20 #FC琉球

Intro

FC Ryukyu return to Okinawa this week for a 2-game home stand beginning with Tokushima Vortis on Saturday. FC Ryukyu are looking to rebound from their embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Kitakyushu but face a very steep uphill battle to do so. The facts are that FC Ryukyu have one of the worst goal scoring, goal conceding, and overall goal differential records in the J2 at the moment. If they wish to get any points out of their next two matches, it will require an abundance of goals and we just haven’t seen that from this side to date.

Weather Forecast
Match Day 3 Highlights: Tokushima Vortis vs. Kyoto Sanga FC
Match Day 3 Highlights: Giravanz vs. FC Ryukyu
Tokushima Vortis Team Preview & Injury Report
FC Ryukyu Team Preview & Injury Report
Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
Match Prediction
Match Day 4 Around J2
Conclusion

1. Weather Forecast

Hot and humid after some rain. Stay hydrated for all those in attendance on Saturday.

2. Match Day 3 Review: Tokushima Vortis

Came back from a 1-0 deficit to walk away with a point against pretty tough opponent. Would’ve lost if not for Kazaki Nakagawa missing the final shot right on the doorstep.

3. Match Day 3 Review: FC Ryukyu

As bad as it can get for FC Ryukyu.

4. Tokushima Vortis Team Preview

Vortis started out with a bang this year by scoring 3 goals against Tokyo Verdy and continued that momentum into the opening half the following game against Ehime FC with another three goals. Everything looked good up to this point as Tokushima were scoring a nice mix goals from open play, set pieces and scrappy second chance rebounds. But then the wheels came off.

Vortis surrendered 4 goals against Ehime in the second half on their way to a 4-3 loss and then were trailing Kyoto for much of their game until a Kawata goal in the 80^th minute leveled the score. They nearly lost that match as Nakagawa had about half the goal to work with when a ball fell to him on the final play of the game, but instead, he sent the shot high over the bar.

So, what does that tell us about Vortis? First, they are a team that can score from anywhere despite the minor drought that they have experienced starting in the second half of match day 2. Second, they are susceptible at conceding goals similar to FC Ryukyu. While it is true, they can score from set pieces – four so far this year – they also have conceded four goals from set pieces. Granted, two of them came after the incumbent goalie, Naoto Kamifukumoto, took a nasty knock to the head against Ehime from the post and was most likely concussed. Why he wasn’t removed at the point, as Vortis still had 4 subs left to use, is beyond comprehension.

The outcome of the game this week will largely come down to whether or not both teams can break out of their goal scoring funk.

Tokushima Vortis Injuries & Suspensions: None. But it will be interesting to see if Kamifukumoto returns to the lineup at GK after sitting out the match against Kyoto last week.

Starting 11 for each side from previous match.

5. FC Ryukyu Team Preview

One has to assume that After losing 4-0 on the road, FC Ryukyu will be forced into altering their lineup this week. The fact that we play V-Varen Nagasaki inside of 4 days after this match with Vortis, I expect there to be some changes due to such a tight turnaround.

While I do not expect there to be much change to the defense, I hope we see Tavares in at RB with Suzuki back in at CB as they provided a nice spark on the opening day. I would simply point out that the best performance FC Ryukyu had all season was at JEF despite the fact that we lost. That would also require replacing Yamaguchi with Ikeda at CM.

Considering that it is extremely hot and humid in Okinawa these days, and the players are just beginning to develop their in-season conditioning, we may actually see some crazy combinations in our mid-filed over the next two matches. I think it is prudent to experiment with different mid-field combinations to see which of them can produce the best results. However, this was never a tendency of Higuchi last year as he seemed to only make changes when injuries forced his hand. Hopefully the brutal fixture schedule will force his hand a little more this season.

The fact is, if FC Ryukyu wish to walk away with any of the points on Saturday, they are going to need to score goals. It’s been a rough start to the campaign so far and since we are still plagued by defensive issues, it is imperative that we start banging in the goals in order to cover up the cracks at the back.

FC Ryukyu Injuries & Suspensions: LMF Shuto Kawai. Ankle injury, possibly set to return in 2 weeks.

6. 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 it happens 1- Requires a Miracle to happen

1. Frustrate the Vortis Attack. Likelihood 2: Kazuki Nishiya is their leading goal scorer with 3 but has not registered one since his opening day hat trick versus Tokyo Verdy some four and half months ago. I said that Vortis are talented enough to score in many different ways so it is imperative we limit the amount of set pieces, clear all possible rebounds from danger, and cut down on the acres of space that seem to exist between our defenders.

2. Generate some offense. Likelihood 3: This especially includes set pieces as we have seen how vulnerable Vortis can be in defending corner kicks. The few chances we had last week, to go along with the limited possession, are not going to cut it against Tokushima and we need to get the offense going this game.

7. Match Day 4 Prediction

Tokushima Vortis are averaging a full 2 goals per game more than FC Ryukyu this season (2.33/0.33). With that in mind, a comfortable 2-0 score line in favor of Vortis seems the most likely outcome, though it could be quite a bit more if Higuchi makes no changes to the lineup from last week.

8. Match Day 4 around J2

The fourth round of fixtures starts this Friday night when (5) Okayama Fagiano face (15) Giravanz Kitakyushu. The remaining fixtures will all be played on Saturday and the three of note are: (8) Albirex Niigata facing (5) Matsumoto Yamaga FC; (8) Kyoto Sanga FC hosting (11) Avispa Fukuoka and finally, the top of the table tilt between (2) V-Varen Nagasaki and (3) Ehime FC.

9. Conclusion

It seems we’ve managed to pick up right were we left off in 2019 which means, Hello Darkness my Old Friend. FC Ryukyu are struggling for goals while conceding far too many to achieve any favorable results or build any momentum. It is still very early in the season with 39 matches yet to play, but we really need to turn things around.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not sure what to expect from Higuchi, but as far as I am concerned, changes need to be made to a lineup that just conceded 4 goals the prior week. Maybe the mid-week fixture after this one will prompt some sweeping changes, or maybe it won’t, as Higuchi rarely deviated from his lineup choices in the previous two mid-week matches we had last year.

In any event, fans will be allowed back into the stadiums starting this weekend and that is reason to celebrate. The J-League, and clubs for that matter, have done a fantastic job in trying to get the spectators back into the grounds during these very uncertain times.

It will be an interesting experience for some fans this weekend as there will be no cheering, no clapping, no singing, no musical instruments, and no celebrating allowed. It may resemble a dystopian atmosphere seen in many science-fiction films but ultimately it will allow so many people the ability to reconnect with the clubs that they love.

