Holding a charity match in Matsumoto!

　JFL Matsumoto Yamaga FC held a charity match. We inquired with the Nagano Football Association whether it would be possible to hold the match at Matsumoto Hirahiroi General Park Stadium (Alwin), where we have played several home games, and we were able to arrange a match with Matsumoto Yamaga FC, which is based in Matsumoto City. While the result is important, we also want to make this match a game that can contribute to the recovery efforts, as the Japanese soccer community is coming together to take action towards reconstruction.

　From the activities of the Japan national team, Imano, Yonemoto, and Gonda joined energetically. Coach Okuma said, "We must first show a solid game as a charity match," and decided to face it with the current best lineup. The starting lineup is GK Shioda, DF Mokuhara, Imano, Morishige, Abe from the right, at the bottom of the midfield Uesato, Kajiyama, in front of them on the left and right Taniyama, Hanyu, and the two top players are Hirayama and Suzuki.

　Matsumoto Yamaga F.C., which was granted J-League provisional membership in February last year, finished 7th in the JFL last season and did not get promoted to J2. This year, they have attracted attention by acquiring DF Naoki Matsuda from Yokohama FM. Other J-League experienced players have also joined, and expectations are high for a competitive season. In recent practice matches, they have defeated FC Gifu and have been evenly matched against J-League teams so far. It is important for each individual to play their part and not be passive as Tokyo.

The match started at 2:05pm with a temperature of 7.4℃ at Alwin, where the spring sun shines but a cold wind blows in Tokyo.

Uesato's powerful shot pierces the net, taking the lead.

　Before the kickoff, a moment of silence was observed and the match began. The pitch conditions were poor, making it difficult for the ball to settle, and both teams struggled to make it to the goal due to missed passes and other errors. In the midfield, effective long passes were unable to penetrate Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.'s strong press, resulting in a stalemate in the early stages. In the 10th minute, Tanizawa took a shot from slightly left of center, but the opposing goalkeeper punched it away. Tokyo brought the ball to a shooting opportunity for the first time in this match.

　At the 18th minute, Hayabusa picked up the opponent's clear ball and dribbled it. He aimed from just outside the area and swung his right foot, but it went over the bar. After the 20th minute, Tokyo settled down and started to pass the ball, creating attacking opportunities. Muhara and Abe on both sides made several crosses from a big side change, but lacked accuracy and couldn't connect in the middle. However, at the 30th minute, Morishige received the ball on the left side and made a big side change to the right side. Uesato cleverly exchanged positions with the opponent's defender and dribbled with the ball, swinging his left foot and scoring a goal in the upper right corner! A spectacular goal in his Tokyo debut match.

　With this goal, Tokyo completely took control of the game. In the 34th minute, Inomata headed Uesato's left corner kick, but it didn't hit the target. The ball then flowed to the opposite side, and Kajiyama connected with a liner-like cross. Hirayama, who was in the center, unleashed a powerful header, but the goalkeeper made a great save and prevented an additional goal. In the 43rd minute, Suzuki dribbled up to the opponent's defense with a long ball that fell behind them, creating a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. He calmly rolled the ball to the left, but it narrowly missed the left post. Towards the end, the opponent created some attacking opportunities, but Shioda and the team remained composed and defended well, maintaining their one-goal lead until the end of the first half.

Tanizawa and Suzuki efficiently added points and won by 4-0

　Substitute Kanda for Shioda from the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Tanizawa in front of the goal perfectly timed his header to meet Hayu's left cross, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the following 51st minute, Uesato delivered a sharp cross from the left free kick to the front of the goal. Morishige headed it, but once again, the opponent's goalkeeper made a good save and prevented a goal. Then, the momentum began to shift in favor of Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. They repeatedly launched quick counterattacks after winning the ball, putting pressure on Tokyo's goal. Despite being pushed back, Morishige and Imakawa, in particular, defended well and prevented the opponents from taking free shots.

