Ventforet Kofu vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu’s five (5) game unbeaten run came to a crashing halt on Saturday night at Ventforet Kofu when they were defeated 5-2 (second time in four seasons we’ve lost to Kofu by that score-line). Ryukyu were unable to earn their first ever point at Kofu but they did at least manage to score two (2) goals thus ending the goalless drought that has plagued Ryukyu while traveling to Kofu. Ryukyu found themselves in a very deep hole early on following three (3) goals by Kofu within a span of fourteen (14) minutes. Two (2) of those goals were PKs that were awarded just eight (8) minutes apart. Ryukyu fought valiantly to bring the score line to 3-2 before two (2) more Kofu goals put the game out of reach.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Crosses into the box. Likelihood 3. Think we saw a concerted effort by Ryukyu to get balls into the box and we know it works as evidenced by the Sulley goal. A nearly identical goal to the one he scored last week against Kumamoto when he rose and buried a header in the bottom corner. Ryukyu really need Tanaka to find that rich vein of form he was in last season when he could pick out anyone inside the box.

Match Day 30 Takeaways

1. CV-19 was once again wreaking havoc with the FC Ryukyu roster construction this past round as there were two debutants, Barrera and Hong Quan, and only two healthy center backs in the lineup. Luckily Ryukyu made it through unscathed and we can only hope we see the return of some of the first team players next round.

Last entry I put forth the notion that there may be a changing of the guard at RB with Makito the preferred starter over Keita Tanaka. Unfortunately for Makito, he had a very rough outing that saw him subbed off in the 37th minute following two unfortunate plays. First, Kofu had been trying the long ball over the top of our defense early on and finally found the break though when Makito headed one of those balls directly back to the center where a Kofu player was making a run. The second, probably stemming from the earlier play lingering in his mind, was a blatant handball inside the box when his mind told him something needed to be done about that dangerous cross, and his body reacted. Just in the wrong way.

He wasn’t the only one to get the early hook as Hitomi was also subbed off in that change for Kelvin. Kelvin looked good in his return and I am not sure if Ryukyu are better suited at starting Kelvin or having him come off the bench. Guess that all depends on his fitness level at this point.

2. This game ends differently if Abe converts that cross from Takezawa in the 8th minute. Ryukyu nearly capitalized on some early momentum but after they missed the chance to take the lead, you could sense a slight shift in momentum back to Kofu. Now, the two PKs in short order put Ryukyu in a ridiculous 3-0 hole, but they did respond in a way that was very encouraging. Saddam Sulley notched his second (2) goal in consecutive matches along with Nakano finding the score sheet in consecutive games with an assist. What we saw from Ryukyu in the 30 or so minutes following Kofu’s third goal provides a glimmer hope, but time is not on our side. Ryukyu had the players to generate some thrust, chances and goal scoring opportunities, now they need to bring it all together for another stretch run. I would also note that, what we thought was the equalizer near the 60th minute mark, turned out to be offside. Kind of deflating and it was at that point when I felt the game was a bit out of reach based on the prior bad luck Ryukyu had already experienced in this game.

3. Old man yelling at the sky again. Thought there was some “home cooking” refereeing going this game. Granted, the ball did touch Omori’s arm in the box, perhaps he shouldn’t have left his feet, and perhaps it is at the discretion of the referee to award the PK, which he did. Ryukyu may have gotten a bit lucky on some no calls but for the most part it felt as if Ryukyu were playing against twelve men with the referee favoring Kofu. Hell, as @FLManinJP pointed out, it took a damn car crash of a challenge on a Ryukyu player to finally draw out a call from the referee. Following the game some Ryukyu fans were posting that this particular referee somehow provides about a %20 increase in winning percentage to home teams in the games he oversees. Hope he is there for our final home game against Oita.

Round 30 in J2

Up Top: (1) Yokohama FC is doing all they can to derail Ryukyu’s rise out of the gutter by once again surrendering three (3) goals in a loss to one of the bottom four sides. This time it was (20) Omiya Ardija’s turn to earn an unexpected three points against the top side. Knowing Ryukyu’s luck, YFC is likely to find their form when we play them in 8 weeks time. (2) Albirex Niigata were able to cling to their one point advantage over (3) Vegalta Sendai thanks to two (2) late goals against (14) Tokushima Vortis. Vortis now have eighteen (18) draws this season, and though I do not know the record for the most amount of draws in a single J2 season, they look primed to take the title.

Promotion Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai and (4) Fagiano Okayama both saw out comfortable wins. (6) Roasso Kumamoto once again received the post-Ryukyu-loss bounce, that at least Iwate and Tochigi got to experience, when they defeated (15) Tochigi SC. The only side to lose this round was (5) V-Varen Nagasaki. Four/five points separate this pack from 7th place with Sendai just one (1) point off of second place.

