The final home game of the 2019 J2 season for FC Ryukyu ended in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Kyoto Sanga. Not the type of ending that the club, nor its fans, were hoping for. Nonetheless, the boys from Okinawa achieved some marvelous results during their 21 home games this season that included wins over Mito and Tokushima with dramatic draws against Kashiwa and Yamagata. The only thing that was regrettable on Sunday was that FC Ryukyu failed to score a goal and give the home crowd something to celebrate.
From the JLeague website
Match Recap
FC Ryukyu looked up for the match for must of the first half
despite some of the poor passing and cheap giveaways they execute din the first
10 minutes. In fact, FC Ryukyu had most of the possession, 64%, and three of the
best opportunities from Tokumoto, Uehara and Koya. Kyoto hit the post in the 25th
minute but other than that, it was al FC Ryukyu early on. The fact that FC
Ryukyu didn’t score from a golden opportunity when Yamada had s shot blocked, really
hurt this sides chances of achieving a favorable result on Sunday.
FC Ryukyu came out fast to start the second half and had
Uejo made a better decision with his pass in the 58th minute, FC
Ryukyu could’ve been up 1-0. Instead, Uejo’s pass was slightly behind Tokumoto
and the subsequent shot off target. From this point forward, Kyoto took over
the match.
Kyoto had several misses before Fukui committed a foul in the box resulting in a PK for Kyoto. Kyoto converted for the deciding goal and the spirits of FC Ryukyu were broken. FC Ryukyu quickly surrendered another goal off a CK when they were caught ball watching and then Son Sun was over powered in the 85th minute by Koyamatsu. Despite the 55% possession that FC Ryukyu enjoyed all night, they could never get past the Kyoto goal keeper.
Man of the Match
From J league website
Kyoto Sanga FC Koyamatsu MF: First, I truly love this player’s
pace, tenacity and strength. I dream of day when FC Ryukyu could sign a player with
all these tools, and I guess, you never know what could happen. His ability to
hold off a pacey player in Song Sun and then basically shrug him off to open up
a shooting lane was simply amazing.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Pester the Kyoto Defense with Speed: NO GRADE. FC Ryukyu
did at times and had plenty of opportunities but converted none of them.
2. Be Mindful of the Kyoto Counter Attack: PASS, but only
because Kyoto failed to score. There were plenty of near misses and opportunities
for Kyoto to bang one in on the counter and FC Ryukyu only escaped with some favorable
post strikes, near misses and off sides calls.
Match Day 40 Prediction
I said 3-1 in favor of Kyoto and it was nearly achieved.
Match DAY 40 TAKEAWAYS
1. The Uejo, Ramon, Kawai combination looked really good and
if Higuchi wasn’t so dogmatic in his approach to the lineup selection with
nothing on the line, it be really exciting to see this combo the last 2 weeks.
2. There is nothing left to play for except pride, maybe player and coaching bonuses, but nothing more. It is high time we saw the younger players in the squad start in order to see what we have for the 2020 season. Higuchi needs to make some serious changes to the lineup considering results no longer matter.
3. There were very nice scenes at the end of the match at the “Tapista” with Higuchi, Mr. Mikami and Uesato all offering words of gratitude. The fact that FC Ryukyu had their 4/5th largest crowd all season was touching and I hope they average around 5-6,000 next year. To be honest, if they want J1, they need the ticket sales for revenue and salaries and we are miles away from there for now.
4. Also, very nice to see banner, and support from the club, to restore a very iconic and important symbol of Okinawa on Sunday.
Conclusion
Thus, ends the 2019 campaign at home for FC Ryukyu. Overall,
they finished with 8 wins, 5 draws and 8 losses at home. It is a mixed bag of
results in my opinion. There were dramatic come from behind games to earn wins as
well as games that simply got away from this side. Everyone enjoyed the goals
and it was a shame that Shinji Ono could never orchestrate one prior to his
season ending injury.
The home slate had all the ups and downs one would expect in
the J2 and I hope the 2020 season is as memorable as the 2019. But fret not,
the season still has 2 fixtures remaining and I’d love to see this side end on
high note. Particularly against the Kofu side that ended the home undefeated
streak so long ago.
FC Ryukyu earned their 11th win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tochigi SC this past Sunday. The win sees FC Ryukyu’s point total climb to 43 and puts them 13 points clear of the drop zone with only a handful of games remaining. In other words, we can reasonably assume that FC Ryukyu are safe from relegation in their first season in the J2. It was also the second time in a row that FC Ryukyu earned a victory on the road, a feat they have never done this year prior to this weekend.
Match Recap
Starting 11 and reserves for both sides. Courtesy of the J League website.
There were some notable omissions from the FC Ryukyu starting 11 this week. Shinji Ono and Yu Tomidokoro were replaced by Koki Kazama and Shuto Kawai. The Shinji move was most likely necessitated after he picked up a knock last week against Verdy. Kawai, on the other hand, was a bit more noteworthy. First, it is great to see Kawai get back to full health as his speed brings a vital element to the FC Ryukyu attack (more on that later). Second, the move signaled to me that Higuchi may have game planned for needing speed to hit Tochigi on the counter if FC Ryukyu were not going to have large amounts of possession. This was certainly a shock as the starting lineup rarely changes for FC Ryukyu based on our opponent’s apparent strengths and weaknesses, rather, it changes due to injury, suspension or players experiencing a loss of form. A welcome sign nonetheless.
There was not really much to report on in the first half of this game. FC Ryukyu looked slow to start the match and were not offering much in the attack. In fact, FC Ryukyu seemed fixated on attacking down the right side but were either bogged down or would lose possession in the Tochigi deep right end. Tochigi, on the other hand, threw all they had at us in the first half and really pressed hard to get out in front. They made calls for a possible handball from Tokumoto in the box following an overhead kick but the ref was not having any of it. Tochigi nearly broke the deadlock when a header bounced across the face of goal and harmlessly out of bounds.
FC Ryukyu’s one good opportunity came from a nice little give-and-go between Kawai and Yamada but the shot from Kawai had no real power or placement behind it and the keeper had no problem saving the shot. FC Ryukyu suffered what could be a very catastrophic injury to RB, Yuya Torikai, early in the first half. A Tochigi player came down on the inside of Torika’s right boot and though he tried to continue after initially spending several minutes on the ground, he eventually succumbed to the injury and was replaced by Uehara. That is not a typo. A striker came on at RB as FC Ryukyu dressed zero defenders on the bench for this match. I would’ve thought that a CDM or MF would’ve slid into the RB role but it was our striker. This was a bit odd as Uehara rarely plays more than 15-20 minutes per match and was now going to be asked to defend, and to play for +75 minutes. In any case, both sides headed into half time at 0-0.
FC Ryukyu started better in the second half and the Tochigi attack sort of fizzled out around the 67-minute mark when their best effort that half was saved by Dany Carvajal. FC Ryukyu did really well to absorb Tochigi’s best efforts and were now primed to go on the attack. The break through occurred in the 79th minute when Koki found Uejo in between 2 Tochigi defenders on the left side of the Tochigi 18-yard box. Uejo did really well to let the ball roll across his body and then sent a well-aimed shot past the diving Tochigi defender giving FC Ryukyu the 1-0 lead.
With only 10 minutes remaining Tochigi were now forced to throw more into attack in hopes of equalizing which played directly into Higuchi’s strategy for hitting Tochigi on the counter. Now, the Torikai injury most likely disrupted the original game plan of bringing on Uehara late, with 1-2 MFs possibly coming on for Kawai and Koki. It didn’t matter as Kawai and Uehara were both up to task and played the full 90 and 75 minutes respectfully. In fact, Higuchi never used his 3rd sub this game which is a bit of a shame as Ramon deserved a run out after getting back to match fitness this week.
Tochigi had one more opportunity to tie the match very late in the 4th minute of stoppage time. A Tochigi deflected shot fell to another attacker who was able to find a wide-open Tochigi attacker inside the 18-yard box. Fortunately for FC Ryukyu, the Tochigi player miss hit the shot and it was sent wide out of bounds and harmlessly away from the Ryukyu net.
FC Ryukyu did score one more time this match when Uejo bagged his second on the day for a brace. The goal was one of the best team goals I’ve seen by this team all season. The play started from a Tokumoto long pass down the middle where Yamada then back-heeled it to a sprinting Kawai, whose run down the middle caused the Tochigi defenders to pinch in thus allowing Uejo all sorts of space out wide. Kawai waited until the very end and then found Uejo with a pass who promptly slotted home his 13th goal of the campaign.
The goal was the very last play of the game and everyone could see the importance of this win all over the faces of the coaches and players.
Box score. Courtesy of the J League website.
Man of the Match
J. League website
#14, FWD, Satoki Uejo. 2 really well taken goals and so much has been said already. Honorable mentions to Dany Carvajal for keeping his 3rd clean sheet in a row on the road and Uehara for playing out of position for the remainder of the match.
Review of the keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu on Match Day 37
1. Defend set pieces from Tochigi. PASS. FC Ryukyu blanked Tochigi but had to make it interesting along the way. Ryukyu surrendered plenty of early CKs and FKs for Tochigi and did well to prevent any goals.
2. Finish in front of goal. PASS. See Uejo’s two goals.
3. Pay attention on defense and defend against long balls over the top. PASS. Tochigi never attempted many of these and FC Ryukyu did defend well on Sunday.
4. Exploit the new Tochigi goal keeper. PASS. Only because we won 2-0 but we had so few shots on net that tested the keeper. There were long stretches of no offense by Ryukyu this game but they made it count when they needed too.
Match Day 37 Prediction
I said the match could end 1-0 in either direction but it was FC Ryukyu who did the business on Sunday.
Match Day 37 Takeaways
1. FC Ryukyu face a real selection crisis at RB as both Torikai
and Nishioka are injured. Nishioka is out at least 3 weeks with no updates at
the time of this entry on the Torikai injury. Torikai’s injury was bad enough that
he didn’t want to put any weight on his foot and was stretched off, possibly all
the way to the bench/locker room. We cannot expect Uehara to play RB going
forward and since we rarely ever know if any of the reserve players are dealing
with injuries, what is the side going to do?
