Last month I produced an English Language pamphlet to hand out to FC Ryukyu fans at both home and away matches. The pamphlet contained useful information about the club, members of the supporter’s group and the songs that the fans sing at matches translated into English. But that got me thinking, why not have an English song unique to the club? There are so many famous songs for larger football clubs that include: “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” (West Ham), “Glory Glory Man United” (Manchester United) “Marching on Together” (Leeds United), “Cant del Barça” (FC Barcelona) and of course, You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Liverpool). So, what makes a football song unique? Is it the lyrics? Is it the timing of when it is first sung in and around the grounds? Or, is it simply a case of several thousand supporters singing in unison that brings chills to the spine and goosebumps to the skin?
Over the course of the past few years I toyed with a number of songs to see if I could get one to stick but never found the right combination. I thought I could take the Dropkick Murphy’s Song “Barroom Hero” and turn it into an FC Ryukyu Song by signing the opening verse and then adding in the famous FC Ryukyu supporter chant at the end:
‘Face Down in the gutter won’t admit defeat, though his clothes are soiled and black.’
‘He’s a big strong man with a child’s mind, don’t you take his booze away!’
‘HEY!
‘FC Ryukyu’-then clap quick 5 times, ‘FC Ryukyu’-then end with 5 quick claps.
I think if the majority of the Japanese FC Ryukyu supporters understood what I was saying they would largely agree that this song is very applicable to my situation. However, I remain the only fool shouting this one out every week, but I really enjoy it.
Next, I thought, what about a song to counteract the opposing teams’ fans after the opposition scores against FC Ryukyu? Well, the one I came up with has been permanently shelved as it contains nothing but profanity and there are way too many people attending games these days to be saying these things. Back when it was just Hiro, myself and the supporters crew at the home games it may have gone unnoticed, but now with many kids sitting in and around my group of English-speaking friends, we cannot act this way or teach kids this type of language. Plus, it is borderline skirting the rules of proper fan behavior according to the J League so need to risk being thrown out of the stadium and incurring a lengthy ban.
So back to the problem at hand. Shortly after completing the pamphlet and with the notion of an English song unique to the club fresh in my mind, I stumbled across a song that I thought could be the one. But there were some things I needed to consider before choosing just any old song for this club and its supporters.
First, there are simply not enough of English-speaking fans to join in and some Americans here don’t feel like “making a scene.” Some may also feel embarrassed about signing in pubic due to ridicule so I needed something simple and that could pertain to both Okinawa and the rest of the world. Second, I needed to find a song that I could tailor the lyrics to suit the club and the island and that was no easy task. Third, the song needed to be both easy enough to remember as well as limited to just a few minutes since no one wants to sing a lengthy song. Finally, the song itself is not meant to compete with the entrance song that the FC Ryukyu supporters sing as the club walks out of the tunnel. The song is better suited for waiting outside of the grounds with many fans or just before the goalies come out for their warm-up or when both teams’ head into the locker just prior to kickoff.
With that in mind, I present to you, the song I feel that best captures the island, the club and its supporters. I give you, John Denver’s “Country Roads” tailored to the FC Ryukyu fans.
3:13 (Total Length of Song)
VERSE 1
Almost Heaven, Okinawa, Kunagami Mountains, Shuri Castle.
Life is old there, older than the trees, Younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze.
CHORUS
Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong
Okinawa!, FC Ryukyu!
Take me home, country roads.
VERSE 2
All my memories gather ’round her, Fisherman’s lady, no stranger to blue water.
Dark and sandy, Painted on the sky, Misty taste of Awamori, Teardrops in my eyes.
CHORUS
Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong
Okinawa!, FC Ryukyu!
Take me home, country roads.
BRIDGE
I hear her voice in the morning hour she calls me; the radio reminds me of my home far away.
Driving down the road I get a feeling That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday.
CHORUS
Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong
Okinawa!, FC Ryukyu!
Take me home, country roads.
Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong
Okinawa!, FC Ryukyu!
Take me home, country roads.
OUTRO
Take me home, (Down) country roads. Take me home, (Down) country roads.
I encourage you to listen and then follow along to the lyrics I posted so you can see where I made changes.
In closing, I am not sure if this song will stick, or if many will like it, but there is no doubt it will be unique to this club here in Asia. Let me know what you think and when you see me at games, let’s sing this together. Whenever the season resumes of course.
My oh my, the time has flown by this offseason. Nevertheless, here we are at the first Match Day Preview for FC Ryukyu in the 2020 season. Last year I found that Match Day Previews became much richer and more deeply involved as the season evolved over time. Of course, this is to be expected when story lines start to unfold, players get injured, teams experience a dip or rise in form and statistics allow us to conduct some level of critical analysis. But at the start of each season, teams are relatively unknown commodities and often playing together for the first time. Surely last season stands as a perfect example when FC Ryukyu got out on the front foot quickly with such a blazing start and took everyone by surprise.
The same notion holds true for 2020 as teams will spend the better part of a month learning to gel when game speeds increase and matches begin to count. By starting fast early last year, FC Ryukyu scored a major advantage over teams that struggled out of the gate. I am not sure we will catch many by surprise this year, and in fact, I think FC Ryukyu have a very tough opening 11 matches to begin the year. This could cause some early tense moments this spring as well as stressful ones come this fall.
With that in mind, we open the Match Day Previews for this season with a road trip to Chiba where FC Ryukyu will take on JEF United Chiba on the opening day of 2020. If you recall last year, JEF got the better of FC Ryukyu on two separate occasions. A 1-0 win in Chiba on the first Wednesday night game of the year back on April 3rd followed up by a 2-0 win in Okinawa at the end of July. The loss in July was number 4 in the midst of a 5-game losing streak for FC Ryukyu which really piled the pressure on the squad and the manager Higuchi. FC Ryukyu were in complete freefall at that time and were tumbling down the J2 table with each consecutive loss. But despite suffering setbacks to JEF along the way, FC Ryukyu would go on to finish higher than JEF in the J2 table in 2019.
But a lot has changed since these sides last met nearly 7 months ago. Players have changed teams, JEF has changed their manager and there are different expectations for both clubs heading into 2020.
Weather Forecast
JEF Chiba United
JEF made some wholesale changes to a side that finished 17th in the table on 43 points in 2019. Often the punch line of several jokes stemming from numerous howlers and blunders, JEF has addressed the GK position this offseason by signing a veteran player from J1. Shoto Arai (Kawasaki Frontale) will look to sure up the final line of defense for JEF that only mustered 11 clean sheets from 42 matches in 2020. It is not as if clean sheets tell the whole story as there were probably a couple of occasions where a goal was conceded that either leveled or titled matches for JEF last season after they had already conceded.
