21 #FC琉球

Intro

The big thing on everyone’s mind this weekend is how will FC Ryukyu respond to their first loss of the season. Ryukyu’s 8 game undefeated streak was snapped this past Wednesday at Machida with an uninspiring performance where the offense went missing for long stretches of time. Kofu enter Round 10 with a 3 game undefeated streak following a win in the midweek and two previous draws and have had their way with Ryukyu every single time. FC Ryukyu have never earned a single point off of Kofu in the four matches they have played in the J2.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Match Highlights
Team Previews
- FC Ryukyu
- Ventforet Kofu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 10 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information from FC Ryukyu

Favorable weather is in the forecast as the typhoon that was milling about Okinawa on Friday and Saturday has now moved on.

With the surge of COVID-19 cases in Japan, and a modified State of Emergency here in Okinawa, clubs, including FC Ryukyu, as well as those in the hardest hit areas of Japan, are not allowing visiting fans into games, and possibly no fans at all in some areas. News of “playing behind closed doors” for many of the clubs in the Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo has been floating around the Japanese media today and it looks as if this is where the entire J-League is heading. Be safe and do your part to limit the spread of CV-19 at any match you intend to attend.

Click>>> Match Day 10 Information from FC Ryukyu

2. Previous Match Highlights

FC Machida Zelvia 3-0 FC Ryukyu

Ventforet Kofu 2-0 SC Sagamihara

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Wednesday’s game was a let down for many of the Ryukyu faithful as it was such a steep drop off in performance by Ryukyu when compared to their first 8 games. There were breakdowns in passing, attacks and communication all over the pitch which led to the drubbing at the hands of Zelvia. Basically, nothing worked all night. Ryukyu has relied heavily on defense and the strength of their goalkeeping throughout the year but when that too failed, Ryukyu were done in.

We’ve discussed on several occasions for how Ryukyu utilize crosses from the fullbacks and midfielders to score goals. Though they tried mightily do conduct the same tactic at Zelvia, Zelvia was able to sure up the back line with up to 5 defenders at a time which restricted the runs of any of the Ryukyu attackers. It didn’t help that some runs weren’t even being made to get onto the end of crosses by Ryukyu, and it also didn’t help that when they did make these runs they were often missed by the player in possession. There were far to many lateral and backwards passes on Wednesday with no real thrust made on net by the offense.

Higuchi kept the same lineup from the win over Verdy the previous weekend but did use all 5 substitutes in an attempt to change up the flow of the game. Obviously it didn’t pay off and now Higuchi and Ryukyu are faced with enacting some sort of squad rotation for the Kofu match as some players looked tired at the end of the Machida game. It starts near the top as Kazaki Nakagawa has finally featured for the first time all season and with a drop in the play from Ikeda this week, it might be a good time to see what Nakagawa can add to the attack from the start of a game.

There shouldn’t be any changes to the back four though Numata could definitely use a breather. That means Higuchi should deviate from his normal stance of dressing 4 forwards, Abe, Uehara, Akamine and Shimizu, and consider dressing Motegi (MF) and possibly Reo Yamashita (LB) to spell the tired legs of our players. Ryukyu gambled at Zelvia by sticking with the lineup they’ve played all season and it simply didn’t pay off. Now they need to adjust slightly in the short time between games so as to avoid fatigue, burnout and risk of injury to some of the senior players in the squad.

In any event, what is needed is a massive injection of offense. Abe continues to execute the hold up play that makes him a vital cog in the Ryukyu offense, but isn’t getting the service a striker of his quality deserves. Kofu has scored 6 goals over their last 3 games and while the defense and Taguchi need to regain a bit of the confidence that was lost this past round, the offense needs to switch on and carry the load for Ryukyu this game.

Ventforet Kofu: Kofu enter this round on a slight upward trajectory compared to Ryukyu who are attempting to arrest their recent slide in the midweek. Kofu have an impressive four wins from four over Ryukyu in their recent history. Kofu was the side that ended Ryukyu’s home undefeated streak in 2019 and have outscored Ryukyu 10-3 in all the games played between the two sides.

Kofu started the year fast by drawing once and then winning three in a row. Then they ran into some tougher competition in Machida Zelvia and V-Varen Nagasaki where they lost twice in a row. They got back on track with two consecutive draws with Giravanz Kitakyushu and Matsumoto Yamaga FC before grabbing their first win in a month when they beat SC Sagamihara on Wednesday.