I don’t think the club can recall Masutani from Okayama, who at least has RB experience, and I am not sure where Nishikawa has disappeared too after his appearances in July and August. Jumpei Arai featured in the opening match of the season but that is it as far as FC Ryukyu defenders with match day experience this season. Maybe it is time to dress the youngster, Daniel Sanches, and push Fukui out to RB, a position he has played this season due to other Ryukyu injuries. Other than that, I am not sure of the fitness levels, or whereabouts, for Miyauchi, Rion Fukui, Naito and Hanafusa, who may also not be with the club at the moment.
2. FC Ryukyu also dodged a bullet when Fukui picked up a very early yellow card. Had he been sent off at any point in the match, it would have left FC Ryukyu with only 2 defenders on the pitch. Granted, this did not happen but as we’ve all seen, Fukui can make some rash challenges at times and puts himself dangerously close to getting sent off during games. In that regards, this was a very physical match some very hard tackling occurring from both sets of players. Tochigi were guilty on more than one occasion and one of their players was lucky to only be yellow carded, not red carded, for a studs-up challenge that cleaned out the Ryukyu player.
3. FC Ryukyu’s road form has greatly improved over the course of their last 4 matches. In fact, FC Ryukyu are unbeaten in their last 4 road matches. They’ve drawn twice, and then won twice in a row with those 8 points proving to be a real difference in the short term. I have been harping on the fact that the road form of this club needed to improve or else they could be facing a relegation scrap. Well, after losing 6 straight road games, FC Ryukyu have finally done what needed to be done and earned some victories on the road. Granted, those matches were against Kanazawa, Machida, Fukuoka and Tochigi. All teams in, around and below Ryukyu in the table but that doesn’t matter as they should be beating these clubs. Again, a great turn around at a crucial time of the season.
4. The second goal from Uejo displayed so many things that it needs to be discussed more than just as goal that ultimately sealed the victory for Ryukyu on Sunday. First, and back to my soap box, I have been screaming to get more speed into the FC Ryukyu attack all year. Speed scares defenders and Kawai had their undivided attention when he was running right at the central defenders at full tilt. There was no way either one of the Tochigi defenders alone was going to match Kawai’s speed thus forcing a reinforcement to pinch in. This created acres of space of Uejo to run into and eventually finish from. We’ve seen this before from Ryukyu. If you recall the Kyoto Sanga match, Kawai’s speed allowed him to get in and around the back line and resulted in Ryukyu tying the match.
Second, it was one of the best team goals by this club all season. Aside from the aforementioned Kawai goal against Kyoto, the other one was the Tanaka finish against Omiya Ardija way back on match day 2. Finally, it is going to be nearly impossible to prevent larger clubs from acquiring the services of Uejo next year. Though he made it look easy at the end there, he still had a lot to do with the finish. The Tochigi goal keeper rightly anticipated that Kawai would ultimately pass to Uejo and he though came out to cut down the angle, Uejo has become such a lethal finisher when given time and space. He simply cannot be denied in front of goal. Look at all of the goals Uejo has scored this year and there are so many that are top quality. Finishing with flair is something all to its own.
J2 Games of Note on Match Day 37
Conclusion
FC Ryukyu welcome Omiya Ardija to town for their next to last home game this season. Omiya are coming off a shocking 3-2 defeat at home to Tokushima Vortis and likely seeking revenge against FC Ryukyu for the earlier 4-3 defeat they suffered on match day 2. It is hard to not celebrate the fact that FC Ryukyu have most likely hit the expected point total for safety without remaining at least guarded until it’s all but certain. In any event, I’d like to see the side give the fans two respectable results with their remaining home games. Generating attendance numbers in the near future will become tougher and tougher with the introduction of a new basketball stadium and baseball team in Okinawa, and though they’ve improved the numbers this year, they are not nearly at the level required to generate income that drives operating budgets and promotes long term sustainability in the upper echelons of the J League. Great win boys and see you next week.
Not the sort of performance you were hoping for coming off
of 5 games unbeaten by FC Ryukyu but nonetheless, the side suffered another
heavy defeat, this time in front of the home crowd of 4,800 on Saturday. The
loss, while infuriating, does not put FC Ryukyu in any worse of position than
they started match day 36. While that may sound encouraging, it seems the team
took a big step backwards on Saturday night with that performance and I hope
its simply a one-off rather than indicative of future performances.
Match Recap
When you are pasted 5-1 at home there is not much to report
on, however, I am sure it was enjoyable for both the neutral and casual
football fan with all those goals. The overall sense I gleaned form the match
was that FC Ryukyu were not able to capitalize on their opportunities whereas
Tokyo Verdy did just that. Verdy’s first goal came in the 25th
minute of the first half but FC Ryukyu had lenty chances of their own and were
never outmatched by the Verdy defense. Again, it was just poor finishing in
front of goal that sunk this side on Saturday. Yu flashed just high of the goal
and then in typical fashion of matches like this one, Verdy hit us on a counter
for a 2-0 lead.
Most of Verdy’s goals this past Saturday followed a very
distinct pattern. Verdy were able to pull apart our defense with quick,
accurate passes back across the pitch to change the direction of attack. FC
Ryukyu could simply not recover in time to defend against the open attacker
which lead to wide open looks on net. The second Verdy goal saw Torikai getting
caught flat footed on a run by a Verdy attacker followed with a long over the
top ball that Koike was able to get underneath and rip past our defense for a
breakaway on Dany. The second Verdy goal was followed in quick succession by a
3rd when once again, the Ryukyu defense was caught out and though
Dany may have done better to get a hand to it and deflect it away from goal,
the ball went slightly underneath his arm and into the bottom left corner of
goal.
FC Ryukyu came out strong to start the second half and Uejo
scored one of the goals of the year from a shot from distance. It was the type
of shot that left the Verdy Goal Keeper completely stunned and immobilized as
he assumed it was going high over the bar. Instead, the ball had so much dip on
it, it went over the keeper and just inside the cross bar where it bounced off
the crossbar and into the bottom of the net. Simply amazing. Uejo also had
another opportunity from distance that tested the Verdy keeper and he made an awkward
save on it to basically chest it out of bounds so I assume there was some swerve
and dip on that shot from Uejo as well.
While that gave a flicker of hope for the home crowd, that flame was extinguished very quickly by a Verdy goal 4 minutes later on a counter attack and the fifth in the 69th minute. The match ended 5-1 and there isn’t much more to recap.
Starting Lineups & Subs for Match Day 36. Courtesy of the J League website.
Lots of red on the right (wrong!) side. Courtesy of the J League website.
Man of the Match
#19 MF Junki Kokie of Tokyo Verdy. Bagged a hat-trick and was devastating to the Ryukyu defense.
Review of FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory for Match Day 36
1. Score from Corner Kicks. FAIL. Obviously since our only
goal was from the open run of play by Uejo. However, FC Ryukyu looked better on
corner kicks with deliveries from both Koya and Shinji. Their delivery is far
better than I have seen on these normal set pieces and hopefully FC Ryukyu will
be able to grab a goal or two from a CK in the near future.
2. Hammer Verdy on the Counter Attack. PASS. Uejo’s goal
began with a Verdy giveaway in their end and FC Ryukyu were able to hit them on
the break. The irony is, Verdy were more aggressive and more lethal in their
counter attacks all night.
Match Day 36 Prediction
Of course, predict a FC Ryukyu 2-1 victory and get rewarded
with a 5-1 drubbing.
Match Day 36 Takeaways
1. The defensive performance was particularly poor on
Saturday and watching Verdy pull us apart on what seemed to be “training ground
practice stuff” was hard to watch. Ryukyu defenders were often caught flat
footed and Verdy were able to exploit that with deep runs past our defenders
and onto long over the top balls. Ryukyu didn’t have the speed to match Verdy
and this resulted in several breakaways and free looks on net. Also, the Ryukyu
defenders would pinch in and leave our flanks exposed to runs, passes and
crosses. Verdy showed the rest of the league how to quickly and repeatedly
unlock our defense so this needs to be addressed in the near term before we see
out the season with 6 straight losses.
2. Tokumotu did his bet, the combo of Pariaba and Klebinho
were too much for one man to handle. In fact, he wasn’t getting much help over
the top. It was a good battle to watch but we need some better defending from
our mid fielders.
Match Day 36 around J2
The typhoon forced some matches to be abandoned or rescheduled and there were some interesting results this past extended match day 36 weekend.
Still a ton to play for the top 9 sides in the table. Courtesy of J League website.
Coming down to a photo finish at the bottom. Courtesy of J League website.
Conclusion
Best to erase this loss from everyone’s memory and move on.
FC Ryukyu have 2 home game remaining against Omiya and Kyoto and hopefully we’ll
be able to celebrate this sides one last time at home with a win but it looks like
a long shot at this point. However, we could, and should, be celebrating some
FC Ryukyu road wins the remainder of the campaign. FC Ryukyu are on the road
this Sunday against Tochigi SC in a very winnable game that would once again
seal safety for the boys.
Avispa Fukuoka and FC Ryukyu square off this weekend in a crucial, 6-point relegation match at the bottom of the J2 table. It was FC Ryukyu who got the better of Avispa the last time these two teams met when they opened the J2 season in February. But this is a very different FC Ryukyu team who is traveling for the second week in a row and who has yet to earn a win on the road in quite some time.
Fukuoka’s lineup from that opening fixture has remained largely intact with the exception of an occasional injury or player being dropping to the bench. Whereas Ryukyu have made 5 changes to the starting lineup that bested Fukuoka 3-1 to start the season. Avispa enter match day 35 having secured 7 points from their previous 5 fixtures with FC Ryukyu bringing a 4-game unbeaten streak to the Kyushu prefecture. Only 2 points, and 2 positions in the table separate these two sides so this is going to be a massive bottom of the table tilt on Saturday.
