FC Ryukyu Updates in English

Weather Forecast: What did you expect? It seems the rainy season is either in full swing or just ending in mainland Japan so it will be another rainy, wet, terrible day to watch football. Thank goodness its on the road and not at home. Pack your towel, FC Ryukyu poncho and a change of clothes for your long commute back home if you plan on attending.

FC Ryukyu heads to the Ibaraki Prefecture this Sunday evening to take on 5^th placed Mito Hollyhock in what seems to be a logistical nightmare for any traveling FC Ryukyu fans. Thank you very much J. LEAGUE scheduler for this one (the last train to depart Mito for Tokyo leaves at 1800). In their first matchup this season, FC Ryukyu got the better of a strong Mito side 1-0 at home but the fortunes of both teams have changed since that evening in May. FC Ryukyu’s recent form has been below par seeing that they’ve only won once in their past 5 matches and are conceding almost 3 goals a match. Mito, has also seen their once formidable defense that started so strongly this season begin to develop several cracks. This could largely be attributed to the departure of CB ITO Makito to Yokohama F Marinos in June, and since then, Mito have conceded nearly the same amount of goals they did during their previous 18 matches.

The statistics paint a very bleak picture for FC Ryukyu but that seems to be the case most weeks outside of the teams directly below FC Ryukyu in the table. Mito have only lost once at home all season where they own an impressive 0.70 goals against average. FC Ryukyu’s road struggles are well documented and now that FC Ryukyu are conceding 2.00 goals on average on the road, this seems like a tall ask to get any sort of favorable outcome tomorrow night for FCR. FC Ryukyu faced a similar challenge when Mito visited them at home earlier this year but FC Ryukyu are a different side at home and they’ve only had one positive performance in their last 5 road matches.

Mito Hollyhock

Mito are coming off a win that was preceded by 3 straight draws and a loss. Mito couldn’t quite breakdown the strong defensive side in Yamagata and suffered a 1-0 loss. Mito followed that up with a disappointing draw at home to Yokohama FC after Yokohama went down to 10 men early in the match and then allowed Yokohama to equalize later in the match despite the advantage.

Mito then had games on the road versus Kyoto and Kanazawa in which they went up early, conceded two goals and then fought back to earn draws. They ended this 5-game stretch with a rather impressive performance at home against Nagasaki but nearly gifted the visitors a draw at the end by allowing Nagasaki a couple of close chances.

Mito still retains a lot of the same traits we saw at the beginning of the season that made them so successful. They don’t chase games despite being behind on the scoreboard and rely heavily on a stout defense to keep them in many of their matches. As mentioned earlier, the defense is developing cracks and can be gotten at with quality set pieces but for the most part, the 4-4-2 set up Mito employs will make life very difficult for FC Ryukyu. As we’ve seen throughout this season, FC Ryukyu lacks a bit of creativity to break down sides who use this formation.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu have won only once in the past 2 months and are really struggling to arrest their slide down the J2 table.  FC Ryukyu may not break out of this funk until later this month when they host JEF Chiba United at home on a Wednesday night because we can not assume that FC Ryukyu will gain any positive points on the road despite the quality of their opponent. We really need to see some signs of life from the boys over the next 2 weeks in their consecutive road games as it would prove massive for their hopes of staying in the J2 next season. Like many sides below them in the table that have a month with a nice stretch of favorable games, FC Ryukyu’s doesn’t occur until October and there are no guarantees that those opponents will be in the same form they are in now when we face them.

FC Ryukyu’s recent match against Okayama was very disappointing and FCR really struggled to create any opportunities up front. I believe they only had one shot on net, and that was the Uesato FK on the final play of stoppage time, but someone mentioned that DAZN said we had 2. Regardless, that is not what you expect from a team that strives to be on the attack and hunting for goals. The careless turnovers and lack of quality passing really deflated the FCR attack in the opponent’s half and FCR lacked creativity near the 18-yard box. Too many times it seemed as if the FCR midfielders would pull up and pass back instead of pressing the attack or trying to run past the defenders. I am not sure if that is attributed to fatigue, lack of speed or lack of anyone else in the attack making any runs or movements that would entice a pass from one of our players.

FC Ryukyu are at a point where an uplifting performance maybe the spark that ignites a nice run of games as well as put some distance between them and the bottom of the table. It is now 140 days and 9 matches since FC Ryukyu last won on the road.

Injuries

FC Ryukyu: Tokumoto-Still delaing with an MCL injury he
picked up recovering from a soft tissue ankle injury. Another few weeks away
from returning to the lineup.

Mito Hollyhock: Unknown, the website I usually use is now
saying I am restricted from accessing that info and I am not sure where else to
look.

Keys to an FC Ryukyu Victory

1. Only one. Someone has to step up, put this team on their back and have one of their best performances of the season to see out an FC Ryukyu victory. Koji Suzuki and Dany have done so much this year but what I am referring to is someone like Kawai, Yu, Kazama, Uejo, Tanaka, Wada or Uesato who just takes the game over. Someone needs to be aggressive in both the attack and defense, motivates the players around him by example so they will perform at their very best, is surgical with his passing to unlock the defense and is lethal in front of goal. If FC Ryukyu gets that type of Herculean performance out of someone tomorrow, we may very well see this side right the ship and get back on track. If we don’t, the beatings will most likely continue until moral improves.

Match Prediction

Mito 2-1. Impossible to predict positive FC Ryukyu outcomes on the road until something changes.

Conclusion

This game, as well as the remaining road matches for FC Ryukyu, comes down to every man doing their part to win their individual battles. Mito are not invincible and are possibly slowing down after their blazing start to the season. But at the same time, FC Ryukyu are struggling for form and are looking for someone to step up and lead them out of this dark period and back into the light. Who will that be?

Apologies for those who were expecting this match day report to be published the day after the match, as is usually the case, but I was traveling and much like the title; there wasn’t much to see in the game.

FC Ryukyu were defeated 2-0 at home and it quite honestly looked like one of, if not the, worst games they’ve played all season. They allowed a quick goal to Lee in 2nd minute of play and he followed that up with another in the second half off a header. I didn’t bother to watch the entire replay on DAZN but I found myself asking on Twitter if FCR had any shots on target on Saturday (they did, the 94′ minute shot form Uesato that hit the post). It was just one of those games where the team and fans need to erase it from their memories and move on. With that said, lets quickly review the keys to victory and match day takeaways and get outta here.

Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory Review

Set the Tone: FAIL. Well, FCR enjoyed some nice possession but didn’t do anything with it. FCR repeatedly broke into Okayama’s third but had no idea where to go with the ball or what to do with it in possession. FCR really needs an aggressive, tactical CAM up there to get the attack firing. I hate the run in, pull up, pass and then the attack fizzles out.

Execute a balanced attack: FAIL. As evidenced by the lack of goals but FCR were wasteful in possession, most noticeably in their final passes near the Okayama goal. On this day, crosses and passes where off target too many times. Crosses often sailed high and wide over the on rushing FCR attackers and the turnover issue I thought we may have overcome as once again risen into prominence. Not much more to add, clean it up and let’s move forward.

Defend in Packs: FAIL. Okayama did what they wanted, when they wanted and how they wanted near our goal.

Match Day 22 Takeaways

1. The crosses from the flanks were particular bad today. I’ll chalk that up to a bad day at the office but there are some worrisome signs. Crosses were off target, often at the wrong height and resembled something of an act of desperation on the part of the FCR full backs. They knew they needed to cross but just sent balls into the box with the hopes it would find someone.
2. FCR continually struggle against teams who can execute a nice 4-4-2 formation. The lack of creativity is worrisome, as it has been since Match Day 4. FCR attackers carried possession into the Okayama area and then because they either refused or couldn’t take on the Okayama defenders, they instead opted to pull back and pass the ball off. This would entail lead to a turnover or just simply end the FCR attacking play. I hope this changes as the guys need to have some confidence and make the runs at the opposing defenders or they need to make room for those that are willing and able.

Conclusion

The end.

Weather Forecast: FINALLY! A great forecast for today’s match. Partly cloudy, temperatures in the high 80s with plenty of humidity, but most importantly, no rain!

The second half of the season gets underway today in Okinawa where 13^th placed FC Ryukyu take on 10^th place Fagiano Okayama. Okayama got the best of FC Ryukyu the last time these two teams met when they were awarded, and then converted, a PK. FC Ryukyu are coming of an uplifting 3-0 victory at home over Tochigi SC last week and Okayama visit the Tapista riding a 2-game win streak. This should be a very entertaining match today as both teams have similar attacking styles and the 2 leading scorers in the J2 face off once more. It was Lee Yong Hae who got on the score sheet the last time they squared off; will it be Suzukui’s turn today?

Fagiano Okayama

Okayama came from behind at home last week to defeat
Kagoshima with 2 very late goals. Kagoshima dictated a lot of the game up till
the end when a bad call by the referee awarded Okayama a PK that ultimately sealed
the fate of Kagoshima. Prior to that match, Okayama had their doors blown off
by Yokohama FC 5-1. The Okayama defense was ripped to shreds several times by
the quick, long through balls by Yokohama and that seems to be a good way to
get behind the Okayama defenders.

They drew twice against Renofa and Machida with 1-1 score
lines where they let both these games slip through their fingers. Their
defending let them down again despite one of the best goals scored in J2 this
season by Okayama. Takeda hit an absolute rocket shot from the top of the box
that found the top corner of the goal but that wasn’t enough against Renofa.

Make no mistake, Okayama have the fire power to score goals
but they are not the strongest side when traveling or facing teams in the
bottom half of the table. While this isn’t to be considered a “must win” game for
FCR, it is an opportunity to grab a win against a side that is near FCR in the
table and could help offset some unfavorable score lines later this season against
stronger sides. FCR are just a better team when they play at home and therefore
have a real shot at grabbing all3 points today.