Kleber will lead the JEF line up front as he did for much of last season. Kleber will be partnered with either newly signed Keita Yamashita (Renofa Yamaguchi) or Takayuki Funayama. Kleber banged in 17 goals in his 38 starts last season with Yamashita and Funayama each chipping 11/12 respectfully. Keita is 9 years younger than Funayama and perhaps the new coach favors a more aggressive style of play, with more gut busting runs compared to last season, and that may favor the younger Keita. JEF also signed Alan Pinheiro from Tokyo Verdy, a 17-goal scorer from just 2 seasons ago, to add to their firepower up front.
I cannot speak volumes on the defenders that JEF signed this offseason but it seems a majority of the issues that plagued this side in 2019 may very well continue into 2020. All in all, this looks like a club that wants to execute a very aggressive attacking style of play and run the opponent into the ground. But can they can keep opponents off the score sheet?
FC Ryukyu
Last year’s opening day starters for FC Ryukyu included Koji Suzuki, Kazaki Nakagawa, Keita Tanaka, Yu Tomidokoro, Kazumasa Uesato, Koki Kazama, Taishi Nishioka, Ryohei Okazaki, Shuhei Tokumoto Kosuke, Masutani and Dany Carvajal. From that group, only 6 remain, and of those 5, only 2 are likely start the opening match of 2020. This is nothing new to the fans of Ryukyu as many of us have seen some violent roster churn every season for this club. The question now becomes, can FC Ryukyu survive or thrive with this new group of players?
Up top will be Takuma Abe or Shinya Uehara for FC Ryukyu. Either will be flanked by Keita Tanaka, Koya Kazama, Shuto Kawai or Shunsuke Motegi with recent college graduate, Ren Ikeda, possibly leading the charge from the #10 slot. The youngster believes he is in the poll position to start the year there and that would come as a big surprise considering he beat out the likes of Koya and others to take over the CAM role. But whatever, name brand recognition is nice, results are so much better. So, if he can indeed prove his mettle out there, then I am all for it.
FC Ryukyu has made whole sale changes to back line that conceded a J2 league leading 81 goals last season. Tokumoto, Masutani, Nishioka have departed and Ryohei Okazaki is out injured. In comes newly signed North Korean National Team Player, Lee Yong Jick, and on-loan defender from Tokushima Vortis, Daisei Suzuki. At full back there is Felipe Taveras (RB), signed from a Brazilian Club this offseason, as well as (LB) Keito Numata who transferred in from Zweigen Kanazawa to replace Tokumoto. If Tavares can produce, or Torikai can get healthy and return to his top form, defense could all of a sudden become be a hidden strength for this team. There is an off chance that Ryoji Fukui starts in place of Suzuki, as he was Highuchi’s preferred choice all last season when there was an injury anywhere cross the back 4, but Suzuki seems to have the demeanor you want in a CB and I hope he is in there come Sunday.
Finally, we come onto the goal keeping crew. With Dany out rehabbing from offseason surgery, FCR are left with some unproven options on the roster. Inose started one match for FC Ryukyu last year at Mito and Tsumita has never featured for the club at this level. Then there is Junto Taguchi who signed from Albirex Niigata but I believe hasn’t featured in a competitive match in well over year. The closest I could find was a loan spell at Fujieda MYFC. For a side that only kept 7 clean sheets in all of 2019 (all 7 from Dany) there are many questions and concerns heading into the season opener.
Going to add a twist for 2020 to this section and provide a level of confidence after each key to victory indicating the likelihood that I think it will happen. The scale below:
5. An almost certainty: 4 Fairly Certain: 3 Somewhat Certain: 2 Very Unlikely: 1 Miracle
1. Stifle the JEF attack and do not expose the FCR goal keeper. I think FC Ryukyu may have the advantage on defense (words I would have never uttered in 2019) so this is a real possibility and necessity on Sunday. I cannot speak to how Higuchi split the preseason reps between Taguchi, Inose and Tsumita but the last thing FCR needs to do is turn this game into a shooting gallery back there for our goalie. Likelihood: 2
2. Exploit the JEF back line. The JEF defensive unit, much like the FCR back line, is newly formed and learning to play together for the first time. This is probably the weakest link in the JEF side which should allow FCR to get some shots on net which leads to point #3. Likelihood: 4
3. Capitalize on whatever opportunities are afforded by the JEF defense. JEF’s goalkeeper is a step up from last year and a proven shot stopper so weak, ill-advised and off-target shots will not help FCRs chances of victory. Especially if we only have 2-3 quality scoring chances that day. Abe seems dialed in from the amount of pre-season goals he scored so hopefully he can bag a brace on the weekend and give FCR the win. Likelihood: 3
Match Prediction
JEF is stronger on the ends of the pitch at GK and FWD with FCR having the advantage through the middle (MF/DEF). JEF has 3 proven double-digit goal scorers from last year whereas FCR have none. FCR also lack the experience in goal compared to that of JEF. However, FCR are slightly stronger across the back line and loaded with talent through the MF.
Each side is orientated to the attack and therefore this game will boil down to who has the most cracks at the back. Unlike last year when FCR failed to fire in any of their matches against JEF, I think this year will be different. However, I also feel that JEF will capitalize on their opportunities more than FCR and therefore will edge out FCR on the opening day.
Match Day Prediction: JEF UTD Chiba 2-1 FC Ryukyu.
J Soccer Magazine also has a ton of information on these clubs as well as all the J League sides.http://www.jsoccer.com/new/j2
Check out the latest J2 podcast,J-Talk Extra Time Ep.121, on iTunes Podcasts as well as Podbean where Stuart and Jon cover the opening round of fixtures for J2 this weekend.@sushi_football & @J2KantoBites
Conclusion
It is truly anyone’s guess how the opening day fixture will play out as we’ve never seen these sides face each other with this current crop of players. Will the occasion be too much for Taguchi in net for FCR? Does FCR have the firepower to get into shootouts this season? Can the back line for FCR morph from a position of weakness in 2019 to one of strength in 2020? All good questions that will be answered in short order. But for now, let’s enjoy the opening fixture of the 2020 season as we’ve all waited long enough for it to finally come around.
The 2020 preseason has come to a close for FC Ryukyu and with that, there are plenty of observations and questions still surrounding this club leading into the regular season. let’s take a quick glimpse at each of those and then prepare for JEF Chiba United next Sunday.
*No score sheet provided for Kaiho Bank nor amount of multiple goals in a single match for any one player.
Player Injuries
Dany Carvajal: Ankle Surgery, 8-12-week recovery time beginning in December. Dany is probably 2/3 of the way through his recovery/rehab and is not walking with any noticeable limp or restrictions. Expect him back by April 1.
Yuya Torikai: Dislocated Tendon Surgery for his Ankle, 3-month recovery starting in October of 2019. Torikai has shed the support tape around the ankle/calf but I have no idea if he is at match fitness level yet. Saw him the other day and similar to Dany, no limp and looks eager to return.