Weather Forecast
The weather looks great with little prospect of rain.
Avispa Fukuoka
Avispa went 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses over the course of their last five fixtures. Their win against Ehime FC was quite impressive and seemed to be sparked by a spectacular save by their foreign goal keeper Serantes. Fukuoka scored 3 of the best goals I saw from them in the review and looked like a team that was getting ready to storm back up the table and out of the relegation scrap. However, they followed the Ehime victory with a 1-0 loss to Nagasaki. In a game where Fukuoka had a majority of chances, Nagasaki caught the Avispa back line napping with a surgical pass to Hirota Goya who scored his 18th goal of the season.
Fukuoka rebounded nicely to win 1-0 on the road against another opponent seeking to get out of the relegation zone, Tochigi SC. Fukuoka where then lucky to earn a late draw against Okayama after on-loan FC Ryukyu defender, Masutani, fouled a Fukuoka attacker in the box and gave Avispa a PK to tie the match. Avispa’s most recent match against Renofa Yamaguchi ended 2-0 in favor of Renofa despite another highlight reel save by Serantes.
On paper and on film, FC Ryukyu and Avispa Fukuoka look like two very similar teams. Each have a strong goal keeper and both have questions in defense. Both teams can score some beautiful goals while also suffering through patches of goalless games and little creativity. Fukuoka, like FC Ryukyu, are prone to some mental mistakes with the occasional lapse of concentration at the back that can allow opponents to get on the front foot. The only real difference I see between the sides is that while FC Ryukyu have suffered some heavy defeats with score lines of +4 goals conceded, Fukuoka have not. However, Fukuoka have been shut out in many more matches this season than FC Ryukyu.
FC Ryukyu
FC Ryukyu are in the midst of their longest winning streak since the one they opened the season with that included 4 straight wins and 2 draws. Unbeaten in 4 and looking to separate themselves from the bottom 4, FC Ryukyu are desperate for a positive result on the road this weekend. It is no secret that FC Ryukyu own one of the worst, if not the worst, road records in J2 this season. 1 win, 5 draws, 8 points out of a possible 48 and no wins since match day 2 way back in March. Despite all of that, things are looking up for FC Ryukyu on the road.
FC Ryukyu have drawn their last 2 matches on the road that includes a come from behind draw at Kanazawa. While we all would’ve loved to see FC Ryukyu take all 3 points last week at 19th placed Zelvia, an improvement in the road form is a welcoming sign heading into the last 2 months of the season. Keep in mind that FC Ryukyu play only 3 out of the final 8 matches at home so road points are massive. One reason for the new found success should be attributed to the change in the FC Ryukyu lineup. Shinji’s presence in the deep lying mid field, coupled with the presence of Koya Kazama in the attack, has provided the much-needed structure Ryukyu were missing during their rough stretch of games this summer. With that said, FC Ryukyu will need both of these players, along with Uejo, Koizumi, Kawai and Ramon, to be firing on all cylinders this weekend to secure all 3 points.
Injuries/Suspensions
Avispa Fukuoka will be with out #16 MF, Ishizu Daisuke this weekend as he tore his Right ACL back in early July. I do not know of any suspended players for Fukuoka this weekend.
FC Ryukyu are reporting no injuries or suspensions this week.
FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory
1. Exploit Avispa’s weakness at defending passes that emanate from the deep lying Mid Fielders. A majority of the goals I witnessed Fukuka concede for this review were of this nature. This was also a strength of FC Ryukyu against Renofa and Kanazawa but one which they failed to employ successfully against Zelvia. Shinji, Yu, Uesato, Koya and even Tokumoto and Torikai can all unlock the Fukuoka defense with precision passing through the central defense of Avispa.
2. Pressure the Fukuoka back line with quick passes in and around the top of the box. Avispa seem very disorganized at the back and often get caught ball watching. This often leads to opposing attackers being left alone and unmarked in the 18-yard box. This sets up well for the Ryukyu if they make quality runs and can find the open spaces between the Fukuoka defenders.
3. Finish off drives. Fukuoka have one of the best goal keepers in J2 in Serantes. The goal keepers’ performance this season is a large reason why Fukuoka are not farther down the table. Ryukyu will need to be clinical in front of goal even if they get behind the Fukuoka defense as this man has proven to be a stalwart in net.
4. Defend against Fukuoka’s tendency to attack down their right side. A majority of the attacks for Avispa in the 5 matches I watched were down the right side. The play that worked the best seemed to be the one where; their RWB would cross a pass over the immediate defender and CB; thus leaving the remaining CB to cover the run of the Fukuoka striker; and leave a slight gap at the top of the box for the CAM to pick up the ball and have a free look on net. Knowing that, it would require Uesato or Ono to track back and cover the top of the box to prevent any dangerous shots on net.
Match Prediction
I feel another 1-1 draw is on the horizon.
Interesting Facts
J2 Match Day 35 Fixtures of Note
Conclusion
These two evenly matched sides are producing some solid results in the short term that should help their long term prospects of staying in the J2 for 2020. Avispa are no slouches and could easily run the score up on Ryukyu tomorrow if the Okinawa side starts slow and never gets going.
However, a win is close to coming and it will feel like such a relief for this side when it does. But the sooner the better. Starting last week against Machida, FC Ryukyu’s next 4 road fixtures include; Avispa, Tochigi, Yamaguchi and Ehime. Certainly, a win can be found in there somewhere along with enough points to reach safety if FC Ryukyu can maintain their current form. Safe travels for all the FC Ryukyu fans heading to Fukuoka this Saturday and good luck to the boys.
FC Ryukyu pulled off a come from behind victory this past Saturday night where they clawed back from one goal deficits twice to ultimately secure all 3 points. Despite the brutal weather, the fans spirits and more importantly, that of the team, were lifted with the crucial win at home. It’s no secret that FC Ryukyu have been struggling for points of late in the midst of a losing streak so let’s hope this result turns the corner for the team and they can begin stringing together some positive results.
Match Recap
I am not exaggerating when I say the weather was brutal. There was intermittent rain followed by gusts of wind and then heavier amounts of rain. This cycle continued up to the mid-way point of the second half. FC Ryukyu were controlling a vast majority of possession early on but it was Nagasaki who were getting the better chances. Nagasaki had far more opportunities this match compared to their previous 5 games when it looked like they were willing to sit back and hit teams on the counter. Nagasaki adopted a different approach against Ryukyu and it paid off straight away.
FC Ryukyu conceded a goal from a Nagasaki CK in which the perfectly placed cross made it over the top of the initial wall of FC Ryukyu defenders and allowed Goya to slot home his 14th goal of the season. I was worried that like previous matches for FC Ryukyu, when an opponent scored, there were more goals to follow. To FC Ryukyu’s credit, they responded well by answering the Nagasaki goal with one of their own only 5 minutes later.
The goal came from one of the new FC Ryukyu signings, Koya Kazama. On the goal, Koji passed to Koya who was at the right side of the box. Instead of continuing his run down the right, Koya ran back across the top of the box which really opened up the Nagasaki defense. Koji called for the ball back, and was wide open on net had he received the pass, but Koya opted to shoot with so much of the goal to aim at. His left footed shot ended up in the bottom left corner and FC Ryukyu were on the board.
It was not until the 75th minute when Goya bagged his second goal of the game from a Nagasaki counter that caught the FC Ryukyu defense off guard. Kamekawa of Nagasaki rounded Fukui, on what was some suspect defending, and found acres of space to work a cross into the 6-yard box. Kamekawa sent a perfectly placed, perfectly weighted cross to a wide open of Goya who proceeded to give Nagasaki the 2-1 lead.
FC Ryukyu responded once more with another highlight reel goal from Uejo. This man has had several of these types of goals this season and it is only a matter of time before we see him whisked away to a top-level club. Wada found a streaking Uejo down the right and Uejo sent an absolute rocket past the keeper and into the top left corner. FC Ryukyu were tied with about 5 minutes and stoppage time remaining. Then something miraculously happened, FC Ryukyu scored a third goal.
I say miraculously because FC Ryukyu had only scored a total of 2 goals combined in their 5 previous matches. The goal occurred deep into stoppage time when a 97th minute corner kick from Uesato found its way over the heads of the Nagasaki defenders where Wada was waiting at the back the corner. Wada was guarded but the ball took a fortuitous deflection of the Nagasaki defender who had his back turned to goal and Wada was able to send the shot past the rushing defenders and keeper for the 3-2 lead.
The goal was massive and the home crowd responded in kind. It was great seeing the players celebrate the goal as it proved vital for FC Ryukyu’s standings when so many teams below them produced favorable results as well this weekend.
Man of the Match
Well it would be just plain rude to not award Wada the man of the match since I titled the article based on his massive goal. However, he also provided an assist on the Uejo goal, earned the corner kick that he scored from and therefore is more than deserving of this award. Well done.
Review of the FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory
1. FC Ryukyu to have large amounts of possession. PUSH. They
did early on but so did Nagasaki, Nagasaki did hit FC Ryukyu on the counter but
FC Ryukyu were able to light up the scoreboard, it was often, just not early as
I’d suggested.
2. Take some shots/chances from distance as the Nagasaki goal keeper struggles with these types of shots. PASS, OH MY GOODNESS PASS! Koya’s shot from the top of the box and Uejo’s from just inside the box froze the Nagasaki goal keeper. Yu had a shot from distance that nearly put FC Ryukyu up 2-1 shortly after the Koya goal and Uesato sent a tricky shot from distance where the Nagasaki goal keeper strangely decided to stop it with his knees, despite the distance and time he had to judge the shot. But the icing on the cake, the cherry on top as they say, was the Wada goal from the Uesato cross. The Nagasaki GK made an attempt at clearing the ball and this allowed Wada the time to settle the cross and send the shot home. Had the GK not jumped, he may have been able to get back across the goal mouth and save the Wada shot.