Fagiano Players to Watch

#9 FW Lee Yong Hae: 12 goals this year but hasn’t scored in
his last 2 games. Scored the last time these 2 sides met and is a tall, strong,
quick striker that FCR had a real hard time dealing with in the first match.

#19 MF Hayato Nakama: 6 goals scored this season. Forms a
very nice strike partnership with Hae and has provided him so excellent service
this year.

#7 FW Seiya Nakano: Third leading scorer on Okayama with 5
goals. Used primarily as a substitute and provides a nice punch when coming off
the bench.

FC Ryukyu

The boys finally decided to put an end to the 3-game losing
streak by completely dismantling the Tochigi side last Saturday. FC Ryukyu
controlled the pace of the game, were lethal in front of goal and really choked
out the Tochigi SC attack. That type of effort is again going to be required
for FC Ryukyu to grab all 3 points today as Okayama are a much better side than
Tochigi.

FC Ryukyu will need Kawai to stretch the defense and allow
players like Yu, Ochi and especially Suzuki to find the running/shooting lanes
for goal scoring opportunities. If FC Ryukyu take the same approach to defending,
they did last week but not holding a high defensive line, then we can limit the
amount of counterattacks by players like Hae and Nakama. The Okayama defense is
nothing special and can be unlocked with quick, accurate passing. If nothing
else, it is likely that FC Ryukyu will draw plenty of fouls in and around the
Okayama box with this type of play and then we could let Yu, Kazama and Uesato
do their thing on FKs.

It is really simple math for FCR; score, defend, reduce
turnovers and you will win. FCR needs to build a little bit of consistency
moving forward and this is a great match to continue a nice run of form.

Injuries

Fagiano Okayama: #10 FW Mineiro – had a sprained MCL but it
looks as if he is past the estimated recovery window of 6-8 weeks.

FC Ryukyu: #5 DF Tokumoto – recovering from an MCL sprain he
picked up while rehabbing from an ankle sprain. Another 3 weeks away from
returning to the lineup.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Set the tone. Okayama undoubtably have two serious
playmakers in the squad but that is about it. The Okayama GK is average and the
defense is like wet toilet paper, effective at times but not the preferred
method.

2. Execute a balanced attack. Stretch Okayama from either side
and don’t concentrate all your efforts on one side. Okayama can be beaten
through the middle and down the flanks so use Kawai’s speed and Yu’s passing to
free up Suzuki in front of goal. Uesato and Kazama should look for nice long
through balls to let Suzuki run at the Okayama goal.

3. Defend in packs. Wolves hunt in packs and FCR should
start defending the same way. FCR are good enough to be venomous on the counter
but need to reinforce the back when under siege. All kidding aside, this isn’t
the time to get cute, defend like you did against Tochigi and everything will
be alright.

Match Prediction

The numbers are there for everyone to see. FC Ryukyu are a
home team as is Okayama. Okayama is not the same team when traveling as evidenced
by the amount of goals they concede. 2 goals could once again prove the difference
for FCR on the day. FCR 2-2 Okayama.

Conclusion

This is big game for FC Ryukyu as they were able to get two
weeks in a row at home and that should recharge a lot of the guys since they were
not forced to travel. FC Ryukyu head out o the road for 2 games starting next
week and a win here would serve them really well. This should be an up and down
match that hopefully see’s Okayama tire in the second half since they are not
acclimatized to the heat/humidity here in Okinawa. It should be a great day to
watch football so hopefully like Okinawa community will come out in full force
for this game.

The second transfer special for the season focuses on players from the J1 that have yet to crack the starting 11 for their respective teams on a consistent basis, with some prospects throughout Asia and a review of some select names from the last transfer special.

I need to give a lot of credit to the @J-TalkPod, @FRsoccerSam and @mcintinhos for providing me the list of J1 players as well as their breakdowns from yet another excellent Podcast. I would have never known about some of these players if it wasn’t for them so thank you very much boys.

Review of Transfer Special # 1 Targets.

It is unlikely that FC Ryukyu will dip into the transfer
market to acquire any European, South American or North American players this
window. Considering that FC Ryukyu operate on a limited budget, half season
loans are the most enticing method to reinforce the squad this summer. While I
can dream of FC Ryukyu signing a Japanese footballer (Ryo Miyaichi) who is
currently plying their trade in Europe at a pretty high level, it is more
realistic for FC Ryukyu to focus on the talent here in Japan and Asia in the
interim. There is plenty of footballing talent languishing on benches in the J1
as well as emerging in the J3. There is also plenty of talent that can be found
throughout neighboring countries. Remember, there is no limit to the number of
ASEAN country players a team can roster, only foreign players. This provides FC
Ryukyu with a little more flexibility when selecting potential targets as well
as an opportunity.

ASEAN Prospects

1. Nguyen Quang Hai: Vietnam. Plays for Hanoi FC. MF. Everything I’ve seen or read about this player is that he is one of the best footballing prospects in Asia. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup in 2018. Quoted as having blistering pace and impeccable technique. At only 22 years old, this guy makes for an enticing prospect. Won’t be available for long.

2. Curt Dizon. Philippines. Plays for Ceros-Negros. Left
Winger/FWD. A big strong forward who has a very nice left foot. Slightly older
for a prospect and hasn’t faced the strongest of competition yet is an
internationally capped player for the Philippines having been capped 16 times
with one goal to his name.

3. Supachok Sarachat. Thailand. Plays for Buriam United. MF.
Will be a tall ask of FCR to afford a player from a club that consistently
plays in the Asian Champions League. 13 goals and 3 assists this season. 

4. Eakkinit Punya. Thailand. Currently plays of ChIangmai FC
on Loan from Singha Chiangrai United. MF. 3 goals and 3 assists this season.
He’s under contract until 2023 with his parent club but worth a shot for a
20-year-old prospect. 

J3 Prospects

When I first wrote about which J3 players to target back in
early May, it was to reinforce the position of CAM and FB due to the Nakagawa
transfer and injuries to the FC Ryukyu squad. Not much has changed for FC
Ryukyu in that they are still searching for the Nakagawa replacement up front
and could quite possibly lose Tokumoto to a Russian Premier League club this
summer. That would leave FC Ryukyu with very little depth in defense as they
only feature 5 players within J2 matches on a consistent basis.

FC Ryukyu have a tall striker named Uehara but he has made only a limited appearance for the club, though he has scored a crucial goal. At the time of the first transfer entry, FC Ryukyu were conceding goals late on in matches in addition to conceding a lot of goals from set pieces. I thought a player of Jao Gabriel’s height and distemper could serve FC Ryukyu well when games needed a result or leads needed to be preserved. A perfect example of this line of reasoning is Uehara’s rising header against Niigata to seal the win late versus Niigata. Well if fitness is an issue for Uehara, I think it would be prudent to bring in a player like Gabriel and see what he can offer this side.

1. Natsuki Mugikura. Iwate Grulla Morioka. LB. I never heard of this guy prior to logging onto J-Stats to see who’s leading the J3 in assists. Well, it is Mugikura. His tape is electric. The ball seems to be shot out of a cannon when it leaves his left foot. He delivers quality set pieces and you really need to watch the game tape from his last 2 matches against Gamba Osaka U-23 and Kitakyushyu. If there is even the remote possibility that Tokumoto is out the door then he FCR need to sign Mugikura before he’s picked up by another club. Only 23 years old. Watch his highlights and watch the delivery he provides on set pieces.  

2. Jao Gabriel. SC Sagamihara. FW. Jao hasn’t scored since
the time of the last transfer entry and has played sparingly the past 4 games.
Possibly recovering from an injury. I will echo what I said in earlier entries
about those things you cannot teach in Football, height and speed. Jao may
never crack the starting 11 on a consistent basis but he could provide the
much-needed punch or protection at the end of matches. If his playing time is
being reduced over at Sagamihara, then FCR maybe able to get him on the cheap.

J1 Loan Targets

I really need to thank the boys one more time for these
entries. I’ve grappled with the tough question of “why would FCR want to take a
player on loan?” First, is it to add depth to the squad? Is it to fill a
pressing need or void? Is there someone they’re interested in signing long term
to the club? And then you must lay that acetate over the current squad and ask,
“Would we hinder the development of any of our younger players by bringing in
additional loan signings this summer that may reduce our current players’ game
time?”

To be honest, the biggest area of concern is the defensive
depth of FC Ryukyu. We saw early on how Masutani filled in for Nishioka for
about 8 matches and now how Fukui is filling in for the injured Tokumoto. Arai and
others on the squad have rarely gotten a chance to play and even the Emperor’s
cup match featured Okazaki starting at CB. I’ll never know if it’s because the
reserve players are hurt, or they are just not ready to play at this level. In
either case, FC Ryukyu could use some defensive reinforcements, specifically,
at the FB position.  

FC Ryukyu has some very exciting young players in the MF. Uejo is best suited on the flanks, Kawai as well, with Koizumi taking on the CAM role in the 4-2-3-1. Ochi currently starts at CAM so this seems like an area that if FCR are going to make a move for someone, it may come at the expense of the players listed at the start of the paragraph. So, we have one of those dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t situations. FCR may acquire a talented player that helps them the remainder of the season but they may not be able to keep that player and risk losing out on valuable developmental time for our own prospects.   

There are a couple of key points to close out this transfer
blog.  First, the parent club for any
loan player needs to continue to pay the wages of the player while on loan at
FCR, or at least pay a majority of the player’s wages. FCR is essentially providing
a venue for talented players at larger clubs to gain valuable first team
experience in exchange for the parent club paying the wages. If FCR has the
scouting infrastructure in place, they’d do well to get those players who are
likely out of contract next season and possibly out of favor with club in hopes
of signing them to a deal for 2020.