Good luck, and as always, stay safe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FB9GYkIT3E

J1/J2 Playoff Final Match Report: (J1) Shonan Bellmare 1-1 (J2) Tokushima Vortis 12/14/2018

Intro

What a disappointing finish to the 2019 J league playoffs. I say disappointing as I think so many of us wanted to see Tokushima Vortis reach the J1. Stuart Smith from the J-Talk Extra time podcast (@sushi_football) said it the best in the latest installment, “The J2 needs Tokushima to defeat Shonan and reach the J1.” But as we’ve all come to expect with such a titled playoff structure, Tokushima couldn’t get the second goal that would see them through and the draw kept them in the J2 for 2020.

Match Report

Tokushima made some very nice early runs in the match and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 20^th minute by Tokuma Suzuki. Suzukui redirected a headed cross back into the box from a corner kick with a really nice volley. It was a dream start for the visitors as it meant that the game would really open up for them. The playing field was “leveled,” but they still needed a 2nd goal.

In a testament to how good this Vortis side was yesterday, and all year actually, all the post-match highlights were that of Vortis with only one from Shonan. That one being the Temma Matsuda 64^th minute equalizer. Matsuda was able to power his way through several Vortis defenders who were attempting to clear the ball from danger. Temma was able to get past them all in a very bullish run and put a shot into the back of the net.

Vortis still had time to grab another goal and they had two great opportunities that were just wide. The final insult to injury for Vortis was their last shot on net in the 4^th minute of stoppage time was centimeters wide. It curled the side netting, leading some to believe, including me, they had done the impossible. It was a terrible feeling as a neutral and absolutely gutting for the Vortis fans, players and manager.

THE PLAYOFF SYSTEM IS BROKE AND NEEDS FIXED

So many people have taken to Twitter over the past 3 weeks of this competition to voice their frustration at an absolutely one-sided playoff system that favors not only home teams, but the J1 side facing possible relegation in the final match. Let’s quickly review the obvious problems:

1. Home teams have the advantage of only needing a draw to advance.

2. The J1 side, historically, plays less matches than the J2 side.

I am not sure how this ridiculously corrupt system was created and implemented but it needs to be changed for 2020. Consider that there is no longer a playoff requirement between the second place J3 side and the 21st placed J2 side It was abolished in 2017 and the J1/J2 system needs to follow suit. In fact, that system at least allowed for a home & home series between the competitors.

How the playoff system should be changed:

1. Drop bottom 3 of J1 and promote top 2 of J2 as well as the J2 playoff winner. Scrap the game between the J1 & J2 sides.

2. If option #1 isn’t going to happen then eliminate the rule that allows home teams to advance just for earning a draw. If player safety was the concern for not having the games progress to extra time since these sides have already played at least 43 matches this year, then simply go straight to penalty kicks. This would at least force the home team not to sit back on their laurels while putting tremendous pressure on visiting sides to score 2 goals.

3. They need better scheduling of the playoff matches and make them an important event and not scheduled during the same start times of the J1 & J3 leagues who are closing out their season. It would be great to see these games treated like many of the tiers in English Football with the final being held at a neutral ground.

Conclusion

While you would certainly not take umbrage with seeing the fans from the J1 side crying tears of joy at the fact that their side staved off relegation. I cannot get on-board with seeing the J1 players weeping as if they just won some major trophy. I would assume the tears stemmed from the fact that he’ll be playing on a more lucrative J1 contract in 2020, compared to that of a J2 contract, but that was absolutely classless in my opinion. Full credit for Vortis for holding their heads up in the midst of all that adversity.

2019 J1/J2 Playoff Final Preview: (J1) Shonan Bellmare vs (J2) Tokushima Vortis 12/14/2019

Intro

Well, here we are at the end. The J1/J2 playoff final between Shonan Bellmare and Tokushima Vortis is set for this Saturday. One of these sides will be playing J1 football in 2020 with the other playing in the J2. Tokushima’s path to the final included a 4^th place finish in the J2, followed by a 1-1 draw with Ventforet Kofu in the opening round of these playoffs and 1-0 win over Montedio Yamagata in the second round. Shonan’s path was a lot less glamorous. Shonan had a chance this past Sunday to pull themselves out of the relegation battle at the expense of Sagan Tosu but a late goal by already relegated Matsumoto sealed their fate last weekend. There were no playoff games for Shonan to reach this point, instead, it was their overall record that put them in this spot. But before we get to who will win and how they’ll attempt to accomplish the task at hand, let’s look at each side and see if there’s more to their story than the statistics indicate.

Shonan Bellmare

Shonan Bellmare hail from Kanagawa. Shonan won a total of 12 games this season out of a possible 42. Right away we can see that this was not a side that lit up the score sheet each week and suffered both heavy and embarrassing defeats throughout the year. The first one that comes to mind was the 4-0 drubbing by the JFL side Veertien Mie, in this years Emperor’s Cup. Granted, Shonan may not have played their top lineup, but to suffer a 4-0 loss to a non-league side at home doesn’t instill a ton of confidence in the fans or the club. Shonan then suffered a 3 game losing streak at home that included score lines of 6-0, 5-0 and 3-0. They were able to break out of that funk, at probably the most opportune time, with a 1-0 win on their last home match to at least give them a fighting chance on the last day to avoid the situation they currently find themselves in right now.

As a whole, Shonan were outscored 47 to 80 across all competitions this year. Though the 40 goals they scored in the J1 were by no means the lowest as Shonan outscored 7 other J1 sides this year that included sides Cerezo Osaka, Oita Trinita and Vegalta Sendai that finished much higher up the table than Shonan. The problem for Shonan was they surrendered the second most goals of any J1 side in 2019. For all the FC Ryukyu fans out there, you can understand exactly what I am talking about and see how dangerous conceding that many goals can be for any side that must deal with relegation on a regular basis.

Another worrying trend for this side was that they only had one player who reached double digit points this season. I did not review each player in depth to see if they suffered some sort of injury throughout the season nor did I review every Levain Cup score sheet to see if the goals score din those games were not included in the players tally on the J.League website. In any event, it indicates that this side may not have the ability to press for a goal if they find themselves in any sort of deficit tomorrow.

Tokuhsima Vortis

Those of you that regularly follow the J2 know about Vortis and what they accomplished this year as well as what type of outfit Ricardo Rodriguez assembled for a push to the J1. Vortis sputtered out of the gate to begin the season, that included a loss to FC Ryukyu on match day 4, but they rebounded nicely to earn a positive point in 30 of their remaining 38 matches of 2019. This included an unbeaten run of 12 matches followed by a draw and win against the aforementioned Kofu and Montedio to open the J1/J2 playoffs. But this game will not be played in Tokushima, Vortis will be the visitor for the first time in these playoffs and it is prudent we peer into their away record to see if there are any cracks in this formidable side.