3. FC Ryukyu to score more than 2 goals. PASS. Nothing more to add.
Match Day 27 Takeaways
1. It must be mentioned that the FC Ryukyu victory came at a heavy cost. First, Okazaki was subbed off at half time and we cannot assume it was due to poor performance. This is bad as FC Ryukyu have recently sent Masutani out on loan which means Fukui and Nishikawa are likely starting next week at CB. Nishikawa reminds me a lot of David Luiz in the limited time I’ve seen him play so we’ll reserve judgement for a later time.
Second, Koya Kazama went off injured in the 63rd minute. This is a shame as he was performing really well and the team looked better with him in the lineup. He seemed to injure himself attempting a tackle but did walk off under his own power. He was seen receiving treatment to one of his lower extremities and this could be anything from a rolled ankle, torn ligament or pulled muscle. We will have to wait and see any news of his injury.
Third, Tokumoto’s injury looked the worst when he was rolled up on by a falling Ibarbo early in stoppage time. He immediately clutched his left ankle and looked in obvious pain. He was stretched off and didn’t return. His ankle was caught underneath Ibarbo and turned outward so this could be any level of sprain that could sideline Tokumoto for 3-8 weeks. Hopefully nothing is torn or broken. Plus, we’ll now need a suitable replacement at LB if Fukui indeed needs to switch to CB.
Finally, and most regrettably, FC Ryukyu have sold Koji Suzuki to Cerezo Osaka on a full transfer. 15 goals and 2 assists along with tremendous hold play and total class are gone from the lineup. How will that be replaced?
Conclusion
We will do a transfer wrap up sometime next week after the Yokohama FC match. FC Ryukyu secured a vital win at a huge cost and the remainder of the season will be a very bumpy ride for the team, their fans and this island. Here’s hoping to continued success.
We have made it to the last installment of the Mid-Season Review. This has been a great experience as a fan to look back and reflect on the half season while keeping an eye on the future. I wanted to provide a brief summation of the players who have featured for FC Ryukyu but please keep in mind, I am never privy to the strategy the manager employs each week or how the players perform while executing that strategy. I merely observe what I can see from the stands and from my TV screen. So, let’s close out the mid-season review with a bang.
Goal Keeper
#1 Dany Carvajal: Yeah, he’s pretty much been awesome. Don’t
think for one minute that because FC Ryukyu have only kept 3 clean sheets that
it is an indictment of Dany’s performances. See the MVP section below.
#23 Ryo Ishii: He was asked to step up and fill in when Dany
was hurt during a tough stretch of matches for FCR. He played really well
against Kanazwa and Kyoto and while those efforts may be overshadowed by Dany’s
performances to date, Ishii did his part to help this club.
Defender
FB #5 Tokumoto: Another young emerging player I fear FC
Ryukyu may lose this transfer window. It’s hard to assess any FC Ryukyu FB as
they are asked to play more like a WB than a FB this season. Tokumoto has
provided 3 nice assists and is developing into a one of the better LBs in the
J2. Currently recovering from an ankle and subsequent MCL injury.
#4 Okazaki: Started almost every match this year and is a
nice compliment to Masutani. Truth be told, I only key on defenders when they
make a mess of things, and in the case of Okazaki, he has only had that happen once.
Some of his mistakes may be covered up due to FCR scoring numerous goals or
winning games so I will need more time to assess this player. In the interim,
we need Okazaki to be a rock back there on defense.
#2 Masutani: A CB in the mold of Gary Medel from Chile. I’ve
been overly critical of this guy at times and that was just rash on my part as Masutani
brings a lot of aggressiveness to the FCR squad. He is good in attack with 1
goal to his name this season and can handle some of the larger, more powerful
strikers in the J2. I will say this, when he had to fill in for Nishioka at RB
due to injury, the FCR attack looked better. Consider that it was simultaneous
with the Nakagawa departure and though I think he may be better suited at FB, I
am a fan and not the Manager.
#3 Nishioka: 2 goals and 2 assists. Nishioka has missed some
time due to an MCL injury (not sure what caused him to miss upwards of 8 weeks)
and struggles at times with defending. Always seems to be in the right spot at
the right time for his goals. Displays toughness as evidence by playing through
a head injury but his game needs some fine tuning. Needs to have more
confidence in the attack, take on the opposition’s defenders near the 18-yard
box – much like when he was brimming with confidence against Yamaguchi with his
step overs – and feed Koji Suzuki quality crosses.
#33 Ryoji Fukui: The Swiss Army Knife for FCR. Versatile in
that he can play all 4 positions in defense and could possibly fill in at CDMF
as well. At times Fukui makes really well timed challenges but he also makes
some questionable decisions in defense. For example, he can turn his back to an
attacker, so as to invite a shot, which often leaves Dany or Ishii to deal with
the danger alone (Tokyo Verdy’s goal). Maybe the GKs have asked the defenders
to vacate the shooting lanes to better see the shots from distance but I will
never know for sure. Has decent speed to make up ground on attackers or get to
contested balls first. Have a sneaky suspicion that one of his challenges will
be rewarded with a Red Card some day and put FC Ryukyu up against it in a
match. Time will tell.
#16 Jumper Arai: Not enough game footage for an accurate
assessment.
Mid Field
#20 Uesato: Local lad, experienced player, 2 highlight reel
goals and team captain. Often lines up for FKs where, truth be told, I think
Tomidokoro could benefit from the added reps to get into a groove. It seems
Uesato prefers to shoot more than cross and maybe that’s due to the angle or
distance from which he’s taking the FKs. Scored in spectacular fashion against
Verdy and Gifu and is aiding with the development of the younger generation of
FCR players.
#8 Komatsu: Was in the starting lineup early and then has
faded. Possibly getting surpassed by talented players emerging.
#6 Kazama: Has a nice touch on FKs and CKs from his Central
Mid Field role. His performances have improved as of late and I hope that
translates into favorable results for FCR.
#19 Ochi: 2 goals from the man who is now Higuchi’s choice
at CAM. At least until someone is ready to take the job over.
#11 Keita Tanaka: Keita has been part of the fabric of this
team for so long. Tanaka is lethal finisher from the right, but much like Yu,
he needs to get some repetitions and get into a scoring groove. He’s scored only
once since rejoining the side but has had 3 other opportunities that either
required a nice save by GK or were just off the mark. FCR need to get this man
firing again as it will increase the potency of the FCR attack and open up more
space of Suzuki down the middle.
#10 Yu Tomidokoro: FC Ryukyu’s FK specialist. Yu has found
some tough sledding this season when it comes to FKs as he has netted only once.
He does have 2 goals and 3 assists and the FK goals will come with time and
reps. Needs to be given more opportunities on FKs. Remember, at his height,
defenses never knew when Yu was going to cross or shoot from the FK spot and
that is what made him so successful.
#28 Koizumi: The man featured in 6 games within a month
before doing a Houdini. He never scored but he flashed some real talent. His limited performance against Verdy was
something of an eye opener as he made some nice passes, hit the post and
displayed a bit of pace. He could very well be the 3rd piece to a
formidable FC Ryukyu MF with Uejo and Kawai in the near future. WHERE IS HE?
#7 Nakagawa: HAHAHA wouldn’t do it to you, too painful. Next!
#13 Kawai: Has one goal and 2 assists this season. Is
turning into a real playmaker for FC Ryukyu. Has another gear he can use to get
past defenders and is fine tuning his game with each performance, specifically,
his body & ball control while making cuts or getting up to speed. Maybe
replacing Nakagawa can’t be done with just one player but rather a combination
of players. If that is the case than Kawai’s introduction to the side is
starting to fill that void. Kawai’s speed really opens up the attack for FCR
and he has rightfully earned his spot in the starting 11.
Forwards
#14 Uejo: See Below, but seriously, I do not know why he
doesn’t start. Is it due to fitness, immaturity, health concerns or the
manager?
#21 Uehara: Has height, scored an important goal for FCR to
beat Niigata. Didn’t see much from him prior to his goal and less so after.
What happened? Injury?
#15 Wada: Played really well as a substitute versus Nagasaki
but hard pressed for playing time with the leading J2 goal scorer ahead of you
on the roster. His time will come.
#22 Gibo. I saw one appearance where Gibo displayed a lot of
hustle. Subbed into an attacking MF position but then was moved to a FB
position in the same game. He needs more playing time and I missed the Emperors
Cup match for FCR to see how he performed and what are his strengths and
weaknesses.
#9 Koji Suzuki: SEE BELOW.
Mid-Season MVPs
1A. Koji Suzuki. The man’s stats speak for themselves but if
you peel back the curtain a little more, you see that he has scored crucial
goals at very crucial times of matches for FCR. Yamagata, Yamagauchi, Kanazawa,
Omiya and Mito all come to mind. He is also one of the most unselfish strikers
I’ve ever seen. He puts in a shift every match. He does the hard work of hold
up plays, winning contested balls and drawing fouls from the opposition while never
complaining and rarely displays any outward frustration at his teammates. I
have no idea what compelled Zelvia to let him go but I do not care at this
point. He has proven to be an absolute steal in the transfer market.
1B. Dany Carvajal. Strong at the back and lethal up front is
what makes any team great. Yes, of course, strong through the middle is another
essential part but having the best striker and one of the best goal keepers in
the league on your squad is pretty good as well. Dany has been a revelation for
this side. He always seems to be in the right position, at the right time, to
make the right type of save. And let me tell you, there have been some
spectacular ones; against Omiya there were 2 to seal the win, the PK save
against Verdy, resisting the Reysol bombardment, Vortis, Yamaguchi, Mito and
list goes on and on. The FC Ryukyu front office did really well by signing Dany
this offseason.
2. Satoki Uejo. This man has come out of nowhere and turned
into quite the player. He has scored 6 times this season and is improving every
time he steps out onto the pitch. He has some signatures goals to his name;
Reysol, Vortis, Ehime, Nagasaki and Renofa (Emperor’s Cup). He also looks like
he has packed on some muscle the past few months in order to fight off larger
defenders. He needs to be out there every week for this side.