Ryohei Okazaki: Foot Fracture, 5-week recovery. Could return as early as March 9.
Club Announcements
1. FC Ryukyu will have their own beach soccer team and the first practice is on March 8th. http://fcryukyu-bs.com.
2. FC Ryukyu re-signed Ramon and then sent him out on loan to Gainare Tottori. He promptly scored in one of the preseason matches.
3. Uesato was named team captain again for the 2020 season.
4. FC Ryukyu signed Yuhei Abe to a technical staff position. This signing may go under the radar but could be of vital importance for the club. I am not sure what he will study, or how his data analysis will impact Higuchi’s game plan each week, but it is an encouraging sign from the club.
Large, Looming Questions ahead of the First Match Day
1. Who will be the FC Ryukyu starting GK for Match Day 1? One has to feel that Junto Taguchi has the upper hand in that regard but has Inose or Masuda done enough to assert themselves this off-season? It is vitally important that FC Ryukyu get Dany back to full health and match fit quickly as they are a different side when he is in there and at 100%. The first 11 weeks are a brutal slate of games for FC Ryukyu and we need our top players out there each week.
2. Who fills in for Okazaki at CB while he is out injured? According to the roster, and Higuchi’s preference from 2019, that would be Ryoji Fukui. However, I wouldn’t count out Daisei Suzuki from what I saw of that player in the pre-season. Suzuki has a loud booming voice that easily organizes a back line and could prove a shrewd signing if he out produces Okazaki this year.
3. The Lineup crisis. Many questions here. First, who starts at FWD (Abe or Uehara) and can either play a full 90’? Second, do we have a true #10 behind either Abe or Uehara? I have zero idea who will be out there in one week’s time and for all I know, it could be someone totally unexpected. Finally, how does Higuchi get all the talented midfielders on this roster into the lineup, and keep them happy? Bursting at the seems with MF talent it would be wise to play those players that have the “hot hand” vice sticking to a lineup with the hopes that a player returns to form.
4. The Shinji Ono paradox. Simply put, attendance numbers versus results. Can Shinji play a full 90? If Higuchi decides to play Shinji, coupled with the fact that both our strikers are over 30 years old, has Higuchi limited his substitution options every game down to just 1? Let me explain, if Shinji enters/exits for Koki Kazama, that is 1 substitution. If Higuchi intends on subbing Uehara or Abe for each other at some point, that is sub number 2. Therefore, FC Ryukyu have only 1 available sub every match. This becomes predictable for our opponents and means we tread a very fine line for not picking up a red card or injury at any point. Granted, FC Ryukyu had zero red cards in 2019 but you certainly cannot bank on that in 2020. Lineup selection and reserve/substitution selection will be very interesting to begin the season.
5. Have FC Ryukyu solved the defensive woes that led to the most goals conceded in J2 during 2019? I have no idea and the fact that we’ll have a new CB partnership, plus GK, provides glimmers of hope with bouts of trepidation. FC Ryukyu cannot live on the razors edge as they did last year. The bleeding at the back has to stop.
6. Where will the goals come from in 2020? FC Ryukyu have sold their top goal scorers in each of the last 2 seasons. Yuta Togashi, Nakagawa, Koji and Uejo are all gone. That is absolutely ridiculous while being completely understandable for a club with limited resources. So then, who steps up? I think if FC Ryukyu can get 14 goals from Abe in 2020, coupled with some Mid-Fielders chipping in a bunch, we could be alright. We will need Uehara, Kawai, Tanaka, Koya and Motegi to be around the 4-5 goal mark each. We will also need about 5-7 goals from our defenders. Then the big ask will be to reduce the amount of goals we concede. Our opposition certainly has the advantage early as we without our starting CB and GK to begin the campaign.
Conclusion
So nothing unexpected here, many questions and many uncertainties surrounding FC Ryukyu. 2020 maybe a season where the goal is just building the fan base an increasing the operating budget for 2021. Not as glamorous as making it to J1 but football, most of the time, is a marathon not a sprint. We are building something special here in Okinawa and that journey continues in one weeks time.
Stuart (@stuartcw), a friend of mine and supporter of FC Ryukyu (Yokohama F Marinos as well!), once mentioned on the J-Talk Podcast that he was shocked that cab drivers here on Okinawa did not know there was a professional football franchise on Okinawa nor did they have any idea where they played their home games. This is both shocking and completely unacceptable, and something that needs to be changed immediately.
This is easier said then done. First, FC Ryukyu are way behind the power curve when it comes to marketing compared to the Ryukyu Golden Kings. But this isn’t the club’s fault. The Kings were winning titles and bringing notoriety to Okinawa when FC Ryukyu were struggling to make a name for themselves in the JFL and eventual J3. Therefore, the Kings have a well-established fan base with powerful name brand recognition. Heck, every time I get a Family Mart Spicy Chicken in Okinawa it comes wrapped in Golden Kings signage!
Second, FC Ryukyu always need to deal with the weather elements compared to their counterparts who operate in an indoor, climate-controlled environment. Can anyone recall how many games last season the weather forecast was bleak or calling for rain? Even better, how many times was it calling for nice weather only to start raining out of nowhere once people were seated? Asking families, or individuals, to expose themselves to the elements for 3 hours or more is a tough request outside of the hardliners who attend games regardless of weather forecasts.
Third, getting the stadium, and finding parking is a challenge despite its location in the second largest metropolis of Okinawa. There is nothing the club can do to improve the overall infrastructure of the island but this is a factor the club must consider during match days.
Fourth, the operating budget for the squad is quite large compared to the Kings. A roster of players and staff around 40, marketing team and stadium support staff drain the coffer quickly. Then there are the extra costs of marketing, travel and keeping the power on at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon.
Finally, this is Okinawa, historically one of the prefectures with the least amount of discretionary income with industries designed around tourism and retail. In plain English, when games kickoff between 6 and 8 PM, many that would consider coming, are at work and therefore can only attend on a limited basis instead of a consistent one that could drive up attendance levels each season.
If you are like me, then you know there is nothing worse than someone in your professional life offering up all sorts of issues and problems without providing any courses of action on how to correct those deficiencies. I will instead offer a few of my own ideas with the understanding that I am acting on incomplete information when it comes to the actual financials of the club and the prefecture. I am simply stating my observations as an outsider. Remember my goal is too; “Make every cab driver aware of FC Ryukyu and where they play.”
Name Brand Recognition
The first hurdle to overcome is the notion that people on Okinawa may not know, or may not care, that there is a professional Football club on Okinawa. Actually, there are two football clubs, with all due respect to OSV who are making a name for themselves in the JFL, but I am specifically referring to FC Ryukyu. Last season was the first time I could recall seeing a wider coverage and exposure of the club on the daily news and in print. This was great, and the fact that I could finally find FC Ryukyu paraphernalia in Family Mart was surprising. But by the club’s own admission, the marketing strategy at the end of the 2019 season needed to change. They are moving away from the “grass roots approach” of handing out flyers on Kokusai-dori with a focus on targeting specific groups and/or organizations. Well then, what can they do to combat the onslaught of the Ryukyu Golden Kings marketing department that has their name on everything from Family Mart Chicken wrappers to Awamori Bottles?
