Archive for the 'F.C. Tokyo Match Preview' Category

[Match Preview] Is this the year?

Published on March 13, 2010 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview, F.C. Tokyo News, F.C. Tokyo Player News and J.League Division 1 2010 by dokool. 1 Comment

November 3rd, 2004.

It’s been a long time.
2009年11月08日　味の素スタジアム ● 0-1
2009年03月14日　埼玉スタジアム2002 ● 1-3
2008年08月16日　味の素スタジアム　 ● 0-1
2008年07月05日　埼玉スタジアム2002 ● 0-2
2007年08月25日 埼玉スタジアム2002 ● 2-3
2007年06月17日　味の素スタジアム　　● 0-2
2006年11月26日 味の素スタジアム　 △ 0-0
2006年08月12日　埼玉スタジアム2002 ● 0-4
2006年05月17日　味の素スタジアム △ 0-0
2006年03月29日　さいたま市浦和駒場 ● 0-2
2005年12月10日　愛媛県総合運動競技場 ● 0-2
2005年08月20日　埼玉スタジアム2002 ● 1-2
2005年04月16日　味の素スタジアム ● 0-2
2004年12月19日　埼玉スタジアム 2002 ● 1-2

…a very, very, very long time.

Five years, four months, and ten days have elapsed since FC Tokyo slayed Urawa Reds in penalty kicks to win the 2004 Nabisco Cup. In that space, Urawa has won 12 of 14 games played, with the other two matches (both at Ajinomoto Stadium) ending in scoreless draws. Indeed, it seems that some things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes, cherry blossoms blooming in the spring, and Urawa walking away from FC Tokyo with three points.

Like in 2009, Urawa will play host to Tokyo in its home opener after getting curbstomped 2-0 by reigning champions Kashima Antlers the previous week. Their offense will, again, be in disarray, and fans will, again, be wondering how Finke intends to salvage the team yet, as always, remain irrationally confident that Urawa will win all of the championships they are eligible for and a couple they probably aren’t.

Unlike last year, however, the Reds will not be facing a reeling Tokyo squad with a rookie goalkeeper that had surrendered four goals in a horrific opening day loss to Albirex Niigata a week earlier. Instead, their opponents will be riding the momentum of a breathtaking stoppage time victory and one of Japan’s most heralded back lines, with three of the four regular call-ups to the NT. Shuichi Gonda is no longer a frightened 20 year old, but instead a poised veteran who tied the J.League single-season shutout record and got a national team call-up of his own back in January. Naohiro Ishikawa, who missed last year’s Urawa match following his season-ending knee injury, is likely to be back in the lineup as a “super-sub” and is expected to contribute in a similar fashion to his picture-perfect assist in last week’s match. Hirayama, for several seasons a disappointment, may have finally awoken.

And that is why Tokyo could slay the Urawa dragon tomorrow in front of what’s sure to be a packed house at Saitama Stadium.

In various occasions throughout the last week, players including Hirayama, Nagatomo, and Gonda have made assertive statements regarding a Tokyo victory. And you know what? This year of all years, I think it might be time to belive them.

It’s generally being reported/predicted by the media that Jofuku will keep the same lineup from last week, and whether that’s the best idea or not it seems like there aren’t many better options.

The big question mark will, once again, involve Kajiyama and Ishikawa. Ishikawa is again set to come off the bench as a so-called “super sub”, but there are some rumblings about Kajiyama being ready to start. Unlike last week where the starting lineup was essentially announced on the FCT TV program “Tokyo Hotline,” it seems like Jofuku is playing his cards a little closer to his chest. There’s also a chance that Akamine could earn a start, adding to the mystery.

Last week: Gonda; Mukuhara, Morishige, Konno, Nagatomo; Nakamura, Tokunaga, Hanyu, Matsushita; Hirayama, Suzuki

This week: Gonda; Mukuhara, Morishige, Konno, Nagatomo; Nakamura, Tokunaga, Hanyu, Matsushita; Hirayama, Akamine/Suzuki

Or if Kajiyama can start, Gonda; Tokunaga, Morishige, Konno, Nagatomo; Nakamura, Kajiyama, Mukuhara (why not, at least he’ll play 90 minutes), Matsushita; Hirayama, Akamine/Suzuki

Hell, as long as I’m pulling names out of a hat let’s take a page from commenter Bobby Mann Ate My Leg and spin it a little: Gonda; Tokunaga, Morishige, Hiramatsu, Nagatomo; Akamine, Mukuhara, Konno, Matsushita; Hirayama, Ricardinho

I don’t imagine we’ll figure out what’s up until tomorrow, but the possibilities are certainly intriguing. I like Matsushita and want to see him get more playing time… I also want to see Nakamura come out and have a better outing than he did last week. At this point, Suzuki and Hanyu are really starting to become liabilities… Suzuki is a very servicable substitute but Hanyu’s days as a regular starter could be numbered.