Second, I am not sure if anyone at FCR uses wyscout but it
seems like a very valuable resource for scouting football talent. I do not know
the size and structure for the FC Ryukyu scouting department but wyscout looks
like it can handle a lot of the heavy lifting for a team who resources are
constrained. Heck, I may even sign up for an account.  (http://wyscout.com)

Finally, and most importantly, FCR needs to look at
countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia for talented footballers that
most Japanese clubs may ignore based on stereotypes and cultural bias. There
are untapped reserves of talent throughout Asia that will reward clubs that are
brave enough to sign these players. FC Ryukyu could close the gap on their
better resourced, better established peers quickly by showing a little faith
and signing talented players from these countries. Bridging the language and
cultural gaps may prove difficult at first but shouldn’t be enough of a reason
to dissuade FCR from making signings that will ultimately benefit the club. FCR
has done this in the past when they signed Wan Zack Haikal and Nazirul Naim Che
Hashim from Malaysia in 2013.

We’ll have the 3^rd installment of the Transfer
Special after the window closes to review any new signings by FCR this summer.
If not, than we will reconvene at the end of the year to look at what areas of
need for FCR.

We have made it to the last installment of the Mid-Season Review. This has been a great experience as a fan to look back and reflect on the half season while keeping an eye on the future.  I wanted to provide a brief summation of the players who have featured for FC Ryukyu but please keep in mind, I am never privy to the strategy the manager employs each week or how the players perform while executing that strategy. I merely observe what I can see from the stands and from my TV screen. So, let’s close out the mid-season review with a bang.

Goal Keeper

#1 Dany Carvajal: Yeah, he’s pretty much been awesome. Don’t
think for one minute that because FC Ryukyu have only kept 3 clean sheets that
it is an indictment of Dany’s performances. See the MVP section below.

#23 Ryo Ishii: He was asked to step up and fill in when Dany
was hurt during a tough stretch of matches for FCR. He played really well
against Kanazwa and Kyoto and while those efforts may be overshadowed by Dany’s
performances to date, Ishii did his part to help this club.

Defender

FB #5 Tokumoto: Another young emerging player I fear FC
Ryukyu may lose this transfer window. It’s hard to assess any FC Ryukyu FB as
they are asked to play more like a WB than a FB this season. Tokumoto has
provided 3 nice assists and is developing into a one of the better LBs in the
J2. Currently recovering from an ankle and subsequent MCL injury.

#4 Okazaki: Started almost every match this year and is a
nice compliment to Masutani. Truth be told, I only key on defenders when they
make a mess of things, and in the case of Okazaki, he has only had that happen once.
Some of his mistakes may be covered up due to FCR scoring numerous goals or
winning games so I will need more time to assess this player. In the interim,
we need Okazaki to be a rock back there on defense.

#2 Masutani: A CB in the mold of Gary Medel from Chile. I’ve
been overly critical of this guy at times and that was just rash on my part as Masutani
brings a lot of aggressiveness to the FCR squad. He is good in attack with 1
goal to his name this season and can handle some of the larger, more powerful
strikers in the J2. I will say this, when he had to fill in for Nishioka at RB
due to injury, the FCR attack looked better. Consider that it was simultaneous
with the Nakagawa departure and though I think he may be better suited at FB, I
am a fan and not the Manager.

#3 Nishioka: 2 goals and 2 assists. Nishioka has missed some
time due to an MCL injury (not sure what caused him to miss upwards of 8 weeks)
and struggles at times with defending. Always seems to be in the right spot at
the right time for his goals. Displays toughness as evidence by playing through
a head injury but his game needs some fine tuning. Needs to have more
confidence in the attack, take on the opposition’s defenders near the 18-yard
box – much like when he was brimming with confidence against Yamaguchi with his
step overs – and feed Koji Suzuki quality crosses.

#33 Ryoji Fukui: The Swiss Army Knife for FCR. Versatile in
that he can play all 4 positions in defense and could possibly fill in at CDMF
as well. At times Fukui makes really well timed challenges but he also makes
some questionable decisions in defense. For example, he can turn his back to an
attacker, so as to invite a shot, which often leaves Dany or Ishii to deal with
the danger alone (Tokyo Verdy’s goal). Maybe the GKs have asked the defenders
to vacate the shooting lanes to better see the shots from distance but I will
never know for sure. Has decent speed to make up ground on attackers or get to
contested balls first. Have a sneaky suspicion that one of his challenges will
be rewarded with a Red Card some day and put FC Ryukyu up against it in a
match. Time will tell.

#16 Jumper Arai: Not enough game footage for an accurate
assessment.

Mid Field

#20 Uesato: Local lad, experienced player, 2 highlight reel
goals and team captain. Often lines up for FKs where, truth be told, I think
Tomidokoro could benefit from the added reps to get into a groove. It seems
Uesato prefers to shoot more than cross and maybe that’s due to the angle or
distance from which he’s taking the FKs. Scored in spectacular fashion against
Verdy and Gifu and is aiding with the development of the younger generation of
FCR players.

#8 Komatsu: Was in the starting lineup early and then has
faded. Possibly getting surpassed by talented players emerging.

#6 Kazama: Has a nice touch on FKs and CKs from his Central
Mid Field role. His performances have improved as of late and I hope that
translates into favorable results for FCR.

#19 Ochi: 2 goals from the man who is now Higuchi’s choice
at CAM. At least until someone is ready to take the job over.

#11 Keita Tanaka: Keita has been part of the fabric of this
team for so long. Tanaka is lethal finisher from the right, but much like Yu,
he needs to get some repetitions and get into a scoring groove. He’s scored only
once since rejoining the side but has had 3 other opportunities that either
required a nice save by GK or were just off the mark. FCR need to get this man
firing again as it will increase the potency of the FCR attack and open up more
space of Suzuki down the middle.

#10 Yu Tomidokoro: FC Ryukyu’s FK specialist. Yu has found
some tough sledding this season when it comes to FKs as he has netted only once.
He does have 2 goals and 3 assists and the FK goals will come with time and
reps. Needs to be given more opportunities on FKs. Remember, at his height,
defenses never knew when Yu was going to cross or shoot from the FK spot and
that is what made him so successful.

#28 Koizumi: The man featured in 6 games within a month
before doing a Houdini. He never scored but he flashed some real talent.  His limited performance against Verdy was
something of an eye opener as he made some nice passes, hit the post and
displayed a bit of pace. He could very well be the 3^rd piece to a
formidable FC Ryukyu MF with Uejo and Kawai in the near future. WHERE IS HE?

#7 Nakagawa: HAHAHA wouldn’t do it to you, too painful. Next!

#13 Kawai: Has one goal and 2 assists this season. Is
turning into a real playmaker for FC Ryukyu. Has another gear he can use to get
past defenders and is fine tuning his game with each performance, specifically,
his body & ball control while making cuts or getting up to speed. Maybe
replacing Nakagawa can’t be done with just one player but rather a combination
of players. If that is the case than Kawai’s introduction to the side is
starting to fill that void. Kawai’s speed really opens up the attack for FCR
and he has rightfully earned his spot in the starting 11.

Forwards

#14 Uejo: See Below, but seriously, I do not know why he
doesn’t start. Is it due to fitness, immaturity, health concerns or the
manager?

#21 Uehara: Has height, scored an important goal for FCR to
beat Niigata. Didn’t see much from him prior to his goal and less so after.
What happened? Injury?

#15 Wada: Played really well as a substitute versus Nagasaki
but hard pressed for playing time with the leading J2 goal scorer ahead of you
on the roster. His time will come.

#22 Gibo. I saw one appearance where Gibo displayed a lot of
hustle. Subbed into an attacking MF position but then was moved to a FB
position in the same game. He needs more playing time and I missed the Emperors
Cup match for FCR to see how he performed and what are his strengths and
weaknesses.

#9 Koji Suzuki: SEE BELOW.

Mid-Season MVPs

1A. Koji Suzuki. The man’s stats speak for themselves but if
you peel back the curtain a little more, you see that he has scored crucial
goals at very crucial times of matches for FCR. Yamagata, Yamagauchi, Kanazawa,
Omiya and Mito all come to mind. He is also one of the most unselfish strikers
I’ve ever seen. He puts in a shift every match. He does the hard work of hold
up plays, winning contested balls and drawing fouls from the opposition while never
complaining and rarely displays any outward frustration at his teammates. I
have no idea what compelled Zelvia to let him go but I do not care at this
point. He has proven to be an absolute steal in the transfer market.

1B. Dany Carvajal. Strong at the back and lethal up front is
what makes any team great. Yes, of course, strong through the middle is another
essential part but having the best striker and one of the best goal keepers in
the league on your squad is pretty good as well. Dany has been a revelation for
this side. He always seems to be in the right position, at the right time, to
make the right type of save. And let me tell you, there have been some
spectacular ones; against Omiya there were 2 to seal the win, the PK save
against Verdy, resisting the Reysol bombardment, Vortis, Yamaguchi, Mito and
list goes on and on. The FC Ryukyu front office did really well by signing Dany
this offseason.

2. Satoki Uejo. This man has come out of nowhere and turned
into quite the player. He has scored 6 times this season and is improving every
time he steps out onto the pitch. He has some signatures goals to his name;
Reysol, Vortis, Ehime, Nagasaki and Renofa (Emperor’s Cup). He also looks like
he has packed on some muscle the past few months in order to fight off larger
defenders. He needs to be out there every week for this side.

Looking Ahead

FC Ryukyu will play 10 games at home and 11 games on the road in the second half of the season. Within those 11 road games they will play 3 series of two consecutive road matches starting next week with Mito and Niigata. The next series is at the end of September with Machida and Fukuoka and finally to end the season against Ehime and Kofu. They also have 3 series at home where they will play consecutive home matches. The first wraps up this week with Okayama (started with Tochigi last week), the second is in August with Nagasaki and Yokohama and the third is at the end of August/early September with FC Gifu and Kagoshima. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the second half fixtures, make some predictions and then review the remaining fixtures for the bottom 4 clubs in J2.