Vortis went 9W5D7L on the road this season tallying 31 goals while conceding 26 for a goal difference of +5. But no so fast, one of those games was a 7-0 pasting of relegated side, FC Gifu, on match day 39. Grated, we cannot discount that game but their goals scored to conceded average for road games drops considerably if we treat that match as an outlier. If we removed the FC Gifu game, then Vortis’s averages are much closer together at 1.20 goals scored and 1.25 surrendered compared to the lofty 1.48 average road goals scored with FC Gifu’s game. This could be a small crack that would otherwise be overlooked due to the recent form this Vortis side has experienced and one that must be slightly concerning heading into the final match of the season.

Recent form and the overall eye test cannot also not be discounted either as we should never rely solely on what some of the statistics indicate. Tokushima won 5 of their final 7 road games while drawing twice to remain unbeaten when closing out the 2019 campaign. But those wins were against Avispa Fukuoka, Ehime FC, JEF United Chiba, Tochigi SC, Omiya Ardija, FC Gifu and Tokyo Verdy. Not many “signature wins” are included in that group outside of Omiya but it’s not Tokuhsima’s fault for how their schedule was constructed; they could only play the teams that were put in front of them. For their part, Tokushima did beat promoted side, Yokohama FC and playoff side Ventforet Kofu on the road this year. I am purposely excluding any big wins at home against strong sides as Vortis are forced to travel this week and teams can perform at a noticeably different level when traveling. What I will point out though is, while momentum is not something we can or cannot actually measure, it most likely exists and Tokushima have serious amounts of positive momentum carrying them into the final compared to their opponent who stumbled at the very end.

Player Injuries

Shonan Bellmare: MF Ko Sawada has been out since July with a torn ACL.

Tokushima Vortis: FW Takeru Kishimoto has been out with a fractured ankle since mid-November.

Match Prediction

A tough game to predict as I have not spent a ton of time watching Shonan Bellmare throughout the 2019 campaign. I did see them face off against the J1 champions, Yokohama F Marinos earlier this year in a Levain Cup game but I was mainly there to see former FC Ryukyu players Park Il Gyu and Nakagawa, none of which featured that day by the way (terrible weather as well!). I will say that Shonan gave the champs fits throughout the match but I am not sure who was the main men for either side that game and Yokohama ultimately prevailed 1-0. What I will say is the Shonan fans traveled really well that day and I expected them to be in full voice at home tomorrow.

For all their warts, Shonan put forth some serious efforts to close out their season with draw at J1 runners-up, FC Tokyo, that could have ended in a Shonan victory if it weren’t for an extra time goal by FC Tokyo. Shonan also earned a victory at home against 6^th placed Hiroshima before their collapse at Matsumoto.

Tokushima have done the job these past 2 weeks against 2 top six sides in the J2 this year. They were never forced to chase their opponent in either game as they were the home side and simply needed a draw to advance. The shoe is on the other foot now as they say and we will need to see Tokushima come out and grab that all important first goal. The number they really need to hit is 2, a number they hit 7 times this year on the road that includes their last 3 road matches. The Vortis back line will need to frustrate the Shonan attacking players with Shonan attempting to do the same while trying to hit Vortis on the counter.

Shonan has the ability, as well as the players, to sit back, defend and then hit Vortis on the counter. I would be especially wary of #10 from Shonan, Naoki Yamada, as he has an absolute cannon of a left leg and his ability to quickly turn and put power behind a shot could prove vital tomorrow. As pointed out by the boys on the J-Talk podcast this week, Vortis need to dictate the pace and play of this game as Shonan will simply try and slow things down and get out of there with a draw.

Alright, enough small talk. Are Vortis a team of destiny or are Shonan destined to stay in the J1 for 2020 despite their poor performance all season? Tokushima have played 4 more games than Shonan this year but Shonan have also lost to non-league side Veertien and J2 side V-Varen Nagasaki this season. I have picked against Vortis once and was very wrong while rightly siding with them last week. Therefore, I see the J2 playoff winners securing the much-needed victory to propel them into the J1 while simultaneously sinking Shonan into J2 hell. The strike partnership of Nomura and Kawata from Vortis coupled with Jordy Buijs being the tone setter for this team will be too much for Shonan on Sunday. Goals from both Kawata and a Buijs FK bring home the win for the visitors.

Tokushima Vortis 2-1 Shonan Bellmare

Conclusion

There isn’t much more I can say so why bother. Enjoy and see you next week with the match report.

J1/J2 Playoffs Round 2 Match Report: Tokushima Vortis 1-0 Montedio Yamagata 12/8/2019

Intro

Tokushima Vortis are moving on the final playoff round after their 1-0 victory over Montedio Yamagata this past Sunday. For Vortis, it means they will play Shonan Bellmare this upcoming Saturday. For Montedio, it leaves them to wonder what could have been. There were some exciting games this Sunday to round out both the final round of the J1 & J3, as well as the playoff semi-final in the J2.

Match Recap

As one has come to expect with these playoffs, Montedio needed to come out on the front foot as a draw would not be good enough to advance. Montedio nearly got the dream start they were hoping for when last weeks hero for Vortis, Jordy Buijs, almost became this week’s goat. He was dispossessed by Yuya Yamagishi just outside the edge of his own 18-yard box. Yamagishi then fired a cross into the box where Haruya Ide was able to get on the end of it. Luckily for Vortis, the bang-bang play, and shot from point blank range, ended up being stopped by the scrambling Kajikawa who was able to get back in time and get a hand to the shot.

From here, Vortis began to take over the match and nearly scored off a beautiful give-and-go with Shimaya in the 32^nd minute. Yamagata fizzed a header just wide of the right post from a corner kick but the half would end 0-0.

Tokushima’s breakthrough occurred in the 53^rd minute with a beautifully executed play between Namura and Kawata. Namura received a pass after a Montedio giveaway in the Vortis half. Kawata, seeing the wide-open lanes between the Yamagata defenders, began to make a run to which Namura picked him out with a tremendous through ball. The pass put Kawata alone on net with only the Montedio goal keeper to beat. Kawata coolly finished off the play with a beautiful chip over the top of the goalie and thrust Tokushima into the playoff final.

