with the other three teams at the top. Truly unbelievable, but there is no time to rejoice and bask in our achievements as we haven’t accomplished anything yet. Ryukyu travel to Fagiano Okayama next week, who themselves are coming off an emotional win of their own. Fagiano are a stingy defensive side and we all saw what happened to Ryukyu when they faced a similar defensive team in Akita.

MD17 Preview: (12) Blaublitz Akita vs (3) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu will make their longest road trip of the season when they travel to face Blaublitz Akita this Saturday. That comes on the heels of their third longest road trip of the year to Niigata last week, and just before another road trip to Matsumoto Yamaga the following Wednesday for an Emperors Cup match. These two teams are very familiar with one another stemming from their time together in both the JFL and J3, but this will be the first time they face each other in the J2.

Both enter Match Day 17 following a loss the previous round and both are looking to rebound in a big way. These two sides are dealing with some injuries to their back line which has seen their strong defensive performances to start the season taper off as of late resulting in consecutive losses for Ryukyu and Akita failing to win since their 2-1 victory at V-Varen Nagasaki one month ago. On a much more positive note, Martin Spivey will be joining the FC Ryukyu blog this week to preview Blaublitz Akita so please enjoy the change to the normal opposition’s preview I churn out.

Blaublitz Akita versus FC Ryukyu Match Day 17
  1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
  2. Previous Match Day Highlights
  3. Team Previews
    • Blaublitz Akita
    • FC Ryukyu
  4. Keys to Victory
  5. Prediction
  6. Round 17 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Maybe some wind to contend with during the match but otherwise a very nice forecast. And once again there will be no visiting FC Ryukyu fans allowed to attend while Okinawa is under a state of emergency.

Click>>> MD 17 Info from Blaublitz Akita

2. Previous Match Day Highlights

Tokyo Verdy 3-1 Blaublitz Akita
Albirex Niigata 2-1 FC Ryukyu

3. Team Previews

Blaublitz Akita: As a Blaublitz Akita supporter of almost a decade, I have to say I’m in Dreamland. From JFL to J3 and now J2. After our J3 victory in 2017, I honestly thought we wouldn’t get another chance of promotion any time soon when our J2 license application was rejected. But here we are. And last season took me by surprise. A real underdog story that I feel mirrors Ryukyu’s rise (if I may say such a thing!). Until about 5 seasons ago, both clubs were stuck in the mid-table of J3 with similar crowds and set-ups and now we face each other in the league above, 12th at home to 3rd.

Both teams have seen their form (and results) tail off a little bit in recent weeks but after watching bits of Ryukyu here and there, I can see they will be a really tough opponent. A great passing side that knows how to score goals. As for Akita, well, I imagine we can be a hard watch for the neutral at times. Our strength is in our strong work ethic – the players never stop running. A long throw-in into the box from RB Suzuki or MF Fukoin can be expected at every possible opportunity or a long ball from the center of defense for pacy forward Keita Saito to run on to. Akita will sit back and let Ryukyu have most of the possession but hopefully it won’t be all one-way traffic.

There are concerns about our central defense, with Kaito Chida having been out all season and Shigeto Masuda missing the last few games. Veteran legend Kenichi Kaga is a solid back-up but he needs a break soon you feel. If he starts, and has tired legs, then the Ryukyu attack may want to try and run at him from the start! After Ryukyu, Akita have Machida and Niigata coming up so I fear we could go on a run of 6 or 7 games without a win. Still, I find the outcome of this game a little hard to predict.

Ryukyu could smash us by 3 or 4 if we’re not at the races but we could also nick a win. A 1-1 draw wouldn’t be a total surprise based on our home results so far this season. Can we benefit from the fact there will be no away supporters in the ground? I just wanna see a good, clean fight. May the best team win! (I’ll take a point though…)

Thank You Martin for that great preview of Blaublitz Akita. You can find Martin on Twitter @bantam84 for all things Akita.

FC Ryukyu: May was a rough month for FC Ryukyu as they won two, drew two and lost two. In Ryukyu’s first twelve games of the season they surrendered more than one goal in a game only once. Ryukyu have now conceded 2 goals in each of their past 3 games. The injury to starting CB Okazaki has compounded that problem and will do so for the next 7 weeks. For a team that was winning on the back of great defensive performances, and steady offensive output, Ryukyu have really come apart at the seems this past month.