1. Do not ignore the large American contingent here on Okinawa who have large amounts of discretionary income. I am fully aware of all the political and personal tensions that exist here in Okinawa as resident of this island for well over 10 years. But nothing brings a community together like sport and nothing improves a bottom line like an extra couple of thousand or more fans on average at home games. I can speak directly to this point as I’ve been adopted into the very fabric of the FC Ryukyu supporter crew and I have intimate knowledge of the simplicity on exposing the Expat community to FC Ryukyu. The best part it is, it is all but free and gift wrapped for the club if they wish to pursue this endeavor. They didn’t last year, and I can sympathize as to why, but they should really consider it this year if they wish to achieve their financial goals in the interim.
2. Flyers in every window of every convenience store on Okinawa. Much like I see from the Kings, simply putting the thought of the club in everyone’s mind as they approach a store front could do more than handing out flyers. Even more so, leave nothing to chance and market this club from Cape Kyan (Itoman) to Cape Hedo (Hedo Point!). Just to drive that nail home, don’t forget the outlying islands of the Okinawa as well.
3. Signage at the Naha Airport and in Naha city. This is one step in a much larger process but at least getting banners and signage in high trafficked areas is important and absolutely necessary. In fact, I can recall a Ryukyu Golden Kings Billboard in the heart of Naha near some popular eateries but saw nothing of FC Ryukyu all last year.
Getting the fans to the stadium and keeping them there!
There is no doubt that weather is crazy here in Okinawa. Heat, humidity, rain and the occasional typhoon make attending matches a constant struggle in a completely exposed environment. Also, if you’ve never driven around Okinawa, then you don’t understand the problem of commute times with numerous traffic lights or the lack of parking. We can all agree there is nothing that FC Ryukyu can do to improve the weather or infrastructure here on Okinawa, and to their credit, they have found creative ways to mitigate some of the factors. Busing in fans, off-site parking with transportation and child care are but three of the more successful ideas the club instituted in 2019. But at what cost? I have no numbers to indicate that any of these were beneficial to the club but do see that the busing in of fans from Naha and ability to reserve parking the near the stadium have continued.
4. Continue all the programs offered in 2019 into 2020 with the caveat that buses should depart from areas north of the stadium as well. Offer pickup points at subway/rail stops up to the stadium and begin tapping the market North of Okinawa City. Plenty of fans would rather not deal with finding parking compared to cost-efficient transportation to and from games. Discount the cost of transportation to season pass holders and offer single/multiple game packages with transportation to those without a season pass. There is a rich untapped market North of Okinawa City (Ishikawa & Nago) that should be brought into the fold for 2020.
5. Offer flexible season and multiple game packages. There are currently 2 choices for season packages, full and half season. Well, FC Ryukyu should offer everything from 3, 5, 10, 15, and 21 game passes that allow the customer to choose which games to attend or offer packages for games with historically low attendance levels from 2019. There is no doubt that some will choose the most popular, or better weather games, but at least you’ve got the advance ticket sales.
6. Create a “tailgate” atmosphere around the stadium. I can speak at volumes on this subject but I will be brief. There are hundreds of fans milling about outside the stadium prior to matches. Not all are frequenting the vendors nor purchasing merchandise. Create an atmosphere around the grounds in which people want to arrive 2 to 3 hours prior to kickoff. Allow local bands, at no cost to the club (outside of coordinating noise ordinance laws), host fan events, have a “hype” man walking around getting the crowd ready for the match and frequenting sponsors stalls. Bring the two opposing sets of fans together with friendly games. Just be different and trendsetting compared to so many stadium atmospheres around the J League.
7. After the game is over you want to do all you can to maximize merchandise sales but also take care of the fans. That starts with working with local authorities (i.e. the Japanese Police) to control traffic flow out of the stadium. The surrounding road arteries are always congested as all the lights in Okinawa operate on the antiquated timer system creating choke points. Additionally, work with local cab/daiko companies to have a designated taxi/daiko stands to transport fans away from games. Finally, offer a lighted/marked path for all fans to utilize the bus stops near the stadium.
Don’t Fight the Tide
8. The Ryukyu Golden Kings are the kings when it comes to marketing. Work with them, not against them. FC Ryukyu are not direct competitors for fans as their seasons only overlap for part of the year (OCT, NOV, FEB & MAR). Offer the “Total Okinawa Sports Experience” that includes a Golden Kings and FC Ryukyu game package at discounted prices within a weekend. Plus add any other sport like Asteeda Table Tennis to maybe wrap a Friday to Sunday package. Better to establish the bonds now instead of when the Ryukyu Blue Oceans Baseball team starts up and begins sucking the life blood from FC Ryukyu fan base in the form of ticket sales.
Loud & Clear Message
9. People want nothing more to assimilate with a group, a purpose, or a team. Well I am here to tell you that one way to achieve that for a sports team is to deliver merchandise in a quick and timely manner. I am assuming that FC Ryukyu cannot produce a surplus of goods hoping to sell them throughout a season. But the inverse is also as excruciating. The amount of time from “click” to “order complete” to “delivery’ needs to cut down substantially for FC Ryukyu. We want and need access to that merchandise quickly.
For the Okinawa’s from the Okinawan’s
The hardest entry that deserves the most mental rigor. How can we change the fundamental thinking of spending money on sports here in Okinawa? Simply put, you win the whole “fuckin$ thing.” The words made famous by the film Major League, you defy and surpass everyone’s expectation. Truth is FC Ryukyu did this in 2018 by winning the J3 title and carrying forward a 36 game home unbeaten streak that still couldn’t produce the attendance levels one would assume should occur after a side hadn’t lost at home in over 2 years. So what can be done?
10. Begin groundbreaking on new facilities for the club. The training grounds and new stadium seem to be years away and that is not good. We need to instill a desire for players around Japan to come to the club, and not depart for higher wages. It is not as if Okinawa is so remote compared to some of the places that I attended games in 2019. There is a lot to offer for both the married and single footballer here in Okinawa and the facilities need to match.
11. A finish near the J1/J2 playoff bracket would certainly be a start. There is constant talk of getting to the J1, but we need to build the fan base up first. I could see why the club may ignore the idea of marketing to the large American community on Okinawa in favor of building a local fan base, as you never know what could happen with the American presence on Okinawa. But, for now, half full stadiums and limited revenue will only see the perpetuation of FC Ryukyu selling their top talent at the end of every season.