It would be nice to see FCR earn wins against Tochigi and Ehime on the road as those 6 points could go a long way to helping secure J2 football for FCR in 2020. None of us know how the results will shake out considering we cannot predict the transfers in/out of clubs, injuries, managerial changes and plain old luck (good or bad). FC Ryukyu’s make or break month will be October with favorable matches against Avispa, Tochigi and Verdy. They need to be well clear of the relegation zone after that point because November could prove fatal if the road performances by FCR don’t improve. They face a surging Renofa side on the road, host a promotion seeking Kyoto side at home and wrap up the season with 2 road trips with a possible relegation battle against Ehime and potential promotion seeking side in Kofu. Even though I am targeting Ehime as a must win game for FCR, that will depend largely on FCR showing that they can win on the road when needed in the second half of the season.

With this in mind, lets look at teams who are currently sit 18-22 in the J2 table and examine their crucial months and critical match-ups in the second part of the 2019 J2 season.

#18 JEF Chiba United. JEF have a tough October where they face 3 sides who are likely going to be in the top 7. Depending on how those results play out, JEF could be dragged into the relegation battle. Their final match against Tochigi is huge for both sides.

#19 Kagoshima. The October and November schedule are not kind to Kagoshima. 3 road matches in October followed by a run of Kofu, Okayama, Reysol and Mito. They end on the road versus Fukuoka in another final match day matchup that could determine who gets relegated.

#20 Tochigi. The outcomes of their September fixtures will most likely determine their fate. They face FC Gifu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Ehime all in a row. That is a total of 4, 6-point match-ups in a row that could really doom any of those sides. As mentioned earlier, Tochigi end with JEF Chiba in what could be a win or go down to J3 match.

#21 Fukuoka. October and November are also not kind to Fukuoka. They are hoping that some of the sides around them perform poorly the rest of the year so as to give Fukuoka a chance at the end. Avispa end versus Kagoshima in a game we already mentioned that has massive relegation implications.

#22 FC Gifu. The schedule is kinder to FC Gifu in so much as there isn’t any one month remaining where they face multiple top sides in quick succession. The end of July/beginning of August will be rough on them but there are winnable games. But like Fukuoka, FC Gifu are hoping that things go terribly wrong for the few sides just above them in the table. Will it be the Vortis or Kofu match that ultimately dooms this side, or will it happen much sooner?

At the end of the day, FC Ryukyu need to go out there and handle their business without concerning themselves too much about the rest of the table. It is simple math for FCR: Beat the teams below you in the table especially those at the bottom, Get points off of teams just above you in the table, and win some games on the road. If they can do that, then they are going to be alright. I’d estimate that another 18 points are needed and FCR could achieve that any number of ways in the second half of the season.

I know I did not focus on which team may win the J2 title and which sides are likely to be promoted to the J1 in 2019 so I’ll save that for a later date.

Well folks, that is going to do it for the final installment of the FCR Mid-Season Review. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I’ll be adding two more entries this week with the Second Transfer Special of the year coming out on Thursday and the normal Match Day Preview coming out on Friday.

We begin Part 2 with the Top 5 Memorable Matches for FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season and conclude by remembering some of the best goals so far with a Top 10 list. This was an interesting entry to write because there were so many games, good and bad, and so many goals that could’ve made the list. Seeing how that is the case, I will provide a small Honorable Mention section for those matches that couldn’t quite crack the Top 5. Let’s begin.

#5 Avispa Fukuoka 2/24/2019 Match Day 1                                          

Starting our top 5 is the Home Opener for FC Ryukyu that
also happened to be the inaugural match for FC Ryukyu in the J2. It may have
been a sign of things to come as far as the type of conditions FC Ryukyu would
face in all their home games this season as the weather that day was absolutely
brutal. There was intermittent rain that looked like it might hold off for the
match but ultimately it ended up raining the entire second half. Despite those
conditions, the second largest crowd this season of 7,385 turned up to see how
FC Ryukyu would get on in the J2.

New FC Ryukyu manager Higuchi introduced a 4-2-3-1 lineup that featured new joins; Carvajal in goal, Okazaki in defense, Uesato, Kazama and Tanaka in mid-field and the new FC Ryukyu talisman up front, Koji Suzuki. Suzuki got the game/season rolling in the 23^rd minute thanks to a nice play by Nakagawa. His shot, that he seemed to hit as he was falling backwards, was misjudged by Serantes from Avispa and FC Ryukyu were out in front. Fukuoka answered rather quickly from a bullet header by Matsuda as he rose over Nishioka in defense. In the second half, Tanaka drew a foul in the box in the 71^st minute after a nice pass from Nakagawa had him all alone with only the keeper to beat (to think, Nakagawa could’ve had 5 assists in 3 games, what could he have achieved, as well as the club all if he were still here?). Suzuki stepped up and added his second goal of the game for a brace and 2-1 FCR advantage. The last goal from Tomidokoro was a deflection off a Kazama shot and FC Ryukyu would go on to win 3-1. The win would be the beginning of a 4-game win streak, and 6 games unbeaten, that allowed fools like me to chant, “Top, Top, Top of the Table,” at every FCR match. Historic firsts for the club.

#4 Omiya Ardija 3/2/2019 Match Day 2

FC Ryukyu’s first away game was also the first away match
I’ve ever attended for FC Ryukyu. The weather conditions were absolutely
perfect, it was crisp, but not freezing and coupled with one of the best
footballing stadiums in the country, it set a fantastic scene. It was great to
meet new FC Ryukyu fans who live on mainland Japan and I was shocked to see how
many turned up to see FC Ryukyu play that day.

The boys did not disappoint and they once again started the
scoring early with a 16^th minute goal from Keita Tanaka. Omiya
turned the ball over in the midfield where Uesato found Nakagawa, who made a
nice run right at the central defenders of Omiya. This freed up Tanaka to make
an unmarked run down the right. Nakagawa passed it off very nicely to Tanaka who
let the ball roll across his body before making a nice strike, low and hard,
past the Omiya keeper. Omiya would answer 3 minutes later with a goal by Delgado
and the half ended 1-1. However, the real fireworks were about to begin.

Omiya dominated the early opening minutes of the first half,
much like they did in the waning minutes of the first. Carvajal made a nice
save on a headed shot before FC Ryukyu took the game to a whole new level. Koji
Suzuki bagged two goals within two minutes for his second brace in as many
matches. FC Ryukyu were out to a 3-1 lead and looking unbeatable. I couldn’t
believe what I was seeing from this FC Ryukyu side on the road against an
opponent many had tipped to be in the J1 promotion battle. Koji’s first was a
result of two nice passes from Tanaka and Nakagawa with his second being a very
cheeky nutmeg of the Omiya keeper. Koji celebrated that goal by raising his
finger to his lips to insinuate that that the home crowd should quiet down
(naughty!).

Just 3 minutes after Koji’s second goal, Uejo added a
fourth, his first this season and it was assisted by none other than, Nakagawa.
This was an unbelievable time to be a FC Ryukyu fan. This team was making light
work of opposing team’s defenses, it looked as if the form that won them the J3
title was intact, albeit with a new group of players, and some of us briefly
got ahead of ourselves assuming that the J2 would be a cake walk. It has proven
anything but since the Omiya match.

Omiya were not finished on the day as they responded with 2
very late goals of their own. First there was a PK that sent Dany diving in the
wrong direction with the second being a nice change of direction across the FC
Ryukyu box that stretched our defense. The score was 4-3 with a few more
minutes of extra time to play. This is the moment when Dany Carvajal really
announced his presence.

It would be cynical to assume he played a bad game based on
the score line since Omiya scored 2 nice goals and were awarded a PK. What you
won’t see in the DAZN highlights is the last-minute diving save Dany made to
keep the score line 4-3 and ensure victory for FC Ryukyu. Imagine if he hadn’t
made that save and FC Ryukyu had drawn the game instead of won? We’d be at 26
points with zero road wins at the half way point, very bleak.

All in all, nothing but respect for Omiya and their fans as it was the best stadium I’ve experienced here in Asia.

#3 Zweigen Kanazawa 6/08/2019 Match Day 17

FC Ryukyu were sitting on 29 consecutive games at home
without a loss when Zweigen visited Okinawa for this first time since they won
the J3 back in 2014. FC Ryukyu were coming off two wins in a row at home over
Mito and Niigata and wanted a 3^rd. FC Ryukyu were also dealing with
an injury to first team Goal Keeper, Dany Carvajal, who was out with an ankle
injury.

The game couldn’t have got off to a worse start for FCR as
Kanazawa grabbed the early lead in the 6^th minute off an FC Ryukyu
turnover in their own half. Okazaki had a chance at stopping the play but was
caught between what he wanted to do to stop the Zweigen attacker. It looked
like he couldn’t decide between sliding in for a challenge, or disrupting the
players run by dispossessing him. Instead, he ended up tripping over himself
and the attacker thus leaving the Zweigen player a free look on net. Tanaka
nearly leveled it for FC Ryukyu but his shot was directly at the Zweigen
keeper, unlike the one versus Omiya. Ishii ended up making a very fine save
near the end of the half from a free kick and without his effort on the play,
FC Ryukyu would’ve never been able to get back into the match.

Kanazawa had two more opportunities to put the game out of
reach but luckily for FC Ryukyu, the shots were just wide. Finally, in the 69^th
minute, Koji Suzuki tied the game with his 11^th goal of the season after
an Uesato pass found him wide open at the top of the box. Suzuki calmly slipped
past his marker, made the GK go to ground and sent it past him and Kanazawa
defenders. The play really began when Zweigen were trying to break out of their
own end but pressure by Kawai on the Kanazawa player prevented him from
clearing the ball and this allowed Uesato to step up and steal possession.

It was not the prettiest of results but it showed the grit and determination of this team. The windy, wet conditions made for an awful atmosphere and FC Ryukyu were playing at less than 100% strength. However, they pushed through all of that to grab a crucial point at home and push the undefeated streak to 30, where it would ultimately end.

