FC Ryukyu vs Montedio Yamagata #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu nearly pulled off a stunning win against Montedio Yamagata at home this past Saturday but came up just short as Yamagata erased Ryukyu’s leads twice to end the match in a 2-2 draw. There were plenty of fireworks both during the match, and afterwards (literally fireworks), that also included another Dany Carvajal PK save to secure some points. I wouldn’t argue against you if you felt that Ryukyu didn’t really earn a point so much as they lost out on two (2) points, but they are still earning points to put them into a position to quickly escape the relegation zone when others falter later this season.

Match Highlights

Takeaways from Match Day 32

1. The Ryukyu Lineup. We all knew Sulley was going to sit this one out following his red card in the match against Nagasaki but it came as a bit of a shock to see Kelvin completely removed from the squad on Saturday with Yu Tomidokoro filling that role. Perhaps Kelvin is dealing with an injury or was the player who tested positive for CV-19 earlier in the week. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he gets back out there sooner rather than later. Returning to the bench was both Lee Yong Jick and Junto Taguchi while Kohei Kato was dropped for Kazuto Takezawa. Not sure if there is anything going on with our recent signing, or it was a case of rest and maintenance after featuring in both the top team and reserve fixtures at Nagasaki last week.

2. Old man yelling at the clouds, again. This game was completely disjointed by all the starts and stops, and not just from the goals and substitutions. There were nearly thirty (30) fouls committed in this game, though it was completely lopsided in favor of Ryukyu who picked up twenty-one (21) of those fouls on Saturday. Peter Cklamovski, Yamagata’s manager, said it best in his post game presser where he stated that the amount of restarts made this a very difficult game to play since it was hard to build any momentum. You could tell he was visibly frustrated that his side didn’t win (even said as much) but Ryukyu have been frustrating many teams in recent weeks. From the Ryukyu supporter section point of view, we thought there were some very soft fouls (maybe outright wrong) called on Ryukyu but we’ve seen this before so nothing new.

3. Ryukyu jumped out to an early lead from a typical, as cool as you like, sending the shot back across the keeper, goal from Takuma Abe. Ryukyu maintained that lead for roughly 45′ minutes before conceding the equalizer after Dealltorre found space in the central Ryukyu defense when Makito was dusted by a run down the left hand side by an attacking Yamagata player who then sent in the cross to Dellatorre. What came as a bit of a shock was the Yamagata goal wasn’t even posted to the scoreboard when Ryukyu responded with their second (2) of the match, a tremendous low and hard header, from Takuya Hitomi, his third (3) goal in two games, only one (1) minute after the restart. For a moment I though the Yamagata goal had been called off as the scoreboard read 2-0 Ryukyu but that wasn’t the case. The lead was lost for good in the 81st minute following a repeat of events leading up to Yamagata’s first goal. Makito got turned around, couldn’t mark the run, a cross was sent in, and Dellatorre was able to get past Okazaki for the tap in equalizer.

4. Ryukyu are struggling to defend and clear their lines lately. Makito had another up and down game where he, along with Okazaki, were involved in both of Yamagata’s goals. There were several occasions where Ryukyu failed to clear their lines that led to quick strikes requiring Dany to be called into action to bail out the defense. I said in the preview that Ryukyu needed to stop conceding so many PKs in matches but they somehow found a way to conceded their fourth (4) PK in three (3) consecutive games. The very epitome of, ” shooting yourself in the foot.”

One thing that hasn’t really changed at all in the nine (9) years that I’ve watched this club is the fact that Ryukyu seem to rely (hope) on trying to outscore your opponents with multiple goals in order to paper over the cracks in defense. That can work at times but is not a sound strategy and it is not realistic to think Ryukyu can score 3 or 4 goals each week to see out victories. Ryukyu will need to win some of those “squeaky bum” games they were doing just a few weeks ago, but against tougher opponents. Though Sulley, Hitomi and Abe might make it possible to blow away our competition the way they are playing right now. It is what it is for the remainder of the season but Ryukyu needs to strengthen that back line in the offseason.

