21 #FC琉球

Intro

Ryukyu were forced once more to play in some rather poor conditions, but it wasn’t rain that they were fighting this time, it was some strong wind. Both teams struggled with possession and chances yesterday as they tried to navigate the high winds from both ends of the pitch. However, it was Ryukyu who came out on top when they used the shifting winds to their advantage in the second half. Ryukyu have now opened the season with 3 wins in a row, and sit near the top of the J2 table for the first time since the start of 2019.

Match Highlights
Man of the Match
Reviewing the Keys to Victory
Talking Points
Prediction
Match Day 3 in J2
Conclusion

1. Match Highlights

2. Man of the Match

Takuma Abe FWD FC Ryukyu: Abe scored his second goal in as many games and was the catalyst behind the second Ryukyu goal on Sunday. Abe was quiet in the first half while the Ryukyu attack was struggling for possession but asserted himself on his goal when he out hustled the Gunma defender to get to the loose ball and struck the ball on a bounce with his left foot. It was a great effort to get into a position to score and provide the spark that led to the FC Ryukyu breakthrough. He almost added a second from what would have been a spectacular goal when he changed directions mid air to get to a header that clanked off the post, but luckily fell right to the streaking Akamine who slotted home FC Ryukyu’s second goal.

3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu

1. Start Fast, Finish Stronger. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu had to battle some poor wind conditions early on and were unable to get anything going in the first half. However, they did finish strong with 2 second half goals, also the first time they’ve scored in the second half of any game this season, to see out the win.

2. The unsung hero. Likelihood 4. Nope, but that is OK. It was our talisman and one of our best, Abe, who propelled this side to a victory.

4. Talking Points from Match Day 3

1. The wind was a major factor yesterday. Neither team really knew how to play under those conditions, either playing into or against the wind, which severely impacted both sides ability to generate or sustain any possession and attacks. Ryukyu made the right choice to play “with” the wind in the second half, though according to Higuchi, Gunma made it quite difficult on Ryukyu with their pressing play as Ryukyu couldn’t utilize the long ball in the prevailing winds to break that press.

You also saw the hesitation on the part of the goal keepers when balls were sent into the box. They were unable to fully commit to balls in the air, and there were plenty of examples where the flight path of the ball changed direction at the last second. Gunma nearly scored when a shot, that may have been sent high and wide under normal conditions, ended up becoming a very dangerous cross that Taguchi was able to get to the back post to stop. Abe’s goal can also be attributed to the wind as the Gunma keeper hesitated to come out, got a slight touch to the ball, but all that did was drop the ball into a dangerous area for Abe to pounce on. Granted, the darting runs into the box by both Ikeda and Kiyoatake probably kept the keeper back slightly, as well as disrupted his movement when he did decide to come off his line.

It was one of those games where Ryukyu came out on top of the first half by not conceding a goal and then played well enough through the elements in the second half to grab the win.

2. A change to the lineup. Yu Tomidokoro made his debut at CM in place of Koki Kazama, but he was replaced at half time by Koki. Not sure what to make of the move, and it was a difficult opening half for Ryukyu so we couldn’t really see anything from Yu. Assuming that Higuchi is looking at things from the perspective of, “if isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” then we should not expect any real changes to the starting 11 or reserves on Saturday.

5. Prediction

I predicted a 2-1 win for Ryukyu, and it it could have been had Gunma not hit the post in the first half. Still, a win nonetheless. Season Record 2-0-1.

6. Match Day 3 in J2

Niigata and Ryukyu remain unbeaten and atop of the J2 table for another week. Iwata grabbed their first win of 2021, Omiya and Kyoto was called off after some heavy rains (rescheduled for the 24th of March), and there were some surprising results from the newly promoted sides as well as Ehime FC against V-Varen Nagasaki. I think most of us expected the Yamagata and Yamaga, Verdy and Zelvia, matches to end in draws.