In other news…

  • FC Tokyo announced the tentative signing of 16-year-old volante Shuto Kono on Friday. The young U-17 NT player is the first pro player to emerge from the JFA Academy, a school set up by the Japanese Football Association with the goal of raising Japan’s future elite class of soccer players. He was born and raised in Tokyo and has supported FCT his whole life, which makes him an ideal addition to the squad. Honestly, signing a 16-year-old probably doesn’t mean much in the short term, but there’s a possibility that Kono could be the next Yonemoto so in the long term it’s a very smart pickup for the team.
  • Sunday’s game is a near-sellout, with 2000 tickets set aside for match-day sales. Saitama Stadium’s capacity is about 63,000. Last year’s Urawa home opener, played in the rain, drew just over 50,000.
  • Speaking of rain, there’s none expected on Sunday: partly cloudy and around 11C/50F.
  • Sota Hirayama will contribute a monthly column to Weekly Soccer Magazine with his first article to appear in Tuesday’s edition.
  • FC Tokyo and derby rivals Kawasaki Frontale are set to announce details for this year’s Tamagawa Classico on Monday. In addition to the usual press conference, the Tower Records in Kawasaki will be selling the official “Tamagawa Classico Anthem” CD (featuring the track “Get The River Under Control”), claimed to be the first musical collaboration between two J.League squads. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as City Bred, Two Colors.
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Season Opener tomorrow! Umbrellas, lineups, and captains

Published on March 5, 2010 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview, F.C. Tokyo News, F.C. Tokyo Rumors and J.League Division 1 2010 by dokool. 2 Comments

All you need to know about tomorrow’s match vs. Yokohama FM, in bullet point form:

  • Shunsuke Nakamura will not be playing, but apparently TBS will have a fixed camera getting his reaction or so say people on Twitter
  • It’s going to rain, so bring an umbrella – particularly red or blue umbrellas if you have one!
  • Expected lineup tomorrow: Gonda; Mukuhara, Morishige, Konno, Nagatomo; Nakamura, Tokunaga, Matsushita, Hanyu; Hirayama, Suzuki
  • Kajiyama and Ishikawa will probably be on the bench but could show up in the second half
  • More Twitter rumors but Tokunaga may be the captain for this season?
  • Omiya tickets on sale tomorrow at 10AM! These are expected to go as fast if not faster than tickets to the Urawa game so buy early!
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[Match Preview] 2009 J.League Nabisco Cup Final: FC Tokyo vs Kawasaki Frontale

Published on November 2, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview and J.League Nabisco Cup 2009 by dokool. 1 Comment
November 3rd 2009, 2PM Kickoff at National Stadium “Kokuritsu” (Shinjuku, Tokyo)

J1 Competition Record: FCT 5 wins, 5 draws, Kawasaki Frontale 6 wins

The long, winding road of intra-league supremacy that began in March will finally come to an end at Tokyo National Stadium in about 16 hours when FC Tokyo takes on Kawasaki Frontale in the 2009 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final.  The two teams, whose matches are dubbed the Tamagawa Classico in honor of the river that borders Tokyo and Kanagawa, will face each other outside of league competition for the first time.

While Kawasaki will attempt to claim its first Cup in 3 attempts (having lost to Kashima in 2000 and Osaka in 2007), Tokyo will try to win its first piece of silverware since the legendary 2004 Nabisco Cup Final, when a 10-man team held off the then-mighty Urawa Reds to win 4:2 in penalty kicks.

While Kawasaki is largely coming into the game at full-strength and leading J1, Tokyo has nearly stumbled into this final having sustained an unfortunate run of bad luck, injuries, and surprise transfers.  Among the players Tokyo will be without are striker Cabore (sold to a Qatar club just after Tokyo secured its finals birth), defender Teriyuki Moniwa (broken right orbital bone sustained in the Nagoya match), and midfielder Naohiro Ishikawa (knee ligament/meniscus sustained vs. Kashiwa).  NT regular Yuto Nagatomo (dislocated shoulder before the Shimizu match) will likely be a mid-match substitute.

Yet, as we dwell on those whose names may not grace the scoreboard tomorrow, we forget the names and accomplishments of those who will: Shuichi Gonda, the rookie goalkeeper who fell into the role of starter when Hitoshi Shiota fell to post-surgical complications, and despite some early difficulties has had one of the most successful rookie goalkeeper campaigns in recent memory.  Takuji Yonemoto, the lithe midfielder who was, tonight, honored with J.League’s “New Hero Award” for his contributions to Tokyo’s Cup run.  Bruno Quadros, the Brazillian defender who bounced back from last season’s injuries to bring control to a defense that was lost and confused early in the season.  Sota Hirayama, whom after several seasons of disappointing play has finally begun to awaken into the player that many expected him to be.  Not to mention Hanyu, Suzuki, Tokunaga, Konno, Kajiyama, and all the others who have taken a part in Tokyo’s rollercoaster of a season.