5. Dany Carvajal. Perhaps I do not need to say anything more than his name as it should garner a certain thought in your heads if I am putting his name in his own section in any match day report. Great reactionary save in the first half to keep the score level. Great save in the second half to maintain a fragile one (1) goal lead for Ryukyu. Nearly got to the Yamagata equalizer, and of course, saved another stoppage time PK to allow Ryukyu to walk away with any points on the night. He is now the best PK stopper in J2, and while you love to see him in action on all these PK stops (9 games played and has faced 5 PKs), let’s give the man a break! And our collective blood pressure too.

Round 32 in J2

Up Top: The two top of the table clashes this round saw (1) Yokohama FC maintain their one (1) point lead over (2) Albirex Niigata as both teams each won 1-0 at home over (4) Fagiano Okayama and (6) Roasso Kumamoto.

Promotion Zone: In yet another shocking upset from a team facing relegation against one of the top three (3) sides, (20) Thespakusatsu Gunma defeated (3) Vegalta Sendai at home 1-0. (5) FC Machida Zelvia moved into the fifth (5) spot thanks to their 2-0 road win at (19) Omiya Ardija in addition to (7) V-Varen Nagasaki and (18) Zweigen Kanazawa having their match postponed.

Down Below: (21) Iwate Grulla Morioka lost 0-3 on the road at (9) Oita Trinita with (17) Renofa Yamaguchi moving five (5) points clear of the drop zone, maybe more importantly, moving four (4) points ahead of the bottom four teams, with a 1-0 victory at home over (13) FC Mito Hollyhock. Strange that Ryukyu’s match was the only one not to end in a shutout for someone this round.

Conclusion

Ten games left and there is still plenty to play for in all three areas of the table. Though I am not overly concerned with what is going on at the top, except when they cede points to teams around Ryukyu in the standings. Ryukyu just need a little bit of luck to grab a victory when all the others lose to springboard out of the relegation zone and possibly send three teams that are just above them to just below them for a brief period. For now it is on to FC Mito Hollyhock.

(22) FC Ryukyu vs (8) Montedio Yamagata #FC琉球

Intro

As the season starts to wind down the relegation battle is morphing into a three (3), maybe four (4), team race. FC Ryukyu currently sit level with Gunma on 27-points while trailing Iwate and Omiya by 3 and 4 points. This is yet another tough draw for Ryukyu against a side situated in, or near, the promotion playoff zone but more importantly, against a team that Ryukyu has never defeated during their time together in J2. Yamagata, who always seem to have one of those lengthy undefeated streaks each season, has rebounded nicely to win four (4) of their last five (5) games following some surprising losses.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info

One of the better forecasts we’ve had around here in quite some time. Hope it holds true.

Click>>> Match Day 32 Information from FC Ryukyu

Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: One thing is for damn sure and that is, this team under Nacho’s direction doesn’t quit. Of course you would prefer to see Ryukyu playing from a position of strength vice having to respond to early adversity and goal deficits, but, you take the good with the bad. FC Ryukyu have only suffered a single (1) single loss in their last seven (7) games bringing Nacho’s record to an even 3W-3D-3L in the nine (9) games he has managed for Ryukyu. He now has an even tougher task this week to defeat a Yamagata side while being shorthanded one of his best players.

The last time FC Ryukyu achieved any sort of positive result against Yamagata at home was back in 2019 when both sides drew 3-3 in which Ryukyu required two (2) late goals to level the match. The last time we took a point off of Yamagata was in 2021 when yet another Shinya Uehara goal late in the game earned Ryukyu a point. For the most part, Ryukyu seems to somehow come apart against Yamagata by conceding two (2) or more goals in the past six (6) games against Yamagata with four (4) of those games reaching three (3) and four (4) marks. If Ryukyu historically play Nagasaki strong each season, it is the complete opposite case for Yamagata.