7. Conclusion

Job done, 9 points from 9 and now it is time to turn our attention to V-Varen Nagasaki this week. The fast start by Ryukyu mean they enjoy a nice 7-9 point cushion over the bottom four sides in the league. But anything could happen over the course of the next few weeks to shrink that total. Still, it is better to be in this position with these points compared to some of our opponents at the bottom.

FC Ryukyu didn’t win their third game last season until Match Day 12, and they never had a winning streak greater than 2 games in a row that year. You would have to go back to the start of the 2019 campaign to find a winning streak of greater than 3 games, and we all remember how FC Ryukyu started out with 4 wins from 4, followed by 2 draws, which also provided a nice buffer from relegation that year. I think we can also recall how we couldn’t buy a win on the road until the final month and half of that season, as well as the mid-season collapse that seems to be coming a regular occasion for Ryukyu.

Right now, all of us Ryukyu fans need to be enjoying the moment for what it is, a string of great results based mainly on good defense, goal keeping, and a bit of luck. That is not meant to take anything away from what the side has achieved, but we are not even at the quarter mark of the season and shouldn’t be focusing on anything other than survival at this point. But man it has been great and I hope the streak can continue on Saturday as well as through the following weeks.

Match Day 3 Preview: (7) Thespakusatsu Gunma v (2) FC Ryukyu 3/14/21 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu marches North for the first time this season where they will take on Thespakusatsu Gunma. Gunma are a team they traded 1-0 away wins with last season, and who finished just 1 point behind FC Ryukyu in the standings. In their first meeting since FC Ryukyu lifted the J3 trophy against Gunma in 2018, FC Ryukyu beat Gunma 1-0 on Match Day 12 with a very uninspiring performance. Gunma returned the favor on Match Day 26 with an equally uninspiring effort to beat FC Ryukyu 1-0 in Okinawa. Whereas FC Ryukyu enter the match riding a 2-game win streak, Gunma are coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw on the road at SC Sagamihara. For Ryukyu, this is a very important match as the 3 points would push their point total to 9 right before a very tough stretch of games. For Gunma, their opening schedule of fixtures, and perceived potential points accumulated in those fixtures, is vital for their survival.

Weather Forecast & Match Info
Match Day 2 Recap
Team Previews
- Thespakusatsu Gunma
- FC Ryukyu
Keys to Victory
Prediction
Match Day 3 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast & Match Day Information

Slightly colder than what we’ve been experiencing down here in Okinawa.

FC Ryukyu fans will be allowed to attend the match, and the link below contains the necessary information as far as hanging banners and match watching etiquette.

MD3 Info From Thespakusatsu Gunma’s Official Site

2. Match Day 2 Recap

SC Sagamihara 0-0 Thespakusatsu Gunma

FC Ryukyu 2-1 Renofa Yamaguchi FC

3. Team Previews

Thespakusatsu Gunma: Just like FC Ryukyu, Gunma have a favorable schedule to open the 2021 season. But Gunma’s schedule is far more front loaded than Ryukyu’s. Gunma started with the newly promoted J3 teams, Akita and Sagamihara in consecutive weeks earning 4 points; take on FC Ryukyu this week; face current leaders Niigata the following week, and then play Kitakyushu. Gunma’s only ‘tough’ opponents over the next month include Niigata and Nagasaki, as they have Ehime, Renofa and Fagiano to round out the fixture list through April. But you could even extended their fortunes into May with some of their opponents current form. All told, this is a crucial part of Gunma’s season that could very well determine their fate by seasons end.

Gunma need to embark on a ‘smash and grab’ campaign these first 3 months of the season to ensure their survival, though at least at this point in the season based on results and performance of some teams, Gunma have one of the best opening and closing schedules of any team trying to stave off relegation. Despite the favorable scheduling, Gunma have been unable to take full advantage of the fixture list. They defeated Akita at home 2-1 to open 2021, but then dropped a vital 2 points against Sagamihara when they limped to a 0-0 draw this past weekend.

