Intro
2 wins from 2 for FC Ryukyu this past week. First, they earned a come-from-behind victory over Mito Hollyhock 3-2 this past weekend and then followed that up with a 6-1 drubbing over Matsumoto Yamaga on the road.
FC Ryukyu have now scored a total of 16 goals over their last 4 games and this comes as quite shock considering they never exceeded more than 2 goals in any game prior to round 18 this season. As I mentioned in an earlier post, much of this could be due to the amount of fixtures J2 teams are required to play coupled with the facts that fatigue and the realization of failed promotion hopes starting to take hold.
Match Day 20 Recap: FC Ryukyu vs Mito Hollyhock
Grit, determination and a bit of luck. Probably the best way to sum this one up as FC Ryukyu went ahead early from a beautifully taken Koizumi goal, only to concede 2 goals from Mito in the second half. Then the late game specialist in Shinya Uehara made his presence known with two goals deep into the game (87’&93′) to tilt the match in favor of Ryukyu. Fans of FC Ryukyu, and followers of this blog, will know that Uehara has this uncanny ability to come on late and turn things around for Ryukyu but also can go missing for stretches when the team needs him the most. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, he came up big again.
Match Day 20 Takeaways
1. This team is always going to be a ‘work in progress’ with the constant roster churn each season but we see glimpses of what it wanted to be at the start of the season, and what it could’ve been if things played out differently this year. If we could only put it all together at one time to make a serious run, it would have been something as the team has talent, experience, and the ability to win; but they have never matched talent with opportunity or luck this year.
2. Koizumi has moved from a relative unknown name to someone who is appearing on the radars of much larger clubs. What he offers in the attack has far surpassed the days of Nakagawa and he is one of, if not the most, dynamic players in J2 this year.
Match Day 21 Recap: Matsumoto Yamaga vs. FC Ryukyu
FC Ryukyu continued their winning ways by traveling North and completely decimating Yamaga 6-1 in front of their fans. FC Ryukyu enjoyed so much possession and freedom of movement I often wondered during the match if the Matsumoto manager had watched any film on Ryukyu this year. It didn’t matter as Ryukyu had space, time, and precision passing to completely tear the Matsumoto defense to shreds on way to their second highest goal tally all time for the club. It was also the second highest margin of victory and goals scored for FC Ryukyu in J2 since the Omiya match the week prior.
Match Day 21 Takeaways
1. Many points to get to but let’s start with the obvious. Keita Tanaka is far and away the comeback player of the year for FC Ryukyu as he has completely transformed himself into an absolute stud at RB. He scored his first goal of the season, after chipping in another assist this game, when he found himself all alone on net and sent an absolute screamer from close range into the top corner. He has been simply magnificent at RB this year and is a treat to watch each week.
2. Takuma Abe reached double digit goals for only the second time in his career in the J-League and I said at the start of the season that he may score between 14-16 goals this year. He looks primed to absolutely smash that total.
3. Dany Carvajal with the poker face after swatting a clear goal from Yamaga out of the net was great. Thank goodness for no VAR down here in J2.
4. FC Ryukyu reduced their goal differential by half (!) with that victory and are now back down in the single digits for the first time in a very long time (-5).
5. Koizumi’s destruction of J2 defense continued with a goal and an assist on Wednesday. I enjoy watching him, but hate tweeting and writing about him as you cannot help but feel that he is on to bigger and better things next year. Just not at FC Ryukyu and that is completely justified. He is a massive talent and deserves a bigger stage to shine and I my only wish is that it isn’t on a bench of some middling J2 side, or J1 team. I would love to see him go to Europe and gets a chance to test his mettle against some of the best talent in the world. I’d would also be great to see him play for the Samurai one day as it would be a nice feather in the cap for this club and I think he has the talent to do it. He just needs a stronger CV than FC Ryukyu can offer at the moment and that is something we Ryukyu fans have become accustomed too these past few years.
J2 After Match Day 21
FC Ryukyu never rose above 18th place despite their two wins this week but the reduction in their goal differential could prove vital if they continue to pile up the positive results.
The recent slip up by Giravanz has allowed Tokushima Vortis and Nagasaki to close the point gap with Fukuoka shooting up the table in recent weeks. Omiya’s fall may not have been unexpected to some, though it is shocking to see them fall so far for a team that was near the top early on this year.
Half way done and plenty of drama left here before we crown the champ and send one more up to J1.
Looking Ahead
Ryukyu return home this Sunday to face a struggling JEF UTD Chiba side with Nagasaki and Fukuoka squaring off at the top.
Conclusion
It has been a party for the FC Ryukyu faithful this past week, but there is plenty of work still to be done. Ryukyu are getting healthy, despite some injuries to the back line, and are playing better than we’ve seen in a long time which has made watching them oh so enjoyable these past two rounds. But September has always been a favorable month for the club and one can only hope they end the month on a strong note.
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