Looking Ahead
FC Ryukyu will play 10 games at home and 11 games on the road in the second half of the season. Within those 11 road games they will play 3 series of two consecutive road matches starting next week with Mito and Niigata. The next series is at the end of September with Machida and Fukuoka and finally to end the season against Ehime and Kofu. They also have 3 series at home where they will play consecutive home matches. The first wraps up this week with Okayama (started with Tochigi last week), the second is in August with Nagasaki and Yokohama and the third is at the end of August/early September with FC Gifu and Kagoshima. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the second half fixtures, make some predictions and then review the remaining fixtures for the bottom 4 clubs in J2.
Red denotes MUST WIN games for FCR.
It would be nice to see FCR earn wins against Tochigi and Ehime on the road as those 6 points could go a long way to helping secure J2 football for FCR in 2020. None of us know how the results will shake out considering we cannot predict the transfers in/out of clubs, injuries, managerial changes and plain old luck (good or bad). FC Ryukyu’s make or break month will be October with favorable matches against Avispa, Tochigi and Verdy. They need to be well clear of the relegation zone after that point because November could prove fatal if the road performances by FCR don’t improve. They face a surging Renofa side on the road, host a promotion seeking Kyoto side at home and wrap up the season with 2 road trips with a possible relegation battle against Ehime and potential promotion seeking side in Kofu. Even though I am targeting Ehime as a must win game for FCR, that will depend largely on FCR showing that they can win on the road when needed in the second half of the season.
With this in mind, lets look at teams who are currently sit 18-22 in the J2 table and examine their crucial months and critical match-ups in the second part of the 2019 J2 season.
#18 JEF Chiba United. JEF have a tough October where they face 3 sides who are likely going to be in the top 7. Depending on how those results play out, JEF could be dragged into the relegation battle. Their final match against Tochigi is huge for both sides.
#19 Kagoshima. The October and November schedule are not kind to Kagoshima. 3 road matches in October followed by a run of Kofu, Okayama, Reysol and Mito. They end on the road versus Fukuoka in another final match day matchup that could determine who gets relegated.
#20 Tochigi. The outcomes of their September fixtures will most likely determine their fate. They face FC Gifu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Ehime all in a row. That is a total of 4, 6-point match-ups in a row that could really doom any of those sides. As mentioned earlier, Tochigi end with JEF Chiba in what could be a win or go down to J3 match.
#21 Fukuoka. October and November are also not kind to Fukuoka. They are hoping that some of the sides around them perform poorly the rest of the year so as to give Fukuoka a chance at the end. Avispa end versus Kagoshima in a game we already mentioned that has massive relegation implications.
#22 FC Gifu. The schedule is kinder to FC Gifu in so much as there isn’t any one month remaining where they face multiple top sides in quick succession. The end of July/beginning of August will be rough on them but there are winnable games. But like Fukuoka, FC Gifu are hoping that things go terribly wrong for the few sides just above them in the table. Will it be the Vortis or Kofu match that ultimately dooms this side, or will it happen much sooner?
At the end of the day, FC Ryukyu need to go out there and handle their business without concerning themselves too much about the rest of the table. It is simple math for FCR: Beat the teams below you in the table especially those at the bottom, Get points off of teams just above you in the table, and win some games on the road. If they can do that, then they are going to be alright. I’d estimate that another 18 points are needed and FCR could achieve that any number of ways in the second half of the season.
I know I did not focus on which team may win the J2 title and which sides are likely to be promoted to the J1 in 2019 so I’ll save that for a later date.
Well folks, that is going to do it for the final installment of the FCR Mid-Season Review. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I’ll be adding two more entries this week with the Second Transfer Special of the year coming out on Thursday and the normal Match Day Preview coming out on Friday.
Welcome everyone to the FC Ryukyu mid season review. I will provide a 3-part series for the FC Ryukyu mid-season review beginning today. In Part 1 I will focus briefly on the current state of the team, what changes have occurred at the club from the end of last season until now that have affected attendance numbers and then I will switch gears and review the Top 5 story lines. In Part 2 we will review the Top 5 matches for FC Ryukyu this season as well as the Top 10 goals scored by individual players from FC Ryukyu. Finally, in Part 3 we will conclude the mid-season review with some player reviews, discuss the FC Ryukyu MVPs up to this point and end the series by looking forward into the remaining fixtures for FC Ryukyu. Enjoy!
2019 To Date
FC Ryukyu have now reached the half way point of their
inaugural J2 season. They sit 13th in the table with 28 points and
are 11 points clear of the relegation zone. They started the year out very fast winning 4
out of their first 4 matches and then drawing the next two to sit at 14 points.
FC Ryukyu’s first loss didn’t occur until a mid-week match up against JEF Chiba
on Match Day 7. They responded really well after that loss as they came home to
earn a late draw against Kashiwa Reysol thus setting the new Home Undefeated
Record for all of the J.Leauge with 26 in a row. FC Ryukyu would ultimately
make it to 30 before Kofu ended their undefeated run with a 5-2 defeat.
In my opinion, there are couple of different ways to view
the first half of the FC Ryukyu season. You could break it down by quarters or
in halves.
If we broke it down by quarters, we see theses type of
results: Matches 1-5; 4 wins and 1 draw, matches 6-10; 3 draws and 2 losses,
matches 11-15; 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw and finally, matches; 16-21 1 win, 2
draws and 3 losses. Right away we see a team that wins in bunches and then goes
thru stretches of bad results.
By Halves: Matches 1-10; 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses and,
matches 11-21; 3 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. This paints a more ominous picture
as the losses really piled up for FC Ryukyu in the second part of the first
half of the season.
What has greatly impacted FC Ryukyu’s point total this
season is their inability win on the road. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road
since Match Day 2 against Omiya and have suffered defeats to lower sides FC
Gifu and Kagoshima. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, the fast start with 4 wins from 4
has produced the nice 11 to 12-point cushion between them and the drop zone area
with teams 20-22. The expected point total to avoid relegation is between 42-46
points and FC Ryukyu are about 17 points shy of the sweet spot. This means FC
Ryukyu will need at least 5 wins in the second half of the season while mixing
in some draws.
A quick glance at the FC Ryukyu stat sheet this season.
2019 Changes
FC Ryukyu have averaged 4,480 fans in their 11 home games to
date and those numbers are probably impacted by the poor weather that has
befouled FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season. FC Ryukyu have played at least half of their
home games this season in wet and windy conditions that makes life very
difficult on the FC Ryukyu fan base. As some of you may know, there is only a
small covered area on the West of the stadium and it truly doesn’t protect many
of the fans against the elements. While all football clubs have to deal with inclement
weather from time to time, keep in mind that FC Ryukyu are in the midst of
trying to build and established fan base that can generate revenue and
ultimately player transfer/salaries. Though FC Ryukyu have greatly improved
their attendance totals from last year, ideally this club would like to average
upwards of 7,000 fans per game. Realistically, I think 5,000 is the mark that
FC Ryukyu could hit with their remaining 10 home games.
So, what has changed for the club and the fan base that has caused an average increase of about 1,000 fans per match this season compared to seasons past? There is no single answer I can come up with and I believe there are several factors involved. Before we get into the details as to why, let’s see the attendance records from FC Ryukyu’s past season in the J3.
*3 fewer home fixtures in 2016 compared to 2015
So, right away we see that FC Ryukyu has slowly been increasing their fan base since their inception in the J.League. FC Ryukyu began their push up the table in 2016 and followed that up by finishing 6th in 2017. It should be no coincidence that the uptick in attendance coincided with a managerial change that brought a more attacking style of football to Okinawa. Not to mention, more goals. Of course, we’d expected to see the sharpest rise in attendance figures during the championship season but if we are going to draw one conclusion from these numbers, its fans appreciate exciting football on the pitch. Maybe the average fan just wants to see some goals and is not overly concerned with the end result. So now let’s see what has changed this season.
First, the fact the FC Ryukyu won the J3 title last season
really helped pull the club out of the shadows and into the light for the
Okinawa community. The crowd on hand for the title clinching game is one of the
largest in FC Ryukyu history and it really helped put this team on the map.
Second, the increased coverage of FC Ryukyu on television, on radio and in print,
really increased the visibility of FC Ryukyu and this has almost certainly
brought more people to the grounds.
Third, the front office staff for FC Ryukyu has really
engaged the community on their website but more importantly, through social
media. There is a more concentrated effort by the club to target new fans and
expose this team to the local community. While some free attendance events have
been hampered by bad weather, it is nice to see the club continually running
shuttle buses for both home and away supporters to the stadium. The 3,000 Yen
fee is definitely cheaper than a taxi or daiko back to Naha but I’d like to see
the club offer discounted tickets for those people utilizing the shuttle since it
increases the minimum cost to attend the match up to 4,000 Yen for an adult. The
club has done well to offer a free parking and a shuttle from the Awase port
area as the parking situation is deplorable, and outside of the control of the
club, at the stadium as it is located inside a huge community park. FC Ryukyu
also offer a child care program to attract parents who wish to attend but maybe
reluctant because they are concerned, they’d spend more time looking after
their children than enjoying the match. I believe that based on numerous
personal experiences at the Tapista with my kids. The fact that you can find
the president of the club, Mr. Mikami, in the A Section of the stadium each
week interacting, and more importantly listening to FC Ryukyu fans, means the
management and club are really trying to understand their customer and not
force feed the fans what they don’t want.
Fourth, I think the fact that FC Ryukyu are playing in the J2 instead of the J3 has resonated with the local community that the club is playing in a more established, more respected, better covered tier of the Japanese Football pyramid. The notion that FC Ryukyu could be playing J1 football in the near future is very real in the minds of people here as the distance between the J1 and J2 is much shorter, both literally and figuratively than between J3 and J1. Fifth, there have been some nice improvements to the match day event. Food and drink vendors have increased, there are food vendors on the opposite side of the stadium and pre-match events are very well received by the local community. Sixth, the traveling fans. There is no doubt that the large numbers of fans from Reysol, Niigata and others have propped up the overall attendance numbers. Remember, Okinawa is a holiday destination for most mainland Japaneses so syncing up your teams match with your holiday plans isn’t a bad idea.