Kofu faced many of the same problems that Ryukyu did in their match with Machida with their attack being completely snuffed out. They allowed a quick goal to Nagasaki before pulling one back on a nice back post set piece but after ringing the post a few times, Kofu allowed Nagasaki to score from a set piece near the end of the game. Kofu took the lead over Kitakyushu on a fast break where Izumisawa rounded the keeper but returned the favor to Kitakyushu by allowing them to execute their own fast break leading to the equalizer. Kofu came close a few times to netting the winner but either hit the post or narrowly missed the target from close range.

In the rain soaked match at Yamaga, Kofu found themselves down early but equalized in the 16th minute and followed it up with another excellent back post header from a set piece. They then added a third goal just four minutes later. Everything was looking good while leading 3-1 but some panicky defending led to a Yamaga goal and then it was Kofu’s turn to have their keeper rounded on a fast break where Kunimoto Suzuki grabbed his third goal of the game which resulted in a draw. The two first half goals by Kofu were all they needed to swipe aside Sagamihara in the midweek.

While the box scores may indicate Kofu have turned a corner and are headed in the right direction, if we take a close look at the last five games there is a bit of pattern that may boost Ryukyu’s chances. The losses were suffered at the hands of two teams currently in the top half of the table with each of the draws were come from behind where Kofu allowed their opponents back into the match. SC Sagamihara sit near the bottom of the table so that is in line with the results that Kofu have achieved to date. But the script for this match reads much like the past match at Zelvia for Ryukyu so it may provide a little confidence to Kofu.

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. Defend the left, but watch the right on quick counters. Likelihood 3. A vast majority of Kofu’s attacks flow through the left side of their offense, primarily Izumisawa. He has orchestrated many of the crosses, or has taken part in the build up play, that have led to Kofu’s goals. When on the counter attack Kofu streak quickly down the right so Numata is going to have fitness test on Sunday if Kofu breakout of any Ryukyu press. It will also require the CBs and MFs to keep a close eye on their marks as those players drift towards the back post, when Kofu is in possession down the left, as this is their signature goal these days.

2. Take the attack of life support and give it a jolt with a defibrillator. Likelihood 2. Ryukyu have scored 4 goals in their last 4 games but have been shutout twice in that time. We really need to get Abe firing again and that means better passing in the attacking end and acting like more of a threat across all three attacking lanes. Perhaps Nakagawa can breathe some life into the side, especially as the Ryukyu last line of defense was so easily penetrated last round.

3. Play like you’re the second-best team in the league, because you are. Likelihood 3. It’s all about confidence right now. May have lost it for a bit but it is time to regain that swagger that netted us five wins in a row and eight games undefeated. Let’s brush off the recent loss and get back to winning football.

5. Prediction

Considering that Kofu haven’t scored less than 2 goals in any game against Ryukyu but just once, and with their recent goal scoring outbursts, coupled with Ryukyu’s goal scoring drought and overall poor record against Kofu, it is hard to tip Ryukyu as winners this week. Hoping for a better outcome but not making the same mistake I did in the midweek to a similar type of opponent. Kofu win 2-1. Season Record 5-1-3.

6. Round 10 in J2

The lone Saturday game should be a good one. (1) Albirex Niigata, fresh off their last minute equalizer, travel to a resurgent (16) Ehime FC who haven’t lost since their managerial change. (3) Kyoto Sanga, (4) Jubilo Iwata and (5) Zweigen Kanazawa, and to some extent, (6) Ventforet Kofu have favorable matchups to exploit the promotion race.

It will be (22) Matsumoto Yamaga FC hosting (13) Thespakusatsu Gunma on the free J-League broadcast this round.

Click>>> LIVE | Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. vs Thespakusatsu Gunma | Matchweek 10 | 2021 | J2 LEAGUE – YouTube

7. Conclusion

As Ryukyu near the quarter mark of the season there are still some questions for which we need answers. Mainly, can the offense get going? As noted earlier it will be interesting to see how Ryukyu respond to their first setback of the season against a team that has always had the better of Ryukyu, so let’s hope for a positive response on Sunday.

Match Day 8 Preview: (2) FC Ryukyu vs (10) Tokyo Verdy 4/17/21 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu have the opportunity to take the pole position in J2 this weekend with a win over Verdy and anything but a win from Albirex Niigata. The matches between Ryukyu and Verdy have been quite festive these past two seasons and I see no reason for that to change this weekend. But much like Omiya, who Ryukyu defeated and shutout last season, and then drew at home this year, Verdy were shutout by Ryukyu on both occasions last season. Is another draw in store for Ryukyu or can they continue their winning ways?

