FC Ryukyu Updates in English

Miss you all and will provide the Match Day Preview soon. Enjoying my holiday in Hawaii! See you soon.

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 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^th in 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!

Well once again we
face the reality of not knowing what players are currently injured – other than
waiting until the starting 11 and reserves are announced pre-match – so we have
to assume some injuries have carried over from last week and what to expect moving
forward.

# 2 Masutani Kosuke CB: Absent from the starting 11 and reserves against Ehime F.C., I am not sure what injury he has picked up.  I was there to see him finish out the match vs Omiya and he looked fine so he must’ve taken a knock in training or picked up an injury. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery because we will need all hands on deck in the back for the grueling J2 campaign.

# 33 Fukui Ryoki CB: Was dealing with some serious lower leg cramps near the end of the match vs Ehime FC and had to be subbed off in the 93’. This shouldn’t be a major issue going forward as his match fitness should improve over time along with playing a full match. In his defense, he was all over the pitch making play after play so getting worn down like he did while assisting in maintaining a clean sheet is totally understandable. Hydrate and stretch big man and hopefully we see you out there against Tokushima as that is a nice pairing at CB for FCR with Okazaki.

#4 Okazaki Ryohei CB: He seemed to take a nasty knock in the match and stayed down clutching his lower right leg. Despite Tokumoto signaling that either a trainer or change was required while standing over him, Okazaki was able to see out the match. He didn’t display any noticeable limp or loss of lateral movement or speed but we’ll see how he progresses throughout this week and if he’s in the starting 11/reserves next week. We really can’t afford to be dealing with too many injuries at the back this early as each of the players I’ve mentioned so far have been pretty solid for FCR.

#10 Tomidokoro Yu MF: Probably the injury update that most FCR fans want to read about. I was lucky enough to speak with Tomidokoro at this week’s match when he walked by me heading to the stands for a community relations event. I asked if he was doing alright and he replied with a “yes.” I asked him what was his injury and he pointed to his foot. This could indicate anything from an ankle sprain, soft tissue injury, plantar fasciitis or footballer’s ankle. Here is the good news, he was not walking with any noticeable limp, moved up and down stairs with ease, raised and lowered the injured foot with no issues.

Of course I had to ask when he would return to the lineup, to which he replied, “one week.” This is encouraging news because whatever ailed him has had time to heal and begin the strengthening process and will allow him to return to practice and ultimately match fitness. It seems FCR will be without his service for at least one more week and barring any setbacks in training, we’ll see him out there against Montedio Yamagata.

Well that’s all for
player injury updates. I simply lucked out by being in the right place at the
right time to hear directly from the player as to what was afflicting him. I
hope there are no repercussions for the players engaging the fans and being as
candid about their injuries as Tomidokoro was, but I’m grateful that he was and
hope we have greater visibility on the match fitness of all the FCR players.     

There has been a lot of noise on twitter after our last match concerning the
lack of fans who attended the match. It’s understandable considering there were
close to 8,000 people at the opening match two weeks prior in much poorer
weather conditions compared to around 2,500 for this last one. Hopefully it can
be attributed to the poor weather and this article can be a distant memory
going forward; but at the end of the day the bottom line is, FCR must get more
fans into the stands to have a sustainable future in the J2 and beyond.

In my opinion, there are three potential factors acting against FCR when it
comes to getting people to attend matches. They are: affordable public
transportation to the games, the climate of Okinawa and the demographics of the
island. First is the accessibility issue. The only forms of public
transportation to and from the match are buses. There is no rail system and
taxis can be expensive depending on your origin. It is not realistic to think
that many fans are willing to sit on buses for long periods of time just to
attend a match at their own expense. I know FCFR has offered shuttle services
in Naha and Awase but there are so many more areas on the island to consider.

Second is the climate of Okinawa. Despite being a tropical destination for
many tourists, playing matches between 1200 and 1800 is not feasible during the
summer months. I can recall back in 2014 and 2015 when FCR was playing matches
at these times and it really dampened the football watching experience. Players
had to take constant breaks in that heat and at times it derailed the overall
momentum for those teams. It just isn’t safe conditions for either the players
or the fans and I am glad to see the JLeague schedule a majority of FCR games
in the evening during these months.

Finally, the population of Okinawa is spread out over a wide swath of land
and a majority of the workforce here is possibly employed in the tourism or
retail (izakaya, restaurant and bar) industries. Therefore, those people who
could afford the cost of a ticket on a regular basis are probably at work
during the 1800-2000 kickoffs and cannot attend the games on a consistent
basis, thus potentially limiting the number of season ticket holders and casual
fans. When added together these three factors almost reinforce one another and
make it difficult to find a large audience to attend matches on a regular
basis.