Seventh, the home unbeaten record helped immensely as it gained both local and national attention. It really brought people to the Tapista who may have never attended a match in their life but wanted to be a part of something special. Finally, there is just a different aura surrounding the club. I have witnessed some very sparsely attended matches in FC Ryukyu’s history and even joked that they were counting the players, front office staff and stadium support staff in their overall attendance numbers so as not to come across as team that no one bothers to watch. But all of that is in the past. Match day events are better planned, better presented and better executed. There is a much different atmosphere inside the stadium of seasons past and I am just having a hard time describing it in detail. You just have to be here to feel it I guess.
The club has been steadily improving its numbers every season and this is encouraging. The club cannot expect an average of 7,000 fans per match every week as it looks like it will take them about 2-3 more season to hit that number based on the statistical trends in the table above. It takes time to build a fan base and not everyone here in Okinawa is able to attend all the matches on a regular basis. Let’s assume that the club has set their operating budget based on average attendance rates of 3,000 per match. If that is the case, then the 4,200 fans they currently averaging each match means they will have some ability to make subtle changes within the club this season and that is very important to their overall success.
There are 10 home games remaining for FC Ryukyu against some serious opponents. Yamagata, Kyoto and Nagasaki to name a few so FC Ryukyu will need all the fan support they can garner to navigate these tough fixtures at home at such a crucial part of the season. I hope the weather for these matches improves as it is understandable that no one wants to bring themselves, let alone their family to watch a football match in rainy, windy conditions (despite the prevailing trend of poncho fashion). I’d like to see FC Ryukyu hit the 5,000-average mark by seasons end but that will take a concerted effort from the players performing each week, the management executing an affordable and targeted marketing campaign and with those of us at the grass roots level spreading the word about FC Ryukyu however we can.
Top 5 Storylines of the 2019 Season So Far
#5. The Transfer of Kazaki Nakagawa to Yokohama F. Marinos
after Match Day 3.
One polarizing story emerging from the early part of this season was the transfer of Nakagawa to the J1 side, Yokohama F Marinos. Nakagawa had featured for FC Ryukyu since 2017 when he joined Ryukyu from Betis San Isidro in the 4th tier of Spanish Football. Nakagawa’s breakout season occurred in 2018 when he netted 16 times while adding 16 assists. Nakagawa started the 2019 J2 season on fire by contributing 4 assists and it was the main reason FC Ryukyu looked like world-beaters so early on in the season. FC Ryukyu scored 9 goals in their first 3 games with Nakagawa and then it took them another 9 weeks to match that scoring total.
FC Ryukyu have really struggled to fill the void left by the Nakagawa departure and continue to tinker the lineup by inserting Uejo, Kazama and Ochi in his vacated spot. They have yet to find the right combination or get back to their free scoring ways they enjoyed early on. Keep in mind, FC Ryukyu had failed to score more than 2 goals in match since Nakagawa’s departure, until this past weekend, and this is a team designed for the attack. It was always going to be hard to replace a player of Nakagawa’s quality so it will be interesting to see if FC Ryukyu can pull off a loan with Yokohama in order to reacquire the temporary services of such an iconic FC Ryukyu player.
#4 FC Ryukyu’s Away Record this Season
FC Ryukyu started out the season brilliantly on the road by earning a massive 4-3 victory over Omiya and then followed that performance up with a draw against top side Yamagata. You may be thinking I am about to tell you how great this side has been on the road but it is quite the opposite. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Omiya and have been outscored 12 to 17 in those games. There are some instances of bad luck, when they lost Carvajal to injury during the Yokohama match in which they were winning, but for the most part the team has really failed to fire on the road. They salvaged some nice draws at Tokyo Verdy and Kyoto with late goals by Uesato and Kawai but otherwise have failed to get over the line with a win.
It will not get any easier for FC Ryukyu with trips to Kashiwa, Kofu and Mito ahead of them, but ideally, we’d like to see this side grab 2 more road wins this season. Considering FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points on the road in the first half, 2 wins and 3 draws in their remaining 11 road wins should be more than enough to ensure relative safety.
#3 Emerging Talents
There are some very talented players coming into their own this season. Specifically, the emergence of Uejo, Kawai, Tokumoto and Koizumi. Uejo has scored some huge goals for the club this season and has all the makings of a great attacking mid-fielder. Kawai has been putting on a display the past few matches with his speed and ability to generate goal scoring opportunities. Tokumoto can produce some great crosses from the FB position and it is no surprise that larger clubs are looking to acquire his services this transfer window. Koizumi has only featured in 6 matches but has flashed some talented play and movement. All these players are under-25 years old and they look to be the future for FC Ryukyu. Maybe by the end of the season we will see all 3 midfielders in the starting lineup with Kawai and Uejo out wide and Koizumi playing the CAM role. In any case, this a group of talented young players that FC Ryukyu needs to hold onto for the next few seasons.
#2 New Players
There is no doubt that the signings FC Ryukyu made this offseason have paid off. First, FC Ryukyu lost GK Park – and eventually Nakagawa – to Yokohoma F Marinos and we lost Togashi to FC Gifu. It was never going to be easy to replace 32 goals but Koji Suzuki seems to want to make up that number all by himself. He currently sits on 14 and I wrote very early on after one of his braces that he may hit 26 for the season. Well he is more than halfway there and has been a phenomenal signing for the club. Dany Carvajal also joined the club in the offseason and has become one of the best GKs in all of J2. Dany’s play at the back has been nothing short of spectacular and has contributed to many favorable outcomes for FC Ryukyu. His performance late against Omiya to earn a victory, his PK save against Verdy after a bloody nose is the stuff of legends and his ability to keep FC Ryukyu in matches with timely saves has been great to watch.
Uesato has been a good central holding mid-fielder, team captain and contributed two beautiful goals. Ochi has chipped in 2 goals in 3 games that he has started while Kawai has become a starter with enormous potential. Kazama has also provided some electric moments with his free kicks and corners. All in all, these were really good signings by the club this offseason.
#1 The Home Undefeated Record
The number one storyline for the 2019 season so far was the 30-game home undefeated record for FC Ryukyu. The home unbeaten streak lasted 643 days dating back to September 30th 2017. Some may argue that a majority of those games were against lesser opponents in a lower league. While that is a valid point, it also should be noted that FC Ryukyu could only play the opponents in front of them and that 9 of those 30, almost 1/3, occurred in the J2. Nobody, including me, knew what to expect from this team at the start of the season. If we look at the 9 unbeaten games this season, we see a nice mix of dramatic finishes, dominating performances and a bit of luck. FC Ryukyu took Reysol’s best shot and earned a draw, they beat the league leaders at the time in Mito at home and they pulled off a last-minute draw against Yamaguchi that would’ve ended the record before they could break the previous one. The fact remains that they are now holders of a very prestigious record for the J.League and no one can take that away from this club or its supporters.
Well that is it for Part 1 of the mid-season review. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far and up next is Part 2 where we will discuss the Top 5 Matches and Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu this season. See you tomorrow.
Match Day 20 Preview: (H) V.Varen Nagasaki vs. FC Ryukyu (A) at the transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki 6/29/2019, Kickoff at 1800.
Weather Forecast: Another wet and nasty match for FC Ryukyu as the rainy season here in Japan is relentless this year. Temperatures in the high 70s all match with rain and thunderstorms. Stay dry, if you can.
Intro
FC Ryukyu enter the match after suffering their heaviest loss to date in the J2. The 5-2 loss to Kofu at home also ended Ryukyu’s 30 game home unbeaten streak. Nagasaki on the hand are coming into the match having lost at home to Yamagata last weekend but are fresh of a 2-0 victory in the Levain cup this past Wednesday. This will be an interesting match-up as Ryukyu cold very well leave Nagasaki with a point since the hosts have lost 4 times at home this season and have also seen matches against Renofa and Kagoshima end in draws. Ryukyu are 8 points clear of the relegation zone and need a point as there will almost certainly be some shifting inside the table with so many of the lower 11 teams squaring off this weekend.
V.Varen Nagasaki
It almost seems as if Nagasaki prefers playing on the road compared to home this year as they have two more victories on the road than they do at home. They easily dispatched Chiba on the road with a resounding 4-1 win. They followed that up with a 3-2 loss to Okayama at home where Okayama jumped out to a 3 goal lead. Nagasaki had an early 2 goal lead against Zelvia but saw that lead evaporate after an own goal was followed up by another goal from Zelvia 6 minutes later. Against Yamagata they gave the visitors an early 2 goal advantage but were able to peg one back in the first half. Nagasaki dominated the possession and shots on the day but were unable to break down the Yamagata defense and suffered their 4th home loss this season.
One could argue that Nagasaki are a typical mid-table team
as they’ve beaten almost every side they should’ve and lost to all the stronger
sides in J2. I do not see a signature win for Nagasaki this season, within the
constructs of the J2 as I am not including the Levain Cup matches, but Nagasaki
have lit up both Chiba and Gifu for 4 goals this year. They seem to suffer the
same fate as many of the mid table teams where they can have momentary lapses
in concentration that lead to opportunities and goals for their opponent.
I have little doubt that Nagasaki have targeted this match for 3 points and they have every right too. Ryukyu have not been great on the road this season and are coming off a performance where they conceded 5 times at home to Kofu. Nagasaki present a real challenge for Ryukyu this week because they play a 4-4-2 and Ryukyu struggle to break that formation down for opportunities and Nagasaki can also enjoy large spells of possession. This will mean Ryukyu will have only a few opportunities today, probably in the form of a second half surge for about 20-25 minutes.