Gunma started off fast against Akita with an opening goal from a CK in the 4th minute but then allowed Akita to dictate much of the game before making it all square with an early contender for goal of the year from Akita. Unfortunately for Akita they let Gunma hang around until Gunma went ahead for good in the 83rd minute after a nice set of passes opened up Akita at the back. Sagamihara put up a fight in their game with Gunma, came close on a few occasions, but so did Gunma when they hit the framework on multiple occasions. Neither side could crack the back line and the game ended in a draw with Gunma coming out on the losing end of the points dropped. A scene we were all to familiar with here at Ryukyu last year.

FC Ryukyu: Dressing the same 18 players from the previous week, FC Ryukyu jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over Renofa Yamaguchi before hanging on for a 2-1 win. There were some signs of life from the offense against Renofa compared to Match Day 1 against Jubilo where there was almost none, but we still need to see more from a team built on attacking football. Ryukyu enjoyed an uptick in possession last week, and it was good to see Abe get back on the scoresheet; Kiyotake and Koya becoming more involved in the attack; and seeing Keita Tanaka grab his second point – first goal – of the 2021 season. But there were plenty of missed chances, and close calls that prevented Ryukyu from pushing the score line even higher.

Ren Ikeda maintained his grip on the starting CAM role but we have to wonder when Kazaki Nakagawa will finally get a crack at the position. Ryukyu had acres of space to operate on the Renofa flanks, but lacked any serious thrust down the middle. I think this is where Nakagawa thrives, and is what we saw from Ryukyu last year when Koizumi was marshalling the attack. All we have seen to date from the club is highlights of Nakagawa looking fit in training videos, but he has yet to even dress in the reserves. I hope we didn’t acquire his services as a mere insurance policy in the event of injuries this year as he is to good of a player to be left off the squad.

Which brings us to the reserves that Higuchi chooses each match. Counting Abe, Ryukyu have dressed, and played, four forwards each week. And they all come on at roughly the same time, for the same exact players. We already know what Abe and Shinya Uehara bring to the attack as forwards, but we then ask Akamine and Shintaro to play out wide when they come on for Koya and Kiyotake. I have no idea what Ryukyu intend to do when the Thai and Vietnamese reinforcements arrive later this year as they will join fellow talented midfielders, Kazaki, Motegi, and Ramon, out in the cold.

The lone mid-field substitute utilized by Higuchi is Ichimaru who usually comes on late in games for either Uesato or Koki. This means that Yu Tomidokoro, and the single defensive player we dress, Makito Uehara, end up as unused subs. Perhaps there is some contractional obligations at work which could force FC Ryukyu to pay some players a higher wage based on minutes played, but I really have no clue.

The formula has worked twice so far so I wouldn’t expect any changes to lineup or reserves this week.

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. Start Fast, Finish Stronger. Likelihood 3. There is no game to date that requires another fast start from FC Ryukyu. We cannot afford to let Gunma hang around in a close game as they can find ways to dig out results. So it is best to put this one away before things become too stressful near the end. But we are also playing on the road for the first time this year so anything could happen.

2. The unsung hero. Likelihood 4. It may not be the usual candidates who pull this one out for Ryukyu, so that means it may fall upon the shoulders of a non-prolific goal scorer. Koki banging in a few from set pieces, or Uesato, or even Ichimaru is a strong possibility. It could also come from set pieces by our defenders, either way I’ll take it. Someone needs to step up here because if they do, then we will start seeing the pieces of a complete team coming together, something we haven’t seen since 2018.

5. Prediction

This could be a potential trap game for FC Ryukyu as even though they look to be the better side, they have a tendency to play down to their opponent. FC Ryukyu improved their road win total from 2019 to 2020 (5 wins in 2019, 7 wins in 2020), but are a very streaky team when traveling. In 2019, they won their first road game but didn’t win on the road again until Match Day 35. In 2020, they needed 5 road games to achieve their first win. So if anything, this is the ideal first road test for FC Ryukyu. The away team has won 3 out of the last 4 matches, only 1 game has ever exceeded more than 2 goals scored, and the home team has been shutout on 3 occasions. It won’t be pretty, but I think FC Ryukyu can complete the trifecta with a 2-1 gritty win. Season Record 1-0-1.

