MD25 Preview: (3) FC Ryukyu vs. (11) FC Mito Hollyhock #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu opened this year’s series against Mito with a 2-0 win at the K’s Denki stadium back on Match Day 7. Two goals in quick succession from Shintaro Shimizu and Koki Kiyotake allowed Ryukyu to break the deadlock in a tightly contested affair in which both sides had numerous chances to take the lead. FC Ryukyu have had the better of Mito Hollyhock to date as they’ve won the last three matches; scored multiple goals in all of those games; and shutout Mito twice. Ryukyu also own the series with 4 wins to Mito’s 1. But Mito’s lone win over Ryukyu came at a time when Ryukyu were dealing with several injuries, most notably at GK, in which Inose, at 19 years of age, made his J2 debut in net against Mito in 2019. Ryukyu ended up losing that game 3-1. What I am trying to say is that this game, unlike the previous three where Ryukyu had their full complement of starters, is shaping up much the same way as that 2019 loss.

Weather Forecast & Match Day Info
Previous Round Highlights
Team Previews
- FC Ryukyu
- FC Mito Hollyhock
Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
Prediction
Round 25 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast and Match Day Information

A calm evening to enjoy football from the comfort of your home while Okinawa is under a state of emergency.

Click>>> Match Day 25 Information from FC Ryukyu

2. Previous Round Highlights

Giravanz Kitakyushu 1-2 FC Ryukyu

FC Mito Hollyhock 1-1 Tokyo Verdy

3. Team Previews

FC Ryukyu: Three wins in their last five, 10 points from a possible 15, yet only one clean sheet during that time. Actually, Ryukyu have only mustered two clean sheets in their last twelve matches so it seems we’re heading back to our roots. Sure, much of this is contributed to the bevy of injuries, but with Dany Carvajal now healthy, will Higuchi turn to the man who was once the Ryukyu #1?

Inose has proven himself a worthy fill in for both Taguchi and Dany during their injury spells, but I feel we need to get Dany involved these next few games heading into the crucial month of September. Inose has started eight games amassing four wins, two draws and two losses. He has conceded 8 goals during that span and recorded two shutouts in the process. Decent enough numbers when you look at the won/loss record I suppose, and it’s not realistic to think that any keeper can keep a clean sheet every match. This is a team game of course. But luckily for Ryukyu, Inose’s starts coincided with a rather easy schedule: Kitakyushu twice, Omiya, Sagamihara, Akita, Kanagawa, Matsumoto and Okayama. Somehow those win/loss numbers do not look so great as they once did. With Taguchi set to return to Ryukyu in the coming weeks (training at least), I think it would pay some dividends to get a healthy Dany into the lineup, get him some playing time, especially before Ryukyu, and Inose, face their toughest opponent in Montedio Yamagata next week.

One thing that isn’t in doubt is the impact the new signings have already made at Ryukyu. Kanai was asked to play out of position last game, and though it wasn’t the best of outings for a player coming off of limited usage at Kofu, it is something to build on. Strange that Ryukyu have plenty of options at RB these days, with a glaring hole at LB, and Higuchi opted to start Kanai and Uehara, but on different sides of the pitch from which they are familiar with, and have played in the past. Play to your strengths, and don’t get cute, at least that’s what I am thinking in this case.

Someone who epitomizes that sentiment is Hidetoshi Takeda. In his first game, first half really, for FC Ryukyu, Takeda was a handful for the Giravanz defense. He came close to leveling the match on a header following a shot from Koya Kazama, and followed that up with an absolute stunning free kick goal. It is amazing how lucky so many teams can be to have a talent like this on the books and yet find them excess to the cause. No matter, as I hope to see more of Takeda doing what he can do out there on the pitch, with the possibility of seeing him start at LM in the near future.

FC Mito Hollyhock: Mito have one more away victory than at home this season where they’ve scored, and conceded, roughly 60% of their total goals to date. They also seem to either win, or lose, on the road as they have a single draw away from the K’s Denki stadium. In their last six games Mito have shutout their opponents three times while also suffering three shutouts of their own. Perhaps they are a bit streaky.