#2 Kashiwa Reysol 4/07/2019 Match Day 8

FC Ryukyu welcomed the newly demoted J1 side, Kashiwa
Reysol, to the Tapista on Match Day 8 with a chance at achieving immortality in
the form of setting the new J.League Home Undefeated Streak at 26. At this
point in the season FC Ryukyu had only suffered one defeat and took points in 7
out of 8 matches. This was going to be a very tough test at home for FCR against
an experienced group of Reysol players.

From what I saw leading up to this match, Reysol really
liked starting fast and getting out to an early lead. It seemed that if they
couldn’t get the early advantage, games would bog down for them and results
would be mixed. Well they got their wish in the third minute. The goal came off
a set piece where the initial cross was redirected to the opposite side of the
FC Ryukyu net where Gabriel was charging and able to deflect the shot past an
outstretched Carvajal and rising Suzuki and into the top corner. Reysol didn’t
let up and Carvajal was called into action several times in the half but he
prevented any further Reysol scoring.  

FC Ryukyu began to grow into the match a little by little as Reysol were unable to grab the 2-0 lead. Tanaka had a shot at leveling the game just before half time but Nakamura made a fine save. Tomidokoro’s point-blank within the 6-yard box was unfortunately right at the Reysol Keeper or FCR would’ve leveled. It wasn’t until the 82^nd minute when a Tokumoto cross found a wide open Uejo who smashed home the volley. It left the Reysol keeper stunned as well as the 7,913 fans who showed up. FC Ryukyu continued to hunt for the winner when they very easily could’ve packed it in but they never found the go ahead goal. The match ended 1-1 and FC Ryukyu became new J.League record holders. This was another huge signature performance for FCR.

#1 Mito Hollyhock 05/11/2019 Match Day 13

Mito visited Okinawa as the top team in J2 with quite an
impressive defensive record. FC Ryukyu on the other hand were coming off of two
defeats in 3 weeks to Kagoshima and FC Gifu and had only scored 4 goals in
their previous 5 matches. All it would’ve taken for the streak to end was a
Mito goal as the side had not lost all season up to this point and hadn’t
conceded more than one goal in any of their 12 prior matches.

Then the unthinkable happened, FC Ryukyu scored the opening
goal within the first 10 minutes. Tokumoto picked out an unmarked Koji Suzuki
who sent a header, hard and low, that the Mito keeper couldn’t save. Suzuki
nearly got on the board again but his toe poke was defected over the bar by the
Mito defenders. FC Ryukyu were in complete control of the match but that didn’t
really matter as Mito were never a side who chased matches regardless of the
score line.

Tokumoto hit the post in the second half and that would’ve really put the game out of reach. Mito never really got things going in this game and that can be attributed to the fine defensive performance by the FC Ryukyu back line. It was another shocking result for FC Ryukyu who seem to really play really well against the top 3 or 4 sides in the J2. The win also pushed the streak to 27 matches without a loss but it was the 3 points at home and their first win in nearly two months that made all the difference for FCR. 

Honorable Mentions

1. Montedio Yamagata 3/24/2019 Match Day 5. FC Ryukyu earned
a draw on the road versus what looks to be the potential J2 champion. FC Ryukyu
remained undefeated on the season and got their longest road trip out of the
way early which will pay dividends later on this season.

2. Tokyo Verdy 4/13/2019 Match Day 9. FC Ryukyu pulled off
quite a comeback to level the match in the 5^th minute of stoppage
time off a Uesato strike. In a game where Carvajal busted his nose stopping an
attacking Verdy player, and then saved the PK, was just amazing. Uesato’s
strike was so well taken, and so unexpected, it left everyone in shock. It was
a great point earned on the road for FCR.

3. Kyoto Sanga 6/15/2019 Match Day 18. Maybe you are
noticing a trend with these honorable mentions. They are all the draws FC
Ryukyu have earned on the road. FC Ryukyu went behind twice in this match and
battled back to draw with goals from Koji Suzuki and Kawai. Kyoto are a strong
team and no one gave FC Ryukyu much of a chance in this match as they were a
visiting side in poor form. The draw was big because FCR ended up suffering
defeats in the following consecutive weeks and really needed the point.

Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu

10 (TIE).

10A. Tanka’s early goal against Omiya: The way he let the
ball roll onto him and his low hard strike was great.

10B. Kawai’s game tying goal against Kyoto on the road was a
massive goal from a well taken shot.

9. Uesato’s goal against FC Gifu: Top Right corner from the
top of the box.Oh!

8. Masutani’s bullet header against Mito: Came from the way
back to get into the attack and send a low, hard header to the bottom corner.
Watch and enjoy.

7. Koji Suzuki’s diving header against Yamaguchi: Power and
Placement.

6. Uejo’s goal on the break versus Nagasaki: Frightening how
good this kid could be one day, and how good he is right now.

5. Koji Suzuki going top shelf versus Yokohama FC: The man
wanted to blow open the top of the net with that much power in his shot.

4. Tomidokoro’s free kick versus Niigata: Love watching Yu
do his thing, go on son.

3. Kazama’s free kick versus Kofu: Gave the GK no chance at
saving that one, top drawer.

2. Uesato’s strike on the volley against Tokyo Verdy: Could
watch that over and over and over again.

1. Uejo’s strike on the volley against Kashiwa Reysol: Young
player putting one past an experienced International capped Goal Keeper. On the
volley, into the top corner, none better so far.

I hope you all enjoyed the second installment of the
mid-season review. We will conclude tomorrow with a review of the players, the
mid-season MVP and the way ahead for FC Ryukyu.

Welcome everyone to the FC Ryukyu mid season review. I will provide a 3-part series for the FC Ryukyu mid-season review beginning today. In Part 1 I will focus briefly on the current state of the team, what changes have occurred at the club from the end of last season until now that have affected attendance numbers and then I will switch gears and review the Top 5 story lines. In Part 2 we will review the Top 5 matches for FC Ryukyu this season as well as the Top 10 goals scored by individual players from FC Ryukyu. Finally, in Part 3 we will conclude the mid-season review with some player reviews, discuss the FC Ryukyu MVPs up to this point and end the series by looking forward into the remaining fixtures for FC Ryukyu. Enjoy!

2019 To Date

FC Ryukyu have now reached the half way point of their
inaugural J2 season. They sit 13^th in the table with 28 points and
are 11 points clear of the relegation zone.  They started the year out very fast winning 4
out of their first 4 matches and then drawing the next two to sit at 14 points.
FC Ryukyu’s first loss didn’t occur until a mid-week match up against JEF Chiba
on Match Day 7. They responded really well after that loss as they came home to
earn a late draw against Kashiwa Reysol thus setting the new Home Undefeated
Record for all of the J.Leauge with 26 in a row. FC Ryukyu would ultimately
make it to 30 before Kofu ended their undefeated run with a 5-2 defeat.

In my opinion, there are couple of different ways to view
the first half of the FC Ryukyu season. You could break it down by quarters or
in halves.

If we broke it down by quarters, we see theses type of
results: Matches 1-5; 4 wins and 1 draw, matches 6-10; 3 draws and 2 losses,
matches 11-15; 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw and finally, matches; 16-21 1 win, 2
draws and 3 losses. Right away we see a team that wins in bunches and then goes
thru stretches of bad results.

By Halves: Matches 1-10; 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses and,
matches 11-21; 3 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. This paints a more ominous picture
as the losses really piled up for FC Ryukyu in the second part of the first
half of the season.

What has greatly impacted FC Ryukyu’s point total this
season is their inability win on the road. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road
since Match Day 2 against Omiya and have suffered defeats to lower sides FC
Gifu and Kagoshima. Luckily for FC Ryukyu, the fast start with 4 wins from 4
has produced the nice 11 to 12-point cushion between them and the drop zone area
with teams 20-22. The expected point total to avoid relegation is between 42-46
points and FC Ryukyu are about 17 points shy of the sweet spot. This means FC
Ryukyu will need at least 5 wins in the second half of the season while mixing
in some draws.

A quick glance at the FC Ryukyu stat sheet this season.

2019 Changes

FC Ryukyu have averaged 4,480 fans in their 11 home games to
date and those numbers are probably impacted by the poor weather that has
befouled FC Ryukyu in the first half of the season.  FC Ryukyu have played at least half of their
home games this season in wet and windy conditions that makes life very
difficult on the FC Ryukyu fan base. As some of you may know, there is only a
small covered area on the West of the stadium and it truly doesn’t protect many
of the fans against the elements. While all football clubs have to deal with inclement
weather from time to time, keep in mind that FC Ryukyu are in the midst of
trying to build and established fan base that can generate revenue and
ultimately player transfer/salaries. Though FC Ryukyu have greatly improved
their attendance totals from last year, ideally this club would like to average
upwards of 7,000 fans per game. Realistically, I think 5,000 is the mark that
FC Ryukyu could hit with their remaining 10 home games.

So, what has changed for the club and the fan base that has caused an average increase of about 1,000 fans per match this season compared to seasons past? There is no single answer I can come up with and I believe there are several factors involved. Before we get into the details as to why, let’s see the attendance records from FC Ryukyu’s past season in the J3.

So, right away we see that FC Ryukyu has slowly been increasing their fan base since their inception in the J.League. FC Ryukyu began their push up the table in 2016 and followed that up by finishing 6^th in 2017. It should be no coincidence that the uptick in attendance coincided with a managerial change that brought a more attacking style of football to Okinawa. Not to mention, more goals. Of course, we’d expected to see the sharpest rise in attendance figures during the championship season but if we are going to draw one conclusion from these numbers, its fans appreciate exciting football on the pitch. Maybe the average fan just wants to see some goals and is not overly concerned with the end result. So now let’s see what has changed this season.

First, the fact the FC Ryukyu won the J3 title last season
really helped pull the club out of the shadows and into the light for the
Okinawa community. The crowd on hand for the title clinching game is one of the
largest in FC Ryukyu history and it really helped put this team on the map.
Second, the increased coverage of FC Ryukyu on television, on radio and in print,
really increased the visibility of FC Ryukyu and this has almost certainly
brought more people to the grounds.