Weather Forecast & Match Info
Match Day 7 Recaps
Team Previews
- FC Ryukyu
- Tokyo Verdy
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 8 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information from the Club

Looks like it will be raining up to and through the first half. Just in time for the wind to pick up. Besides bringing those ponchos and bags to protect your valuables from the rain, you may want to consider a change of clothes, especially for the kids if their soaking wet as that wind could really get to them. Also, please remember to social distance at the gate, food vendors, seats and restrooms.

FC Ryukyu will allow visiting Verdy fans to attend this match as the tickets were already sold but they will not be allowing visiting fans into the stadium on Match Days 10 and 12 under what they are calling a “period of priority measures.”

Click>>> Match Day 8 Information from FC Ryukyu

2. Match Day 7 Recaps

FC Mito Hollyhock 0-2 FC Ryukyu

Tokyo Verdy 3-1 Renofa Yamaguchi FC

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Ryukyu own a 2-1-1 record against Verdy with the two wins occurring in 2020 when Ryukyu shut out Verdy twice. Who can forget that first win when Shinya Uehara was kicked in the gut by Shohei Takahashi late in the game leading to an Abe PK and ultimately a Ryukyu win. Then Ryukyu blew Verdy away 4-0 at home thanks to two first half goals by Yoshio Koizumi (sheds a tear). But in 2019 it was a different story altogether.

Ryukyu drew 1-1 in their first ever meeting thanks to Dany Carvajal stopping a PK after he bloodied his nose on the foul, and the spectacular finish by Uesato on the volley deep into stoppage time. The return leg was far less exciting, more like excruciating, when Verdy smashed Ryukyu 5-1 in Okinawa. Junki Koike bagged a hat-trick that game and Verdy, with possibly nothing to celebrate in years, commemorated the momentous occasion by making t-shirts in honor of the hat-trick. Perhaps 2020 was a bit of payback for FC Ryukyu.

Through Ryukyu’s first seven games they are averaging 11.5 shots, 6 of which are on target, and 49% possession. They’ve had two games where they only mustered 2 total shots on net, Iwata and Omiya, otherwise they have been pretty consistent around 8 shots on target per game. A vast majority of Ryukyu’s goals this year have come from crosses where Verdy has been anything but spectacular in defending those plays. What I like to see is that different players are getting on the score sheet and starting to gain some confidence. Kiyotake had his breakthrough last week, thanks to Keita setting him up perfectly, and Shimizu grabbed his second goal of the campaign. It has been a bit of a dry spell for Abe these past few rounds but all that could change on Saturday.

One thing that cannot afford to change is the defensive wall Ryukyu have been putting up this season. FC Ryukyu are the best defensive unit in the J2 (not a typo) having only conceded three goals. Chinen, Okazaki and Taguchi will likely be busy this weekend as Verdy are averaging 15 shots, 12 on net, over their last two games. While Ryukyu may not fear Verdy bombing in crosses they do need to be very cognizant of the short passes Verdy use in and around the box to create space and shooting lanes.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that bad blood exists between these two sides, though someone from Ryukyu every year seems to be involved in some sort of fracas, but these games are turning into a nice set of hotly contested matches. Ryukyu enter this game much like they did two weeks ago against Omiya where Ryukyu are coming off a nice road win while their opponent is coming to town on the back of some recent strong performances after a rough start to the season.

Tokyo Verdy: After a rocky start to their season, culminating with a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Albirex Niigata, Verdy has course corrected and pulled themselves out of the relegation zone with two consecutive home victories. When Verdy was setting up in a 4-3-1-2 formation they looked disorganized at the back and were providing ample turnovers for their opponents to capitalize on. But they switched from a 4-3-2-1 to a 4-1-4-1 this past round against Renofa and looked much more in control of the game than they have in quite some time.

In their last five games Verdy own a 2-1-2 record with a draw against Zelvia; consecutive losses to Kanazawa and Niigata; and then consecutive wins over Mito and Renofa. Verdy looked sluggish in defense against Machida Zelvia and allowed the hosts to jump out to a 2-0 lead until a PK brought Verdy back into the game followed by the equalizer when Junki Koike caught the Zelvia defense napping. This time it was Verdy’s turn to jump put to an early lead against Zweigen with a 4th minute goal by leading scorer Koike, but then the wheels came off for Verdy.