Takuma Abe’s return up top helped last week and we should see the Ryukyu talisman get back on the score sheet this week. Yong Jick has been forced to drop back into the starting CB role along side Chinen and since we only have the one game to make any judgement on whether or not he has improved from last season in that role, we will have to reserve judgment for a later date. Fukui has now become the emergency defender on the bench and though Ryukyu have not seen Akamine in the squad for a few weeks, I felt they fielded their strongest bench this season last week.

Dressing three forwards, vice four, for each match allows some of the talented mid fielders on the roster a shot at making the bench. Though it is anyone’s guess whether or not they will appear in a game. So far we’ve seen Higuchi prefer to play Yu Tomidokoro over Ichimaru in the central midfield with Motegi filling in for Kiyotake and Uehara coming on late in place of Koya. Shimizu will likely spell Abe at some point in the match while Abe gets back to full match fitness levels following an injury he picked up at Ehime FC.

Still, I would like to see Nakagawa make the bench but with no idea of who is actually hurt these days, we must always wait for the team to tweet out the starting lineup a few hours before kickoff. Perhaps it would be best to not practice in the hot Okinawa heat during the day and tailor practice times to mirror kickoff times that week so guys can remain somewhat fresh and get their bodies in tune for that time of the day. Ryukyu have three road games in a row, which included last weeks game at Niigata, spread across 10 days meaning they will lose anywhere between 5-6 days of practice for travel. This may be the only rest they get in between games the next few weeks while it is getting really hot down here in Okinawa.

4. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

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

1. Get to the 2-goal mark first. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu have hit the 2-goal mark only twice in their last 8 games while being held to 1-goal (3) or shutout (3) in the other 6 games. The two-goal mark maybe enough to see out the win as Akita have only managed to score 2 goals in a game, both on the road, on 2 occasions this season. If Akita follow the same path of our previous three opponents and score 2 goals against us, it may be a tough ask to score 3 goals against a team that has only allowed 2 or more goals in a game 4 times this year.

2. Do not take them for granted. Likelihood 4. Several of Akita’s opponents may have overlooked them as the newly promoted side but that has resulted in Akita earning victories over Kyoto, JEF, Mito and Nagasaki while nearly earning a win over Iwata. Ryukyu need to go out there and set the pace early as Akita have proven themselves a resilient team this season.  

3. Same as last week, set pieces will be key. Likelihood 2. Akita scores, and concedes, most of their goals from set pieces and though Ryukyu turned the corner last week by not allowing a goal from a set piece, they will need to do the same this week at Akita.

5. Prediction

Akita will be no easy nut to crack for Ryukyu as they have shut out their opponent on four times while playing at home. However, they have conceded all three of their goals at home in their last three home matches. Akita and Ryukyu earned the same results, and near identical goals scored/conceded record, over their last five games, but Ryukyu’s overall goals conceded on the year matches the total for Akita’s overall goals scored tally. I appreciate Martin going in for the point, and see that as a real possibility, but Ryukyu need a rebound win following two consecutive defeats so therefore I’ll say to 2-1 to Ryukyu. Season Record 6-4-6.

6. Round 17 in J2

All Times Listed are in Japan Standard Time

Round 17 kicks off Friday evening with (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma taking on (10) FC Mito Hollyhock. (1) Albirex Niigata will play their fourth game in a row against a top six side when they travel to (5) Ventforet Kofu on Saturday with (2) Kyoto Sanga FC also on the road this week at (16) Tochigi SC. (4) Jubilo Iwata and (6) FC Machida Zelvia are also on the road this round when they face (18) Giravanz Kitakyushu and (17) Matsumoto Yamaga FC respectively.

(22) SC Sagamihara will take on (7) V-Varen Nagasaki for the free J-League International YouTube broadcast this Saturday and the link can be found below the infographic.

Click>>> J-League International YouTube Channel

7. Conclusion

It will be interesting to see how Ryukyu respond in the face of adversity following two losses in a row. Akita could take advantage of some tired legs from Ryukyu, as well as some depressed morale, so Ryukyu really need to gut this one out. A couple of nice goals from Takuma Abe, set up by Koya Kazama and Keita Tanaka, could provide the much needed boost in confidence for this side who are still in the thick of things this far into the season.