Whereas Ryukyu have scored ten goals their last five games, Mito has managed only three. They drew 0-0 at both Albirex Niigata and at home to Renofa Yamaguchi. Against Niigata, at least up until the 70′ minute, Mito wasn’t really affording many opportunities to one of the top sides in J2 this season. Then the flurry of activity between the two sides saw each trading multiple chances back and forth with the closest being a Koji Suzuki shot that hit the side netting. It was much of the same at home to Renofa but the Mito GK should’ve been booked for a foul resulting in a PK, but it wasn’t awarded and then it was Mito’s turn for a bit of bad luck when their last shot just missed at the end.

Mito looked much better the following week at Zelvia where they controlled the opening 20′ of the match and took the lead from Shota Fujio’s first goal of the season. Then Zelvia took over, scored two goals, from a long through ball that caught the defense flat footed and another from a redirected clearance, before Mito finally came to life in the 90′ minute. It was to late though as the game ended in a loss for Mito but they were able to carry a bit of that momentum at the end of the Zelvia match into the game at Matsumoto Yamaga. Fujio doubled his yearly total with his second goal in consecutive games, this one also coming within the first 20′ of a match. Though Mito dominated Yamaga the entire game, they weren’t able to carry that strong performance though to the next round at home to Verdy.

It was Mito’s turn this time to surrender a goal within the first 20′ of a match but they were able to recover and score the equalizer near the end after some woeful defending by Verdy. To date, Mito have not defeated a team that currently sits inside the top six of the table. They’ve played six games that have resulted in one draw and five losses, managing two goals scored, while conceding eight. They’ve also been shutout in five of those games. Ryukyu will once more need to contain Masato Nakayama, but they’ll also need to keep a keen eye on Fujio who is starting to catch fire.

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. Attack the flanks of Mito. Likelihood 4. Mito do not defend particularly well down either side of their defense, especially down their right, as they, or more specifically Koichi Murata, has looked pretty bad. That means that either Kiyotake, Shintaro, Takeda, and possibly even Motegi, could really have a field day on their defense.

2. Defend the right with all you got. Likelihood 2. No doubt that Yong Jick, and whoever is playing RB for Ryukyu tomorrow, will have their hands full with the Mito attackers as they are extremely strong down the left side of their attack. I for one hop Higuchi chooses to not start Kanai out of position at RB, and instead opt for a more experienced RB in Torikai or Uehara. I fear that when Fujio enters the match, he will be able to exploit Yong Jick with his speed and power, and cut right through our defense alone on goal.

5. Prediction

As with the current state of FC Ryukyu – trying to mesh new players into the lineup – this game could go either way. Sure, Mito hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard lately, but Ryukyu sometimes go long stretches without asserting themselves in a game. If Ryukyu can start fast, and score, I think this game takes on a whole new trajectory with a Mito side that seem far more aggressive on the road compared to home. I’ll say it ends 2-1 to Ryukyu. Season Record 7-6-11.

6. Round 25 in J2

Leaders (1) Kyoto Sanga travel to (16) Matsumoto Yamaga FC who are coming off a big 4-1 victory over (13) Blaublitz Akita. (2) Jubilo Iwata return home after their 2-2 draw with Kofu to face (9) Tokyo Verdy. (4) Albirex Niigata, like Iwata, will look to rebound from their Round 24 draw when they head out on the road to face (10) JEF United Chiba. (5) Montedio Yamagata, unbeaten in 11 with 10 wins during that span, are on the J.League International YouTube channel this week (Click>>> J.League Int’l YouTube Channel) when they travel to face (7) V-Varen Nagasaki who, are possibly well rested from their round 24 match with Zweigen Kanazawa being postponed. (6) Ventforet Kofu will also look to continue their unbeaten run of six games at bottom side (22) SC Sagamihara.

