2019

Intro

FC Ryukyu lost a hard-fought battle to Omiya 3-2 this past Sunday at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Though the boys were not able to earn a positive point on the day, take nothing away from their performance. They played really well against a side seeking promotion. I think we all need to have some expectation management for the remaining 4 matches this season when it comes to FC Ryukyu. We will probably be without Dany Carvajal due to his lingering ankle injury that he picked up against Yokohama, as it probably has never fully healed. Why else would he not be out there after playing the full 90 versus Tochigi SC? I am assuming he’s played through tremendous amounts of pain and setbacks to get FC Ryukyu to this point and it has just become to much. Maybe he picked up an injury during practice but I’ve seen too many of Dany’s type of injury in the NFL to believe anything less and feel he was rushed back to service without proper healing time. But we’ll await word from the club as to what actually occurred. In any case, he was an absolute warrior for this club this season. Also, FC Ryukyu are likely without a true RB for another 2 weeks until Nishioka returns. Shinji Ono may also not feature again for this side with his own ankle injury and that would be terrible. But do not fret, the team is relatively safe and as I’ve said on numerous occasions; it is time we get a look at some of the youth in the squad with the remaining fixtures as we are already playing the 2020 season. If you think we’re not, then you do not understand sports.

Match Recap

FC Ryukyu could not have asked for a better start. Within the first 90 seconds the boys were on the board following a beautifully taken Uesato FK. Uejo earned the FK at the 13 second mark, and I was shocked that Omiya was caught flat footed again. Finally, and you all know what I mean when it comes to Uesato’s FKs (usually blasts into the wall), this time Uesato curled it over the top leaving the Omiya GK no chance. A dream start for the side not expected to do much on the day. Now, there was definitely a feeling that FC Ryukyu would eventually concede but at least we wouldn’t be blanked on the day. Also, Omiya’s cracks were on full display, and though they may well be promoted, they’ll have a tough 4 weeks ahead to ensure automatic promotion.

Omiya did respond, albeit 16 minutes later, when a Fukui giveaway let to a goal from Delgado. Then to make matters worse, FC Ryukyu failed to properly clear the garbage in front of their net and in the 43rd minute, a shot curled past Ishii for a 2-1 Omiya lead. FC Ryukyu headed into half time down 2-1 with many in the stadium of thinking the flood gates were about to open.

FC Ryukyu again started fast and were rewarded with another quick goal. This time, it was the efforts of Kawai, whose speed proved too much for the Omiya RB. He easily rounded the RB and then sent a dangerous low hard cross across goal were a diving Yamada pushed it past the Omiya GK to level the match. I pretty much came out of my shoes, and the stands, screaming that this is what Kawai does, day in and day out, and needs to be in the lineup all the time.

FC Ryukyu did well to resist the remaining Omiya pressure and too be honest, FC Ryukyu controlled a large amount of possession in the remaining minutes. Bedlam nearly ensued when Uejo finally had his first free look on net, but unfortunately, his shot hit the post and bounced out of bounds. Then, as many were dreading, Omiya scored late. A cross from Shinozuka found a streaking Simovic, who was able to get a foot to the cross and redirect it past a diving Ishii. Then, out of nowhere, the heavens opened up and it began to poor outside. FC Ryukyu tried mightily but couldn’t respond to the late Omiya goal and thus lost 3-2.

Man of the Match

#13 MF, Shuto Kawai. The man was simply awesome on Sunday. He needs to be a major part of FC Ryukyu’s 2020 plans, especially with the impending departure of Uejo, and we’ll really value/need his speed. He has now bagged 2 assists in 2 straight games and his speed, skill, and overall play is exciting to watch.

Match Day 38 Takeaways

1. An Omiya supporter, and friend of mine, said that Higuchi is too dogmatic when it comes to lineup selection and substitutions. My friend said he watched him at Omiya, prior to Higuchi’s trifecta at Yokohama, and he echoes my sentiments. Omiya made all 3 of their substitutions before FC Ryukyu made 1 this past match. We saw what Omiyta wanted to do, and had every opportunity to counter their moves with speed or skill, but instead we did nothing. In fact, we left the 3^rd substitute on the bench once more. Are FC Ryukyu not monitoring fitness levels of the players? Do they not track how many top speed sprints and runs each player makes before he’s not at optimum output? Criminal and unforgivable as we should’ve brought on an extra player to provide defensive cover.