A New Hope
It is not as bleak as it may sound for FC Ryukyu here in Okinawa and in fact, there is massive potential. If you simply took a cab ride North from Naha, you would see what looks like one large, intertwined city. This is great news for the club. Unlike towns with populations that max at around 250,000, Okinawa has a population of 1,452,000, with roughly 60% (829,000) of that total population contained within 6 cities of Okinawa that border each other (Naha, Urasoe, Ginowan, Chatan, Okinawa City and Uruma). That is a city of nearly 1,000,000 people within 16 miles of one another.
You could make the argument that there is no rail system and that transportation is tough, but is all the more reason to build the new stadium in Naha as well as improve on how these fans could get to the stadium each week.
Conclusion
All in all, it was a very successful season for FC Ryukyu in the J2 last year. Any newly promoted team always faces the harsh reality of getting demoted, see Kagoshima last season. FC Ryukyu will continue to struggle to draw the large crowds required to fund a serious run at the J1 until they can move out of the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium and into a ground they can call their own. In the meantime, the club, and its fans, need to find new ways to draw locals to the stadium. 7,500 fans per game is the mark on the wall for 2020. Challenge Accepted!
For the second installment of the 2020 FC Ryukyu season preview, I will look at the schedule of FC Ryukyu in 2020. While it is hard to predict which teams will start slow but finish strong, Omiya and Tokushima come to mind from last season, as well as who will be good and who will be bad, I will make some generous assumptions in this entry.
As you may know, there are 42 games in the J2 season with an even split of home and away games. The half way point of the 2020 season will occur around Sunday June 21st. However, there is a long “work stoppage” due to the Tokyo Olympics which begins on Sunday July 19th and lasts until Monday August 10th. That is a total of 21 days between matches in the J2. As you would rightly assume, this will have massive implications for all the teams throughout the J League.
Players will still be required to train during this period and they will have already played an additional 2 mid-week matches up to this point (in the J2 at least). There is also the possibility of playing 1, if not 2, Emperor’s Cup games at this point for some J2 clubs. Many teams may look back at the end of the year and see this as the tilting point to their season. There will certainly be equal shares of teams, both with and without momentum at the stopping point, who will witness a change in their fortunes. Another factor is that key players may also return from injury, or at the very least, have additional time to rehabilitate that will also shape the outcome of teams for the all-important end run of 2020.
For FC Ryukyu there is one additional tax that many mainland teams do not need to pay. They have to travel long distances for every road game. The farthest they will travel will be to Montedio Yamagata with the shortest trip being to V-Varen Nagasaki. Yamagata is not nearly as far as some of FC Ryukyu’s past opponents, like Akita and Morioka in the J3, but they still have to fly 2-3 hours plus factoring in additional commute times by bus to some locations. This will certainly take its toll on the squad. But with that being said, lets begin!
MATCHES 1-21
MATCHES 22-42
1.@ JEF United Chiba
22. JEF United Chiba
2. Fagiano Okayama
23.@ Mito Hollyhock
3.@ Kyoto Sanga FC
24. Kyoto Sanga FC
4. Albirex Niigata
25.@ Tokushima Vortis
5. @ Thespakusatsu Gunma
26. @Tochigi SC
6. Tokushima Vortis
27. Thespakusatsu Gunma
7.@ Ventforet Kofu
28. @ Fagiano Okayama
8. Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.
29. Omiya Ardija
9. Montedio Yamagata
30. @ Giravanz Kitakyushu
10.@ Omiya Ardija
31. @ Renofa Yamaguchi
11. Mito Hollyhock
32. Avispa Fukuoka
12. FC Machida Zelvia
33. @ Matsumoto Yamagata FC
13.@ Avispa Fukuoka
34. Zweigen Kanazawa
14. Renofa Yamaguchi
35. @ Montedio Yamagata
15.@ V-Varen Nagasaki
36. @ Albirex Niigata
16. Giravanz Kitakyushu
37. Ventforet Kofu
17. Tochigi SC
38. Tokyo Verdy
18.@ Tokyo Verdy
39. @ FC Machida Zelvia
19. Ehime FC
40. Jubilo Iwata
20.@ Jubilo Iwata
41. @Ehime FC
21.@ Zweigen Kanazawa
42. V-Varen Nagasaki
1. FC Ryukyu will play 11 home games in the first half of the season and 10 in the second half.
2. FC Ryukyu will play the 4 J1/J2 playoff teams from 2019 in a matter of 5 weeks (Vortis & Kofu Match Days 6 & 7; Yamagata & Omiya Match Days 10 & 11).
3. FC Ryukyu will play 4 mid-week matches in 2020, Match Days 5,12, 14 & 34. The last 3 are all at home.
4. FC Ryukyu will have 4 pairs of both back to back home games, and back to back away games.
5. The J League schedulers are funny people as one of those back to back road pairs happens to be the 2 farthest locations for the club in 2020. FC Ryukyu will play away to Montedio Yamagata and Albirex Niigata in a matter of 6 days on Match Days 35 & 36. I hope they intend to stay on mainland and find a suitable practice facility as that back forth distance leaves little time for recovery, training and travel between games.
6. In one 10 game stretch, Match Days 8-17, FC Ryukyu play 7 out of those 10 games at home. There are no other combinations in the schedule where FC Ryukyu plays more than 6 home/road games in any 10-game stretch.
7. FC Ryukyu will once again play Ehime FC on the road on Match Day 41.
8. FC Ryukyu will face Jubilo Iwata & Ehime FC in consecutive weeks twice this season. And they both occur at the same time in each half of the schedule (Match Days 19 & 20 & Match Days 40 & 41).
9. FC Ryukyu will play 17 games after the Olympic break (8 home/9 away).
10. FC Ryukyu will play 4 home games and 7 road games in the first 11 games after the Olympics.
11. FC Ryukyu will play 4 of their remaining 6 games in 2020 at home.
12. FC Ryukyu will play JEF Chiba United on Match Day 1 & Match Day 21 to start both the first and second halves of the season.
13. The shortest time gap between playing any one opponent is 8 weeks when FC Ryukyu play Tochigi SC (Match Days 17 & 26).
14. Every match following a game in which FC Ryukyu faces Montedio Yamagata, the opponent’s primary color is Orange (Omiya & Niigata).
15. FC Ryukyu play 24 games on Saturday, 13 on Sunday, 4 on Wednesday and 1 on a Monday.
16. FC Ryukyu play 16 games over a 3-month period (March to May)
17. The busiest month for FC Ryukyu is May with 6 matches and the slowest is July with 3 games.
Simple Observations
Whereas FC Ryukyu started amazingly fast to open the 2019 season, and caught teams sleeping on them, FC Ryukyu have a brutal 11 game stretch to open the 2020 season. They open against a team that beat them twice last season, face two newly revamped sides aiming for promotion in consecutive weeks, then play 4 JI/J2 playoff teams from 2019. Next, we sprinkle in games against the newly promoted J3 side who may have the “new boy bump” occurring, as well as the newly demoted side seeking to climb right back up to J1. Then to top it all off, they face a side who barely missed the playoffs last season. The schedule does not let up until match day 12 for this club and I hope we are not near the bottom left wondering where a quarter of the season disappeared too.