Please keep in mind that I pulled a majority of this data from the Japan
External Trade organization but I am making some very liberal assumptions when
it comes to the number of employed persons per industry and overall median
income for the people of Okinawa. You could poke numerous holes throughout that
argument.

All this points to the notion that more community engagement is required by
FCR. This is not to say that FCR is doing nothing in the local community, quite
the opposite actually, but maybe there is potential to target more of the
Okinawa and foreigner populations on the island. Let’s look at what could be
done to target some of the foreigners on island.

As an American living and working in Okinawa I rarely see any advertisements
for FCR on any of the bases. There are around 50,000 American military
personnel, families and civilians here on Okinawa and a majority are sports
fans. As an American it is quite challenging watching your local sports team
due to the large time differences between the Japan and the U.S. and that makes
FCR an attractive option. I am aware that FCR will offer free entry on
occasions to the SOFA personnel but what I am talking about is engaging more
with the likes of the Marine Corps Community Services and Moral, Welfare and
Recreation organizations. Simple things such as announcing upcoming home games
over the AFN radio during the morning and evening commutes could impact a very
large audience and draw in more potential fans. Now let us look at what can be
done to attract the local populace.

Since a majority of the FCR website is in Japanese I assume that most people
in Okinawa are aware of what community engagement events FCR conducts. What I
am suggesting are some changes that I’d like the club to explore to entice
greater attendance at matches. First, let’s try to improve the awareness and
atmosphere as you approach the Tapic Stadium. Hang some pennants on the light
poles of the road ways indicating the presence of a professional football team.
Walking off the train in Omiya it was immediately apparent that the town was
Orange and Blue and there were pennants everywhere leading up to the stadium.
Simply an awesome atmosphere and made me excited as an opposing teams’ fan.
Leverage the fact that Okinawa City claims to be the home of FCR and get them
to authorize the hanging of pennants on their streets surrounding the stadiums
at no cost to FCR.  

I am not sure if FCR conducts any meetings with the head of their
supporters’ club, Hiro, but he is the most visible supporter of the club and
the strongest voice. Engaging with Hiro on issues concerning the fans and
locals will go a lot further than simple surveys at the stadium.

Another idea would be to team together with the Ryukyu Kings and attempt to
market a total Okinawa Sports package that included a ticket to both a Kings
and FCR game on the same weekend (SAT & SUN or vice versa) at a reduced
price. Getting insight from an organization that seems to constantly sell out
home games and keep a lively atmosphere can only help.

Offer greatly reduced ticket prices across a wide spectrum of categories.
For example: slightly reduced tickets for college students every game (if they
don’t already), drop the price of tickets at or after kickoff and at half time,
provide reduced pricing on the special select S seating for each game if
tickets go unsold so people can experience the match from a different vantage
point. Explore the possibilities of special seating sections for families away
from the rowdy supporters, or sell special seating on the track near the pitch
at premium prices for those that want to get as close to the action as
possible.

I am not aware of the dynamics for any FCR partnerships so this is all
speculation that FCR doesn’t do this right now. I therefore have no idea if
partnerships with resorts, resort groups or restaurant establishments on island
could be beneficial to the club. It certainly would be nice if some places like
Sukiya, Yoshinoya, KFC or Blue Seal would offer a food promotion based on the
presentation of a ticket stub or Season Pass from FCR supporters following a
match.

In the end we must consider a some of things. First, unlike some
professional teams in America, FCR faces the realistic possibility of promotion
and relegation throughout different leagues that require different operating
budgets. It is imperative to increase the demand signal from the population of
Okinawa now so in the event FCR does achieve high levels of success, the fan
base can support and sustain the club. Finally, it’s not realistic to think
that one day there will be a 35,000-seat stadium filled to the brim for each
match. The island just cannot support a stadium that size. But consistent
attendance levels of 10-15,000 is a very realistic possibility. Third, FCR may
have already explored a majority of these options and found them not feasible.

Those of us that support FCR want nothing but the best for this club and that means allowing the club to execute their immediate, mid-term and long-term goals for success. This hinges on several factors but a crucial one is attendance levels. If we wish to buy top players and compete at high levels, near capacity attendance is required for each home match. It also means FCR cannot simply say it is too hard to do these things if they wish to grow their fan base. 19 home games are left, not including the Emperor’s Cup, so let’s do all we can as supporters at the grass root level to draw in more fans.  

Well not the best of weather to draw in the fans but nevertheless FCR was looking to remain perfect on the season and secure a vital 3 points at home vs Ehime FC.

FCR came out in their typical 4-2-3-1 with one noticeable change, absent from the starting lineup and reserves was # 2 Masutani. We must assume he picked up an injury during the last match or training but it is anyone’s guess at this point. Ehime FC elected to switch formations this match and employ a 4-3-3.