Zweigen went on to score 4 goals by exploiting Verdy turnovers and confusion before Verdy responded with a late goal when the game was well out of hand. If the wheels fell off against Kanazawa then the entire car exploded at Niigata with the aforementioned seven goal shellacking. All the problems from the Zweigen matched carried over into this one and Verdy looked more like a team that was thrown together at the last minute destined for a local derby at Y.S.C.C. than a J2 club.

Luckily Verdy’s schedule eased up when they returned home to host Mito and Renofa. Verdy again scored early in the Mito match, survived the Mito barrage in the first half after Mito equalized, before digging out the winner in the second half. Hideki Nagai made a decision to switch the formation against Renofa, and that almost looked like another disaster when Renofa nearly scored in the 4th minute before actually going in front of Verdy in the 11th minute. But Verdy responded with a goal of their own two minutes later and then another in the 24th minute. They capped off the day with Junki Koike’s 6th goal of the campaign to walk away 3-1 winners.

Despite the recent Verdy resurgence, they are still the worst defensive side in the league conceding 17 goals this season. A majority of those goals came against Niigata, but even had Verdy managed a lower score line at Niigata it may not have done much to their overall total. Verdy have conceded 5 more goals then the next two teams, Nagasaki and Ehime who have each conceded 12. The players to watch out for on Saturday are Junki Koike and the Sato brothers, Yuhei and Ryoga (I don’t think they are actually brothers). Junki and Ryoga account for 2/3 of all the goals Verdy have scored this season and Yuhei is the leading assist provider in the side.

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. Exploit the chaos and ensuing confusion. Likelihood 4. Verdy may have slightly improved defensively this past week but that was against Renofa Yamaguchi. At Niigata and against Kanazawa, two sides who are playing much better than Renofa, Verdy was in shambles at the back. Players looked confused on where to run to and who to mark and they were guilty of turning the ball over in their own half multiple times. There was one goal in the Machida game where Verdy had 8 defenders inside the 6-yard box, couldn’t get to the rebound in time, and allowed the Zelvia player a free shot on net from just inside the 18-yard box. That wasn’t even from a set piece. Verdy may have enjoyed a modicum of success against Renofa but I don’t think they have turned the corner on these mistakes just yet.

2. Cut out the Verdy short passes around the box. Likelihood 3. This is the lone strength of Verdy as a majority of their goals stem from short passes that quickly open up the opposition’s defense. That means Chinen, Okazaki and our two central midfielders need to be spot on when attempting to intercept passes, making challenges, as well when they are watching the attacking runs from Verdy players.

5. Prediction

Verdy have been piped for multiple goals against stronger opponents this season. We won’t see the Verdy floodgates thrust open like we did when they played Niigata, and Verdy are still one of the top scoring sides in the league, but I am going for broke and say FC Ryukyu take this one 3-1. Season Record 4-1-2.

6. Round 8 in J2

(1) Albirex Niigata versus (3) Zweigen Kanazawa is the standout match this round. (3) Kyoto Sanga FC, (5) Jubilo Iwata, (6) Ventforet Kofu and (7) Blaublitz Akita are looking to make up ground on the leaders with some very favorable matchups this week.

The J-league International YouTube free broadcast this week features (12) Fagiano Okayama hosting (11) FC Mito Hollyhock. Fagiano are coming into this match having pulled out a very late draw against Ehime FC last week whereas Mito enter the round having lost their last two games.

7. Conclusion

FC Ryukyu are off to the best start in their history and really need to keep their foot on the gas in this one. For their part, Verdy are a side that can light up the score board (on both sides) at any given moment. Strap yourself in for what should be an exciting game between these two sides that history has shown is anything but boring.

Match Day 7 Recap: FC Mito Hollyhock vs FC Ryukyu 4/11/21 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu continued the hot start by winning their sixth game of the season 2-0 at FC Mito Hollyhock. The win keeps Ryukyu squarely in second place as well a pushes them six points clear of third place Kanazawa and Kyoto. It was also Ryukyu’s fourth clean sheet of the season, a total which took them until match day 27 last year to reach.