Match Day 13 Report: (18) Ehime FC vs (2) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Photo Credit: @fcr_info

Intro

Well that hurt! Short on rest and visiting fans, FC Ryukyu made it out alive on MD 13 with a 1-1 draw at Ehime FC. The overarching theme for the night was tired legs. Higuchi opted for the same set of players that played 48 hours prior when he really should’ve rotated the squad a bit. This was a golden opportunity to gain some ground on leaders Albirex Niigata as well as keep Kyoto Sanga at bay but it be like this sometimes. On one hand, FC Ryukyu were lucky to have Niigata draw but on the other, Kyoto closed the gap between them and Ryukyu to just one point after their 1-0 win against Montedio Yamagata. It was also the first time this season that Ryukyu failed to win following either a loss or a draw.

  1. Match Day Highlights
  2. Man of the Match
  3. Review of the Keys to Victory
  4. Prediction
  5. Talking Points
  6. Round 13 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Match Day Highlights

2. Man of the Match

Ehime FC DF Taishi Nishioka. Why not? I thought for sure that Ryukyu were going to have their way with him but it was Taishi’s clearance on a ball headed right at Koya that prevented Ryukyu from scoring.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Exploit Taishi Nishioka at CB. Likelihood 5. It looked as if Ryukyu were going to have their way with Ehime early on but could only muster the single goal in the first half. Have to say no on this one.

2. Pile on the pressure. Likelihood 4. Early on yes, but it wasn’t sustained for the entire match so no. In fact, Ryukyu were out shot by Ehime.

4. Prediction

Tipped this one 2-0 in favor of Ryukyu. We’ll put that straight into the loss column. Season Record 6-2-5.

5. Talking Points from Round 13

1. Squad rotation, or better yet, the lack thereof. Higuchi admitted in his post-game comments that he should’ve rotated more players with such a quick turnaround between games. That doesn’t make it any better considering he was joking about how the players were attempting convince him to let them play in the days leading up to the match. You have to know your team, and the organization should’ve known what they could and could not get out of some of the veteran players on short rest.

For the most part, Ryukyu looked good as they were consistently penetrating the Ehime back line but were just off on the last pass to set guys loose. Maybe the plan was to grab a multiple goal lead and rotate players out starting at half time but that wasn’t the case. When Ryukyu did finally make a change, removing both Ikeda and Uesato, the attack stalled out. Furthermore, Higuchi dressed Yuya Torikai over the likes of Motegi and Nakagawa which is just baffling. Both of their fresh legs would have provided a huge boost to a side that was out shot and out possessed by Ehime. Speaking of legs, I hope the sight of Abe having a heavily shrink-wrapped right quad with an ice pack on his hamstring was more maintenance than injury related as he was the one player in the preview that I thought needed the rest the most.

2. There were plenty of misses right on the door step by both sides. For Ryukyu, the ones of note were the Chinen shot from inside the 6-yard box that was skied over the bar in the 41st minute that would’ve provided some massive breathing room for Ryukyu. Then there was the Shintaro header in the 72nd minute that went past the post. Ehime also had a couple of cracks at scoring when Kawamura whiffed on a shot that fell nicely to an onside Ehime player that put the header just over the goal. Truth be told, Ehime should’ve won the game in the 90th minute when Kondo was all alone at the back post and somehow missed the entire goal from about 2 yards out.

3. The goals. First, the Ryukyu goal. Koya was having a nice game this day and his cross may have initially been intended for Abe, but Abe once again doing everything but scoring in this match, executed a perfect dummy that let the ball roll to wide open Kiyotake who had all day to pick his spot.

The Ehime goal. Some might say the player came from an offside position, but from the angle below I don’t think that was the case. The attacker rightly repositioned himself in the defensive line and none of the Ryukyu defenders responded to a new player being inserted into their ranks.

4. One missed call. Maybe we have no room to complain about the actual Ehime goal, but I think the referee missed a clear hand ball in the 22nd minute when a Uesato cross bounced up and hit Toyama in the arm inside the box. There were some slight appeals for hand ball by Ryukyu, but they were not enough to persuade the referee to give the foul. Perhaps that just sounds like a disappointed Ryukyu fan making that out to be more than it actually was.