Early action saw Ehime attempting to unlock our defense with long through balls that were either headed out or went over the touch line. FCR had a few opportunities early but the attacks fizzled out when FCR was dispossessed near the box. In the 10′ FCR finally broke through by capitalizing on a giveaway to #14 Uejo who made an outstanding run into the box and sent a cross over to #9 Suzuki , who was wide open and would’ve had a brace for the third time in a row, but the cross was deflected slightly by the Ehime defender and the deflection curled around the keeper into the bottom right of the goal. It was very important to score early as it seemed to relax the boys and would mean that Ehime may press a little more than they wanted thus opening themselves up for a counterattack.

The remainder of the half was marked by Carvajal making some nice saves and #7 Nakagawa missing a few golden opportunities to further the FCR lead. At times our defense was getting pulled apart slightly and Ehime had some nice chances on net but one each attempt was sent high or not struck with any power. As expected, Ehime had a lions share of possession with 60% in the first half compared to FCR’s 40%.

The opening minutes of the second half were very pacey and created multiple opportunities for both sides. FCR had two chances early to convert with the most notable from # 5 Tokumoto who just missed. FCR had a bit of a scare in the 51st minute when Ehime broke through our ranks and had that been a better pass to their player, who had to turn the opposite direction instead of hitting him in stride, Ehime may have leveled as he was alone on goal. Carvajal was then called into action in the 54′ to make a a nice save and maintain the FCR lead. Tokumoto sent a couple of dangerous crosses into the box in quick succession shortly thereafter but no one was able to convert either of them into a goal.

In the 75′ minute Tanaka was able to release Suzuki down the middle/left side and Suzuki converted the shot for his J2 league leading 5th goal. Having the 2 goal buffer was very reassuring with just under 15 minutes to play and it also meant the Ehime would have to press if they wished to get back in the game resulting in more scoring opportunities for FCR.

The final nervy moment for FCR was when #10 from Ehime FC, Kamiya, once again bested the FCR defender, #3 Nishioka, and sent a shot into the side netting. The most notable moment after that was the very ambitious effort by #20 Uesato, who tried a long range shot from the halfway line when the Ehime GK was far out from his own goal. Another 12 inches lower and that ball may have gone in but it landed just inside the top netting. The match was a little terse near the end when frustrations boiled over on a very poor challenge from the #10 of Ehime FC on FCR. He kicked out the foot of Nishioka who had possession deep in the Ehime corner and then Nishioka rose up to shove Kamiya. This resulted in both players being yellow carded and hopefully a fine for Kamiya as the replay shows it was a very poor challenge.

At full time FCR 2 – 0 Ehime FC. All 3 points secured and because of the total amount of goals FCR has scored on the season, 9, FCR was once again atop the J2 table.

Some additional game notes: We got our first look at a couple of new faces, at least to me, for FCR this past week. #33 Fukui took over CB duties for Masutani and I must say he looked good. He made a very well timed challenge to stop a Ehime counterattack that could of tied the game and was all over the pitch making plays. He makes a nice pairing with #4 Okazaki and may even press Masutani out of the lineup depending on how the long the latter is dealing with injury. He was noticeably dealing with leg cramps near the end and hopefully his match fitness improves over time as its not even hot in Okinawa yet, wait till summer! We then got to see #13 Kawai come on in place of Uejo and he made some very nice runs down the left side and almost drew a PK near the end that the ref wiped out. Seems like a nice player to bring on late to run at the opposing teams tired defense. #19 Nishikawa and # 19 Ochi also came on late but I didn’t get to see enough of them to make any assessments.

Final Notes about the Match: Ehime ended up controlling the ball for 60% of the match as they intended too but were unable to convert any of their opportunities. There were a few misses and miss hits but Carvajal played exceptionally well. He seems to be in the right place at the right time creating difficult angles for opposing players to navigate. FCR must remain strong at the back if we are to do anything this season. On that note, it wasn’t the best game for Nishioka this week as he was constantly being beat #10 and other players down the left side. A few of those time made for some very tense moments when Ehime was free on net. Ehime focused much of their attack down our left side and if opposing teams continue to target our left side we will need to start dedicating a MF to come back and provide support, thus disrupting our game plan of attack, attack, attack. We will also look to tighten up some of the errant passes in the opponents end and that will surely come in time with the starting 11 of FCR becoming more familiar with one another.

In the end, FCR won and that is the most important thing for this newly promoted J2 team. The “safe zone” to stay in the J2 for the following season the past 5 years has been around 42 points (42-37-43-43-42) and if that is the case this year, FCR are roughly 20% of the way to securing J2 football next season.