2. There is no hiding the fact that we could easily end the season on a 5-game losing streak. We have lost Dany for the year, Shinji might be on the shelf, we have a makeshift back 4; though Uehara did a great job as a replacement player-playing out of place- but what is going on in the locker room/training ground? If Higuchi prefers Uehara over any one of the defenders in the reserves, then why do we keep any of them on contract? Are they hurt? Are they not that good? Are the training tactics/techniques so brutal that FC Ryukyu have too many injuries to overcome consistently to roster a full lineup? FC Ryukyu cannot afford to continue along this path with what seems to be only 16 players available for any given match. There is an underlying issue here that I will never fully unearth and one that seems to be a cancer for this side.

Reviews of the keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Start fast & Build a Multiple Goal Lead: PASS: Yeah, we never got out in front but we got out to fast starts, twice in each half.

2. Do not conceded many set pieces: PASS. Omiya didn’t score from a set piece.

3. Pick your poison: PASS. Yes, Omiya pressed us early, then trailed off where FC Ryukyu took control. No issues here as the boys did what was asked and responded well to each Omiya tactic.

4. Win the battle down our Right and Win the Match: FAIL. The last goal from Omiya came from this spot. In fact, we gave Shinozuka a ton of space, and freaking respect as if he was something special, who promptly sent a cross into the 18-yard box, to which, Simovic easily got past Okazaki’s halfhearted attempt at a clearance. Okazaki should’ve dived and got his head in there and at the very least, drawn a foul.

5. Clean up the Garbage in the Box: FAIL. The second Omiya goal is indicative of not clearing rebounds and/or stopped shots properly.

6. The Contrarian Play: Many factors were against this ever occurring. The most evident being that we’re not privy to injuries for FC Ryukyu. But most importantly, there is zero testicular fortitude in the head coach to just go for it any given week.

Match Prediction

I said that 2-1 was respectable and 3-2 is even more so. FC Ryukyu never looked outmatched at any point. Chins up, heads up, as this was a great performance for a side up against it.

Recap of the Notable J2 fixtures on Match Day 38

Conclusion

OK, FC Ryukyu lost. That is an inescapable fact. However, I enjoyed the heck out of my last 2019 Home Match for FC Ryukyu. The walk to the stadium; pre-game flag hanging; talking to Mr. Mikami pre-match; interacting with fans; seeing Bando; meeting people from Omiya and other FC Ryukyu fans from the main land; talking to support staff of FC Ryukyu; watching a great game; and of course, cheering the boys on the way out as they were true warriors on Sunday. It was all special. Good thing that I only have to wait about 120 days to experience that feeling again, but the season is not over, and I get to see the boys one more time in Kofu, which means the 120 is actually closer 96 days. I enjoyed seeing Stuart and Dave, and interacting with so many Omiya fans. Must’ve caught many of the FC Ryukyu and Omiya supporters off-guard to see opposing team fans having such a good time together. Well, football should bring people together, not divide them.

So what is next? FC Ryukyu have Renofa Yamaguchi next week. FC Ryukyu had to come from behind to draw with Renofa in the midst of their 36-game home unbeaten streak back in March and then Renofa beat Ryukyu, in Yamaguchi, during the Emperor’s Cup. Renofa most recently came from behind to beat JEF 3-2 at home so this will be a good test for FC Ryukyu.

Oh, FC Ryukyu’s 8,000 fans this past week meant that we only need roughly 3,000 to make the 100k mark set by Mr. Mikami. Easily do able.

“FC Ryukyu’s Battle for your Discretionary Income” 10/24/2019

It has been a long time since I last wrote anything that wasn’t a match day preview or report so I thought I’d take a moment to write a quick entry concerning the attendance levels for FC Ryukyu. For those of you that don’t know, FC Ryukyu have 2 home games remaining this season and there was a recent Tweet by Club President, Subaru Mikami, issuing a challenge to reach 100,000 total fans for the season. FC Ryukyu currently sit at 88,484, or 11,516 fans shy of the 100,000 mark. That means FC Ryukyu will need to average 5,758 fans over their next two games to achieve this feat. The question then becomes, can they realistically achieve that number?