If Ryukyu wish to garner any points from this match then they will have to come up with a different game plan that doesn’t include bombing in crosses to Sulley. In his absence it is likely we see Noda return to the starting lineup but I am not sure who will be in reserve at striker for Ryukyu. Hitomi may move back to the bench but that would mean starting one of either Tanaka or any injured player who hasn’t featured for Ryukyu in some time. If recent signing Kohei Kato is prepared to play a full 90 then we could see a return to the right side for Ren Ikeda. Conversely, Kelvin could start there. I think Nacho has plenty of options at his disposal, pending any new CV-19 cases, but we are not trying to cobble together a patch work lineup, but one that can compete, and defeat, Yamagata.

One area that needs addressing this week is the defense. Ryukyu have conceded three (3) Penalty Kicks in two (2) games. That shit needs to stop now! Makito’s may have been an example of a brain fart; Nakagawa’s as a but harsh on the part of the ref; but Okazaki’s foul late in the game is inexcusable. Sure, that foul probably started outside the box but it ended inside the box while nursing a crucial 1-goal lead. Tired legs, desire to show the manager you belong may have all contributed to that foul but the mental presence of knowing what is going on that late games was not a consideration. If you’re set on fouling the player, do it earlier. I guess the gamble this week is whether to roll the dice on Omori and Nakagawa or some combination of them and Okazaki.

We’ve seen Ryukyu earn points while playing with limited possession and passing the past seven (7) weeks so I am not sure that will somehow change this week. They’ve been getting better at controlling more of the game but that is probably a byproduct of being down multiple goals with the opposition ceding possession in favor of defending those leads. If Ryukyu are going to do it this week then they’ll need those horses that have the ability to defend for long stretches of time and then quickly strike on the counter attack with as few passes as possible.

For me that is the same set of players we saw last week with a few minor tweaks. Kelvin is going to be crucial in this game along side Abe. Kelvin has to be one of the major contributors to any Ryukyu breakout in attack and somehow, someway, we have to find Abe in space so he is not out there to just execute hold up play. Nakano will surely get his opportunities but we’ll need some clinical finishing, or at the very least, some dangerous shots that lead to rebounds with Ryukyu players waiting in the area. We cannot afford to have soft shots or ones that flash just wide that don’t provide a chance of scoring from spilled balls.

Montedio Yamagata: Yamagata sit just two (2) points outside of the promotion zone with a very favorable set of fixtures the next three (3) weeks. They will travel to bottom side Ryukyu this week, then onto (19) Omiya Ardija and then finally returning home to face (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka. If Yamagata is going to make a push back into the promotion zone it has to happen these next three weeks.

The last time these two teams met was Match Day 20 when Yamagata completely dismantled Ryukyu in a 4-0 home victory. However, since that Ryukyu win – which was just one (1) game removed from a ten (10) game unbeaten run for Montedio – Yamagata has suffered some losses to teams near the bottom of the table. In the ten (10) games after the half way point of the season, Yamagata has already matched their loss total, four (4), in just ten (10) games compared to the four (4) they lost in their opening twenty one (21) fixtures.

A couple of those losses were to Tochigi and Gunma in which Yamagata was shut out. The Gunma loss is Yamagata’s most recent loss in a stretch of five (5) games where they’ve gone 4W-0D-1L with only two (2) goals surrendered. After Yamagata lost at home to Kumamoto on Match Day 26, they rebounded nicely at Akita with a 2-0 win; fell victim to Gunma at home 0-1; and then reeled off three (3) straight wins over Zelvia, Yamaguchi and Kanazawa. Perhaps Yamagata has a bit of bad luck at dropping points in games where they are favored to go along with a bit of good luck at playing sides when they are dealing with multiple injuries/suspensions and are in bad form? Luckily for them they get a Ryukyu a side this week who will be without one of their top players, Sadam Sulley, who is currently serving a one (1) match suspension for his red card last week.

Round 32 in J2

Up Top: There are two pretty big matchups at the top of the table this week. First, (1) Yokohama FC, fresh off their first win in two (2) games, host (4) Fagiano Okayama who are undefeated in their last seven (7) games. Second, (2) Albirex Niigata welcome in the high flying road team of J2, (5) Roasso Kumamoto.