In previous matches this season, Tokyo gave up a 2-goal lead to lose 3-2 when Bruno got sent off in the second half at Ajinomoto, while in Todoroki Kawasaki came back from an 0-1 deficit to win 2-1 with an extra time goal. Tokyo are considered by most if not all to be the underdogs tomorrow; there is no question about it.  But none of this matters, because that’s why they play the game.

This match will either be decided on offense or on defense; will Suzuki, Akamine, or Hirayama be able to burst open a Kawasaki defense ranked 5th in fewest goals allowed this season (35 goals, tied with FC Tokyo)?  Can Yonemoto and Bruno contain Juninho and Chong Tese?  Will Kajiyama stop doing stupid, stupid things?  Will Tokyo ever learn how to defend against set pieces?  Most believe it to be a close game, and I’m generally apt to agree with them.  A 1-0 or 2-1 result would not be unexpected.  Lord knows if we go into extra time I’ll probably have a heart attack in the stands.

As Jofuku has said in interviews leading up to this match, “We’ve only gotten as far as we have by playing the kind of soccer we want to play.”  And as always, if the team can do that, they along with what are likely to be many more supporters than witnessed their 2004 victory will taste victory.  If by chance they cannot there will be no shame, for this team has met if not exceeded many of our expectations despite runs of bad luck throughout the season.

Really, there’s no description of what this match will be like that’s more fitting than the ad FujiTV placed on the back of today’s El Golazo: “What sort of soccer match sells out in 20 minutes?”

What sort of match, indeed?

As always you can follow @aishiterutokyo on Twitter for live reports.  I encourage anyone else who’s tweeting at the game to tag your tweets with #wearetokyo so that people can find them easier.

Also, for those of you watching on TV, these are the banners we’ll be flying at the game:

I will provide a prize to the first person who can provide a screencap from a live broadcast with at least one of these banners in the shot.  Email the cap to me at dokool[at]aishiteru-tokyo[dot]com.

And now to finish my packing and get some sleep before first train in the morning.

VAMOS!

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Live from Shimizu!

Published on September 1, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview and J.League Nabisco Cup 2009 by dokool. 0 Comments

Sorry about the last couple match reports being delayed; I’ve been really busy with the end of summer and getting ready to start work at my new job.  Additionally, due to a sizable photography gig on the 6th, I will not be able to attend the home leg of the FCT/Shimizu Nabisco Cup Semifinal.

Fortunately, due to a good day at the pachinko parlor, I’ve got more than enough funds to attend tomorrow’s away leg.  So if you’re on Twitter, follow @aishiterutokyo for the latest from Outsourcing Stadium.  I’ll probably spend some time before the game chilling with Barry over at S-Pulse UK Ultras, and that should be fun as I always look forward to meeting other writers in the English J-Soccer Blogosphere.

Shimizu is 4 points ahead of us in the standings; we’ve also beaten them two times already this season.  None of this matters of course because this home-and-away series will determine who goes to the finals of the 2009 Yamazaki Nabisco Cup.

Additionally, with Nagatomo and Konno in the Netherlands with the national team, tomorrow’s lineup will probably look something like this:

GK: Gonda
DF: Tokunaga, Bruno, Moniwa, Mukuhara
MF: Yonemoto, Kajiyama, Ishikawa, Hanyu
FW: Cabore, Hirayama

The most important thing for Tokyo will be scoring precious away goals; a win would be fantastic of course but even a draw would have huge ramifications as long as it’s not 0-0.  The team seemed to awaken from its slumber against lowly Oita on Saturday and it was a welcome relief to see Ishikawa back on the field.  Tokyo seemed to have a bit of rust in the first 30 minutes but dominated the second half, so I think they’ll be going into Shimizu with the right mentality.

S-Pulse has had a much better summer than Tokyo, going undefeated (5 wins, 4 draws) in league play since their loss at Kokuritsu.  Additionally, the Orange… whatevertheyares bounced back from a 2-1 loss at Saitama Stadium to beat Urawa 3-0 at home and advance to the semis.  They are certainly one of the most formidable teams in the league right now and to underestimate them is to do so at one’s own peril.

Anyway this will be my 3rd time visiting a new stadium this year (2009 has also marked my first trips to Hitachi Stadium and Kashima Stadium), thus fulfilling one of my New Years Resolutions.  So, either way I’ll have accomplished something!