6. Match Day 3 in J2

No single fixture stands out this week with many teams still searching for answers, while others are looking to put some distance between themselves and their opponents at either end of the table. Unfortunately for any neutral fans, all the games kickoff at the exact same time on both days.

7. Conclusion

Well, here it is. A very important match for FC Ryukyu early on this season and one that we may look back come November as one that determined the fate of this club. Earning 9 points out of the gate is massive considering their upcoming fixtures. Aside from Ryukyu’s next 3 opponents – Nagasaki, JEF, and Omiya- Ryukyu then face Mito, Verdy, Zelvia and Kofu before finally getting to SC Sagamihara. We know Ryukyu have never earned a single point from either JEF or Kofu and were swept by Zelvia last season, meaning 3 points on Sunday will go a long way to future J2 football. Ryukyu showed signs of improvement in each of their last two games, can they continue that progress with a third win in a row over Gunma?

Match Day 12 Recap: (22) T.Gunma vs (18) FC Ryukyu 8/16/20 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu managed to scrape by Gunma with a 1-0 victory this past Sunday night on the heels of another Takuma Abe goal. The game itself lacked many of the fireworks that some Ryukyu fans were expecting though the local Maebashi municipality was kind enough to put on an actual fireworks display about 5 minutes before half time.

Match Recap
Man of the Match
Review of the Key to Not Losing
Match Day Prediction
Match Day 12 Takeaways
Round 12 in J2
Top Goals from Round 12
Conclusion

1. Match Recap

2. Man of the Match

FC Ryukyu MF/RB Keita Tanaka: He worked his tail off last night and provided the excellent cross to Abe who scored our only goal. Well deserved.

3. Review of the Key to Not Losing

1. Put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Likelihood 4: We won so we should not be to disappointed but I seriously thought we’d score more than 1 goal. Ryukyu came close in the second half with another chance for Abe but he was caught wrong footed by the cross.

4. Match Day Prediction

I predicted 2-1 and it ended 1-0 thus earning a draw and improving to 1-3-8 on the year with my predictions.

5. Match Day 12 Takeaways

1. The schedule. Fatigue is starting to set in and it is detracting from the level of play we’ve been come accustomed to in the J2. The fixture list gives no breaks and the lack of depth in the squad due to injury and CV-19 suspensions are starting to show. No play was more indicative of the times then Torikai receiving a pass and was basically alone on net with a defender is semi-close proximity. Instead of going for it and attempting a shot, he pulled back on the reigns and looked for support and to pass the ball backwards. There is no choice but to suck it up and press on as there is no rest in the schedule anytime soon.

2. Substitutes. Seeing how we have no information on several players condition we don’t actually know what is going with Koizumi, Tavares, and now Uehara. FC Ryukyu have now dressed a special designated player and two U-18/U-16 players the last 3 matches but the younger two have yet to feature. I am not sure if they are there strictly for emergencies but Higuchi opted to not use all of his subs once again. Maybe he felt that would detract from the performance and alter the result but with the crammed fixture schedule, even a few minutes of rest for the incumbents could pay off in the long run. We need to be using all the subs we have available as I cannot see 8 out of the 11 players in the squad playing every minute of every match over the next month and a half.

3. Gunma’s ease of access. Gunma had no problem getting in and around our defense last night as they were constantly stretching us apart and opening up wide open shooting lanes. Luckily most of their shots were not well aimed but there were some very, very, close calls. That was definitely not the same Gunma team I saw in their highlights with all that possession and shots so one has to wonder what happened to our defense against one of the lowest scoring teams in the league.

4. Lack of service for Kawai. Ryukyu have a very talented player in Kawai as his speed brings different element to the attack. Unfortunately, he was never able to get going on Sunday and we need to start getting him more involved as he was one of our best players in 2019.