Another week, another set of important games for those sides facing relegation as (19) Ehime FC host (21) Giravanz Kitakyushu; (20) Omiya Ardija host (13) Blaublitz Akita; and (17) Tochigi SC host (18) Thespakusatsu Gunma.

7. Conclusion

Ryukyu have their second chance in consecutive weeks to sweep an opponent in 2021. But we’ve had this chance twice so far this year and only managed to come away with one series sweep. Though Ryukyu haven’t hit double digit points since April, nor exceeded eight points in a month since May, a win tomorrow will set them on a path to achieve their highest monthly point total in quite some time.

MD24 Report: Giravanz Kitakyushu vs FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu moved into third place in the table with a come from behind 2-1 victory over Giravanz Kitakyushu last night. Ryukyu started this game really slow and made many of us wonder how, with three weeks to prepare for this game, could they look so bad? The game seemed destined for disappointment when two Ryukyu shots from Koya Kazama and Shintaro Shimizu, hit the post early in the second half. But newly signed Hidetoshi Takeda put his stamp on the game when he leveled the match for Ryukyu on a spectacular free kick, followed by a rising header from Shintaro Shimizu to put Ryukyu in the lead for good.

Highlights
Man of the Match
Review of the Keys to Victory
Prediction
Talking Points
Round 24 in J2
Conclusion

よっしゃー✊#ＦＣ琉球 pic.twitter.com/4I2QCiSehR
— フレ太郎 (@shimashima45) August 9, 2021

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu GK Kosuke Inose: Inose may have been caught leaning the wrong direction on the lone goal he conceded, but he was in really good form last night. That included a diving one hand save to keep FC Ryukyu in the match, while also not surrendering a second goal from the other 15 shots Kitakyushu managed to put on net.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory

1. Work harder than Kitakyushu. Likelihood 4. It certainly didn’t start out like that as Giravanz was in complete control of the first half after only 5-minutes. They held Ryukyu to just 2 shots (1 on target) and things were looking grim for Ryukyu fans. But Ryukyu turned things around in the second half and looked the better side the remainder of the match.

4. Prediction

Went with a 3-1 score line for Ryukyu, that they nearly achieved, but it is wins for everyone this week! Season Record 7-6-11.

5. Talking Points from Round 24

1. The debutants. Higuchi switched back to the 4-2-3-1 formation that Ryukyu used for a majority of the season until injuries decimated the squad. Nakagawa was back in his natural CAM role with newly signed fullback, Takashi Kanai, making his debut at right back. I am not sure what prompted Higuchi to move Kanai from his natural, or main, position of left back to right back, while still starting Uehara in defense on the opposite side. That’s two players playing in different positions for the first time this season and probably why Kitakyushu had their way with the Ryukyu back line. FC Ryukyu have three right backs, Torikai, Makito, and Tavares, to go along with Shinya who played right back the previous two matches, who should be healthy and could have easily allowed Kanai an easier transition into the lineup. I really don’t agree with this move by Higuchi though Kanai did his best and a had a few nice crosses into the box last night.

However, the man who made the most impact during his debut was Hidetoshi Takeda who opened his scoring account with Ryukyu after only 20-minutes on the pitch. Takeda sent a beautiful curler past the Giravanz keeper to provide a much-needed injection of confidence into the side last night. It should be exciting to watch this player over the course of the remaining 18-games.

2. Turned it on right when they needed it the most. Ryukyu were completely outplayed and under serious amounts of pressure from Giravanz during the first half. Kitakyushu tallied 16 shots, 9 on target, to that of Ryukyu’s 2/1. Inose was about the only player doing much of anything that first half and was a big reason why Ryukyu were able to see out the win. Takeda’s introduction came at the expense of Nakagawa, but it wouldn’t be right to say that Kazaki had a bad game as nobody was doing anything for this side in the first half. The sudden uptick in play by Ryukyu coincided with the two changes Higuchi made with the aforementioned Takeda and Shintaro Shimizu returning to the lineup after serving his one game suspension for violating the team’s rules during COVID-19.