Yamagata had a legit argument for a PK in the 74^th minute when their attacker was brought down in the box. But, as I’ve seen with this particular referee throughout the season, he missed the obvious call. However, it wasn’t just his fault as there was the “extra official” on the touch line and he should’ve seen this, and conferred with the referee to make the call, but Yamagata were simply unlucky. Montedio’s last chance came in the 88^th minute when a free kick from about 25 yards out sailed just high over the bar and onto the top of the net.

Final Score: Tokushima Vortis 1-0 Montedio Yamagata

Round 34 Recap in J1

The main games we were concerned with were the Matsumoto Yamaga FC versus Shonan Bellmare and the Shimizu S-Pulse against Sagan Tosu. Shimizu scored in the 68^th minute and began to put pressure on Sagan to equalize as Shonan had yet to score and they required a win to put either of Shimizu or Sagan into the playoff relegation bracket. In the 85^th minute, Shonan, on the road, scored a massive goal after a rather lackluster performance all day. Whether or not the word of that score line made it back to Sagan didn’t matter as Sagan never equalized against Shimizu and the game ended 1-0. But then the unbelievable happened, Matsumoto equalized in the 90^th minute to crush the hopes of Shonan and send them into the final playoff match against Vortis.

Round 34 Recap in J3

Kagoshima fans were intently watching the matchup between Thespakusatsu Gunma versus Fukushima United FC and Fujieda MYFC against Giravanz Kitakyushu. If Fujieda were to finish second in J3, then Kagoshima would not be relegated as they do not hold a J2 license. However, Gunma were able to handily defeat Fukushima 2-1 and relegate Kagoshima United FC despite Fujieda’s 1-0 victory over the J3 champions.

Conclusion

Yokohama F Marinos are the J1 champions, Kitakyushu are the J3 champions. Gunma will join Kitakyushu in the J2 in 2020 with Kagoshima United FC returning to the J3 after only one season in the J2 and all eyes will be focused on the playoff final between Shonan Bellmare and Tokushima Vortis this upcoming Saturday. There is only more round for the J League and then the semi-finals and finals of the Emperor Cup remain before we close out the 2019 season.

J1/J2 Playoffs Round 2 Match Preview: #4 Tokushima Vortis vs #6 Montedio Yamagata 12/8/2019

Intro

The second round of the J1/J2 playoffs will pit #4 seed, Tokushima Vortis, against #6 Montedio Yamagata. Vortis are here because they drew 1 all with Kofu at home last week, whereas Yamagata went into Omiya and dug out a 2-0 road victory. The winner of this match will move on to face the 16^th placed team from J1 next Sunday. But for now, that is also in question and we’ll need to wait and see how the J1 fixtures play out this weekend before we can know either of these sides opponents in the final match.

Tokushima Vortis Home Record Compared to Montedio Yamagata Away Record

As previously mentioned in an earlier blog entry, Vortis have only lost 5 times across 23 home games all season and until the draw this past weekend, they had won 4 out of their last 5 home games while maintaining a 3:1 goal scored to conceded ratio. Another impressive stat from the Vortis home record is that they’ve only conceded multiple goals at home on 5 occasions this year. This really puts a lot of pressure on Montedio to score, and not concede, as we just witnessed with Kofu this past Sunday. That is no easy task as it is not easy to score more than 1 goal on Tokushima.

Much like Tokushima’s previous opponent, Kofu, Montedio are no slouches on the road and it will take another solid performance by Vortis to move into the final stage of the competition. Last week I stated that Montedio began the road schedule this season in very strong form only to see it wobble in the second half. I also mentioned that they accumulated some large statistics against weaker sides while losing to some of the stronger sides in the table to close out 2019’s road schedule. None of that mattered last week as they easily brushed aside the #3 seed, Omiya Ardija, en-route to a 2-0 victory. It seems the good road form that Montedio experienced earlier this season may be returning which makes for an interesting matchup against a Tokushima side who fancies scoring goals. I am eagerly looking forward to the Jordy Buijs versus Jefferson Baiano matchup in this one and so should you.

Previous Meetings between Tokushima and Yamagata

Match Day 14 May 9^th 2019 Tokushima Vortis 1-1 Montedio Yamagata: Yamagata was defending rather poorly and a cheap give away almost led to a very early goal for Vortis. Vortis did crack the Montedio back line in the 9^th minute when a deflected shot from Yuta Uchida was redirected into the Montedio net. Near the end of the first half, Tokushima Forward Kiyotake, was sent off for a rash challenge thus putting Vortis down to 10 men the remainder of the game. Montedio struggled to generate anything offensively this game and were lucky to be awarded a PK that Jefferson Baiano converted to level the match.

Match Day 24 July 27^th 2019 Montedio Yamagata 3-1 Tokushima Vortis: Vortis were awarded a PK in the 19^th minute that Iwao converted for the early Vortis 1-0 lead. Then, shockingly, Kiyotake was sent off in the first half for the second straight game against Montedio. This time it was his time wasting that upset the referee leading to his second yellow of the half. The sending off once again sparked Yamagata’s offense to level, and then take the lead over Tokushima.

Leading Scorers for Each Side

Player Injuries

Tokushima Vortis: No change from last week. Kishimoto is still sidelined with a fractured ankle that will keep him out the remainder of the season.

Montedio Yamagata: Same as last week as well, none listed.

Match Prediction

Let’s start with a summary of the quotes from the end of the Vortis/Kofu match by Jordy Buijs. First, Tokushima have a huge home field advantage with their supporters and this is probably no easy trek for the Yamagata faithful on Sunday. Two, Vortis already have the advantage of only requiring a draw to advance to the next round as outlined in the playoff rules making life tough for any road opponent. Finally, it is extremely hard to score more than one goal against Tokushima.

Tokushima’s performance against Kofu was not as inspiring as that of their opponent against Omiya last week. Vortis were struggling to break down Kofu’s defense despite Kofu not having an overly strong back line. Vortis had their only real chance stopped by Kofu before Jordy broke the deadlock. However, Kofu and Utaka responded quickly to level the match and make it “game on” again. I think if Kofu had not Allano sent off they could be hosting Montedio this week but that is not the case. And Tokushima never scored to walk away with a win despite the man advantage.

For their part, Montedio looked impressive against Omiya. Stonewalling the Omiya attack all day and then putting them away with some late goals in quick succession. Montedio, like Kofu, also sport an impressive away record in 2019. They conceded the second fewest goals (37) this season in J2 while scoring the second most goals (34) on the road.

So, this begs the questions; can the Montedio back line prevent Tokushima from scoring even 1 goal on Sunday and can Montedio score when both sides are at even strength?

