FC Ryukyu Updates in English

Well once again let down by the fact that none of the FCR kits come in a size larger than L/XL in US sizes. I understand this could be motivation to lose more weight and fit in a kit finally but I see other clubs offering kit sizes in 3L/4L/5L. Hope one day I could special order that size. I understand the club cant risk paying money for those sizes and then they are going unsold so hopefully that could be an option.

Also, any unsold kits from years past should be greatly reduced in price; i’d love to decorate my “man cave” with seasons past jersey’s. Especially the one when they lifted the J3 championship shield.

There is an outstanding service provider known as DAZN here in Japan that allows you to watch all the FCR games on a PC, smart phone w/ their app or Apple TV. There maybe more devices but these are the 3 I use most often.

Now there are 2 ways I know of to get a subscription with DAZN.

First, if you have a Japanese credit card or possibly bank account you can sign up directly with their website. Second, and the one I suggest for those of us here without Japanese accounts, is use Docomo for your cell phone provider.

I am not sure if Docomo and DAZN still run this promotion but as a Docomo subscriber you’d only have to pay 750 Yen per month that is automatically added to your bill. You can then use your docomo account to create and log into DAZN.

The only other option I can think of is to have a Japanese Friend or Spouse set up the account in their name and provide you the log in info.

I was told by DAZN that you can log in with the same account multiple devices. They told me this because I was asking how I could watch multiple games at the same time on the same screen and they don’t have that feature yet so they suggested the above.

The last two points; first, DAZN servers know when you’re using a VPN so you cannot access it outside of the country you signed up for. If you sign up for an account using U.S. Bank info you’ll probably get a U.S. based account that cannot access anything from here in Japan.

Second, DAZN is 1,500.00 YEN per month (USD $15.00 or less depending on exchange rate) and is well worth it. There is a ton of football content: All 3 JLeagues (J1,J2&J3), English Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Seria A, UEFA CL & Europa League, most countries FA Cup and then the bevy of other sports from Motorsports to tennis. For those of you that miss American NFL, they have that too and its far better than paying for the NFL GamePass at $200.00. You get all the prime time NFL games per week and one at each of the 1 & 4 pm kickoffs. Plus the NFL Redzone which is the best if you’re lime me and love Fantasy Football.

Wish I would’ve wrote this as my first post but hopefully this helps with those of you wondering what is what with this years squad.

GK: Carvajal: New signing and looking very promising

DF: Tokumoto; Developing into a great LB/LWB. Surprising vertical on headed balls and very aggressive on DEF with nice crosses in attack. His development since J2 is nothing short of outstanding.

DF: Okazaki: new singing. Much needed height at the back for FCR.

DF: Masutani; A player in the mold of Gary Medel from Chili; speed and aggressiveness make up for his lack in height. Also another FCR product from J3 for many seasons, shaping up to a quality CB

Tanaka: An Okinawa favorite. Set this club on their trajectory 4 seasons ago. Plays with an edge (aka don’t take no crap), will conduct a “professional foul” from time to time, lethal finisher (except for PKs – love ya bro but i had a heart attack when we didn’t convert that one 4 years ago to bring us top of the J3 table in extra time). The exact type of player FCR needs right now who possesses experience and quality. Appreciate his loan spell in 2017 and return in 2019. An FCR Legend ladies and gentlemen so please enjoy.

Uesato: A signing that may go unnoticed but this man is the MF general. His face is familiar to me and not sure where he started but do not care he’s fighting with FCR now. Passes are precise and can unlock opposing Defenses. Again , another quality signing and someone who will most likely give us 3-4 wins this season.

Nakagawa: This dude is on a serious trajectory. I’m afraid FCR will lose him like we did Togashi this off season. He is already displaying maturity and poise at the Attacking MF position that is very exciting. Dude was near the top of J3 for goals scored last season and I bet he’s near the top of J2 for chances created/scored this season. Please don’t sell!!!!

Tomidokoro: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the face of the FCR Franchise. Absolutely unstoppable with his FKs and the soul of this team. He won’t score the most goals but he’ll net the most important ones. Kids couldn’t have a better role model.

Suzuki: Finisher, finisher finisher. You always want the leading scorer of your squad to be the Striker. Last year we didn’t but we scored so many goals from open play and FKs by MF that it didn’t matter. Simply put, the man has a nose for goal and finishes. I’m guessing 26 goals on the year.

FCR 4-3 Omiya

What a day for FOOTBALL! Gorgeous weather and phenomenal atmosphere inside the stadium.

We came out in a 4-2-3-1 however we were without the services of Tomidokoro. Not sure of the mechanism or extent of his injury. Lets hope its short lived.

Omiya wasted chances early and we answered in kind. Nakagawa won the ball back in midfield and made a very calm and collective pass to Tanaka who allowed to the ball to run a little wide right, thus pulling the Omiya GK out wide as well, and then slotted it home with a hard shot low back across the GK. Very hard to defend and absolutely clinical from a player of Tanaka’s quality.