Promotion Playoff Zone: (3) Vegalta Sendai head to (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma who just lost this past Tuesday to Yokohama FC. You know how I want this match to turn out. (6) V-Varen Nagasaki are also on the road against struggling (17) Zweigen Kanazawa.

Down Below: (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka, winless in their last two games, travel to (9) Oita Trinita who themselves are on a nine (9) game undefeated streak. (19) Omiya Ardija, on a bit of a heater themselves having only lost once in their past six (6), host (7) FC Machida Zelvia who have somehow lost four (4) times since that 1-0 win over Ryukyu two months ago. Winless in their last seven (7) games and sliding closer to the drop zone, (18) Renofa Yamaguchi play at home to (13) FC Mito Hollyhock. Mito are undefeated in their last five (5) games but had two (2) games postponed due to CV-19 and weather and have only played four (4) games since July 10th.

This match will also be broadcast for free on the J-League International YouTube channel as the first of two free broadcasts this round. Click>>> Renofa Yamaguchi v FC Mito Hollyhock

The second free broadcast this week will feature (11) Tokyo Verdy vs (12) Ventforet Kofu in a mid-table clash on Sunday evening. Click>>> Tokyo Verdy v Ventforet Kofu

Conclusion

Everything is impossible until it isn’t. Ryukyu have never beaten Montedio Yamagata but this isn’t the same Ryukyu squad from seasons past, or, the one that was flattened 4-0 earlier this season. This Ryukyu squad has surprised us several times in recent weeks, why not one more? Come on boys!

V-Varen Nagasaki vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu pulled off an improbable 3-2 win over V-Varen Nagasaki on Saturday night in which they erased Nagasaki’s two (2) goal lead and even stopped a Nagasaki PK at the end of the match. In the preview article for this game I mentioned how Nagasaki seemed like a side that starts fast and fades throughout the match. That was the exact case this game as Nagasaki stormed out to a 2-0 lead before halftime despite not having their top man, Edigar Junio, in the lineup.

Ryukyu leveled the match at the 68′ minute mark of the second half thanks to two (2) goals by Takuya Hitomi inside a span of ten (10) minutes. Hitomi’s first was a redirection of a shot in which he was sitting almost on the goal line with two (2) Nagasaki defenders inside the goal keeping Hitomi on side. His second was a thing of beauty where he put a pass from Abe directly into the top right corner. Then Sadam Sulley added his third goal in as many games with another header in the 89th minute. But Ryukyu were not able to just walk away from this one without committing a costly foul near the end. But once again, Dany Carvajal rose to the occasion to help Ryukyu see out the win.

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. Play hard to the whistle. Likelihood 4. Not sure I need to say anything more as the actions of the entire team speak for themselves on this particular key to victory.

Match Day 31 Takeaways

1. Lineup and Roster selection for FC Ryukyu. I wondered what Nacho would do with both Kelvin and Makito this week following the Kofu game. Both players ended up getting the start and I think Makito’s early removal last week provided some motivation for him this week as he looked much better. Kelvin was his usual self and now we need to get that man on the score sheet more often, especially next week with Sulley suspended and it still being unknown when Kusano and Kiyotake will return to the lineup following their injury rehabilitations.

Abe and Sulley seem to have formed the perfect strike partnership for this league. Abe is so good at finding outlets to open Ryukyu players and just keeping plays alive for Ryukyu in the attack. The second Hitomi goal is a perfect example of what I am talking about and more goals for Abe should come soon. Sulley is really good at finding space behind, in, or around the oppositions’ defense to put him in goal scoring opportunities. Three (3) goals in three (3) consecutive weeks, four (4) points from four (4) matches. Though he’ll have to take a breather this week while on suspension from his red card last week.

2. A tale of two halves. My worst fears came to fruition after Nagasaki scored the opener and with Ryukyu again falling behind by multiple goals for the second straight week. Ryukyu seemed a bit flat in the first half with the opening Nagasaki goal traveling all the way through the box and past several Ryukyu defenders. To be fair, Sawada’s take was excellent as it had to be inch perfect from that angle.