I do not think Montedio can do both despite their strong defensive record and the amount of goals they’ve scored on the road this year. There was nothing in the previous two meetings between these teams to indicate that Montedio can score at even strength coupled with the fact that Vortis only require a draw to advance. This puts Yamagata at a serious disadvantage. I’ve been wrong so, so, so many times before but I feel the Vortis juggernaut rolls on this Sunday.

Tokushima Vortis 1-0 over Montedio Yamagata.

Look Ahead to the Potential J1 Opponents for the Final Round of the J1/J2 Playoffs

It is going to be close! From the J League website.

1. Shonan Bellmare currently sit 16^th and in the drop zone with 35 points. They face already relegated Matsumoto Yamaga FC on the road and have the best chance of escaping the J1/J2 playoff final of the 3 teams at the bottom. Shonan would love a win though a draw may level them with Shimizu S-Pulse and Sagan Tosu and that would result in Shimizu S-Pulse being thrust into the playoff final if those sides draw on Saturday.

2. Shimizu S-Pulse (15) & Sagan Tosu (14) both sit on 36 points and in a very interesting end-of-season-twist, face each other on the final match day. Either side would love to send the other to their death and knowing that Bellmare only need to get level on points with S-Pulse, means S-Pulse really need to go for the win.

Conclusion

There is so much excitement entering the final match day across the J1, J3 and J2 playoffs this weekend. Yokohama FC facing FC Tokyo in the J1 title decider, though FC Tokyo require a 4-0 drubbing to win the league and are missing some of their star players.

Fujieda and Gunma are gunning for the second automatic promotion slot in J3 and Kagoshima fans everywhere will be watching these games with great anticipation. If Fujieda end up second, Kagoshima are safe from relegation to the J3 as Fujieda do not hold a J2 license and therefore cannot be promoted. However, Fujieda host the 2019 J3 champions, Kitakyushu, and though they drew 0-0 last time. Gunma on the other hand travel to 11^th placed Fukuhsima, who they beat 2-0 the last time these sides met.

This will be fun for those of us that are neutrals as there will certainly be a lot of teams busting their guts going for it in so many games which makes for exciting football. Enjoy.

J1/J2 Playoffs Round 1: Match Recaps 12/01/2019

Intro

The first round of the J1/J2 playoffs concluded this past Sunday with both Montedio Yamagata and Tokushima Vortis advancing to the second round. This was contrary to my predictions of Kofu and Omiya advancing, but anybody that regularly reads my blog knows that my match predictions are not that accurate.

For those relatively unfamiliar with the J1/J2 playoff system, it heavily favors the home side in any match. The home side merely has to earn a draw to advance, and as Jordy Buijs so accurately said in his postgame interview, it requires the away team to score at least 2 goals which is never an easy task. With that in mind, it is easy to see why the away team must come out on the front foot and try and score early and often. And why the home team never is out of the match despite a goal disadvantage. A draw is as good as a win in this format. With that, below is a brief summary of the matches and a look ahead to the second round.

#3 Omiya Ardija vs #6 Montedio Yamagata

Omiya entered the match having lost only 3 times at home all season while conceding only 2 goals to their opponents during their last 5 home games. Montedio on the other hand, lost 4 out of the final 10 road games and were conceding at nearly the same rate they were scoring as the visitors. However, there were some visible cracks to the Omiya side as they had only scored 1 goal from open play, the other being an own goal, over their final 3 matches. Meaning, the Omiya attack had dried up and was failing to fire at the worst possible time.

As noted in the introduction, Montedio came out strong and were generating a majority of the goal scoring chances. You wouldn’t know that from the limited highlights on DAZN but Montedio looked like they were going to crack the Omiya defense early. In fact, they should’ve received a dead ball kick from just outside the 18-yard box when the Omiya defender blocked a shot with his arm. However, the call wasn’t given and the half ended with a 0-0 scoreline. What seemed interesting about this half was that Simovic was creating all sorts of problems for the Monetedio defenders but he was not paired up top with Delgado. In fact, Delgado came on in place of Simovic after half time since Simovic had picked up a yellow card. Maybe that was a smart move on behalf of the Omiya manager, Takagi, as we’ll see later from the Kofu match.

Both sides traded some goal scoring chances for the first 25 minutes before the real fireworks took place. I couldn’t tell from the replay if it was #23 or #27 who sent the cross in from a CK but in any case, the cross ended up being sent to the back of the net by #18 of Omiya, Ippei Shinozuka, for an own goal. Now, Omiya, specifically Delgado, began to argue that it was a clear-cut case of off sides. However, the refereeing crew got the call correct in that the Montedio FW didn’t make contact with the ball as it was entering the net or interfere with play. In fact, he did really well to lay off it and let the ball roll past the keeper. Delgado was visibly upset that the offside call wasn’t given and then stupidly bumped into the referee. The ref was then forced to issue a yellow card and this was probably not what Takagi was hoping for when he made the early substitution for Simovic. However, Omiya still had 15 minutes plus stoppage time to level the match and advance.

Unfortunately for Omiya that goal would never come and instead they were shell-shocked from a second goal by Montedio 9 minutes later. A perfectly weighted and placed cross from Yanagi to the deep corner of the box found Yamada who then headed the cross back across the mouth of goal where Yamagishi had made a nice run between the Omiya defenders. Yamagishi slotted home the second goal for Yamagata and it was visible across the faces of most of the Omiya players that they had could offer no response to get back in the match.

Final Score Montedio Yamagata 2-0 Omiya Ardija.

Yamagata are marching on to face Tokushima while Omiya were left pondering where it all went so wrong. Omiya were earmarked by many to not only be promoted to J1 at the start of the season, but to advance through these playoffs and face the 16^th placed J1 side in 2 weeks. Well that isn’t going to happen and after reading a lot of the Twitter posts from the Omiya supporters, it seems that it is time to clean house and start anew for 2020.

Jefferson Baiano informing the Omiya crowd of their chances at advancing. BTW, this is act is considered unsportsmanlike, incurs a fine and suspension in the NFL.

#4 Tokushima Vortis vs #5 Ventforet Kofu

This was billed as the most enticing match up of the opening playoff fixtures as it pitted two very strong sides against one another. Each had overwhelming strengths when it came to winning at home, or on the road in the case of Kofu, as well as scoring goals and preventing their opponent from scoring. In the match preview I had picked Kofu to advance because I am a strong proponent for those teams that have displayed the ability to win against tougher opponents on the road. Maybe that is my inner NFL fan emerging but it is a key factor come playoff time and I certainly thought Kofu could do the job this Sunday.