Nagasaki Players to Watch
#33 FW Hiroto Goya. The man is simply on fire right now for Nagasaki. He has scored 11 goals this season but most impressive is that he has scored 8 goals in the past 7 consecutive matches. Ryukyu always seem to struggle against the more powerful strikers in J2 and today could be no different. Ryukyu must make life difficult for Goya or else he will make life very difficult for Ryukyu.
#16 FW Masakazu Yoshioka. Second leading scorer on Nagasaki
with 6 goals. Plays down the left for Nagsaki.
#20 MF Yohei Otake. Plays down the right side for Nagasaki
behind Goya and is the assist leader for V.Varen with 4 so far this year.
FC Ryukyu
FC Ryukyu started the Kofu match in great form. They dominated the possession and chances early and were rewarded with 2 goals. The first was a beautifully taken free kick by Kazama while the second by Ochi was a product of Kawai’s tenacity and speed. Ryukyu looked to be cruising at home until they surrendered a late first half goal which started Kofu’s run of 5 unanswered goals. While Kofu looked to be a team where the injuries had finally caught up with them, they simply waited for their time to hit back at Ryukyu. Kofu were attempting to break the Ryukyu defense down with long balls over the top that the attackers could run onto and when Ryukyu began committing more of the defenders forward in attack, Kofu found the space they needed to exploit the Ryukyu back line.
Ryukyu does not have the best away record. In 9 matches this season they have only 1 win, 3 draws and 5 losses. If we broke the season down into quarters, we can see how Ryukyu earned a majority of their away points in the first quarter of the season with 5 and have only mustered 1 point in the second quarter while traveling. The statistics may not tell the whole story for Ryukyu as there were some injuries and suspensions to key players but nevertheless, Ryukyu needs to improve their road form in order to avoid a late season relegation scrap.
FC Ryukyu should see the return of Tanaka to the lineup today after his one game suspension and Ryukyu will most likely be without Tokumoto and Carvajal as they recover from ankle injuries. FC Ryukyu will need better passes and crosses from the 2 full backs of Fukui and Nishioka if they are to be successful today. Personally, I’d like to see Higuchi move Masutani out wide into a FB position and push Fukui back inside. Masutani is a better defender than Fukui but he is also a better attacker and if Ryukyu want to continue pushing FBs into the attack, then why not have someone who can deliver quality crosses and/or shots on net.
Player Injuries
V.Varen Nagasaki: #41 MF Yuki Omoto
FC Ryukyu: #5 DF Tokumoto & #1 GK Carvajal
Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Apply pressure from all angles to Goya. He is far and
away Nagasaki’s best player and one of the better finishers in the J2. The man
is in top form right now as mentioned earlier with his recent run of goals. Ryukyu
should not leave it to either Okazaki or Masutani to single handedly mark #33,
but rather, should have multiple defenders pressing Goya from all sides to
force him to expend more energy attempting to break free.
2. Do not over commit to the attack and leave our defenders exposed. Ryukyu were guilty of this during the Kofu match and they paid a heavy price for their mistake. If Goya is given large amounts of space to operate, he will punish Ryukyu with his strength, speed and finishing. Hopefully FC Ryukyu will adopt more of the same approach to the match that saw them earn draws against Yamagata and Verdy on the road.
3. Cut down on the turnovers and wayward passing. Ryukyu
turned the ball over too many times against Kofu in addition to not providing
accurate crosses/passes near Kofu’s 18-yard box. Ryukyu will need their full
backs to deliver today and will certainly need better passing when in
possession so as to avoid costly turnovers that can allow Nagasaki quick
counters.
4. Execute the counter attack to perfection. Ryukyu will need to endure some serious spells of possession by Nagasaki throughout the match but when they do get their opportunity to strike back, Ryukyu need to break out quickly with speed. Kawai is turning into a valuable weapon that can cause all sorts of problem to opposing teams’ fullbacks. If Kawai can get behind the Nagasaki defense on a couple of occasions today it could free up some space for Suzuki. There is no guarantee that Kawai starts with the return of Tanaka today so we will have to wait and see.
Match Prediction
Nagasaki average 1.11 goals at home whereas Ryukyu concede an average of 1.55 goals as visitors. One could argue that the sides look even on paper when comparing Nagasaki’s home record and Ryukyu’s away record but Ryukyu have yet to win away from Okinawa in the past 8 matches. Nagasaki have won 3, drawn 2 and lost 4 at home with Ryukyu having won once, drawn 3 times and lost 5. Each has scored a total of 10 goals in those matches but Ryukyu have conceded slightly more often than Nagasaki.
Ryukyu hold a slight advantage when looking at each sides’ record against opponents in the top half of the table with Ryukyu scoring more goals against that level of competition compared to Nagasaki. This will also be Nagasaki’s 4th match in 10 days and hopefully there are some tired legs on the Nagasaki squad that Ryukyu can exploit though most of the expected starters for Nagasaki were rested during their mid-week Levain Cup match. Hopefully this will be an enjoyable match to watch and I’d love to see Ryukyu score more than 2 goals.
Nagasaki 2-2 FC Ryukyu.
Conclusion
A point for Ryukyu would mean so much for a side that is
struggling to keep opponents off the score sheet and earn wins on the road.
Ryukyu will certainly have their chances today and they need to be clinical in
front of goal. Good luck to the boys and those of you in attendance.
Match Day 19 Preview: (H) FC Ryukyu versus Ventforet Kofu (A) at the
Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, Kickoff at 1800, 6/22/2019.
Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms starting earlier in the day with scattered thunderstorms throughout the match. It will most likely be raining the whole time during the match so come prepared with ponchos, umbrellas, towels and bags to keep you items dry.
Yuck! The weather forecast will not help the Ryukyu attendance numbers
Intro
Kofu enter match day 19 after suffering a 2-0 loss at home to Tokyo Verdy. Kofu looked sluggish in that match and they rarely generated much going forward. FC Ryukyu, on the other hand, enter this match having come from behind twice to Kyoto on the road that saw Ryukyu earn a draw and return home with a point. I initially though this was going to be a very tough match-up for FC Ryukyu to walk away with any points, but the game footage for Kofu tells a different story.
Ventforet Kofu
Kofu come to Okinawa having won 3 out of their last five matches, in convincing fashion mind you, as well as earned a draw against Yamagata by coming from behind twice with one of those goals occurring very late in stoppage time. This team was firing on all cylinders prior to the Verdy match but since then, Kofu have suffered key injuries to their attacking front line.
Against Yamagata, Kofu had to sub off Dudu mid-way through the first
half due to what looks to be a dislocated shoulder or damage to one of the
ligaments. Dudu didn’t dress for the last match and I am not sure if he’ll be
healthy enough to face Ryukyu tomorrow. The following match against Verdy saw the
second strike partner up front, Soneda not even dress. That was massive as
Soneda and Dudu have accounted for 9 of Kofu’s 26 goals, roughly one third, and
pair nicely with Utaka up front. Their absence was very noticeable during the
Verdy match as the once potent attack of Kofu has stalled out.
There are basically 3 scenarios facing FC Ryukyu tomorrow. First, if Dudu and Soneda do not dress, then we can expect to see a similar performance against Verdy from Kofu. If either Dudu or Soneda dress, then we can expect a back and forth match and will need to pay very close attention to Utaka. Finally, if both play, then Ryukyu face an uphill battle as these players will be well rested and this is a team that scored 9 goals in the four games prior to the injures. If scenario number one holds true tomorrow, then FC Ryukyu stand a very good chance of taking all 3 points in the match since the Kofu defense is rather poor and they lack any real attack. If either of the last 2 scenarios comes to fruition tomorrow, then FC Ryukyu are in a real tough spot with injuries to Carvajal and Tokumoto, as well as the suspension for Tanaka.
Kofu Players to Watch
L to R: Utaka, Uchida, Sato & Yokotani
I have already mentioned what Dudu and Soneda bring to the table for
Kofu so let’s turn our attention to some other notable players in the Kofu
squad.
#9 FW Peter Utaka. Leading scorer for Kofu with 8 goals and 1 assist so far this season. He seems to have a penchant for scoring braces as he’s had 3 games this season with 2 goals. He can overpower weaker defenders and will punish any stupid mistakes by the defender during open field challenges for the ball or in 1v1 situations. FC Ryukyu need to know where Utaka is at all times when he is in the 18-yard box.
#18 FW Koichi Sato. Comes on a substitute for most matches but has
scored 4 times this season as a sub. More on that later. Can add some height to
the Kofu attack and there is an outside shot he starts tomorrow.
#14 MF Shigeru Yokotani. Plays a central/defensive mid fielder role for
Kofu and has 3 goals this season.
#39 DF Kenta Uchida. The defender has 3 assists on the season and can
take a nice free kick for Kofu. I don’t know if Uchida is also the corner kick
taker for Kofu but he can certainly deliver a nice ball into the box.
#26 MF Kazuhiro Sato & #28 MF Yuki Hashizumi. These two make the list as they are the replacements who have filled in for Dudu and Soneda the past 2 matches. Both have started 7 matches this year but do not offer the same upside to the attack that Dudu and Soneda do.
Expect changes to the FC Ryukyu side and possibly the Kofu squad as well.
FC Ryukyu
FC Ryukyu are dealing with their own unique challenges this weekend so though it may seem they have the upper hand on paper, in reality, things are probably even between both sides. First, Tokumoto picked up a non-contact ankle injury last week against Kyoto that will see him miss 3-4 weeks. Second, Keita Tanaka will serve a 1 match suspension for the accumulation of yellow cards. This means FC Ryukyu will have to make 2 changes to a starting lineup that was starting to gel and get back to the scoring ways from earlier this season.
Tanaka will most likely be replaced by either Uejo, Kawai or Ochi but I am not sure who will feature on the bench for Ryukyu this week as I haven’t seen Koizumi’s name since Gifu. Tokumoto will be replaced by Fukui which means we will need to dress another defensive player this weekend. I appreciate that Fukui can play both in and outside defense but certainly FC Ryukyu has some real defensive depth issues if they are more willing to move both Fukui and Masutani to the FB position instead of leaving them inside and bringing up reserve FBs. I guess we will not only find out tomorrow but also during the Emperor’s Cup next month.