Match Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Match Day 7 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu GK Junto Taguchi: Taguchi was called upon early and often and did really well to keep Mito off the scoreboard. That is Junto’s fourth clean sheet this season, almost equaling his mark of 5 clean sheets from 2020.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Chinen wins the battle over Nakayama. Likelihood 4. I would have to say yes since Nakayama was kept off the score sheet. But there were some plays where Nakayama did get the better of Chinen. Nakayama had a clear chance on a breakaway in the first half but that was really about it.

2. Let it rip. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu had more shots on target this game than they had total shots from last week. Unfortunately Abe couldn’t get in on the scoring.

4. Prediction

Predicted a 2-1 win and it finished 2-0 in favor of Ryukyu. Notched another win. Season Record 4-1-2.

5. Talking Points from Match Day 7

1. Ryukyu have finally scored from a set piece. Koya was able to pick out Shintaro Shimizu on a corner kick in the 60^thminute for the opening goal. It was well placed by Koya and Shintaro did well to get to the cross and get his head to it. It wasn’t the best-looking header, as it came off the back of his head, but it was effective. It pays to stick your nose into traffic from time to time.

2. Tanaka is on fire. He once again grabbed an assist with a beautifully placed cross behind the Mito defenders, just in front of the Mito keeper, that Kiyotake was able to get on and push the score line to 2-0. This is the third time in as many games that we’ve seen Tanaka accurately pick out an attacking player and is a huge reason why Ryukyu sit second in the table.

3. Taguchi is playing his way into a J1 contract. He made some spectacular saves on Sunday when Ryukyu needed him the most. First there was the breakaway by Nakayama following a brutal Ryukyu turnover in the middle of the pitch. Then there was the save early in the second half where Taguchi parried the shot out of danger and then closed down the attacker on the ensuing rebound. If he keeps this up, which we all hope he can, he may garner the attention of some larger clubs in need of reinforcements between the sticks come August.

4. Ryukyu almost gave the game away with some of their missed chances. Coming into the game many of Mito’s former opponents missed several chances to score which allowed Mito to take control of games and see out some wins. It was looking if Ryukyu were going to follow suit after Abe missed a clear-cut chance in the first half where the Mito keeper made a nice (reactionary) save. Then Abe took a heavy first touch on a breakaway early in the second half that allowed the keeper to cut down the angle and prevent Abe from taking a shot on net. For their part, Mito missed at least three chances themselves by sending the shots off target.

5. We finally saw the return of Shunsuke Motegi. It was great to see Motegi out there and he looked spry for the first time in over a calendar year. He nearly scored in stoppage time when he out ran the defender and put a rocket shot on net that the Mito keeper simply threw his hands up in self defense to keep it out of the net.

6. Ryukyu were once again out shot, and out possessed. This is just their style of play this season but they were a little sloppy when in possession as there were some ugly turnovers and inaccurate passing. They need to tighten that up as stronger sides will punish them more severely than those teams farther down the table.

6. Match Day 7 in J2

Albirex Niigata was able to maintain their grip on the top slot after they defeated Montedio Yamagata on the road 2-0. Zweigen Kanazawa’s 1-0 loss to JEF United Chiba, coupled with a win by Kyoto Sanga FC, sees them level on points with Kyoto for 3rd place. Elsewhere, V-Varen Nagasaki continues to climb back up the table while the most entertaining game of the weekend occurred at Ehime who played to a spirited 2-2 draw with Fagiano Okayama.

7. Conclusion

And the beat goes on! We haven’t seen this brand of football out of Ryukyu since their title winning season of 2018. But there is still a long way to go before we can start patting each other on the back as Ryukyu have not won anything yet. They are keeping pace with leaders Niigata, and putting some distance between themselves and the field, but they must continue to beat teams through solid performances on the road like this past match. Next up for FC Ryukyu is a home match with Tokyo Verdy who come to Okinawa sporting a two game winning streak.

Match Day 5 Report: JEF United Chiba vs FC Ryukyu 3/27/21 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu have equaled their greatest ever wining streak (5) dating back to 2018 when they defeated JEF United Chiba 2-1 on Saturday. The win moves FC Ryukyu into second place behind also undefeated Albirex Niigata. This was the first time FC Ryukyu ever beat JEF – ever scored against JEF- and played from behind all year. You may not consider a win against a team lower than Ryukyu in the standings as a significant achievement but considering the history between these clubs, and how that fits into this season, it was a huge win for Ryukyu.