This was a feisty affair with both sides committing bookable, and hard, offenses early and often. However, it was Kofu that was picking up the yellow cards as none of the Vortis players were booked. As an outsider, it looked a bit harsh that the referee was only issuing the cards to Kofu as Vortis were certainly guilty of a yellow card on one occasion. Kofu had picked up an astounding 3 yellow cards in the first half while Vortis received none. The one booking that never came was when Allano was brought down by a high boot to his upper legs after rounding the Vortis player. I cannot recall what Allano was booked for earlier but his complaint to the referee seemed to indicate that he did the same, or less, to receive his yellow and why shouldn’t the Vortis player receive the same treatment. In any event Kofu were toeing a fine line when it came to fouls as 3 players are sitting on yellow cards before half time.

Much as one would expect, Kofu had to press early in order to overcome what seems to be the invisible, but very present, 1 goal deficit even before they kickoff. However, it was Vortis who struck first from a well taken shout by Jordy Buijs in the 37^th minute. Jordy had found some space between the Kofu defense and turned a cross into the upper right corner of the goal just past Kawata. Kawata, who made a spectacular save just a few minutes earlier, could do absolutely nothing on the play. It was strange watching Tokushima celebrate the 1 goal advantage as if they had just scored deep into extra time, but this is what you get in the current construct of the playoff system. It now meant that Kofu are now required to score 2 goals in order to advance.

Kofu were able to respond, and respond rather quickly, from a Peter Utaka goal just 2 minutes later. He received the pass and as he did, the ball bounced up a little and he was able to strike it with his right foot and put some swerve and dip on the shot. Kajikawa was forced to rise to parry the shot over the net but he accidentally swatted the ball into the goal instead of out of danger as he initially intended. This type of response can motivate teams to go on a win but for Kofu, it was not meant to be.

Allano picked up his second yellow card, which obviously would lead to a red card and sending off, for a very poor challenge just after kickoff in the second half. I blame the Kofu manager, Ito, for not substituting Allano at half time. It was obvious to anyone watching the game on Sunday that Allano was angling for a second booking from his rash challenges all half. In fact, he committed a challenge in the first half after his booking and the calls from the home crowd for another card were loud and noticeable. I blame Ito as he should’ve seen that this particular referee was not averse to pulling out the yellow card for his side while keeping it in his pocket for Vortis. He should’ve also noticed that Allano was not making smart decisions at the point of challenges and he should have given his side a chance to advance instead of facing long odds to score when down to 10 men.

Kofu did all they could to go for the second goal but it was never going to happen. Tokushima are advancing and will now host Montedio while Kofu’s season ends in bitter disappointment.

Final score Tokushima Vortis 1-1 Ventforet Kofu

Jordy Buijs Quotes: “1, when we score 1 goal they need to score 2 and it is not easy to score 2 goals on us. 2, We had 3 advantages today, 2 before the start of the game; our home crowd and the point that we only needed a draw to advance. They gave us another when they had a man sent off.” About as accurate as you can get with the post game interview.

Tokushima Vortis vs Montedio Yamagata 12/08/2019

These sides drew 1 all at Tokushima in May with Yamagata getting a 3-1 win over Vortis in late July. Tokushima are entering this match with serous amounts of momentum on their side while Montedio have to be buoyed by their performance this past Sunday against Omiya. There was a strong showing by the Yamagata supporters this past match and I hope they can bring the same amount of people, and intensity, to Tokushima as their boys will certainly need all the support they can get against a very tough, very determined Vortis side.

J1/J2 Playoffs Round 1 Preview: (4) Tokushima Vortis vs (5) Ventforet Kofu

Intro

The second installment of the J1/J2 playoff preview looks at the match up between Tokushima Vortis and Ventforet Kofu. This is probably the tastier of the two matchups this round as both teams enter this game in good form, unlike the other matchup between Omiya and Montedio. These are two evenly matched sides with some firepower to light up the scoreboards and this should be a very entertaining match to watch as a neutral.

Tokushima Home Record vs Kofu Away Record

Both sides hold a nearly identical record when it comes to wins, draws, losses, goals scored and goals conceded when comparing Tokushima’s home record and Kofu’s away form. I guess that favors Kofu more than it does Tokushima as this means Kofu are well suited to grab wins on the road. It was pointed out to me that if the match were to end in a tie, the victory goes to the home team. No shootouts and no extra .5 for any away goals. That means if Kofu wishes to advance, they must walk away with the victory on Sunday.

In 22 away matches this year, Kofu has achieved that feat 50% of the time. They have drawn 5 times and lost 6 times but the fact that they won over half their matches on the road speaks volumes for their chances at advancing to the next round. Over their past 5 road games, Kofu has won 3 and lost 2 and conceded 7 goals in all competitions. One of those was an emperor’s cup match and they may not have been playing their strongest lineup so if we removed that result, and only counted J2 fixtures, they would’ve had 4 wins while only conceding 5 goals over that span.

On the other side, Tokushima also hold an impressive home record. They won over half of their matches while only losing 5 out of 23 games this season. One of those losses was very recently but it was to newly promoted Yokohama FC to the tune of 1-0. The other occurred way back in August to none other than Kofu. This means that Tokushima have only lost two times at home over the past 4 months. They’ve been shutout at home on 4 occasions, 5 when counting the emperor’s cup, and have scored multiple goals 9 times at home. They’ve conceded multiple goals only 5 times at home while shutting out their opponents 6 times.

Over the past 5 games at home Tokushima have won 4 times and lost once as previously mentioned. During that span they’ve maintained a 3:1 ratio for goals scored to goals conceded. While offense can win games, defense wins championships and if Tokushima wish to advance to the next round, they’ll need to blunt the Kofu attack on Sunday.

Previous Meetings this Season

Match Day 20 June 15^th 2019: Ventforet Kofu 0-1 Tokushima Vortis. Ken Iwao scored in the 11^th minute off a punched clearance by Kofu goal keeper Kawata, that came right to him inside the 18-yard box. His point-blank shot on the volley went screaming past Kawata for a 1-0 lead that Tokushima wouldn’t relinquish. Kofu had some goal scoring chances but nothing materialized.

Match Day 27 August 10^th 2019: Tokushima Vortis 0-2 Ventforet Kofu. Kofu returned the favor 2 months later when they went to Tokushima and dug out a 2-goal victory. Utaka opened the scoring in the 19^th minute when his power and pace where on full display. He pushed the ball past the Vortis defender, beat him with speed to create a shooting lane and then powered a shot past the Tokushima goal keeper. Vortis had a nice opportunity to tie the match in the 73^rd minute but the Kofu Keeper made a equally nice save. Finally, Uchida added an extra time goal to seal the game.