Of course we responded in kind by conceding 2 minutes later off a miss direction set piece, which that type of play may be the bane of our existence all season long.

No worries half ended 1-1.

Omiya came out flying but again were wasteful with their opportunities. Then our FW, Suzuki, netted his second brace in as many games within 3 minutes. First one was a lovely cross by Tokumoto ending in a quick one touch into the back of the net and the second was a true strikers goal by securing, turning and striking home under the GK.

Our last goal, that sent the crowd into a tizzy, was a nice take by Uejo who once again sent it low and hard across the Omiya GK. Apparently his height meant nothing when it came to stretching for low shots across his body.

From here it turned into a long 30 minutes of hoping to hold on. Omiya was gifted a PK, that they converted and then another misdirection play that we conceded to make it 4-3 with less than 3 minutes to go.

Omiya definitely had chances but what may go unseen was Carvajal’s effort in front of goal. He saved at least 2 shots that would have tied the game. Outstanding effort by him and the boys; hard 3 points won.

50 points to safety

6 won

44 left togo.

Weather was brutal for the historic moment of FCR in their first ever J2 match but roughly 8,000 fans braved the conditions to lobby their support for the local lads.

First goal by FCR was a tasty little cheeky dink by Suzuki (9) and it got the team rolling.

We conceded shortly thereafter with a slight lapse in concentration when an easily catch able ball slipped though Carvajal’s hands which led to a free kick, followed by some back and forth heading by boht squads but ultimately a bullet header from close range over FCR GK.

Unsurprisingly it was Tanaka who won FCR a PK that Suzuki converted and we were once again rolling. As conditions deteriorated, Tomidokoro was able to deflect one past the Fukuokoa keeper and the 3-1 victory was wrapped up at home.

Big Takeaways:

1. First ever J2 game in Okinawa
2. First ever win for FCR in the J2
3. Suzuki looks lethal up front
4. Carvajal is an outstanding signing
5. I’m assuming that 50 points is required for safety so well on our way
6. Tomidokoro and Tanaka are gonna be fun to watch all year.

Stepping off the train we were greeted with a banner welcoming the FC Ryukyu fans. Walking through the arcade leading to the stadium while dressed in the FC Ryukyu colors was certainly enjoyable and luckily we were not hassled along the way. The Omiya fans we did encounter we either kind enough to say hi or just mind their own business and carry on to the stadium.

We arrived at the stadium about an hour
and forty-five minutes prior to kickoff and what a beautiful stadium in Omiya.
The stadium itself sits right in the heart of a residential area and the most
redeeming quality is the proximity of the stands to the pitch. I have sat in
stadiums throughout Asia with a similar set up and I must say that the
experience in these types of stadiums is second to none. Personally, I hope FC
Ryukyu could copy this model as a Football only stadium and not a multi-purpose
venue if they are ever to consider building a stadium in the future.

Upon entry I was pleased to see the head of the supporters’ club, and my good friend, Hiro along with dozens of FC Ryukyu fans from “mainland Japan”. I was also joined by my good friend who was a season ticket holder with me in Okinawa before he relocated to the Kanto area for work last year (Which means he missed watching FC Ryukyu win the J3!).

We quickly hung our FC Ryukyu flags next to so many others and just began to enjoy the company and stories from the fans in our section. Now that FC Ryukyu has been promoted to the J2 the stadiums separate the visiting fans with their own seating section, gate entrance, food stands and bathrooms. For those attending games in visiting stadiums the entry gate will be printed on the ticket.

We did our best to meet and greet so many people in our section despite my inability to speak Japanese. I will provide the match recap in a different blog but safe to say it was a memorable experience.

When it was time to head back to the station and depart mainland I truly enjoyed the walk back through the surrounding area and arcade that greeted us when we arrived. It goes without saying that it feels much better to have achieved a favorable result when exiting the home town team’s stadium as you stroll past all the opposing teams supporters. None of the opposing teams fans said anything that could be construed as derogatory, but then again I wouldn’t understand if they did. We left with our heads held high and excited about what the future holds for this club.

Greetings to all of you and thank you for your interest in FC Ryukyu (FC琉球). This blog will be dedicated to discussing all topics pertaining to FC Ryukyu in English. The inspiration for this blog came from the head of the FC Ryukyu Supporters Club, Hiro, after I voiced my frustration at the lack of entries on the FC Ryukyu home page in English as well as attempting to use online translation tools when going from Japanese to English. 

It is my hope that this blog will generate interest in the FC Ryukyu club for the many non-Japanese speaking people living in Japan and ultimately bring you to the stadium to experience a match.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never done anything remotely close to this in the past so I am not sure how well this will be perceived or how well written some of the entries will be that I post.

Thank You and Enjoy!