Match Day Info: 03/10/2019 (H) FCR vs Ehime FC (A) at the Tapic Stadium (Okinawa Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 1600.

Weather Forecast: Rain throughout the day with a slight break near kickoff. Expect overcast skies and intermittent showers throughout the match. Temperature will be in the high 60s (Fahrenheit) with 15mph winds expected. So bring a rain jacket and umbrella if you’re sitting in Sections A or S and you don’t want to get wet.

Ehime FC 7th place in J2 at time of blog. W1 D1 L0. Typical Formation 3-4-2-1.

The last two matches for Ehime were both at home and it’s really a tale of a bit of bad luck and bit of good luck for Ehime during those games. First vs JEF United Chiba they were unlucky to be awarded a PK for an absolutely blatant handball in the box and therefore that match ended in a 0-0 draw. Agaisnt Tokyo Verdy they were lucky not concede late in the match when Tokyo Verdy hit the post twice.

As a whole this team seems to be improving over the course of the first two games. Wild, errant shots on net declined and they began to enjoy large chunks of possession vs Verdy.

Ehime FC Players to monitor: #8 Naganuma RMF. Very quick player who can create and take chances very well. We cannot give him a ton of time and space in our end or else he will make life very difficult for FCR tomorrow. #10 Kamiya LFW. Improved from the first match to the second where he was constantly getting free to run across the front of the box and take shot on net. #19 Fujimoto LMF. Scored the only goal on the season for Ehime FC with a very nice take. He held off the Verdy CB very well and powered to the center of the box and then drilled one past the keeper.

FCR 3rd Place in J2. W2 L0 D0. Formation 4-2-3-1

We will once again look to capitalize on any Ehime FC mistakes as we did our last two opponents. Last week we found a serious weakness in Omiya’s left side since about 75% of the chances we created throughout the match came from that side. We will once again need strong play from #11 Tanaka on the right, leading J2 goal scorer #9 Suzuki, with #7 Nakagawa creating chances and #5 Tokumoto stopping counter attacks down our left side.

Prediction: I don’t really do these nor know where to begin since this is the inaugural J2 season for FCR. The bottom line is FCR needs to continue their fast start in the league before the grind of the J2 and all its fixtures catch up to us. Since it seems both teams favor a counterattacking style, this game may see long spells of possession by either side in the middle third of the pitch resulting in not much else other than time wasting. Hopefully FCR can continue their attacking ways and break through the Ehime FC defense early and convert one or two chances. A 0-0 draw is just as likely as a 2-1 outcome so I’ll go with the latter since goals are fun.

FCR desperately needs to secure full home points early in the season so let’s cheer them on and stay dry. See you at the match in Section A!

Would love to know what player injuries FCR is currently dealing with for the squad.

I was surprised last week when Tomidokoro was absent from the squad at Omiya. Didn’t see anything reported. Did it happen via match or training? What was mechanism of injury? How long will he be out?

Are JLeague teams not required to report injuries? How do we get injury updates on our players and the opposition?

For those of us familiar with Awase Port (think fish market lunch restaurant) FCR is offering free shuttle service to and from the match!

Departures to the Stadium start at 1200 and leave every 10 minutes.

They will stop departures to the stadium at 1630.

Departures from Stadium to Awase Port will begin at 1730 and run every 10 minutes until 1930.

Parking must be getting tight; this is not a bad option and puts you outside the traffic bubble that ensues down there after a match.

I will use this service.

Maybe we can get some tailgaters at the house and take this shuttle if FCR does this all year???

My friends, this is a subject dear to my heart. This is probably one of the best things – besides watching your team win- to take part in at a sporting event. The idea of getting together with friends, family and even strangers who are supporting the same club you do, hours before a match and sharing food, drinks, stories and games is awesome.

So what is tailgating? It is defined as; “host or attend a social gathering at which an informal meal is served the back of a parked vehicle, typically the car park of the local stadium.”

Most Americans understand what this is and is something I sorely miss living overseas as it just doesn’t happen on the large scale compared to America. I am not sure of Europe or other places so please let me know what goes on there.

Here we tried a few times the past couple of seasons in the lot just outside the Comprehensive Park Pool parking lot (labeled as an empty lot w/ number 23 on google maps). You cannot brings grills into the park and cook food outside of the designated areas so this are is sorta like the wild west of the U.S. back in the day as it seems little rules apply out here. However, it never took hold and this was a time when FCR averaged under 1,000 fans per home game so not many people were exposed to what we were trying to accomplish.

I’d love to try and get this going at some point and hope that if any people from Okinawa or mainland Japan are in the area and want to get it going please let me know.

All we need is a: Grill, meat/chicken/fish, beverages and the desire for a good time starting at 3 to 4 hours prior to kickoff.