Aside from the unknown, Ryukyu are coming into the match having drawn twice, lost twice and won once in their last five matches. However, FC Ryukyu are a very difficult team to beat at home, as evidenced by the 30-game home unbeaten streak, and they just play better at the Tapista. Ryukyu’s last few home matches have seen them battle back against Kanazawa, overcome a late goal from Niigata to score one of their own to win and beat the number one team in J2 in Mito. This offers some hope going forward as Ryukyu is making life difficult for the visiting J2 sides.
Key Injuries or Suspensions
FC Ryukyu: MF Keita Tanaka (SUS), GK Danny Carvajal (INJ) & DF Shuhei
Tokumoto (INJ)
Ventforet Kofu: FW Dudu (INJ) & MF Yutaka Soneda (INJ)
FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory
1. Press the Kofu back-line into making mistakes. The Kofu defense is not that great and #22, Yuta Koieda, is a pretty bad CB. FC Ryukyu needs to press the Kofu back-line when they are in possession as they are very unsure of themselves and often make poor decisions that can lead to turnovers . With so much attacking power on Kofu they have yet to learn how to play the ball out from the back and Ryukyu should exploit this weakness. The horrible mistake by the defenders last week against Verdy led directly to Verdy’s second goal.
2. Know where all the Kofu attackers are at, at all times, but especially when they are in or just outside the 18-yard box. The Kofu attackers have the uncanny ability to lose their markers at key times and then score goals. Ryukyu cannot afford to cede an otherwise easily defended goal to Kofu tomorrow. Kofu’s formation allows the squad to crash the box once they gain possession down either flank in the deep ends of the opposition which can then overwhelm the defense. Uesato and Komatsu have to stay on top of this tactic and aide the Ryukyu back line.
3. Attack the Kofu back line with speed and misdirection passes. Koji Suzuki should have his way tomorrow with Kofu defenders so long as Ryukyu feed him quality passes. Kofu defenders don’t seem to mark well which means Ryukyu players should find plenty of space to maneuver inside the Kofu box. Kofu also doesn’t defend corners all that well so this is another opportunity for Ryukyu to get on the front foot.
4. Mark Koichi Sato in the final minutes of the match. Sato has scored an eye popping 4 stoppage time goals this season as a sub. He has earned 3 points for Kofu in those 4 matches since 3 of the games ended in draws. FC Ryukyu must maintain their focus at the end of the match and not allow Sato any time or space in the box.
Match Prediction
If this was the same Kofu squad
that was brushing aside opponents from earlier in the season than I would have
predicted a loss for FC Ryukyu. However, this is a weakened Kofu side that
comes into the match in poor form and lacking any real punch up front outside
of Utaka. Sound defending by Ryukyu coupled with a ruthless attack should see
Ryukyu prevail tomorrow. FC Ryukyu 2-1 Ventforet Kofu.
Conclusion
FC Ryukyu will once again be playing in less than optimal weather conditions this weekend. Thankfully Ryukyu are becoming accustomed to playing in such poor conditions as this will be at least their 6th time this season that they have had to endure rain and wind in a match. That fact, along with Kofu’s injuries, recent poor form and not so great record for matches started in the evening hours, sets FC Ryukyu up nicely to grab all 3 points at home tomorrow and provide a massive boost to their point tally.
See you all out there tomorrow and
let’s do our best to stay dry. Come on
Lads!
On a day when the weather conditions were less than ideal, FC Ryukyu managed to keep their unbeaten streak alive and earn a valuable point that should keep them in the top half of the table at the weeks end. The real story of the night belongs to Ryo Ishii who filled in admirably for the injured Danny Carvajal. Ishii’s presence in goal was a real concern of mine heading into a very tough stretch of games and I must admit, I was wrong to judge him so quickly. Ishii’s efforts were the main reason FC Ryukyu earned 1 point on the day and prevented the unbeaten streak from being broken.
Starting 11 for both sides
First Half
The first half started out very quickly for Kanazawa and they broke through early because of some rather poor defending on the part of FC Ryukyu. In the 6th minute, Uesato was attempting to play the ball out from the back and though his pass found Komatsu, Komatsu took an errant touch and turned the ball over. The turnover really caught the FC Ryukyu defense in bad positioning as they were in the middle of transitioning into the attack. The worst part of the goal was Okazaki’s attempt at defending the on-rushing Kanazawa player. It seems as if Okazaki couldn’t decide how he wanted to attempt his clearance of the ball, and this probably led to some confusion on his part, which ultimately resulted in him bumbling over the ball -though he never really tracked the ball and was fixated on the Kanazawa attacker strangely enough, and this allowed the Kanazawa player a free shot on net. Taiki Kato slotted the opening goal past a diving Ishii and Masutani to put Kanazawa up 1-0.
Not exactly sure what Okazaki is attempting to do here , but the result was catastrophic.
In the 17th minute, Kazama had a very nice attempt on net that was sent just wide by the outstretched arms of the Zweigen goal keeper. Shortly thereafter, Ishii was called into action once more as the Ryukyu defense broke down and Kanazawa had yet another free look on net. Ishii chested the shot down and quickly scooped up the rebound thus ending the Zweigen opportunity. Tanka had an absolute gifted chance in the 22nd minute that was saved by the Kanazawa keeper to keep Ryukyu off the scoreboard. I hope these “near misses” that Ryukyu are currently experiencing at the moment will turn into goals. We are going to need some of these to start finding the back of the net the next 2 months. Ryukyu nearly tied the game heading into half time when a shot from Okazaki off a corner kick landed directly at the feet of Suzuki. The resulting shot from Suzuki was saved and the rebound fell right to Masutani who unfortunately sent the third shot high over the bar. Ryukyu would be kept off the score sheet at the half despite several good chances.
Second Half
Zweigen started the second half quickly and had two chances to increase their lead in the 49th and 55th minute. Each attempt saw a break down in defending by Ryukyu that left Ishii extremely exposed. FC Ryukyu were lucky that Kanazawa sent the shots wide or things would’ve ended very differently that night for Ryukyu. Finally, in the 69th minute, Suzuki would level the match and put Ryukyu on the front foot for the first time all game.
Suzuki was able to slip past his marker and found some wide-open territory between the Zweigen defenders and then sent his shot around the Zweigen goalie for his J2 league leading 11th goal of the season. It was a very nice take from the seasoned veteran and it is a shame that FC Ryukyu doesn’t have someone who can provide Suzukui the constant service a top-class striker deserves. Ryukyu’s only other chance of note came in the 77th minute went Uejo sent a shot just over the crossbar. The game would end 1-1 and the unbeaten streak would be pushed to 30.
Suzuki slipping past his marker, taking a touch and then rounding the keeper with a nicely placed shot.
FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory Review
I put forth 3 keys to victory for FC Ryukyu in the preview
article so let us review: 1. Do not allow Zweigen Kanazawa to expose Ishii at
the back, 2. Do not allow Zweigen to gain any momentum and finally, 3. Exploit
Zweigen’s defense on set pieces.
1. FC Ryukyu absolutely exposed Ishii at the back on multiple occasions and Ryukyu were extremely lucky to earn a draw. The defending on the part of Ryukyu that night was woeful. Zweigen were constantly getting through the middle of our defense and they were also able overpower and round Tokumoto and Nishioka. Hopefully Okazaki just had one of those “brain farts” when he allowed the Zweigen player in on net and this doesn’t become a trend. However, what is a trend is the poor defending by Ryukyu this season. It just goes to show you how good Danny Carvajal, and now Ishii, are at the back as well as how vital these 2 keepers are to the Ryukyu season. The defending issues need to be addressed both on the training ground and in the transfer window this summer. Ryukyu cannot expect to play on the razors edge all year and come out on top. Result: Fail
2. Zweigen began to generate momentum early in both halves but
Ryukyu did well to slow them down and prevent them from grabbing a larger lead.
Granted, Zweigen had not scored in 3 games leading up to this match but we
fully expected them to score against Ryukyu. That statement could be tied directly
to the first point I made in this section. Ryukyu wobbled for a bit early in
the second half but it wasn’t to the extent we’ve seen them lose concentration in
the past. Luckily Zweigen missed those opportunities and Ryukyu recovered
nicely. Result: Pass
3. Ryukyu had a golden opportunity near the end of the match to take the lead on a corner kick but unfortunately, Ryukyu’s Uehara was not match fit and therefore we couldn’t get the advantage over Zweigen. I mentioned in the preview that Zweigen would be without their starting LCB and it was crucial for Ryukyu to exploit the new defensive pairing for Zweigen. They did, but it took them until the 69th minute when the Zweigen defender came out too far and the resulting turnover to Ryukyu found Suzuki onside and alone at the top of the box. Result: Pass
Man of the Match
GK Ryo Ishii
Ryo Ishii. It couldn’t be anyone else on the day despite the lovely goal by Suzukui. Ishii was an unknown commodity heading into this important match up and he really rose to the occasion. He made an absolute stunning save on a set piece that made it over the top of the wall and on net. Some could argue that it was the perfect height for the keeper to save but Ishii still did well to get to the shot and push it away from danger.
Ishii diving and stopping a nice FK by Zweigen.
I mentioned earlier that he also kept Ryukyu in the match when they were down 1-0 when Zweigen had their second free look on net and Ishii did well to stop the original shot and collect the resulting rebound. There are some aspects of his game that I am sure will tighten up with time and experience and I am not going to nitpick a tremendous performance by Ishii that directly led to the favorable outcome for Ryukyu.
Looking Ahead
FC Ryukyu are on the road next week to take on 5th
place Kyoto Sanga. Kyoto are coming off a 3-1 loss to Omiya on the road and are
returning home after spending the last two weeks on the road. The games are
going to get a lot tougher for FC Ryukyu the remainder of this month and therefore
any points earned on the road should be considered a blessing.
ryukyuarmy.com 