Ryukyu had a crack at leveling the match early on but Kelvin’s take was just narrowly wide of the mark. You kind of felt that since we didn’t score from that take that another Nagasaki goal was likely in the offering. And true to form, Ryukyu surrendered the second goal that stemmed from a failed defensive clearance, followed by some really nice one-touch passing, before Cristiano buried the goal. Maybe Dany was blinded by Okazaki running in front of him but there were several Ryukyu defenders in the area that had a shot at getting something on the Cristiano shot.

You wouldn’t be wrong in assuming a goal scored just before halftime would completely let the wind out of the Ryukyu sails. But not under the current manager. Ryukyu came out firing in the second half when Hitomi scored on a redirected shot from Omoto. His first ever goal for Ryukyu. The play started with a Makito cross that Sulley won, though didn’t get on net, followed by Abe getting it back to Omoto whose shot looked to be headed for the far post to which Hitomi calmly slotted past the two Nagasaki defenders on the line.

Abe and Hitomi were not finished though as Hitomi’s second came after Abe’s initial shot was blocked, and instead of just trying to recycle the rebound back on net, Abe picked out the on-rushing Hitomi who sent a really nice ball into the top right corner. Of course the winner came from another Sulley header in a little give and go action from a quick counter attack. I truly believe Nacho and the rest of Ryukyu have figured out the J2: Pick out your taller strikers in the box with accurate crosses and let them feast.

The game wasn’t done and dusted at that point as Dany Carvajal was called into action a couple of times to make some key saves before the all important PK stop. His second stop of a PK this year that has directly accounted for four (4) Ryukyu points. I do have to say it wasn’t one of the better defensive performances from this team as it was more reminiscent of what we saw out of our defending at Kofu last week. We may have just got a bit lucky that Nagasaki couldn’t put anymore sustained pressure on our backline without their talisman Junio, but Ryukyu did enough to get the job done and that is all that matters.

Round 31 in J2

It wasn’t CV-19 rearing its ugly head to wipe out matches across the J-League this week, instead it was a tropical storm that dumped large amounts of rain across the mainland forcing matches to be called off and rescheduled for a later date.

Up Top: (2) Yokohama FC and (21) Thespakusatsu Gunma was rescheduled to this Tuesday evening leaving Ryukyu fans to wait and see if they have finally stayed level on points with Gunma. (1) Albirex Niigata took advantage of the YFC delay in fixtures to move into the top slot following their 2-0 road win at (16) Tochigi SC. And then there was (20) Omiya Ardija scoring another three (3) goals in a match to defeat a top seeded team in (3) Vegalta Sendai. Two (2) goals just a minute apart followed by a third in the first half put that one out of reach early.

Promotion Playoff Zone: (4) Fagiano Okayama was able to restore the 2-0 lead they lost to (18) Renofa Yamaguchi thanks to a 65th minute goal. (5) Roasso Kumamoto leap frogged V-Varen Nagasaki thanks to their 2-2 draw on the road at (13) Ventforet Kofu. Kumamoto missed out on all three (3) points this match having lost their 2-1 advantage in the 77th minute as well as having a PK stopped earlier in the game.

Down Below: The only team in the bottom five (5) of the table that wasn’t mentioned in the other two sections was (20) Iwate Grulla Morioka who lost 0-1 at home to (15) Blaublitz Akita. I think it was just around the time I released the first drop zone report that I intimated that Akita could easily, and quickly, remove themselves from the relegation discussion and since then they’ve won two (2), drawn two (2), only allowed a single (1) goal in four games with three (3) consecutive shutouts while playing as the visitors. Well done!

Conclusion

What an absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions on Saturday night for all the fans watching this game. From my vantage point there was the absolute shock, and subsequent outburst of emotion following that Sulley goal. It felt so good to see us score so late in a game instead of conceding. The emotional high was briefly muted when Nagasaki lined up for the PK where we all thought, “please not again,” before yet another outpouring of raw emotions by all in attendance at my house. We have waited a long time to see Ryukyu play like this as well for us to feel this good following any game. Let’s keep the good times rolling.

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.