5. Houston, we may have a problem. This was the second consecutive match that Ryukyu could only muster 4 shots on target. While I thought, albeit incorrectly, that Ryukyu would produce shots and goals in this match similar to Sagamihara, not to Kyoto, I think a concerning trend is emerging. Ryukyu have now been held to under 4 shots on target in 5 out of their 13 games this season. They are averaging roughly 12 shots, with 7 on target, for the season but those numbers could be propped up by the Verdy (reduced to 10 men) and Sagamihara matches where Ryukyu had 18 and 14 shots on target.

For the season Ryukyu are averaging a goal every 7 shots/4 shots on target and I have no idea where that ranks compared to the rest of the league. The worrying trend seems to be the low number of shots on net over the past 5 weeks compared to the start of the season. Granted, there were two games earlier in the year, Iwata and Omiya, where Ryukyu generated only 2 shots on net. Perhaps it is normal for teams to experience these types of results or perhaps it can be attributed to playing Zelvia, Kofu and Kyoto, all of which are teams sitting inside the top 6 of the table.

6. Round 13 in J2

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As mentioned earlier, Albirex Niigata drew 0-0 at home to Matsumoto Yamaga with Kyoto Sanga FC defeating Montedio Yamagata 1-0. Ryukyu also received a bit of luck when both Jubilo Iwata and FC Machida Zelvia drew, though it was a tough draw for Blaublitz Akita against Iwata as the goal came deep into stoppage time preventing the hosts from bagging all 3 points. Ventforet Kofu won 2-0 which allowed them to leap frog Zelvia.

Elsewhere, JEF United Chiba grabbed their second win in a row while V-Varen Nagasaki won for the first time in four matches under their new manager. The much ballyhooed bottom of the table tilt between Thespakusatsu Gunma and Omiya ended in a 1 all draw after Gunma snatched a late equalizer in stoppage time resulting in both teams staying entrenched at the foot of the table.

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7. Conclusion

Once more we’ll need to put a match in the rear view mirror and move on. 16th Tochigi SC come to Okinawa this Saturday and Ryukyu need to take out some aggression out on this side with the extra day to prepare. The race at the top is really tight and Ryukyu cannot afford to drop anymore points with the match between Niigata and Kyoto looming large as well the Niigata/Ryukyu match at the end of the month.

Match Day 12 Recap: (2) FC Ryukyu vs (3) Kyoto Sanga FC 5/05/21 #FC琉球

Photo Credit: @cafedecampnou

Intro

Despite the weather forecast calling for rain and thunderstorms, 2,500 people ventured out and were rewarded with rather calm weather. However, the most anticipated match of this round had few fireworks as both teams played to a 0-0 draw. There were a lot of positives that came out of this match for Ryukyu and though we’d like to see this side beat the stronger teams at home, there is a long way to go this season.

  1. Match Highlights
  2. Man of the Match
  3. Review of the Keys to Victory
  4. Prediction
  5. Talking Points
  6. Round 12 in J2
  7. Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu GK Junto Taguchi: Taguchi was right in the firing line last night as Kyoto registered 13 shots on target, and not a single one got past Taguchi. His save in the second half from a Miyayoshi shot was probably the biggest one he made all game.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Bend, don’t break on defense. Likelihood 3. Absolutely. Ryukyu stymied one of the best offenses in the league last night and made Utaka almost invisible.

2. Win the individual battles within the game. Likelihood 3. To a large degree yes. Ren Ikeda, Tatsuya Chinen, Takuma Abe and Keita Tanaka were all in fine form. The only shame was that Ryukyu didn’t score.

3. We need a big performance out of Abe, Koya and Tanaka. Likelihood 4. Yes. Koya was playing really well and so to was Numata who was picking out players left and right inside the box.

4. Prediction

Went with a 1-1 draw and it ended 0-0. I think that is good enough to give myself a win this week. Season Record 6-2-4.

5. Talking Points from Match Day 12

1. Close but no cigar. Each side had some good opportunities to score last night but could not slip one past two of the better goal keepers in J2. Each side had one great chance to score that required nice saves on the part of the keepers; Shintaro Shimizu’s header in the first half was just simply the perfect height for the keeper to parry out of danger but it still required a diving save on the part of Wakahara; and there was the abovementioned save by Taguchi on Miyayoshi. Each side had plenty of misses with lots of shots also being blocked by defenders in the box. Koya laid one off for Abe to finish but I think Koya had enough time and space near the back to post to attempt a header on net vice the pass. Utaka had one clean look on net but sent his shot high over the bar in the first half. Then Abe and Shintaro both came close near the end but again, the shots went wide of the mark.