For a large part, the paragraph above represents a combination of how a majority of those teams finished in 2019 as well as some of the more popular opinions floating around today. As my knowledge of the J League continues to grow, thanks in large part to the excellent group of people on twitter – as well as the series of J-Talk podcasts- it is becoming apparent that players change clubs routinely and therefore so do the fortunes of the clubs. But make no mistake, this is a tough schedule for any side and FC Ryukyu will need to do all they can to grind out some early points so as not to find themselves in a relegation scrap come September.
I will break this down by position and then I will offer my thoughts on a projected starting 11. Please keep in mind that each player is being discussed in the light of his possible role in Higuchi’s preferred 4-2-3-1 lineup selection. Higuchi never wavered once over the course of last season when choosing a formation so there is no reason to believe he will change to say a 3-5-3, or anything else for that matter, for 2020.
Goalkeepers (4)
#1 Dany Carvajal: FC Ryukyu’s first choice at GK in 2019. Dany made some spectacular saves during the 2019 campaign. It was a shame Dany wasn’t able to close out the season since he ultimately required surgery to repair a high ankle sprain he suffered against Yokohama in June. Dany should have a much better set up in front of him this year which should cut down on a lot of the goals that were conceded in 2019. Dany’s health will be the major issue to begin 2020 as he will still be rehabbing from surgery this past December. This team will need his services very soon as they will be relying on several untested goal keepers to start the season.
#17 Keisuke Masuda: A member of the club since 2016, Keisuke has rarely featured for the club. I believe he has 8 appearances overall since 2016 with a majority of those (5) occurring in 2017. Likely to feature only if there are several injuries ahead of him.
#26 Kosuke Inose: Kosuke joined FC Ryukyu last season and should be considered a long-term prospect for the club. He did feature once last season, against Mito Hollyhock when Dany was out injured and back up keeper, Ishii, couldn’t play due to loan regulations from his parent club Mito. Ryukyu lost 3-1 but Inose at least earned some match day experience against a very tough opponent.
#26 Junto Taguchi: The goal keeper with the most match experience behind Dany (21 matches for Fujieda MYFC while on loan from Yokohama F Marinos). Signed from Albirex Niigata, Taguchi will look to push into the starting 11 with Dany out to start the season and secure the role of second choice keeper for FC Ryukyu.
The club’s signings this off-season indicate that they have full faith in Dany as their first-choice keeper for 2020. However, the competition for the #2 choice behind Dany is wide open between the 3 backups and someone will need to assert themselves as the first choice keeper for the first 3-4 weeks of the 2020 season.
Defenders (8)
#2 Yuya Torikai RB: Signed in the 2019 summer transfer window from Renofa Yamaguchi, Torikai stepped right in and provided a veteran presence that the back line was lacking. At the time of his signing, FC Ryukyu were dealing with a bevy of injuries to the back 4 as well as loaning out Masutani to Okayama. Torikai’s play looked solid early on and he can create his fair share of chances in the attack. What is more impressive is ability to track back and defend which is what the side needs more of this year. He suffered a rather nasty ligament injury to end the 2019 season and his rehab will see him miss the start of the 2020 season. He returned to FC Ryukyu after spending the last five and half season with Renofa Yamaguchi.
#3 Ryoji Fukui CB/FB: Fukui proved to be a good signing for the club in 2019 because he is versatile enough to play all 4 defensive positions in Higuchi’s lineup, which is exactly what he did all last year. Fukui has plenty of experience but that never really translated into stopping the bleeding at the back in 2019. He often gets a lot of criticism for his poor play from some pundits out there but he should reprise his role as the first-choice defender off the bench for Higuchi in 2020. Has died his hair blonde and was nearly unrecognizable. Maybe this signals a new way of playing as well.
#4 Ryohei Okazaki CB: Signed from Shonan Bellmare in 2019, Okazaki became Higuchi’s first choice CB for the entire season. Okazaki only missed games due to suspensions from yellow card accumulation which is a credit to his fitness. This was his first season in which he featured as a starter and I hope that experience translates over to better play in 2020. He is likely to be paired with Lee Yong Jick at CB to begin 2020.
#5 Felipe Tavares RB: Tavares joins FC Ryukyu from Brazilian club, Sociedade Esportiva do Gama. Tavares is a relatively unknown commodity as there is not much out there that I can find for this player. I believe he had some loan spells or tryouts with some JFL clubs in the past but nothing that can be verified. He has some decent height on him and hopefully has a bit of a nasty streak as I’d like to see our defenders put in a better performance for 2020. He will most likely start at RB to begin 2020 if he earns the trust of Higuchi during camp.
#9 Lee Yong Jick CB: Signed from Tokyo Verdy this off season, the North Korean national team player will look to sure up a rather shaky back line. Most have said this has been FC Ryukyu’s best signing this season and I pray that it is true. First, outside of Shinji Ono, Lee is the only internationally capped player on the side. Second, Lee’s height makes him a weapon on set pieces indicated by his 4 goals as a defender last year. To provide some context, those 4 goals are close to the total amount of goals scored by all FC Ryukyu defenders last season.
#14 Keigo Numata LB: Signed from Zweigen Kanazawa this winter, Numata will look to fill the void of departed LB, Shuhei Tokumoto. Tokumoto and Numata are similar types of players but Tokumoto has the advantage of youth. Numata’s presence will add much to the FC Ryukyu attack as he can score goals and provide service in the form of crosses to the attacking players. Numata has loads of experience and has played abroad during his career. His signing indicates a strong push by the club to add experience over potential/prospects to the Ryukyu back line.
#15 Tetsuya Chinen FB: Youth signing, will most likely not feature for the club this season barring numerous injuries to the back 4.
#24 Daisei Suzuki CB: On loan from Tokushima Vortis, he may push one of the starting CBs for playing time but will most likely serve as a backup to Okazaki and Yong Jick.
Defense was a major area of concern heading into 2020 and that was before Tokumoto departed for Okayama. I think the club has done well to respond to that criticism and hopefully that translates into far fewer goals conceded in 2020.
Midfielders (12)
#6 Koki Kazama CDM: Koki featured heavily in the FC Ryukyu lineup last season, that was, until he lost his starting role with the additions of Shinji Ono and his brother Koya. Koki continued to make spot starts and substitution appearances the remainder of the way and is probably best known for his free kicks. He hit an absolute cracker last season and narrowly missed a second when it deflected off the crossbar. Higuchi mainly swapped Shinji and Koki for the other every match and it will be interesting to see if that is the case in 2020.