Down Below: We already mentioned Omiya’s win and Iwate’s loss in the previous sections so that just leaves (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma, who lost 0-3 at home to (10) JEF United Chiba. (18) Renofa Yamaguchi, who lost at home to (8) Montedio Yamagata, find themselves in the bottom five following (17) Blaublitz Akita’s 1-1 draw with (12) Mito Hollyhock. 19th-21st place could see some consistent shifting in the standings the next few weeks with (22) FC Ryukyu four (4) points adrift from safety. The window to make up some ground for Ryukyu is quickly shutting.

Conclusion

Putting this one in the rearview mirror and moving onto the next game at V-Varen Nagasaki. There were some encouraging signs this match despite the lopsided score line which needs to be built upon heading into a tough run of fixtures. Ryukyu’s ‘make-or-break’ part of the season is shaping up to be the games between Rounds 34-38 where they have a couple of games against teams in the bottom five (5) of the standings as well as some just outside of 18th place.

FC Ryukyu vs Tokushima Vortis #FC琉球

Intro

It seems that no amount of goals scored by Ryukyu are enough to protect any lead. Ryukyu once again surrendered a late goal that led to another draw at home with points dropped in an extremely tight relegation battle. Not even the usual, momentum shifting, goal right before halftime was enough to carry us over the line. There are just twenty three (23) games remaining this season and Ryukyu will almost need to take 25 points from those matches if they hope to survive.

Match Highlights

Review of the 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. Execute shots from distance, pepper Vortis with crosses into the box, and for god’s sake, score from a set piece. Likelihood 1. We did and we still didn’t win. The set piece was a PK but both shots from Nakano and Tomidokoro were from distance. It was so great to finally see goals of that quality scored in front of the Ryukyu supporters section and just a shame they were wasted in another draw.

Match Day 19 Takeaways

1. Ryukyu played one of their best games of the season and it still wasn’t enough to get the win. This game was a six-goal thriller with a little bit of everything that included multiple PKs and four nice goals during the run of play. The match was evenly contested by both sides with each team having really good looks on goal. There were also some good player battles between Shinya Uehara and Caca, as well as Keita Tanaka and Kazuki Nishiya. In the opening half, Vortis looked more lethal with their shots on net, but Ryukyu were controlling large portions of play and knocking on the door. After trading PKs in the first half, Ryukyu, for the first time in a long time, were playing some spirited football in the opening twenty minutes of the second half.

Ryukyu were rewarded with a spectacular goal from Nakano on the edge of the 18-yard box. Ryukyu followed this up with three close calls on net (Tanaka, Uehara, Kanai) but failed to push the lead to two goals before Vortis equalized in the 85′ minute. But then out of nowhere, Yu Tomidokoro sent an absolute screamer from about 25-yards out into the top corner of the net to once again give Ryukyu the lead. Unfortunately, and so indicative for how the season is going for Ryukyu, they surrendered a goal from a CK on the very last play of the game.

Ryukyu have been extremely poor when it comes to defending, and scoring, from CKs this season which shows us that they haven’t learned much during their time in the J2. It isn’t a matter of defenders not defending, but rather midfielders defending set pieces. Poor Yu, the hero just moments earlier, was caught in no man’s land on the last shot and didn’t know whether to track a runner on the outside or the man directly in front of him who found the space to score. Probably something that stems from the multiple set piece goals conceded by Ryukyu this season were opposing players are constantly getting free near our defensive lines. Heartbreaking for the fans in attendance.

2. Another injury to deal with. Ryukyu finally put out a lineup that seemed to work and work well but Lee Yong Jick, who was having an off night thanks to a foul leading to a PK, was carted off in the 80th minute following a kick to his lower right leg/ankle in the 77th minute. He carried on for a bit but it seemed he was in too much pain to see out the match. No coincidence that Ryukyu conceded a goal a few minutes later and hopefully it is nothing more than a knock that will just be sore for a few days. In the mean time it is back to the drawing board to figure out another lineup. If Yong Jick is set to miss anytime, that leaves with just one healthy CB on the roster, Omori, which could force Makito Uehara, or never used Yusuke Murase into the lineup. Not what we need right now despite the owner promising some offensive reinforcements when the transfer window opens up on July 15th.

3. When results wane, anger and focus shifts to external factors that seem to be acting against you. Ryukyu have found themselves at the mercy of the referee in three consecutive matches. First, they were not allowed to execute a CK at the end of the Kofu match. Second, the blatant handball no-call at Omiya near the end of that game. And lastly, the Vortis CK after the 5 minutes of allotted time had expired. Sure, had anything other than a Vortis players scoring would’ve probably drawn the whistle, but luck is not on our side right now. If we can’t even catch a few breaks along the way, I am not sure we will be able to stave off relegation. Just some consistency from the leagues referee’s would be a welcome sign.

Round 19 in J2

FC Ryukyu got the help they needed from teams at the top of the table, but Tokyo Verdy couldn’t get past Omiya Ardija, who looked the far better side in the second half of that game and should’ve won. Albirex Niigata continued their push for promotion but handing Montedio Yamagata their first loss in nine (9) matches. Lastly, Zweigen kept Morioka at the foot of the table with winner in the 80th minute.