　In the 68th minute, Nakamura was substituted for Hayu, and the formation was changed to move Tanihara to the front line. Then, in the 75th minute, Tanihara, who had remained in the front line, intercepted the opponent's pass and dribbled up with a good view of the opponent's goalkeeper, shooting with his right foot. He scored an additional goal by sliding it to the left of the goal. Matsumoto Yamaga F.C., who did not give up, continued to attack, but Tokyo also threatened the opponent's goal from counters.

　In the 86th minute, a clear ball from Otake, who came on as a substitute, was passed to Suzuki on the right side. Starting the dribble from the halfway line, he quickly bypassed two opponents and struck a powerful shot into the top left corner of the goal from inside the penalty area, scoring the third goal. One minute later, Nakamura passed to Hirayama on the left side from a counterattack, who dribbled into the penalty area and made a final pass to the center. Suzuki, who timed his run well, calmly slotted the ball into the goal with his right foot. In the end, they scored a massive four goals and secured the victory.

　【Player Comment】《Imano》"Today, many people came to the stadium and gave me various words of encouragement. I am a soccer player and it is my job to give children dreams through soccer. Many children came to watch and I wanted to show them a play that would give them dreams. The content may not have been good, but I think I was able to show them that I never give up until the end."

　It is really sad that things that we used to take for granted can no longer be done, and we must be grateful for being able to play soccer as if it were normal. I want to do what I can do now step by step and find other things I can do besides soccer. (Towards the resumption of the J-League) There were many mistakes and our approach to the ball was weak in the early stages. In order to aim for victory in J2, we must thoroughly address those aspects. However, it's not just about the bad parts, there were also good parts. We still have time until the resumption, so we will fix the bad parts and extend the good parts."

　"Suzuki": "I wanted to play in a way that would excite everyone and I think I was able to express that feeling. That attitude brought out good plays and I wanted to show good plays to the fans and supporters who came from far away. The chances in the first half were crucial and I had to score. The opponent's goalkeeper came out without hesitation, so I lost the shooting angle. I should have approached the ball faster and taken the shot. Personally, I think this was a game where I made new discoveries and gained something. I was able to reaffirm my strengths and also reaffirm what plays can be a threat to the opponent. There were chances to score a third goal as well, and there are still many areas that need improvement, so I want to make adjustments."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Several players have been away from the team due to injuries, making it difficult for us to resume training. We have been working hard and it has taken a toll on our physical condition. As a result, there has been inconsistency among players who are performing well and those whose performance is lacking. In the second half, some players came on as substitutes and performed reasonably well, which was a positive outcome. We need to improve the quality of our play in the attacking third before the opponent's defense weakens. We will make adjustments leading up to the restart on the 24th."

　(The effect of adding Yuri MORI to the team) Despite having a knee injury, he performed well throughout the 90 minutes today. His free kicks, shooting power with his left foot, and ability to make vertical passes with through balls are things that our team didn't have, and he showed glimpses of that in today's match. I was impressed by the fact that he brings something that our previous team didn't have. Whether he will be included in the league matches in the future is a competition, but I think we can take a positive view of today's performance. He has good aspects in defense, but there are challenges in terms of tough defense and filling spaces or marking players. I look forward to what he will bring in the future."

　[Matsumoto Yamaga FC, Manager Yoshizawa's Press Conference Summary] "First of all, I would like to express my condolences to those who have been living in inconvenience due to the earthquake and to those who have lost their precious lives. As soccer players, we approached this match with the intention of gathering many people for a charity match and raising funds to be used for reconstruction and a fresh start. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to talk about the content of the game here. However, considering that the opening is approaching in three weeks, playing against a team like FC Tokyo has revealed many challenges, and I felt that there is a difference in terms of scoring opportunities, individual skills, and decision-making speed. Based on this, we need to prepare well for the league matches."

　(What is the meaning of adopting a 3-back today?) We knew that FC Tokyo was superior to us in terms of individual ability and overall strength, but the intention of adopting a 3-back was not to avoid this. As the season begins, we want to determine the positioning and utilization of players as one style of this season. The 3-back is not everything, but we want to consider it as one form."