Third, the front office staff for FC Ryukyu has really
engaged the community on their website but more importantly, through social
media. There is a more concentrated effort by the club to target new fans and
expose this team to the local community. While some free attendance events have
been hampered by bad weather, it is nice to see the club continually running
shuttle buses for both home and away supporters to the stadium. The 3,000 Yen
fee is definitely cheaper than a taxi or daiko back to Naha but I’d like to see
the club offer discounted tickets for those people utilizing the shuttle since it
increases the minimum cost to attend the match up to 4,000 Yen for an adult. The
club has done well to offer a free parking and a shuttle from the Awase port
area as the parking situation is deplorable, and outside of the control of the
club, at the stadium as it is located inside a huge community park. FC Ryukyu
also offer a child care program to attract parents who wish to attend but maybe
reluctant because they are concerned, they’d spend more time looking after
their children than enjoying the match. I believe that based on numerous
personal experiences at the Tapista with my kids. The fact that you can find
the president of the club, Mr. Mikami, in the A Section of the stadium each
week interacting, and more importantly listening to FC Ryukyu fans, means the
management and club are really trying to understand their customer and not
force feed the fans what they don’t want.

Fourth, I think the fact that FC Ryukyu are playing in the J2 instead of the J3 has resonated with the local community that the club is playing in a more established, more respected, better covered tier of the Japanese Football pyramid. The notion that FC Ryukyu could be playing J1 football in the near future is very real in the minds of people here as the distance between the J1 and J2 is much shorter, both literally and figuratively than between J3 and J1. Fifth, there have been some nice improvements to the match day event. Food and drink vendors have increased, there are food vendors on the opposite side of the stadium and pre-match events are very well received by the local community. Sixth, the traveling fans. There is no doubt that the large numbers of fans from Reysol, Niigata and others have propped up the overall attendance numbers. Remember, Okinawa is a holiday destination for most mainland Japaneses so syncing up your teams match with your holiday plans isn’t a bad idea.

Seventh, the home unbeaten record helped immensely as it gained both local and national attention. It really brought people to the Tapista who may have never attended a match in their life but wanted to be a part of something special. Finally, there is just a different aura surrounding the club. I have witnessed some very sparsely attended matches in FC Ryukyu’s history and even joked that they were counting the players, front office staff and stadium support staff in their overall attendance numbers so as not to come across as team that no one bothers to watch. But all of that is in the past. Match day events are better planned, better presented and better executed. There is a much different atmosphere inside the stadium of seasons past and I am just having a hard time describing it in detail. You just have to be here to feel it I guess.

The club has been steadily improving its numbers every season and this is encouraging. The club cannot expect an average of 7,000 fans per match every week as it looks like it will take them about 2-3 more season to hit that number based on the statistical trends in the table above. It takes time to build a fan base and not everyone here in Okinawa is able to attend all the matches on a regular basis. Let’s assume that the club has set their operating budget based on average attendance rates of 3,000 per match. If that is the case, then the 4,200 fans they currently averaging each match means they will have some ability to make subtle changes within the club this season and that is very important to their overall success.

There are 10 home games remaining for FC Ryukyu against some serious opponents. Yamagata, Kyoto and Nagasaki to name a few so FC Ryukyu will need all the fan support they can garner to navigate these tough fixtures at home at such a crucial part of the season. I hope the weather for these matches improves as it is understandable that no one wants to bring themselves, let alone their family to watch a football match in rainy, windy conditions (despite the prevailing trend of poncho fashion). I’d like to see FC Ryukyu hit the 5,000-average mark by seasons end but that will take a concerted effort from the players performing each week, the management executing an affordable and targeted marketing campaign and with those of us at the grass roots level spreading the word about FC Ryukyu however we can.

Top 5 Storylines of the 2019 Season So Far

#5. The Transfer of Kazaki Nakagawa to Yokohama F. Marinos
after Match Day 3.

One polarizing story emerging from the early part of this season was the transfer of Nakagawa to the J1 side, Yokohama F Marinos. Nakagawa had featured for FC Ryukyu since 2017 when he joined Ryukyu from Betis San Isidro in the 4^th tier of Spanish Football. Nakagawa’s breakout season occurred in 2018 when he netted 16 times while adding 16 assists. Nakagawa started the 2019 J2 season on fire by contributing 4 assists and it was the main reason FC Ryukyu looked like world-beaters so early on in the season. FC Ryukyu scored 9 goals in their first 3 games with Nakagawa and then it took them another 9 weeks to match that scoring total.

FC Ryukyu have really struggled to fill the void left by the Nakagawa departure and continue to tinker the lineup by inserting Uejo, Kazama and Ochi in his vacated spot. They have yet to find the right combination or get back to their free scoring ways they enjoyed early on. Keep in mind, FC Ryukyu had failed to score more than 2 goals in match since Nakagawa’s departure, until this past weekend, and this is a team designed for the attack. It was always going to be hard to replace a player of Nakagawa’s quality so it will be interesting to see if FC Ryukyu can pull off a loan with Yokohama in order to reacquire the temporary services of such an iconic FC Ryukyu player.

#4 FC Ryukyu’s Away Record this Season

FC Ryukyu started out the season brilliantly on the road by earning a massive 4-3 victory over Omiya and then followed that performance up with a draw against top side Yamagata. You may be thinking I am about to tell you how great this side has been on the road but it is quite the opposite. FC Ryukyu have not won on the road since Omiya and have been outscored 12 to 17 in those games. There are some instances of bad luck, when they lost Carvajal to injury during the Yokohama match in which they were winning, but for the most part the team has really failed to fire on the road. They salvaged some nice draws at Tokyo Verdy and Kyoto with late goals by Uesato and Kawai but otherwise have failed to get over the line with a win.

It will not get any easier for FC Ryukyu with trips to Kashiwa, Kofu and Mito ahead of them, but ideally, we’d like to see this side grab 2 more road wins this season. Considering FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points on the road in the first half, 2 wins and 3 draws in their remaining 11 road wins should be more than enough to ensure relative safety.

#3 Emerging Talents

There are some very talented players coming into their own this season. Specifically, the emergence of Uejo, Kawai, Tokumoto and Koizumi. Uejo has scored some huge goals for the club this season and has all the makings of a great attacking mid-fielder. Kawai has been putting on a display the past few matches with his speed and ability to generate goal scoring opportunities. Tokumoto can produce some great crosses from the FB position and it is no surprise that larger clubs are looking to acquire his services this transfer window. Koizumi has only featured in 6 matches but has flashed some talented play and movement. All these players are under-25 years old and they look to be the future for FC Ryukyu. Maybe by the end of the season we will see all 3 midfielders in the starting lineup with Kawai and Uejo out wide and Koizumi playing the CAM role. In any case, this a group of talented young players that FC Ryukyu needs to hold onto for the next few seasons.

#2 New Players

There is no doubt that the signings FC Ryukyu made this offseason have paid off. First, FC Ryukyu lost GK Park – and eventually Nakagawa – to Yokohoma F Marinos and we lost Togashi to FC Gifu. It was never going to be easy to replace 32 goals but Koji Suzuki seems to want to make up that number all by himself. He currently sits on 14 and I wrote very early on after one of his braces that he may hit 26 for the season. Well he is more than halfway there and has been a phenomenal signing for the club. Dany Carvajal also joined the club in the offseason and has become one of the best GKs in all of J2. Dany’s play at the back has been nothing short of spectacular and has contributed to many favorable outcomes for FC Ryukyu. His performance late against Omiya to earn a victory, his PK save against Verdy after a bloody nose is the stuff of legends and his ability to keep FC Ryukyu in matches with timely saves has been great to watch.

Uesato has been a good central holding mid-fielder, team captain and contributed two beautiful goals. Ochi has chipped in 2 goals in 3 games that he has started while Kawai has become a starter with enormous potential. Kazama has also provided some electric moments with his free kicks and corners. All in all, these were really good signings by the club this offseason.

#1 The Home Undefeated Record

The number one storyline for the 2019 season so far was the 30-game home undefeated record for FC Ryukyu. The home unbeaten streak lasted 643 days dating back to September 30^th 2017. Some may argue that a majority of those games were against lesser opponents in a lower league. While that is a valid point, it also should be noted that FC Ryukyu could only play the opponents in front of them and that 9 of those 30, almost 1/3, occurred in the J2. Nobody, including me, knew what to expect from this team at the start of the season. If we look at the 9 unbeaten games this season, we see a nice mix of dramatic finishes, dominating performances and a bit of luck. FC Ryukyu took Reysol’s best shot and earned a draw, they beat the league leaders at the time in Mito at home and they pulled off a last-minute draw against Yamaguchi that would’ve ended the record before they could break the previous one. The fact remains that they are now holders of a very prestigious record for the J.League and no one can take that away from this club or its supporters.

Well that is it for Part 1 of the mid-season review. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far and up next is Part 2 where we will discuss the Top 5 Matches and Top 10 Goals for FC Ryukyu this season. See you tomorrow.

FC Ryukyu ended the first half of the season on a high note with a resounding 3-0 victory over Tochigi SC last night at the Tapista. FC Ryukyu controlled much of the game and Tochigi had no answer for the FC Ryukyu attack last night. The victory puts FC Ryukyu on 28 points at the halfway mark and depending on the outcome of the remaining J2 fixtures this week, they will be either 12^th or 13^th in the table. Not bad for a newly promoted side.

FC Ryukyu began asserting themselves very early in the match and achieved the breakthrough in the 19^th minute when Yu Tomidokoro sent a through ball to Koji Suzuki who then put one past the Tochigi GK for his league leading 14^th goal. Kazama also deserves some credit for this play as it was his initial pass that found Yu, who then was able to find Koji streaking through the middle of the Tochigi defense. FC Ryukyu really never let up the remainder of the first half as they were constantly bombarding the Tochigi defense and winning some nice FKs and CKs. In the 40^th minute Koji Suzukui’s hold up play near the top of the box allowed Kawaii to gain the positional advantage on the defenders and Suzuki was able to find the wide open Kawaii with a nice pass in heavy traffic. Kawaii was able to round the Tochigi defenders and pick out Nishioka in front of the net who deflected it into the back of the goal for 2-0 FC Ryukyu lead. As I had mentioned before, 2 goals would be enough to get past Tochigi as this is a side that doesn’t score that many goals and scores even less on the road.