#7 Shinji Ono MF: Signed from Consadole Sapporo in the 2019 summer transfer window, Shinji brings massive name brand recognition to FC Ryukyu. He also brought a calming veteran presence to a side that was in the midst of their worst run of form all season. Though the 40 year old, I believe now 41, didn’t score for the club last year, his contributions cannot be underestimated. It is anyone’s guess how Shinji will be employed this season. He featured in more of CMF role next to Uesato where it seemed he was directing the attacking players while trying to unlock the opposition’s defense with some surgical passing. There is no doubt that Shinji is a quality player but the reality is that he may not be at a fitness level to play a full 90 minutes each week. In fact, he would either start and retire at half time or come on late with about 25-30 minutes remaining in any match so this is what should be expected in 2020.
#8 Koya Kazama LM/CMF: Signed from FC Gifu in the 2020 winter transfer window, Koya came to the club on loan from FC Gifu this past summer. His presence in the starting 11, along with Shinji Ono’s, really helped turn the club around at its lowest point last season. Koya is quality J2 veteran who still has a lot to offer. He played out wide to the right and pushed Keita Tanaka to the bench for the remainder of 2019. When paired with Torikai, the two made a very nice combination down the right side of the FC Ryukyu attack. I am not sure if he is better suited inside, playing directly behind the FWD/Striker, or is better out wide. He will be in direct competition with Keita Tanaka, Shunsuke Motegi and Kazuki Yamaguchi for a place in the starting 11.
#10 Yu Tomidokoro LM: Mr. Ryukyu. A mainstay at the club for well over 7 seasons he is a fan favorite and free kick specialist. He began the 2019 campaign starting at the LM position but picked up an early ankle/foot sprain that saw him miss some time (think it was around 4-5 weeks). He returned to the lineup but could never find that rich vein of form he had in 2018 from the FK spot. In fact, Uesato took many more FKs than Yu which was a bit disappointing. Yu did stroke a FK home in an important home match to give FC Ryukyu the victory mid-season but was ultimately replaced by the ascending Shuto Kawai. Similar to most of our MF players, Yu has serious competition for a starting position as well as a spot in the reserves each week.
#11 Keita Tanaka LM: Tanaka returned to FC Ryukyu in 2019 after spending 2 seasons at Mito Hollyhock. Keita was a lethal finisher for FC Ryukyu prior to his departure where he netted 22 goals in 2 seasons. Things looked very bright for Keita to start 2019 when he opened his scoring account on a beautifully taken shot against Omiya Ardija on the road. However, that would be Tanaka’s only goal of 2019. He eventually lost his starting position and was never able to claw back into the lineup, outside of a rare substitution appearance. There has been quite a lot of chatter this off-season concerning Tanaka and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him start out very hot this season and possibly regain a role in the starting 11.
#13 Shuto Kawai LM: Outside of Uejo’s meteoric rise, no other player was more exciting to watch develop into a top player than Kawai. He jumped off the screen with his speed in his initial debut but you could see he had a way to go when it came to maintaining body and ball control at that high rate of speed. He disappeared for a while and we were a left wondering about his whereabouts. However, he made a triumphant return to the lineup and asserted himself as a member of the starting 11. Kawai has the ability to round defenders with his speed and stretch the opponents defense therefore opening up shooting lanes for the other attacking players. Kawai can also provide excellent crosses in addition to finishing. His goal to level the match away to Kyoto last season was a well taken shot from about 25 yards out. I would very much like to see Kawai start the season at LM as I think he has a much stronger supporting cast around him this season. I fear that if he is too good, FC Ryukyu may lose him in the transfer window.
#18 Kazuki Yamaguchi MF/FWD: Signed from Shonan Bellmare, Yamaguchi is a bit of an unknown commodity. He is around 5’0” tall so one has to assume he serious amounts of speed. I don’t think he featured that often for Bellmare last season and I am not sure of his role in the club this year. He will need some match day experience to unlock his potential and at 24, he is probably a mid term prospect for the club. I could be wrong in my assessment though.
#20 Kazumasa Uesato CDM: Uesato joined FC Ryukyu last season from Roasso Kumamoto. Uesato brings loads of experience to FC Ryukyu and that is why he was voted team captain in 2019, and again in 2020. Uesato scored some spectacular goals last year with the standout one being against Tokyo Verdy. Deep into extra time he stroked home a deflected shot on the volley to level the match. Uesato also took his fair share of dead ball free kicks last season but I can only recall one of them actually going in. To his credit, Uesato rarely, if possibly ever, missed any time last season. I cannot recall him missing time due to injury so it would have had to come through suspension for yellow cards.
#23 Ren Ikeda MF: A college prospect that was signed this off-season. He is a developmental player with loads of talented players ahead of him the lineup. Looked sharp in the limited practice time I witnessed but I wouldn’t expect much from Ren in 2020.
#25 Lee Ji Song MF: Another college prospect, Lee was signed from a Korean University this off season. A name to follow for the future but very difficult to see him cracking the starting 11 in 2020.
#27 Shunsuke Motegi RM/LM: An extremely talented player that FC Ryukyu were able to lure away from Mito Hollyhock. Known for his crossing prowess, Motegi seems to fit the RM/LM role that Higuchi wants from his attacking players. At 24 years old, it was also quite a steal for the club. I am very excited to see how he is deployed as well as what he brings to the attack this season.
#28 Yoshiho Kazumi MF: Kazumi is a very talented prospect for this club. He featured a few times for FC Ryukyu last season and flashed a lot of the tools that make up a quality footballer. He looked really impressive against Tokyo Verdy in a limited appearance but was never fully able to crack the starting 11. He held his own and featured with so many talented players last season so it will be interesting to see if he can get any meaningful playing time in order to fully develop.
FC Ryukyu are blessed with so many talented players in the midfield that Higuchi will likely face a lineup crisis each week.
Forwards (3)
#16 Takuma Abe FWD: Signed from Vegalta Sendai, Abe is coming to FC Ryukyu in the twilight stages of his career. That is not to say he has nothing to offer, on the contrary, I think that Abe could end up being this team’s leading scorer in 2020 with a tally around 14-16 goals. He has loads of experience playing at high levels of competition here in Japan as well as abroad in Germany and South Korea. Abe hasn’t reached double digit goals since 2012 but he will have ample opportunity here in Okinawa as there are only 2 other players vying for the starting striker position.
#19 Takuya Hitomi FWD: A college prospect and therefore no real threat for playing time barring an injury to Abe or Uehara.