Leading Scorers

Player Injuries

Tokushima Vortis: FW #15 Takeru Kashimoto fractured his ankle against Yokohama FC and is out. He has chipped in 6 points this season for Vortis but hasn’t been on the score sheet since late June.

Ventforet Kofu: None listed but I know that a couple of their leading scorers were recently cut to include; Yusuke Tanaka (3pts), Shigeru Yokotani (7pts) and Koichi Sato (5pts). Dudu was also on the bench last week agaisnt FC Ryukyu meaning he is back to full health.

Match Prediction

Here are the facts:

1. Ventforet Kofu have won 4 in a row coming into this match while only conceding once.

2. Kofu are unbeaten in 11 out of their last 12 matches.

3. Since late July, Kofu have only lost 4 times in the J2 league.

4. While Kofu started hot this year, and were near the top of the table, they’ve hovered between the 5^th and 8^th spot for most of the season.

5. Tokushima Vortis had a 12-game unbeaten streak prior to their loss against Yokohama FC 2 weeks ago.

6. Vortis have only lost once in their past 15 games and those 36 points saw them rise from 12^th in the table on August 10^th, to 4^th by the end of the season.

7. Vortis have shout out their opponent at home 6 times this season. Kofu have been shut out only 3 times this season as the away side, with their last shutout occurring back on July 20^th on Match Day 23.

8. Vortis have scored multiple goals at home this season 9 times. Kofu have scored multiple goals on the road 10 times this season. One of those was against Tokushima.

9. Kofu have earned 7 points off the playoff contenders on the road this season by defeating Vortis and Yamagata while drawing with Omiya. Tokushima have only earned 1 point off these same opponents at home having lost to Omiya and Kofu while earning a draw against Yamagata.

10. Kofu have beaten Tokushima at home 2-0.

Really no way to separate these teams. This will be a heavyweight, blow for blow, knock down, dragged out fight to the very end. Most people see the surging Vortis squad as the front runner to win the playoff bracket and take on whoever finishes 16^th in J1. I think, we could see an upset on Sunday because of how good Kofu has been on the road.

Let me explain. In the National Football League in America, there are playoffs at the end of the year, similar to what we ‘ll see these next 3 weeks. In that sport, successful playoff teams are those that have proven they can win tough games on the road. In fact, you must be able to win on the road as only 2 teams have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There are plenty of instances where the road team, obviously a lower seeded side, pulls off the upset and wins. I feel that this will happen on Sunday.

I think my dark horse to win this playoff and achieve J1 promotion is Kofu. I think they can defeat Tokushima on Sunday and then go on the road to defeat Omiya, or, if it were truly in their favor, defeat Yamagata at home before traveling to the J1 16^th placed team with promotion/relegation on the line. Kofu were very sluggish against FC Ryukyu this past weekend and FC Ryukyu dominated the possession battle and goal scoring opportunities, but Kofu capitalized when it mattered most. If Kofu can weather the Tokushima attack and strike them on the counter, where they are so lethal, Kofu will march on to the second round.

Ventforet Kofu 2-1 Tokushima Vortis.

Conclusion

Getting my popcorn ready as they say for this one. Nothing more needs to be said. Tune in and enjoy.

Match Day 4 Recap: FCR 2 – 1 Tokushima Vortis 3/16/2019

FC Ryukyu did not disappoint the 3,500 fans with their performance on a very cool Saturday night at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. The result has once again thrust FCR to the top of the J2 table, prior to the remainder of the J2 matches today, but more importantly it has moved FCR one step closer to remaining in the J2 for the 2020 season.

FCR came out in their typical 4-2-3-1 formation and we welcomed back Masutani and Tomidokoro to the starting lineup. It was a very nice gesture by Nakagawa to say thank you to the fans and good bye prior to the match but it can’t be understated that his presence will be sorely missed throughout the season.

As expected, Tokushima got off to a fast start in their 3-4-3 formation, which lasted 2/3 of the first half. The opening 15 minutes provided a few moments of action when Tomidokoro was gifted a free shot on net by Vortis in the 7th minute when their goal keeper slipped on a free kick, however, Tomidokoro hit the post. Vortis had a tremendous opportunity in the 16^th minute to take the lead but Okazaki made a well-timed slide tackle in the 6-yard box preventing an open shot on net. In the 30^th minute Vortis almost took the lead again when they hit the post but after that the momentum swung in the direction of FCR.

FCR broke the deadlock in the 34^th minute with another opening Uejo goal. Initially I thought it was a lovely little chip over the head of the keeper but after watching several replays, I see he was once again trying to send a cross into the 6-yard box similar to his goal against Ehime last week. I don’t care though as it put FCR up 1-0 heading into half time and it was a vital goal.

Vortis started out fast again in the second half and they were able to equalize in the 47^th minute from a set piece. FCR defends well against the run of open play but seems to struggle from set pieces this season. This is something they can fix on the training ground but we’ll have to watch closely all year to see if they improve. It seemed inevitable that Vortis was going to score from a set piece in this game since FCR conceded 9 corner kicks and 16 free kicks throughout the match.

Both teams had some opportunities and chances from then on but it was FCR that again broke the deadlock in the 75^th minute and went ahead. Kawai was able to get around the left side of the defense and take a hard shot on net that led to a rebound off the keeper followed by the thunderous tap in by Nishioka. He was visibly excited to score and it all but made up for his poor performance last week vs Ehime, as evidenced by his celebration.

The remaining 15 minutes of the match were very intense and Carvajal made some nice saves to see out the FCR victory.

Some Key Takeaways from the Match: 1.) I mentioned in the preview that we needed to apply pressure to Vortis when they are playing out from the back and it nearly paid off when Yu was gifted a golden opportunity early on that we couldn’t convert. 2.) As expected, we had to weather the early Vortis storm and it resulted in FCR scoring in the 34^th minute. 3.) I wrote that FCR needed to use speed to get cause problems to the Vortis defense down the left side, and it was Kawai who provided the much needed change of pace and attacking down the Vortis left side that resulted in the winning goal. 4.) Uejo seems to have hurt his foot when he scuffed a shot late in the first half and needed to be subbed off early in the second half. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for this rapidly developing player. 5.) Kawai needs to use his speed more when taking on the opposing players. There were a few times when he had possession that he could’ve drawn some fouls or at least made life difficult for Vortis but he opted to pull up and pass. In the end it didn’t matter because he made it count when FCR needed the breakthrough. 6.) What may go unnoticed in this match, since he didn’t score, was the hold up play and passing in the box by Suzuki. The effort he put in to constantly battle the Vortis Center Backs and gain possession for FCR was outstanding. On a day where he only got free for a few shots it was his hold play and passing that set Kawai free down the left side for the winning play.