FC Ryukyu ended the first half with 54% possession and a 9/3 advantage in the shot department. Tochigi never really threatened the FC Ryukyu net and none of their shots in the first half were on target. If you were able to watch the full match on DAZN you would see that FC Ryukyu were not holding a high defensive line as they’ve done in the past and the FC Ryukyu attack was more evenly distributed down either side whereas in the past a lot of the attack came from the right side. Tochigi’s player tracking was shocking in that it seemed all their players were in line, spread evenly across the halfway line. I’ve never seen something like that before.

FC Ryukyu came out quickly in the second half and a Yu Tomidokoro free kick was just slightly ahead of the charging FC Ryukyu attackers or else we would’ve been ahead 3-0 at this point. Starting in the 60^th minute Tochigi made a better push on the FC Ryukyu net. Their best chance came in the 65^th minute when a cross narrowly missed the extended foot of Hamashita and had he connected, they would’ve surely scored. After about 10 minutes of action by Tochigi, FC Ryukyu took the game back over and saw Ochi bag is second goal of the season on a nice chipped cross from Koji Suzuki. FC Ryukyu were up 3-0 and there was not much more action to report on for the rest of the match.

Review of the FC Ryukyu keys to Victory

1. Dominate the Possession Battle: PASS. Though the match ended with an even 50/50 possession split for both sides, FC Ryukyu created the better chances with their possession. FC Ryukyu had 14 shots, 10 on target and 3 goals compared to Tochigi’s stat line of 7/3/0.

2. Cap off Drives with Goals: PASS, with flying colors. 3
goals all from open play. Well done boys.

3. Crowd the Tochigi Goal on all Set Pieces. Pass. They did but they were rewarded by this tactic from the two deflections by Nishioka and Ochi. FC Ryukyu didn’t score from any set pieces yesterday but there were two narrow misses from both Yu and Uesato. There was plenty of confusion on the part of the Tochigi defenders yesterday with FC Ryukyu getting in front of goal often unmarked.

4. Play Sound Football. PASS. Of course, it’s very hard to
find fault with a side that just won in convincing fashion at home. Turnovers
were down dramatically, defending in and round the box was very good and the FC
Ryukyu passing in the attack was spot on.

Man of the Match

Koji scored his 14^th goal of the season and added 2 assists on the FC Ryukyu goals (depends on how they are scored but I give an assist starting with two passes back from the score). The man put in a serious shift yesterday. First, his goal was superbly taken and really relaxed the FC Ryukyu squad as a whole. Second, his hold up play generated so many FC Ryukyu attacks and directly led to the Nishioka goal in the first half. Third, he was generating free kicks in dangerous areas for FC Ryukyu by winning the positional battle over the Tochigi defenders who ended up fouling him instead of letting him through on net. Finally, his passing was lethal. He should be credited with 2 assists yesterday as his first assist found a streaking Kawaii who eventually found Nishioka and his second was a deft little chip that Ochi was able to turn into the back of the net.

Honorable Mention: The FC Ryukyu back line. I have been a staunch critic of their performances at times this season but they played really well as a whole defensive unit last night. They were reinforcing each other all around the box and broke up several Tochigi passes in the box. Their performance, along with Dany’s, allowed FC Ryukyu to earn their 3^rd shutout of the season, but most importantly, it has propelled FC Ryukyu’s goal differential back into the positive which now sits at +2.

Match Day 21 Takeaways

1. FC Ryukyu really needed a performance like this after
suffering 3 defeats in a row. As I said in the match day preview, this was
going to be a “slump busting” match for one of these two sides and I am glad it
was FC Ryukyu who were able to break out of their funk. They played sound,
fundamental football and were rewarded with their first win in 5 weeks. Tochigi
were definitely a lesser opponent compared to Kyoto, Kofu and Nagasaki but it
is crucial for FC Ryukyu to beat these teams and take maximum points.

2. Kawaii has rightfully earned his spot in the starting 11.
Kawaii’s speed pulls apart the oppositions defense and creates running lanes
and shooting lanes for the FC Ryukyu attack. I am very excited that he is in
the lineup because speed, like height, is one of those things you cannot
teach/coach. Players either have it or they don’t and Kawaii definitely has
speed.

3. Fukui and Nishioka played great in the defense but their crosses/passes into the box were off yesterday. Just one of those games I suppose so just keep sending them into the box and they’ll eventually find an open FC Ryukyu player.

4. Uejo cannot crack the starting 11, but he may, beginning
with next week. Ochi had a large ice bag on the inside of his left knee but he
wasn’t walking with any noticeable limp after the match. I think the FC Ryukyu
attack will really come into its own if we can get Uejo and Kawaii in the
starting 11 at the same time. Their speed, passing and Uejo’s finishing will
really trouble opposing defenses and I hope Higuchi employs them next week
versus Okayama.

5. Ochi played in his 200^th game last night if I am to believe DAZN. What a nice little achievement that may have gone unnoticed. He started, and usually they hand out some flowers and bring the guys family onto the pitch before the match. Did I miss that yesterday?

6. Tochigi SC may make a managerial change soon, much like the teams around them at the bottom have done this season. They are not generating anything in attack and conceding a lot of goals.

Conclusion

Job done, ended the halfway point with 28 points and a nice lucky stat line of 7 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses. No time to rest though as a tough Okayama side travels to Okinawa this week and if you all recall, they handed us a 1-0 defeat a couple of months back so its high time for a little payback.

Weather Forecast: Another match at home in which it will be raining. This is the 4^th match in a row in which FC Ryukyu will be playing in wet conditions. It looks to be around 80 degrees for most of the match with an 70% chance of rain. Assemble the Poncho Army once more!

Introduction

FC Ryukyu enter Match Day 21 having suffered 2 defeats in a row, 3 if you count the Emperor’s cup. Tochigi were entering this match winless over the past 2 months but they were able to pull off a victory against Yamagata during the Emperor’s Cup mid-week. Both sides will want to leave this match with maximum points so this maybe a very cagey match with both sides wanting to to get out in front early. Keep in mind, Tochigi need the 3 points to start pushing themselves clear of the bottom whereas FC Ryukyu want to keep a nice 11-12-point buffer between them and the “drop zone.”

Tochigi SC

Tochigi SC are struggling side who do not create many opportunities that can generate a lot of goals. They have only scored 3 times during the past 5 matches and were shut out in 3 of them. No single player really jumped off the screen during the preview so I had a hard time determining who the play makers are in the Tochigi squad.

Tochigi’s last match against Ehime saw them concede two late goals, within the last 5 minutes of the game, in what was one of those “6-point” matches that are so crucial to teams at the bottom of the table. In that match, they were able to convert one PK for a goal at the end of the first half but failed to convert the second PK at the 73 minute mark which could of drastically changed the trajectory for the match. They then had a near miss a couple of minutes later only too see them concede two headed goals by Ehime. In each instance there seemed to be a lot of ball watching but little man marking in the box by the Tochigi defense.

Bottom line, Tochigi are a side that struggle to produce in the attack and can be broken down at the back by better attacking sides. They, much like FC Ryukyu, have not had a lot breaks go their way this season and FC Ryukyu could’ve been in the same situation Tochigi currently find themselves in if things hadn’t broken our way in some key matches.

Players to Watch

#9 FW Masashi Oguro. Tochigi’s top goal scorer this season with 5 goals and 2 assists. Oguro is returning from injury, possibly slowly, so he may only feature as a substitute this week. Hopefully that is the case as Tochigi are a different side when Oguro is in the lineup. All 3 of Tochigi’s wins came when Ogura played and during his absence, Tochigi tied 3 times while losing 4. They were only able to score 4 goals in his absence (6 matches).

#10 MF Kazuki Nishiya. Has tallied 4 goals and 1 assist for
Tochigi. May possess some speed that could trouble the Ryukyu defenders but
hard to tell from limited game film. Plays LM/LFWD behind the striker in
Tochigi’s formation. 

#37 MF Akira Hamashita. Leads Tochigi in assists with 3.
Plays down the right side behind the striker.

FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu are at a crossroads for their season. They are coming off of two heavy defeats that saw the side concede 8 goals. The strange part is they conceded all 8 of these goals in a row before adding 2 of their own at the end of the Nagasaki match. They’ve steadily increased their goal tally each of the past 3 matches but that has come at the cost of conceding 10 goals during the past 3 matches that saw their goal differential dropping into the negative for the first time all year. FC Ryukyu will need a combination of points and goal difference to ensure safety this year and that cannot be understated.

I worry that FC Ryukyu committed too many of the starters to the mid-week Emperor’s Cup matchup where Tochigi only started their FWD #19 Oshima. This signals to me that Ogura is probably match fit and ready to take back his starting position up front. I am concerned over the mid-week matchup lineup selection because FC Ryukyu will need to control a lot of the possession in this game and that could be difficult on tired legs. I have my own views on the Emperor’s Cup but I am glad that FC Ryukyu are out of that tournament and able to focus solely on the remainder of the J2 season.

Whether FC Ryukyu are dealing with a bevy of injures to reserve players or some players are just struggling for form, nothing indicates to me that FC Ryukyu have a lot of depth to this squad. It is strange where some players feature, flash a bit of quality, and then disappear for long stretches of time without any word as to why.  Perfect examples are the disappearance of Uehara after the Yokohama match early last month and now the reemergence of Koizumi in the Emperor’s Cup lineup when he’s been off the substitute list for so long. I am not sure if Higuchi is preferring to stay with the players he knows and trusts, and that means shuffling the lineup with only the 13-14 players we’ve seen all season, or there is something going on in the FC Ryukyu squad that we are not privy too.