Match Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Match Day 5 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Day 5 Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu GK Junto Taguchi: While Tanaka’s efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed, neither should Taguchi’s efforts be lost in the box score. Taguchi made save after save in the first half to keep the score level and continued to pile up the big saves in the second half.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Slay the Dragon. Likelihood 4. And they did. Ryukyu overcame a deficit for the first time all year and responded well in the face of adversity. The minor details matter in any season and this win was huge for Ryukyu for so many reasons. You cannot quantify this stat, but I want you to understand how important this win was for Ryukyu mentally to score, come from behind, and defeat an opponent they have never beat in two seasons. Only four more opponents to go in that category.

4. Prediction

Well I said we’d win by 1 goal at least. Season Record 3-0-2.

5. Talking Points

1. Playing as a unit. Ryukyu have shown a penchant this year for picking each other up when one member is having a bad day at the office. This week it was Chinen’s turn to have a forgettable movement, but both the team and then Chinen responded accordingly. Chinen slipped and allowed JEF to penetrate our defense, to which Okazaki also slipped on the turf though I am not sure where he was recovering to after he got to his feet, and then JEF finally had a wide-open shooting lane to score. Chinen, Yong Jick, and Numata more than made up for that early discretion with their defending at the end by clearing balls, blocking shots, closing down shooting lanes and marking men. Chinen will use this game as teaching lesson and will respond accordingly, don’t worry about him.

Photo Credit: J League. The Captain Uesato picking Chinen up after the game. Chinen responded well to an earlier mishap, evidence of the weight lifted off the teams shoulders from that win.

It should also be noted how the team responded to adversity. We already noted Numata, Yong Jick and Chinen in defense, but it was Tanaka in the attack. Ryukyu played from behind for all of 3 minutes before taking the lead for good within 5 minutes of JEF’s opening goal. Tanaka’s two crosses were met by Abe and Shintaro Shimizu and though the crosses were on target, the two forwards had a lot to do with them when they arrived. I spoke earlier in the week how it was good for Shintaro to play in the reserve games to get firing and it paid off this week. Abe for his part, is the best finisher in this league.

2. A game of missed opportunities. According to my count, JEF missed 6 golden opportunities to Ryukyu’s 3. Abe missed two early from tough bounces and being wrong footed, and also Ikeda missed a wide-open header early, but JEF had many great looks on net yesterday that ultimately sailed high and wide. The two misses by JEF near the end sealed their fate.

3. Send me everyone! JEF made a single substitution of 5 players at one time. I’ve never seen this and that had to be unsettling to a team when you replace half of the outfield players. Maybe it was an act of desperation in an attempt to equalize, but Higuchi was able to respond by also inserting Yong-Jick and allow both Uehara and Yong Jick to mark Salomon on all set pieces near the end.

4. I think the early cracks are visible on how to break down Ryukyu. I love Tanaka’s aggressiveness and assertiveness in the attack, but I think teams are starting to realize that attacking down the right, and left, might be this team’s Achilles heel. I am not saying that Tanaka cannot defend, or won’t, but that teams are starting to realize Ryukyu prefer to attack from the flanks, lack the thrust through the middle, and over commit at times down the sides may open up us in new ways. I have no clue how to remedy this as this puts all the pressure on the CBs and CDMs to cover the back when Ryukyu commit to the attack, but everything is working right now so no need to tinker with the formula for success.

6. Match Day 5 in J2

The Niigata battering ram continued along its path of destruction by dismantling Tokyo Verdy 7-0. The amount of goals scored by Niigata in that single game is more than 13 teams have scored all year in J2! It was kind of a disappointing weekend for some of the favorites as Nagasaki, Kofu, Kyoto, and Yamagata all lost.

7. Conclusion

With one more win FC Ryukyu will set the club’s single season record for consecutive wins. But that is no easy ask despite their opponent, Omiya Ardija, being one that Ryukyu have experienced many fortuitous results against in their short time in J2. Just like this week with Ryukyu needing to cross a major obstacle in JEF, Omiya too will be looking to exorcise some ghosts of years past against Ryukyu.

Would you have agreed to take the 15 points Ryukyu have earned at the start of the season if you knew it would pay dividends later when it comes to a relegation scrap? Do you know that FC Ryukyu are 1 of only 5 teams to win their opening 4 fixtures and not get promoted that year (2019)? Do you believe that 6 of 7 teams who opened the J2 season with 5 consecutive wins have gone on to earn promotion? I don’t want FC Ryukyu to be the second team in that stat to not to earn promotion. What do you believe about FC Ryukyu?