Well, that’s it from me as I head out on holiday. FC Ryukyu has a chance at writing their name into the J League history books next week on the road against Yamagata if they win. A fifth victory in a row by a newly promoted side will be the first time that feat has ever been accomplished in the J League. Teams that have had similar starts to their season as FCR have gone on to be promoted to the next league rather quickly a majority of the time; but before we get ahead of ourselves, please keep in mind that Yamagata will present the hardest challenge yet for the early FCR season. This will be no easy match for FCR so I hope a lot of FC Ryukyu fans on the main island of Japan show up to support our boys. Later!

Match Day 4 Preview: FCR vs Tokushima Vortis

Match Day Info: 03/16/2019 (H) FCR vs Tokushima Vortis (A) at the Tapic Stadium (Okinawa Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 1800.

Welcome everybody to the Match Day 4 preview. This week we see FCR taking on Tokusima Vortis at home. FCR is riding high with a 3-game winning streak while Tokushima is reeling from a recent loss at home to Omiya.

Weather Forecast: One word, Perfect! Kickoff will see temperatures around 64 degrees with a slight Northeast wind between 8-10 miles per hour for most of the match and no rain in the forecast. Temperatures will stay in the mid 60’s all game so a light jacket is probably all you need.

Tokushima Vortis: 14^thin J2 W1D0L2, Current Form LWL

Typical Set Up: Depends on where you do your research. On the JLeague website, it lists them as always setting up in a 3-5-1 but on the DAZN broadcast it has fluctuated every week this season; Started 4-1-2-3, then 3-4-2-1 and the last match was more of a 4-5-1.

Tokushima seems to be searching for the right combination at the back. They switched goal keepers after the first match, and rightfully so, as his poor play directly contributed to 3 of Kagoshima’s goals. Also, against Kagoshima, they were very disorganized at the back. Despite erasing both of Kagoshima’s leads in the game, the Tokushima defense let them down once again for a late winner.

Against Gifu in their second match they were much better in the attack but had two horrible giveaways in their own box from free kicks that almost resulted in Gifu scoring. #13 Kiyotake made an acrobatic kick in the last minute of extra time, on what was a very chaotic play, to give Tokushima their first victory.

Tokushima once again started out fast against Omiya but they were unable to score. They asked some questions of the Omiya keeper early on but ultimately it was a very nice take by Babunski from Omiya that handed Vortis their second loss of the season.

Players to Watch: #13 MF Koki Kiyotake. He’s their leading goal scorer and has a very quick powerful shot from distance. He needs to be marked and dealt with when roaming the MF as he’s not afraid to shoot from distance. #3CB Jordy Buijs. He’s not on the list because of his superb defensive skills, but because of his offensive skill. He won a ball against Kagoshima at the center circle, carried it all the way to nearly the top of the box; and I guess Kagoshima assumed he wouldn’t shoot but he unleashed a tremendous shout with pace, accuracy and a curl that beat the keeper. So FCR shouldn’t be encouraging him to take any shots is what I am saying.

FC Ryukyu: 1^st in J2 W3D0L0, Current Form WWW, typical formation 4-2-3-1

FCR is bringing some serious momentum into this match after taking maximum points from all 3 games this season. They have displayed the ability to win at home despite the fact that we didn’t have a majority of the possession as well as the ability to win big on the road in a tough atmosphere.

Similar to Tokushima attempting to get the right combination at the back, FCR has been forced to change their lineups each of the past 2 matches. This is mostly due to injures to Tomidokoro and Masutani but now they will face an uphill battle to replace one of the top goal scorers from J3 last season and a player I was very excited to watch develop. Unfortunately, FCR has sold (assuming that’s the case but I never see anything on JLeague transfers) Kazaki Nakagawa to the Yokohama F Marinos. He will be sorely missed and I wish him all the best but that begs the question, who will take his place as the attacking central midfielder?

My suggestion would be to slide Tanaka into the CAM role and put #13 Kawai into the Left Mid Field position. We saw what Kawai did late on vs Ehime FC last week and I believe his speed could cause real trouble for Tokushima at the back. Tanaka is an excellent service provider for through balls and passes and he’s probably the best player to take over that role until Tomidokoro returns.

With that in mind we’d still assume to see Tanaka flanked by #14 Uejo as the Right Mid Field with the leading J2 League Goal scorer, #9 Suzuki, up front. That would leave #20 Uesato and #6 Kazama as our two holding Central Defensive Mid Fielder. At the back, barring any injuries, is #3 Nishioka, #4 Okazaki, #5 Tokumoto and #33 Fukui. This line was solid last week and I hope that continues because it is so vital to have a cohesive unit back there that is just stopping all attacks and clearing the danger away from goal.

Danny Carvajal will once again man the posts for FCR and what an outstanding signing he has been. The clean sheet last week was amazing and the man continually puts himself in the right place at the right time to stop the shots. We’ll once again require his strong performance to bring home the three points.

Keys to the Match: 1. Weather the early attacking storm from Tokushima. They will likely start fast and create a few chances within the first 20 minutes of the match.

2. Close down their attacking Mid Fielders when they have the ball outside the top of the box. The Tokushima MFs are not afraid to shoot from distance or outside the box. FCR can not allow them space even 30 yards out as they have no fear striking from that distance or greater distances. I believe this is due to the fact that Vortis hasn’t created a lot of chances, nor provides any good crosses or service, to their strikers.

3. Attack from our Left side, the Vortis Right side on Defense. This is a weak spot for Vortis and FCR should do everything they can to exploit them out there. Use Kawai’s speed and get behind the Vortis defense. While they scramble to deal with that pressure, its most likely that an FCR player will be unmarked in the box and get a free shot on net.

4. Pressure the back line of Vortis and take lots of shots. Vortis is usually disorganized at the back and has made several lineup changes meaning, the players are still getting to learn to play as a unit. Applying pressure from Free Kicks or when Vortis tries to play out from the back may see FCR get a cheap takeaway in the Vortis end that they can convert into a goal or two. While the Goal Keeping play has improved the last two matches, the Vortis keeper can be beat rather easily so long as we keep the shots at the posts and not down the middle.

FCR should just continue to attack, attack and attack the Vortis defense and GK. If Uejo, Kawai and Suzuki can find some space in the Vortis end with Tanaka unlocking the defense to set them on the way to goal, then FCR should easily beat Tokushima at home.

Game Prediction: Goals, hopefully more for FCR than Vortis. See you at the match in Section A with the big England Flag, you can’t miss me!