FC Ryukyu should view this as a must win, winnable match at home against a struggling Tochigi side that is looking to claw their way out of the bottom.  The fact is, 2 goals by FC Ryukyu could be the difference on the day as the visitor’s do not score that many goals, the question remains, can we get there without conceding 2 of our own?

Injuries

FC Ryukyu: #5FB Tokumoto. Tokumoto has picked up a new injury to his MCL during his recovery from an ankle injury last month. The new MCL injury will sideline Tokumoto for an additional 3-4 weeks but doesn’t seem to be as serious as the MCL injury that Nishioka may have been dealing with earlier in the season that saw him miss upwards of 8 weeks.

Tochigi SC: #20 MF Yudai Iwama. He looked as if he was a regular starter for Tochigi this season before he tore his ACL which will see him miss the rest of the season.

FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Dominate the possession battle. Tochigi has alternated between a 3-4-3 and 4-4-2 formation for the last few weeks and neither has really produced the “spark” the manager was aiming for. They have conceded 8 times over the span of 5 weeks and only scored 3 goals. FC Ryukyu need to control the pace of this match with large amounts of possession to further reduce the already few attempts Tochigi produces each match.

2. Cap off drives with goals. Ryukyu are averaging better than 50% possession over their past few matches but all that possession hasn’t led to a massive increase in goals. Ryukyu have scored 6 goals over the past 3 matches but always run the risk of conceding when they commit so much of their defense into the attack. FC Ryukyu can put this game out of reach very quickly with 2 first half goals.

3. Crowd the front of the Tochigi goal on all set pieces. Tochigi have let in a few “cheap goals” in the past few matches and it could be contributed to the large amounts of traffic, and probably confusion, in front of the Tochigi Goal Keeper. Whether this stems from poor communication among the Tochigi defenders, the constant switching of the defensive back line formations, defenders being timid or just bad luck it really doesn’t matter as it is a weakness that should be exploited by FC Ryukyu.

4. Play sound football. This means crisp, accurate passes to unlock the Tochigi defense, reducing wasteful turnovers while in possession and stopping the goal scoring tear our opponents have been on as of late. This last key could be the overall keys to every match but are things that FC Ryukyu need to execute in order to see out tough matches and earn 3 points.

Match Prediction

FC Ryukyu average 1.70 goals scored and 1.30 goals conceded at home whereas Tochigi average a paltry .60 goals scored on the road while conceding an average of 1.00 goals. FC Ryukyu over Tochigi 2-1.

Conclusion.

The match this weekend should not be considered an “easy win” for FC Ryukyu despite the standings in the table and the recent performance of Tochigi. I believe these two sides are more similar than the standings indicate (refer to the side by side comparison table above). FC Ryukyu have struggled mightily against teams at the bottom of the table and maybe thats because FC Ryukyu cannot deal with the zero sum approach many lower sides adopt. FC Ryukyu have lost to JEF Chiba, F.C. Gifu and Kagoshima when they were at or very near the bottom of the table and have only drawn against Renofa when they were near the bottom of the table earlier this year.

Tochigi, much like FC Ryukyu, have some signature wins and performances against much stronger sides like Reysol, Kofu and Omiya. They have been unlucky at times and still haven’t won inside the J2 in about 2 months so they too are targeting this match for 3 points against a struggling FC Ryukyu side.

This will be a “slump busting” game for one of these two sides come the weekends end. FC Ryukyu are looking to respond by bouncing back from 2 prior losses in a row while Tochigi will want to break their 2 month winless streak and possibly keep pace with the bottom 4 teams if results go a certain way tomorrow. I hope FC Ryukyu take it to Tochigi SC early and grab a resounding win so as to slowly climb back up the table and out of danger, but you never know what to expect with this side so all we can do is get out there and support them.

FC Ryukyu nearly battled back for a draw this past Saturday at Nagasaki but their failure to at least earn a point has seen Ryukyu drop out of the top 11 for the first time all season. The loss also means that Ryukyu’s winless run on the road has now been extended to 9 matches in a row. Ryukyu are really making life difficult for themselves in the J2 with these road results as it is putting massive amounts of pressure on the team to take maximum points at home each week. Ryukyu will now enter a month with 6 fixtures spread across 2 competitions with an absolute “must win” match at home next week versus Tochigi.

The Match

Instead of breaking down each half as I normally would, I will instead focus on the match as a whole. FC Ryukyu controlled a majority of the possession throughout the game and ended the match with a total of 58%. Ryukyu dominated play for the first 25 minutes but the same wayward passing that led to turnovers against Kofu followed the team to Nagasaki. Kawai’s shot in the 21^st minute nearly put Ryukyu up 1-0 but a costly turnover by Ryukyu led to a counter/corner kick for Nagasakai that saw a breakdown in communication and assignments by the Ryukyu defense on the rebound and allowed Nagasaki to take the early 1-0 lead. Ryukyu almost allowed the visitors to add to their lead in the 40^th minute from a set piece but a fine piece of goal keeping by Carvajal sent the shot wide.  At the end of the half Ryukyu had controlled the ball 61% of the time with 6 total shots but no goals to show for their efforts.

Nagasaki nearly doubled their lead straight away in the second half but Ryukyu would once again assert their dominance in the early possession battle. Ryukyu sent some decent crosses into the 6-yard box but all of them either nearly missed or went unanswered. Nagasaki then pounced on a Ryukyu turnover where Masutani was unlucky with his first touch, after a long ball pass from Nagasaki, that allowed the attacking Nagasaki player a ton of space down the left side. The Nagasaki player passed it off to a wide-open player across the top of the box whose shot deflected off of a diving Danny and into the net for a 2-0 lead. Nagasaki piled on further punishment 4 minutes later off yet another Ryukyu turnover as Nishioka failed to track the run of the Nagasaki player wide of him and allowed him a free run on net. Nagasaki scored on a play eerily reminiscent of the one against Kofu where Ishii came way off his line to cut down the angle only this time it was Danny coming out to stop the onrushing attacker. Nagasaki was up 3-0 with little more than 20 minutes of the match remaining.

FC Ryukyu were able to score two very nice goals near the end. One from Koji Suzuki and another from Uejo, our 2 leading goal scorers on the year but the early 3-0 lead proved too much to overcome for Ryukyu. Final Score Nagasaki 3-2 over Ryukyu.

Review of the FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

1. Apply pressure from all angles to #33 Goya of Nagasaki. PASS. Ryukyu did a great job of limiting the best player for Nagasaki on the day. Goya had a couple of chances early but was largely invisible, outside of his foul that went uncalled, and Ryukyu did a good job handling this good player.

2. Do not over commit to the attack and leave our defenders
exposed. PASS. It was not the commitment to the attack that did Ryukyu in,
rather, see point #3.

3. Cut-down the turnovers and wayward passing. FAIL. Ryukyu committed no less than 15 turnovers of which 2 led directly to Nagasaki goals. They need to clean this up moving forward in order to capitalize on all the possession Ryukyu enjoy as well as earn some victories on the road.

4. Execute the counter attack to perfection. NO GRADE.
Ryukyu enjoyed so much of the possession that rarely were they needing to
sprint into a counter attack mode. With what little opportunities they did have,
the possession usually ended in a corner kick but no goals came from the counter
so its hard to give a failing or passing grade here.

Match Day Prediction

2-2: I was off by one goal and Ryukyu had plenty of early opportunities
that could’ve made this a 3-3 score line.

Man of the Match

Wada came on in the 79th minute and provided a nice spark to the attack. It could be argued that Nagasaki were on cruise control at this point as they were up 3 goals with less than 10 minutes to go before Ryukyu netted their first goal but nonetheless, Wada put in a nice shift and was rewarded with 2 assists on the day. Koji Suzuki gets an honorable mention because his hold up play was superb and his league leading goal was great.

Match Day 20 Takeaways

1. As stated throughout this week’s entry, Ryukyu need to
tighten up their passing. It is not that the passes Ryukyu are attempting could
be considered “low percentage passes,” rather, they are missing our runners and
setting opponents free into the counter.

2. Ryukyu needs to start beating teams around and below them in the table on the road. I have not reviewed all the J2 teams’ records on the road but I am sure Ryukyu owns one of the worst away records this season. Ryukyu will have a handful of remaining games against beatable opponents on the road this year and it is vital to this team’s success to earn maximum points against those teams. We are nearly at the halfway point of the season and Ryukyu will have to travel to 3 of the top 6 sides venues in the second half of the season.

3. Nishioka should’ve been subbed at halftime. Nishioka could’ve easily suffered a concussion on the collision he took in the 35^th minute and had noticeable swelling near his left eye for the reminder of the match. The injury seemed to shake his confidence when making challenges in the air and may have played a factor in the 3^rd and final goal for Nagasaki as he was unaware of the presence of the opposing player. It would be overly critical of me to judge a players performance in the second half after sustaining that injury so this is where I will leave this point.

4. It maybe time for some drastic lineup changes. I don’t think Ochi performed terribly at CAM but Uejo really looks up for it these days. Ryukyu attacked so much from the right side with Yu and Nishiokoa but their 2 goals came from the left. We will see how Higuchi reacts during the emperor’s cup with his lineup selection and that should tell us who is likely to feature this upcoming weekend.

5. FC Ryukyu have now surrendered 10 goals in the past 3 matches. They have scored 6 during that span and that usually may have been enough to earn a win or at the very least a draw. The defense is ceding goals at the rapid rate and they need to stop the bleeding soon.

Looking Ahead

Ryukyu now must travel on a shortened week to play an Emperor’s Cup match in Yamaguchi. They will then return home to face a struggling Tochigi squad who just lost to Ehime. This weekend’s fixture is a must win for both sides and Ryukyu are desperate to keep the 8-point buffer between them and the drop zone.