A very important match

The J2 League 15th round, which resumed after about a month since the end of May, was a match against Ventforet Kofu at the Edogawa Athletics Stadium. During this month, each J2 team spent time on conditioning and reconfirming team tactics, focusing on refreshment. They aimed for this day of resumption and prepared their condition. On the other hand, Tokyo (and Oita), who advanced to the 2nd round of the Nabisco Cup, immediately entered into a combat mode for the Nabisco Cup after the end of the league matches and played two intense battles. They had a strong momentum from winning against J1 teams in serious matches, but they also accumulated considerable physical and mental fatigue. How this plus and minus will affect is being watched closely. In the 1st round against Kofu held in April, Tokyo won with three goals from Sandro, Aumil, and Kobayashi. Tokyo gained momentum with this victory and continued to win without any danger, recording the first four consecutive victories of the season. It became a trigger for the team to ride an upward trend. On the other hand, when it comes to the resumption of league matches at this time, the "nightmare" of last summer comes to mind. At that time, the predecessor of FC Tokyo, "Tokyo Gas FC," which belonged to the JFL, advanced with an unstoppable momentum of 10 consecutive victories until mid-May, and when the league matches resumed two months later, everyone believed in Tokyo Gas FC's victory and went to the dream island (home). However, the result was a loss with an extra time golden goal, which became the trigger for the subsequent four consecutive defeats... In any case, the first match after the resumption of the league matches must be won. There is no doubt that there is fatigue as a handicap, and the worst ground conditions due to heavy rain on this day mercilessly deprived the players of their physical strength. It was necessary to "win" at all costs, even if it was not a big victory.

Worst condition

The rain that had been falling since the morning showed no signs of stopping even as kickoff approached. To make matters worse, the wind grew stronger as kickoff neared, and there were only a few spaces in the stands where spectators could take shelter from the wind and rain. However, there was a group that supported Tokyo with all their might without being intimidated by such a storm. Yes, it was the "Blue and Red Army" in the goal end. No matter how bad the conditions were, whether it was a home or away game, they always provided strong support that motivated the players. On this day, the "Blue and Red Army" got soaking wet along with the players and backed them up even more fiercely than usual. In the first half, Tokyo connected well in the midfield and tried to build attacks with Amoroso as the target man. Despite the poor conditions, Amoroso showed stable ball control and occasionally evaded opponents with his dribbling, demonstrating a difference in skill level. However, other players lacked precision in ball control overall, and the pressure from Kofu also prevented them from executing their usual brilliant passing plays to break through. Starting from midfielder Koike, they spread the ball to the left and right and launched attacks from the full-back positions, but they lost the ball frequently in the midfield, and the attacking contributions of Fujiyama and Umeyama were limited. On the other hand, Kofu played defensively but still managed to connect well in their attacks, launching speedy attacks from both sides. However, they also struggled with ball control and failed to create clear-cut chances. The rain intensified as time went on, and both teams seemed to be unsure whether they should continue to connect passes or switch to a simpler style of kicking and running.

In the end, it's still "KING OF TOKYO"

In the second half, it was already in a state of a violent storm, with puddles of water all over the field, making it impossible to dribble or pass properly. Team flags were falling off and player name signs were falling down, it was the worst. However, in contrast to this, the "Blue and Red Army" in the goal stands reached its highest voltage. We couldn't afford to lose. Tokyo, in the second half, brought in the speedy forward Wada. He ran behind the opponent's defense to aim for a chance. Furthermore, in the 67th minute, the fast forward Kaburagi was also brought in. With this, Tokyo started to aim for the defense's blind spot, and the defense of Kofu backed off, creating space in the midfield. In the 74th minute, Koike unleashed a powerful long-range shot from the center. Furthermore, in the 75th minute, Yukihiko headed Koike's cross from the right, but it narrowly missed the post. After that, Umayama and Yukihiko continued to create chances by delivering accurate crosses from the right side. And in the 77th minute, Koike played a long pass vertically from deep on the left side, which the opponent's defense couldn't cut off, and Wada dribbled deep on the left side and centered the ball. Amaral, who was waiting for it, scored a spectacular goal with his left foot, getting a valuable goal! The halftime instruction from Coach Okuma to "bring in Wada and let him run" was a perfect hit. The game ended with Tokyo holding on and winning the fierce battle in the rain. Next, on July 4th, we will face a decisive battle with our "rival" Sapporo away.