FC Ryukyu by the Numbers

These tables indicate that fans only pack the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium on rare, special occasions. The inaugural J2 game for FC Ryukyu, the tilt against well known, and well followed Kashiwa Reysol and of course, Shinji Ono’s debut were the 3 highest attended games this season. FC Ryukyu’s record in those matches was 1W1D1L. The Yokohama FC match represented roughly 14% of the total amount of fans to attend all season for FC Ryukyu with the top 3 combined accounting for 30%.

Number of Fans	Times this Season FCR hit this mark
10,000 – 15,000	1
7,000 – 9,999	2
4,000 – 6,999	5
0-3,999	11

The three lowest attended matches were Ehime FC, V-Varen Nagasaki and Kagoshima United FC. The weather forecast called for high winds and rain against Ehime and could be the reason why so few attended. The Nagasaki match was on the heels of a 6-game losing streak by FC Ryukyu and the Kagoshima match also followed 3 straight losses for the club. FC Ryukyu’s record in the lowest attended matches, 3 wins and 0 losses. Not to mention that the Nagasaki match was the greatest come for behind victory for the club this season.

In another strange occurrence. It seems that the clubs performance has no direct correlation between the amount of people that attend, at least on paper. For example, during FC Ryukyu’s home unbeaten run this season (10 games) they averaged 4,620 fans while going 5 wins, 4 draws and suffering the one loss that snapped the streak. In the 9 home games since, FC Ryukyu average 4,698 fans with 3 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses. Of course the largest game attended all season is in there but if we removed it, FC Ryukyu averaged something closer to 3,800. This would indicate that at least 1,000 of the more casual fans who rarely attend games, isn’t going to attend if the team is performing poorly.

There is another aspect to this, albeit a small one, but one of slight importance to the overall numbers. And that is the number of away fans who attend. Unfortunately, I don’t have any way of knowing how many away fans attend each match as all the attendance numbers are lumped together for just an overall total on the J League website. I assume the club knows this based on entry gates but if opposing teams’ fans mix in with the home crowd in the S-Section at the stadium, then those numbers will also be inaccurate.

As mentioned earlier, FC Ryukyu will need to average 5,758 fans per game to reach the 100,000 mark. That is 1,101 more fans than they normally average. Outside of the top 3 attended matches all season, FC Ryukyu only came close to that number on two occasions (Albirex Niigata & FC Gifu). The make or break match for FC Ryukyu to hit the 100k mark will be the upcoming fixture against Omiya Ardija. First, I am going to assume that Omiya will have a nice traveling contingent of fans this Sunday as the games start time of 1300 should allow for most of the Tokyo based fans to schedule a departing flight from Naha on Sunday evening. Second, the club has been promoting the MONGOL800 band that is set to perform just prior to kickoff and this could result in more of the casual fans, as well as fans of the band itself, possibly attending the fixture. I feel that the final fixture against Kyoto Sanga will be largely attended if for no other reason that it is the final home game this year. I hope I am right in that regards.

Future challenges for the club

While it was encouraging to see more people attend FC Ryukyu games this season compared to seasons past, FC Ryukyu will need to be even more involved in off-season promotions and signings with its marketing campaign to combat the popularity of basketball and new baseball team starting in 2020 in Okinawa. There are several forces acting against FC Ryukyu and I will list them out below:

1. Discretionary Income Spending: It seems that only on rare occasions will Okinawa based fans attend a particular match. If FC Ryukyu were averaging something closer to 7,500 for their games this wouldn’t be an issue but since we are not even filling half the stadium on average, not many people are coming to watch FC Ryukyu on a consistent basis. This is a big issue and one that needs to be the focus of effort in a concentrated marketing plan by the club. If we assume that a family of 4 will spend roughly 4,000-7,500 YEN per game, I can see why they will only attend a few games all season. The club does promote free entry dates for residents of certain towns and municipalities around the island as well as particular last names but that hasn’t had the intended affect as evidenced by the overall numbers. Heck the Renofa Yamaguchi match was touted as a free entry for people with the last name Higa, which I believe is the most popular last name in Okinawa, and it was one of eight matches that failed to eclipse the 4,000 mark.

2. Direct competitors on Island are strengthening and increasing: The Ryukyu Golden Kings have several advantages over FC Ryukyu when it comes to drawing in fans for games. First, they have a climate-controlled arena in which fans never have to worry about the weather. Second, basketball is a hugely popular sport here in Okinawa and the construction of the new Okinawa Arena, that will host the 2023 FIBA World Championship, is going to draw large amounts of people, especially if tickets are cheaper than FC Ryukyu. It will have 10,000 seats, similar to the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium where FC Ryukyu currently play, but I cannot see the Kings charging the same price for tickets that is on their website for the 2019/20 season.