2. Ryukyu were lucky to escape unscathed from two costly turnovers. Both occurred in the second half with the most egregious one being by Yu Tomidokoro that turned Kyoto loose on net. It was only the save by Taguchi that bailed Ryukyu out of what could have been an absolute disaster. We knew coming into this game that Kyoto punishes sides on turnovers so one on hand you can look at it as luck, and the other as skill on the part of Taguchi. But Ryukyu cannot afford to make those costly mistakes in their own end against good sides.

3. Ryukyu played much better in the second half. There were more attacks from Ryukyu and they looked as if they would break the deadlock but were still out shot 2-1 by Kyoto in the second half. It was almost the exact opposite of the SC Sagamihara game as Ryukyu only registered 2 shots on target in the second half compared to 8 from Kyoto. It looked as if Ryukyu controlled most of the play in the second half but each side went into half time, and finished the match, with a 50/50 split in time of possession.  Furthermore, when Ryukyu introduced both Yong Jick and Shinya Uehara, they couldn’t produce enough dead ball kicks to bring the height of these players, and that of Chinen and Okazaki, to bear on the Kyoto goal. Uehara had one look that was sent high over the bar from what may have been the lone free kick in Kyoto territory.

4. So many games in such a short time span yet Ryukyu only used two substitutes last night. Yong Jick came on for Yu Tomidokoro in the central midfield which is becoming a trend. I think that substitution, along with Uehara, really provided Ryukyu with some coverage on the set pieces from Kyoto near the end but Ryukyu only managed to earn two corner kicks last night. However, I wish they had brought on Motegi, Akamine or Kiyotake to introduce some fresh legs to the fight.

5. There was a strange play were an injured (or acting as if injured) Kyoto player interfered with a pass from Ryukyu and the referee decided to award Kyoto the ball in their own end. Some thought it may result in a dropkick but I am not sure what went on with this play. The referee let these guys play all game and awarded no cards despite the several conversations he was having with multiple players yesterday.

6. I know we all wanted to see FC Ryukyu win, but the performance was good, and it was a vital point. Keep in mind that Kyoto entered this match having won their previous 6 games and were pretty much scoring at will. The fact that Ryukyu were able to shut down such a potent offense is really encouraging moving forward. They still maintain a 3 point lead over Kyoto, who is heading into a tough stretch of games, are 7 points clear of 4th placed Jubilo Iwata, and have conceded the fewest goals (7) in J2. Look how much better this side is at producing results this year compared to last year when defending was a problem despite all the firepower that Ryukyu possessed.

7. Strange statistic that means absolutely nothing but exists nonetheless. When the FC Ryukyu team bus arrives before their opponents when Ryukyu are at home, they are 5-0-0. When it arrives after, as it did yesterday and against Omiya, they are 0-2-0 with no goals scored.

6. Round 12 in J2

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Leaders Albirex Niigata retained the top slot after a thrilling come from behind victory at Omiya Ardija. Teams seeded 2 to 4 all drew, as well as Ventforet Kofu, thus not changing positions near the top. Though FC Machida Zelvia’s 2-1 win at Fagiano Okayama has bumped them above Kofu. Blaublitz Akita’s 2-1 road win at V-Varen Nagasaki further frustrates a Nagasaki side that had high hopes coming into this season.

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7. Conclusion

A vital point earned and now it is on to three teams in the bottom half of the table for FC Ryukyu before they travel to #1 Albirex Niigata at the end of the month. Ryukyu’s schedule for the remainder of May is much more friendlier than leaders Niigata, 3 games in a row against top 6 sides that includes a game with Kyoto, and Kyoto, 2 games in a row against teams in the top 6, which means Ryukyu stands a good chance at creating some distance between those teams below them and possibly catching/overtaking Niigata if the leaders stumble. But before we get to Niigata, it is on to Ehime FC in just two short days. Ryukyu cannot afford to drop points to a team in the relegation zone and must continue to hold serve as they make a push for promotion.