5. Debut of a player. Uehara Makito, or Uehara Shepard as it is translated through Google, made a brief appearance last night when he came on for Ren Ikeda in the 93^rd minute. He did nothing spectacular last night but I was more impressed by some of his physical traits. First, he has nice size at 182cm and looks to have more muscle on his frame compared to that of our two starting CBs, Yong Jick and Suzuki. He showed some really nice burst on one of his initial touches and he has some decent speed for a big man. He was legging one out down the middle and we opened his gate he was outpacing the defender by a wide margin. I want to see more of him and would love to see him in more of CDM role than CB but he seems athletic enough to play both.

6. Round 12 in J2

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/j-league-division-2/startseite/wettbewerb/JAP2

It looks as if the goals have dried up for both Ehime FC and Albirex Niigata. Some surprising upsets for JEF, Yamaguchi, and Kanazawa.

Source: https://www.transfermarkt.com/j-league-division-2/tabelle/wettbewerb/JAP2/saison_id/2019

7. Top Goals from Round 12

#1 An extremely tasty chip/dink/lob from distance by “The Bald Eagle” Disaro of Kitakyushu (0:56)

#2 The backwards bicycle kick at the death by Tsukagawa from Matsumoto (0:00)

#3 Takuma Abe’s 4^th goal in as many games from a beautiful cross by Keita Tanaka (3:10)

8. Conclusion

It is hard to be disappointed with any win, especially one in which you shut out the opponent. But I guess when you were expecting much more and it didn’t go that way, you are left with a bit of a bad taste in your mouth. It would be foolish at this point to blame it on a lack of effort by the players as they are giving everything they got in a situation that none are accustomed too. FC Ryukyu will have played 18 matches in the span of 71 days once October 3rd rolls around which is almost the equivalent of a World Cup tournament inside of a month, for three months straight. I think we should all expect performances like this moving forward and hope that all the players, not just from FC Ryukyu, survive this brutal schedule.

Not rest for the weary as we welcome in Tochigi SC this Wednesday in another closed door match thanks to COVID-19.

“Easy Like Sunday Morning” Match Day 12 Preview: (22) Thespakusatsu Gunma vs (18) FC Ryukyu 8/16/20 #FC琉球

Intro

It was a real shame that FC Ryukyu couldn’t even salvage a draw against Kofu this past Wednesday as the loss snapped their four game unbeaten run and denied FC Ryukyu their first home win of the season. Gunma are in a similar predicament as they have failed to win, or draw, at home in 2020 and this is one of their best chances to end that streak. While it is easy to assume that FC Ryukyu will head to Gunma and come back with all 3 points, as we’ve see before, it is anything but easy when it comes to FC Ryukyu.

Weather Forecast
Match Day 11 Recap: Gunma
Match Day 11 Recap: FC Ryukyu
Team Previews & Injury Reports
Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
Match Prediction
Round 12 in J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast

This does not look good and there could very well be some delays due to lightening. Maybe we see the orange ball come out as well?

2. Match Day 11 Recap: Thespakusatsu Gunma

3. Match Day 11 Recap: FC Ryukyu

4. Team Previews & Injury Reports

Thepakusatsu Gunma: It is not going according to plan for Gunma this season as they have the worst goal scoring tally in the league and have conceded 3 or more goals in a match 4 times. While Ryukyu have their own struggles with goals, Gunma has been shut out 6 times compared to that of 2 for Ryukyu.

Over their last five games Gunma have 1 win and 4 losses with some heavy defeats. Gunma were decimated by Zweigen and Nagasaki; lost to Kitakyushu and Tochigi at home; and were gifted a PK against JEF to level the game before a 94th minute goal gave them the win. In the Tochigi match, they were unable to level the game despite being up a man after Tochigi received a straight red card in the second half.

Like Ryukyu, Gunma have failed to win at home this season and in spite of the fact that they only have 3 less goals scored (8) when compared to Ryukyu’s (11) tally, more than half of those goals occurred in 2 games. This game is nothing more than a race to 2 goals scored for either side as neither has proven to capable of overcoming that deficit.