The Ryukyu Blue Oceans is the newly created Okinawa baseball team that will play outside the NPB in 2020 with the intent to be a fully-fledged member of the NPB once the NPB expands it cap on expansion teams. While FC Ryukyu only have to compete with the Golden Kings for fans during a short period where their respective seasons overlap, the baseball season directly overlaps with football here in Japan. This means FC Ryukyu need to be sprinting to get 7,500 fans before they are playing matches on the same day as both the baseball and basketball teams. I personally cannot see how the island can support 3 professional teams, especially with two of them playing in 10,000 seat stadiums with the possibility of the baseball team playing in the 30,000 seat Cellular Stadium in Naha. I am not sure if that is where the Blue Oceans will play, but it makes the most sense as far as existing infrastructure and concentration of the population. That is the same area for the newly proposed FC Ryukyu stadium as well. The parking and traffic will be a nightmare down there if Ryukyu and the Blue Oceans both have home games on the same day. This also assumes that FC Ryukyu have built and are playing in their new stadium, somehting for which ground has yet to be broken

The Way Forward

In the short term, FC Ryukyu would do well to have some sort of fan appreciation day in conjunction with the final game of the season. This is usually the case around most leagues and clubs will usually do something special for the fans on the final home game of the season. There are many things that could be done such as; giving away free merchandise to all that enter or throwing t-shirts/soccer balls into the stands. It could be in the form of allowing fans onto the pitch to mingle with players after the match and stay for an extended period of time for autographs/photos. It would also be great to have those FC Ryukyu players that are injured or not dressed in the reserves, to sit in the stands with the fans and watch the last game.

The next step for FC Ryukyu is to have a strong off-season marketing campaign. There will be the inevitable shifting of players and much needed time off for those that will return, but FC Ryukyu cannot simply drop off the radar when it comes to community engagement events, and press releases. We are really talking about a period of roughly 60 days before the 2020 training camp opens and about 90 days between the end of the 2019 season and start of the 2020 season. One major event, would be a ground breaking event for the new stadium or training ground that can be attended by fans and players alike.

The long-term goal of having the new football only stadium has to be seen through and needs to have some visible movement forward right now. There only seems to be an unfunded proposal which is nothing more than a fantasy at this point. When money is put towards the project and shovels have hit the dirt, then we can expect to see an uptick in season ticket numbers. We know the club has had several meetings concerning the dreams of reaching the J1, as well as earned their J1 license, but there was talk that FC Ryukyu were not meeting a lot of the expectations for keeping them in the J2. The recent town hall meeting showcasing the new stadium had this bombshell dropped on the fans and it would be catastrophic to this club if they had relegation forced on them and would set them back at least a decade. I am not sure if this is tied to the amount of fans FC Ryukyu are averaging each match or that they do not have their own stadium/training ground. In either case, the alarm has been sounded and actions to remedy the problems must be conducted immediately.

Conclusion

While a majority of this article seems like a regurgitation of a prior op-ed piece, I wrote way back at the start of the season, I should also mention that the club has executed some small incremental steps this season that will have further reaching benefits for seasons to come. The atmosphere in and around the stadium is far better this season compared to seasons past. There are noticeable changes of seating at pitch level, vendors inside and outside the grounds and a much better marketing campaign. This all has to be done within the financial constraints facing the club, which is no small task. They are averaging around 1,000 more fans per game than they probably budgeted for at the start of the season and could you imagine the things the club could achieve if they averaged 7,000 fans per game? We as the fans would also be reaping the benefits of a financially stronger club in both the short and long terms. Could even mean larger kit sizes (3/4/5L) someday.

In any event, the competition for our discretionary income by the 3 professional sports clubs on the island will become very tight in the near future. Each will be competing for a very small, limited pool of fans that can attend matches on a regular basis. FC Ryukyu needs to find ways to grab as large of a slice as they can from this pie and it starts with two things. It means building a beautiful, unique, and technologically advanced stadium in addition to appealing to the large contingent of foreigners visiting and living on the island. The stadium should be a destination that people want to visit, have a phenomenal experience and return too on several occasions.

And oh yeah, I think it is realistic that FC Ryukyu hit the 100,000 fan mark for the season.

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.