Conclusion

More injuries and questions but the same amount of concern and frustration. It must feel as if the weight of the entire world is on the shoulders of everyone at the club and since we haven’t exactly put ourselves in a position to succeed this year, we are leaving it very late for a miracle. Enter the Emperors Cup match with Omiya on Wednesday. Not sure who is going to play with our current injury crisis, players out on international duty and no news from the club on the status of some of our players. Just what we needed.

(6) Renofa Yamaguchi FC vs (21) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu are three games into the season and still in search of their first win. Things will not get any easier this week as they travel to Renofa Yamaguchi, a side that has found much success against Ryukyu at home, and perhaps without some key players. Though it isn’t quite time to hit the panic button down here in Okinawa, we are right to be somewhat concerned with how things have gone so far.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Some favorable conditions for watching football tomorrow.

Click>>>> Match Day 04 Information from Renofa Yamaguchi FC

Team Previews

Renofa Yamaguchi: This side has yet to play from behind in any of their three games to date. However, they have surrendered two of their leads later in matches. After Kumamoto failed to clear their lines in the opening fixture, Renofa pounced on a loose ball in front of net. Then the game turned into a back and forth tilt up to and through Kumamoto’s equalizer. The same could be said about their match with Akita, however, Renofa scored two goals in that game to put their opponent away.

Niigata gave Renofa a golden chance in the second half when Yamaguchi took the lead but once again they gave up a late goal to allow Niigata back into the game. It is hard to tell if Renofa presses well, has a high work rate, or is completely disorganized in both the attack and defense. Each one of their past three games seemed very fast paced where both teams involved had plenty of opportunities to score.

In the six games that Renofa Yamaguchi has hosted FC Ryukyu beginning in 2014, Ryukyu have only won once at the Ishin-Me Life stadium. Renofa only failed to reach the two goal mark in one of those games, the one Ryukyu won, and have hit Ryukyu for more than four goals on three occasions. Those statistics seem similar to what Ryukyu faced on opening day at Zelvia but should provide a little boost of confidence to a Renofa side that isn’t the same whipping boy we saw closing out the 2021 season.

FC Ryukyu: Not the greatest start of a season we’ve seen from Ryukyu, but also not the worst, at least not yet. That honor resides with the 2020 campaign where FC Ryukyu went winless in their first 8 games of the season. That was also the season wrecked by CV-19 and with relegation taken off the table. We have no such luxury this year and though Kina is not technically on the ‘hot seat,’ the heater is at least turned on until Ryukyu can pull themselves out of the relegation zone.

Ryukyu have shown us three different sides in their first three games. First, they put forth such a good effort at Zelvia that gave many of us fans hope that this team could really compete against some of the stronger clubs in J2. Second, they got absolutely demolished at home to JEF which was polar opposite from the performance we saw the week prior. Finally, they looked dominant against Iwate but couldn’t find the second goal to turn the tide and paid the price at the end. What will week 4 bring us?

Katsuya Nakano looks the part and has scored our only two goals of the season. Prior to starting last week he was primarily used as a substitute for Ren Ikeda. Who, has now gone missing from the squad while dealing with a potential injury. The same has to be said about Keita Tanaka who has not featured at all this season. Okazaki made his debut at the back last week but who knows how Kina will continue to rotate the 3 CBs on the squad. One final note, youngster Kazuto Takezawa has also taken a back seat to a veteran in Yu Tomidokoro. I think we are going to see more tinkering of the lineup by Kina until he can find the right combination.

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. Clean up the garbage in front of goal: Likelihood 3. Two of Renofa’s goals this season have come when opponents fail to adequately clear their lines. We have already seen how that bit FC Ryukyu last week and we cannot afford another rendition of that performance against a side who never really gives up inside the box.

2. Remain calm when Renofa’s chaotic play takes hold: Likelihood 4. As mentioned in the team preview section, Renofa plays in a sort of frenzy on both ends of the pitch. This affords them many short counter attacks but also leaves them exposed at the back. Ryukyu need to slow the pace of the game down to force Renofa to press too much and open themselves up.

3. Do not wait for the perfect goal: Likelihood 2. It seems as if Ryukyu are only lethal from inside the 18-yard box and barely take accurate, powerful shots, from distance. I think we definitely have the talent to bag those goals but Ryukyu seems intent on trying to force things into tight, contested areas in front of goal.

J2 Round 4

Only 1 team (Yokohama FC) remains undefeated after three rounds while 6 teams (which includes FC Ryukyu) are still looking for their first win of the year. (3) FC Machida Zelvia vs (2) Fagiano Okayama jumps out as one of the games to watch if you are a neutral fan. But, there is also the free J.League International YouTube broadcast this week featuring (18) Zweigen Kanazawa and (10) JEF United Chiba.

Click>>>> J.League Int’l YouTube Channel

Conclusion

Each round that ticks by without a win to open the season will make most of the Ryukyu faithful a bit nervous. It is not time to abandon all hope if they do not win on Saturday but you would like to see an improvement from one week to the next instead of the yo-yo like performances the past 3 games. Hopefully Ryukyu can put in the same type of performance they did against Zelvia to open the season this week at Renofa and grab that all important win to get the so called “monkey off their back.”