Gunma Injuries & Suspensions: Defender Hirao is out for another few weeks from a broken arm and FW Okada is out with what I believe is a pulled hamstring. (Google Translate between English and Japanese?)

FC Ryukyu: It was extremely difficult to watch FC Ryukyu waste a very good chance at clipping a weakened Kofu side last round. Kofu opted to leave many of their star players at home and the gamble paid off as Ryukyu were absolutely anemic in the attack.

At half time Ryukyu had only mustered three shots with none of them making it on net. By the time the game ended, Ryukyu had just 7 total shots, with only 1 – the Penalty Kick- on net. As bad as bad can get from the offensive side of the house.

Higuchi admitted that FC Ryukyu are struggling to break down the oppositions defense and it is evident when you see the MFs pass the ball back to our CBs when they cannot find an opening. Obviously we need some more creativity to unlock these defenses but there also needs to be a bit of aggressiveness on the part of the players.

I’ve said the past few weeks that Ryukyu need to try and set the edge by getting around the flanks of the other team’s defenders. Some of our best goal scoring chances came when Kawai, Ikeda and Abe would try and push past the defenders with speed thus drawing a foul, free kick, corner kick, or shot on net. That tenacity needs to return and the only way it can be done is to abandon self doubt and just go for it.

Ryukyu are now in the middle of a very crammed fixture list and squad rotation will be key. You could see last week that the guys are breaking down a bit and Higuchi needs to find some fresh legs in the squad. It was strange to see Higuchi dress both a special designated player and U-16 player against Kofu as I for one did not believe they would feature at all. This means that Higuchi really only had 4 subs to draw from which severely limited our options. Are you telling me that those two are better options than Koizumi or Tavares, or are you signaling they are hurt? We also left Tanaka in at RB when Torikai came on. I think we should’ve pushed Tanaka up and let Torikai deal with running the channels.

It is frustrating that news releases for this team, and the league in general, lack the information we crave as fans that provide some insights into the club. Especially those concerning minor injuries to players or reasons they are left off the squad. While I doubt this will change any time soon, we need to know what is going on with Koizumi and Tavares. The latter hasn’t been seen or heard from since the opening fixture in February where he performed quite well in the RB role.

If FC Ryukyu wish to make it to the end of the season in one piece, then they will need Tavares and Torikai to play so as to allow some rest to Tanaka who will probably need to play in place of some of the other weary Mid Fielders.

FC Ryukyu Injury & Suspensions: No change from last week and no update on the 2 CV-19 players for Ryukyu. There are some minor concerns for Koizumi – who we haven’t seen in a few weeks – and Ikeda who came off rather early last week after suffering what looked to be a knock to his foot. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

5. Key to ~~Victory~~ Not Losing 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 it happens 1- Requires a Miracle to happen

1. Put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Likelihood 4: I am not super confident for this one but the past results of Gunma provide a glimmer of hope. Both teams probably have some tired legs but Ryukyu is just far better in the attack than Gunma. Once one goal goes in for Ryukyu, the Gunma heads will drop. The second will see a complete collapse of confidence.

6. Match Day Prediction

The statistics don’t lie is the famous saying. Gunma are not as strong as some of the sides Ryukyu have faced this year but Ryukyu need to finish of drives. 2-1 for FC Ryukyu is a respectable guess based on these teams past performances and goal scoring records.

7. Round 12 in J2

There are not that many fixtures that jump off the page this week. I’d expect some workman like performances by the higher seeded teams which means there probably won’t be much turnover in the table come Sunday night.

8. Conclusion

There can be no excuse for not coming away with all three points against Gunma tomorrow. They are bottom of the table for a reason and FC Ryukyu need to break out of their goal scoring funk in a big way. Will we see the first 3, or more, goal performance by Ryukyu tomorrow? Or will we see yet another limp performance from this side?

Take it easy boys. Real easy. Easy like…………………

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DSVMDmzCcA