3. Abe is becoming more valuable as a set up man than a goal poacher. Abe registered his second assist in as many games, bringing his total to five in his last five games, with a tremendous cross that seemed to hang in the air for days to allow Shintaro to rise and get on the end of it for Ryukyu’s second goal. The man hasn’t complained at all since not scoring in what is going on two and a half months now and never shows any real frustration at the lack of service, he is accustomed to receiving. Perhaps we could see him drop back to just behind the striker in more of a central attacking role to free him up a bit.

4. FC Ryukyu need to get Mizuki Ichimaru more involved. Koki Kazama and Yu Tomidokoro started the match yesterday but none of their performances really stood out. I think Ichimaru deserves a start and we should rotate Yu and Koki until Uesato’s return from injury.

5. A vital 3-points following a rough stretch of results for Ryukyu. Ryukyu needed this win, one which I hope will allow them to course correct and get back to some winning football. Many of the top sides have dropped points the past three rounds and the real shame is to think where Ryukyu would be in the standings with even one of those games against Omiya or Sagamihara ending in a win instead of a loss and a draw.

6. Round 24 in J2

Kyoto Sanga was able to escape their game against FC Machida Zelvia with a 2-1 win, but both Jubilo Iwata and Albirex Niigata surrendered extra time goals and ended up with draws. Niigata’s was particularly brutal as they took the lead in the 94′ minute only to concede sixty second later. Kitakyushu’s loss to Ryukyu drops them from 19th to 21st as the other bottom five sides all drew on Monday night. The Zweigen Kanazawa versus V-Varen Nagasaki match was called off due to inclement weather and I don’t have a date for when it will be rescheduled.

7. Conclusion

Job done and now the boys return home, to another empty stadium, to take on 11th place FC Mito Hollyhock. Every victory Ryukyu can earn until a majority of their front line starters return is so important. Of the remaining three games this month, the biggest test will come in the form of Montedio Yamagata away, but Ryukyu have been clawing for results for awhile now which makes the home game in just four days a big one.

MD24 Preview: (19) Giravanz Kitakyushu vs (4) FC Ryukyu #FC琉球

Intro

And we’re back! FC Ryukyu resume their 2021 campaign after a three week break for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Ryukyu will travel to 19th placed Giravanz Kitakyushu looking to to get back to their winning ways that have escaped them the past few weeks while the side deals with a multitude of injuries to key personnel. For their part, Giravanz will look to continue the trend of teams in the relegation zone nicking points against FC Ryukyu like SC Sagamihara and Omiya Ardija have done in consecutive weeks leading up to the break. There are 19 games remaining in the 2021 season and FC Ryukyu’s hopes for promotion are hanging on by the thinnest of threads which makes every game, especially those against lower ranked sides, crucial.

Weather Forecast and Match Day Info
Previous Round Highlights
Team Previews
- Giravanz Kitakyushu
- FC Ryukyu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Round 24 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

No change from the way things before when we entered the break, AKA, no visiting FC Ryukyu fans allowed.

Click>>> Match Day 24 Info from Giravanz Kitakyushu

2. Previous Round Highlights

V-Varen Nagasaki 3-2 Giravanz Kitakyushu

Omiya Ardija 2-2 FC Ryukyu

3. Team Previews

Giravanz Kitakyushu: I don’t have may notes for this side, but I also tread lightly when making disparaging remarks on our opponents as we end up dropping points when I do. Zero wins in their last five; 3/4 of their wins came within a stretch of 5 games between rounds 12 and 16; and only 1 win at home.

I literally have five lines of notes from watching Giravanz’s last 5 games. They surrender early and often with the only goals scored during this stretch occurring last round at Nagasaki The most exciting play during these games was watching a Kitakyushu player headbutt the goal post when attempting to defend a set piece/corner kick. I literally switched off after that as a casual fan watching what looked to be 11 men doing whatever they want without any direction. I hope that by addressing the talking down of a club it will reverse the curse of terrible results for Ryukyu when I have done it in the past. Perhaps Kitakyushu loaded up in the transfer window, but I don’t know. Consult the experts over at the J-Talk Extra Time please.