#21 Shinya Uehara FWD: Uehara came to FC Ryukyu via Ehime FC last season. He must have been dealing with some sort of injury all season as he never made an impact until late last season. But those were some massive contributions. Uehara has a knack for burying headers and scoring goals at some of the most crucial moments of games and point sin the season. He was also versatile enough to start at RB when Torikai and Nishioka were out injured. He is one of the local players from Okinawa to feature for FC Ryukyu thus making him a huge fan favorite. Both Abe and Uehara are around the same age with each offering a different element to the FC Ryukyu attack. If he doesn’t start, I could envision him coming on later in matches to give a distinct height advantage to FC Ryukyu on set pieces and corner kicks when he lines up with Lee Yong Jick, Okazaki and Tavares.
It seems strange that FC Ryukyu are only rostering 3 strikers, 2 with any real J League experience, considering they rostered 6 last season.
Well there you have it. FC Ryukyu’s squad for 2020 (27) is smaller compared to last year where they rostered 35. Maybe this is due to a larger wage bill for some newly acquired players or they are leaving open the possibility of players joining on loan/signing near the close of the winter window.
It seems odd that FC Ryukyu really only have 2 proven strikers/forwards to start the 2020 season but that is probably because some of the MFs maybe able to take over that role in times of crisis/contingency. Where FC Ryukyu isn’t lacking any depth is in the MF. They are loaded to the hilt and it will likely cost some of are younger players a chance at developing. But it sure will be exciting to watch these veterans ply their trade craft each week. We all know that competition brings out the best in players so each of them will need to prove themselves every practice and every match day.
The next installment to start the 2020 season will be to take a quick glance at the FC Ryukyu 2020 schedule. Until then, I’ll see you later.
Greetings, and welcome to the unofficial FC Ryukyu English blog for 2020. For those of you that are familiar with this blog, thank you for your patronage and for those that are just discovering this blog for the first time, welcome. I started the blog in 2019 in order to expose FC Ryukyu to a large non-Japanese speaking community here in Okinawa as well as abroad. I was initially frustrated with the lack of English content provided by the club’s website and wanted to generate interest for the team to the large expat community here on Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan. The end result was far greater than I expected as I was able to meet so many great people along the way who not only love FC Ryukyu, but love Japanese Football and Football altogether. It was a truly amazing ride in 2019 and I hope to continue this blog’s success in 2020.
Throughout 2019 I was able to meet many FC Ryukyu fans from all over the world as well as officials from the club. We traveled to away matches together, attended several events for the club outside of the match days and discussed how to gain exposure for the club. My only regret was I couldn’t speak Japanese as it would’ve made a much richer experience but I am so grateful for everyone that I met along the way. I was also able to gain a better understanding of football here in Japan, as well as abroad through so many great people on Twitter as well as the J-Talk & J-Talk Extra Time Podcast. Appearing on their podcast was one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had and if you do not follow them already, you really need too.
For those of you just tuning in, 2019 was a historic season for FC Ryukyu on several fronts. It was the first year that they would play in the J2 league after spending 5 season in the J3. It was also a year that saw the club achieve a historic moment in J Leauge Football. FC Ryukyu surpassed a 30 game unbeaten at home streak by Urawa to become the only club in the history of the J league to win/draw 36 consecutive games at home. There was some nervy, crazy and enjoyably moments during that streak and it was truly memorable. They almost made it to 37 but despite their 2-0 advantage over Ventforet Kofu just before halftime, they ultimately lost that match 5-2 and the streak came to a screeching halt.
FC Ryukyu’s 2019 campaign can best described as a roller-coaster ride of emotions for their fans. They began really hot by winning 4 in a row and drawing their next 2 to jump out to the table topping position with 14 points. They then struggled for points on the road as well as wins at home and began tumbling down the J2 table. They saw Koji Suzuki depart for Cerezo Osaka, but were reinforced by some key players in the summer transfer window. The most important being Shinji Ono. While Shinji didn’t score a goal for FC Ryukyu in 2019, no one can deny he drove up attendance levels over the remaining 2019 home matches for FC Ryukyu. They would eventually arrest their slide and settle for 14th place on 49 points. They broke out of their road form funk at the most crucial moment near the end of the season and pushed themselves into safety by October. However, this was a club that surrendered a league leading 81 goals and was only saved by some favorable results in addition to the teams below them faltering at critical moments.
So what do we have to look forward too in 2020? Uejo, Tokumoto, Masutani have departed to Fagiano Okayama and Nishioka has left for Ehime FC. FC Ryukyu have a very hard task of replacing their top two goal scorers from 2019 (Suzuki & Uejo) and will need to sure up the back line. They will also be dealing with injuries to key players to start the 2020 campaign as both Dany Carvajal (GK) and Torikai (RB) are recovering from off season ankle surgery.
Their off-season signings indicate a few things. First, Higuchi will continue to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation. Second, a majority of the signings are veteran players outside of a select few which means we have traded youth, or simply couldn’t afford them, for players that offer immediate returns on investment. Lee Yong Jick, a North Korean national team player will slot into the CB role along side Okasaki. Numato is a like for like replacement for Tokumoto at LB but he is five years older than Tokumoto. FC Ryukyu will also need to replace Torikai at RB while he recovers and that may come in the form of newly signed Felipe Tavares. An interesting prospect from Brazil that could either adapt quickly to life in the J2 and become a force to be reckoned with or turn into a role player for the club.
Up front the main question is who leads the line for Higuchi? Uehara scored some spectacular goals, at crucial moments for the club, but was never able to stay healthy for the whole campaign. Takuma Abe is looking to revive his career and I hope he can find that rich form down in the J2. But both players are over 30 years old and if injuries or poor form hit the club hard in 2020, we may see the infamous false-9 lineup that was made famous in La Liga so many years ago.
As far as the midfield is concerned, Higuchi has a major crisis selection on his hands as this is where a majority of talent resides for this club. But this is a good thing. Uesato and Shinji are likely to be the two CDM but its anybody’s guess who the remaining 3 midfielders will be. Kawai brings so much speed and developed into such a fine player in 2019 you wonder how he could be left out of the side. Tomidokoro is our FK specialist and then there are brothers Koya and Koki who are solid players. Tanaka maybe the teams come back player of the year and then we have the new signings and prospects. Koizumi is going to be a player some day but needs match day experience. Because he is a MF it maybe difficult on this club which is unfortunate. Yamaguchi from Bellmare and Motegi from Mito add the two crucial elements of speed and service to the FC Ryukyu attack both feature early on. As I said earlier, it is really hard to see how they all figure into the lineup in 2020.
Over the next few days I will release some entries that include a team preview, an early look at our 2020 schedule and areas of improvement I hope the club has addressed in 2020. Until then, enjoy the off season as the stress of playing in the J2 is merely a matter of days away.
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 20th 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 64th 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 4th 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.
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 4th 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 6th 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.
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 32nd 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 53rd 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 74th 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 88th 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 68th 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 85th 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 90th 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.
Tokyo Verdy 3-0 W
FC Ryukyu Updates in English 