FC Ryukyu: What’s done is done, I am referring to the one point earned from a possible six against the two lowest ranked teams in the table as FC Ryukyu have to push forward into a must win game game against Giravanz Kitakyushu. FC Ryukyu have to be one of, if not the most, hardest hit sides when it comes to injuries this season as they’ve been without six of their original starting members for quite some time. But they did dip their toes into the summer transfer window for reinforcements and I believe their is a strong possibility of seeing two of them make their debut for Ryukyu on Monday night, along with a possible return of Dany Carvajal in net.

Despite being tied for second in the league when it comes to goals scored, the Ryukyu attack has been lurching forward in fits and spurts. Ryukyu were shut out four times in their first seventeen games but have suffered two shutouts inside their last five games. What’s worse is that they’ve become accustomed to surrendering quick equalizers shortly after taking the lead in games but that has to because they’ve lost 4 out of the 5 starting members of the back line and goalie. Hopefully the newly signed Takashi Kanai from Ventforet Kofu can provide a boost to the much maligned Ryukyu defense and start providing the crosses our attackers need, that, to be brutally honest, we haven’t seen from Numata all season.

Prior to the break Kazaki Nakagawa was starting to round into form and I hope Higuchi continues to employ the man in the attacking or central mid field role moving forward. Nakagawa has found it hard to break into the starting eleven since rejoining this side in the offseason, but he could be the catalyst this side needs to make a strong push for promotion. Last game he was making plays all over the pitch and once he regains his touch on shots and passes, look out. It will be a good problem for FC Ryukyu when Ren Ikeda returns from his fractured spine, if he can return to the form he was in pre-injury, but Ryukyu (Higuchi in particular) needs to find a way to incorporate on-loan Hidetoshi Takeda into the team.

That will be no easy task as Takeda’s natural position, Right Mid-Field, is currently occupied by Koya Kazama, so who drops out to shoehorn in this electric player? Will he be used primarily to spell Koya near the end of games to keep both players fresh and lethal in the attack? Or will Higuchi try something bold and use him in RB position, much like he did with Tanaka starting in 2020, to overload the attack and go all out for promotion this season? There is no time for hesitation or playing it safe these days.

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. Work harder than Kitakyushu. Likelihood 4. What else you want me to say? We’ve beat them 3-0 just 5 games ago and there is nothing there to be concerned about. Other than our now persistent switching off after scoring, but even then, Kitakyushu looks a mess.

5. Prediction

Giravanz have been shutout seven times at home this season, four in a row leading up to tomorrow’s match; they have only won once at the Mikuni World Stadium in 2021, and have conceded multiple goals in half of their home games. I think the introduction of some new players into the Ryukyu lineup, coupled with Nakagawa’s resurgence, could see FC Ryukyu take this one 3-1 tomorrow. Season Record 6-6-11.

6. Round 24 in J2

League leaders (1) Kyoto Sanga FC take on (7) FC Machida Zelvia this round with (2) Jubilo Iwata traveling to (5) Ventforet Kofu, which is also the Free broadcast on the J-League International YouTube channel this week. (3) Albirex Niigata restart their season at home to (22) Omiya Ardija and elsewhere there are some bottom of the table clashes with massive relegation implications with (22) SC Sagamihara hosting (17) Tochigi SC and (18) Thespakusatsu Gunma welcoming in (20) Ehime FC for a six point swing contest.

Click>>> J.League International YouTube Channel

7. Conclusion

FC Ryukyu need a quick injection of confidence and there is no better way to do that than earning a win on the road. They’ve had three weeks to prepare for this game, as did Giravanz, so there really should be no excuses for the offense not scoring goals, the defense meshing to prevent the lapses that have sunk us the past few weeks and someone stepping into the captain’s role while Uesato is recovering from injury. Got to have it tomorrow lads, got to have it!