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Crisis in Tokyo: 4 starters missing on Sunday

Published on August 16, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview and F.C. Tokyo Player News by dokool. 0 Comments

Tomorrow’s match against Yokohama FM will be crucial for FC Tokyo as it begins the next phase of the Summer Counterattack.  Currently 4 points out of an ACL spot and 15 from the top, Tokyo needs to buckle down and put together another long chain of victories after its recent stumbles.

Unfortunately, tomorrow’s game will see a drastically altered lineup due to a variety of circumstances:

-Yuto Nagatomo underwent an appendectomy on August 3rd; although he’s recovering and participating in team practices he does not yet feel ready to start and the team is probably looking to have him return in time for Kashima next Sunday.

-Yohei Kajiyama recived his 4th yellow card of the season in the Kawasaki match and will sit Sunday out.

-Naohiro Ishikawa, in what is certainly the most upsetting news for the team injured his calf during practice earlier in the week and will sit the game out.

-Bruno Quadros flew back from Brazil on Friday, having returned there last week to be with his wife while she underwent surgery.  As a result of jet lag and not having practiced this week he will likely not be a part of the lineup.

How will Jofuku manage with this temporarily dire situation?  His lineup will surely be a test of Tokyo’s roster depth, and fortunately it appears that there are plenty of players to fill the various gaps.

On defense, Nagatomo’s role could be filled by Kenta Mukuhara, while Bruno’s position could be taken by Teriyuki Moniwa or Hideki Sahara, neither of whom have not played in several months.

The second line is somewhat more strained; El Golazo predicts that Ishikawa’s position will be covered by Soutan Tanabe, while Kajiyama will be relieved by veteran Jo Kanazawa.  Yet Jofuku has two more trump cards in the form of Yohei Otake and Hokuto Nakamura, both of whom have returned from injury and are regular participants in team practices.

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Match Preview: J1R17 FC Tokyo v. Nagoya Grampus

Published on July 11, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview by dokool. 1 Comment
July 12th 2009, 6PM Kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium (Chofu, Tokyo)

Competition Record: FCT 4 wins, 3 draws, Nagoya Grampus 6 wins

Haven’t written one of these in a while, have I…

Background

Both FC Tokyo and Nagoya Grampus started the season with high expectations yet failed to meet them; the difference between the two teams is that Tokyo seems to have regained its footing while Nagoya continues to flounder in the middle of the table, closer to the danger zone than any team should be comfortable with.  While Tokyo has recovered from its slow start to the season (-game winning streak including two Cup matches), Nagoya is wearing itself ragged by participating simultaniously in J1, the ACL, and the Nabisco Cup.  If the orcas want to stay in contention for J1 they may have to make some very tough choices soon about which titles they’re going to put effort into chasing.

Speaking of the Nabisco Cup, FC Tokyo is in the Round of 8 as well; their opponent?  Nagoya.  The teams will play again at Ajinomoto Stadium on Wednesday evening.  I’m not even sure if Grampus is planning on going home in the 2-day interim.  In any case although whoever wins Sunday’s match may have a psychological advantage, but both teams will be able to read each other’s strategy and adjust accordingly for the rematch.

The Matchup

Though billed as an epic confrontation between two of the league’s highest scorers (Davi at the top of the table with 10 goals, and Ishikawa right behind him with 9), that storyline took a (not quite so) surprising turn when it was announced that Davi had been sold by Grampus to a club team in Qatar.  While he will still play the next three matches, a pending medical check will surely keep the Brazillian from making any bold challenges.  Never mind the fact that his heart may not be into helping Nagoya win as much as it will be into considering how to spend all of the petrodollars he’s to recieve.  Tokyo has dodged an additional bullet in that Nagoya’s new Aussie striker Joshua Kennedy won’t be in the lineup until the 18th.

Ishikawa, on the other hand, is scoring goals so phenomenal that even traditionally staid Japanese announcers are showing signs of excitement.  Tokyo’s offensive strategy seems to be “use long passes to break through the opponent’s second line, push the back line into the box, get the ball to Nao at the top of the box, and watch him send a picture-perfect volley somewhere in the vicinity of “between the crossbar and the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands”.  And it’s working.  oh lawdy is it working.

On defense, Konno and Bruno have teamed up to bring stability at the CB position and were successful in shutting down Vissel’s attacks last week.  Yonemoto is also contributing thoroughly on defense; the young star seems to be in 3 places at once on many occasions.

Tokyo’s starting lineup has remained essentially unchanged since league play resumed; given how much the lineup was being tweaked on a weekly basis in the first few weeks of the season this is perhaps the best sign that things have finally calmed down in the capital city.

Predictions

Nagoya may have broken a 4-game losing streak against Osaka last week, but they didn’t win the game so much as a bad goalkeeping blunder lost it for Gamba.  Tokyo is arguably the hottest team in the league right now and they will more than likely continue their winning streak.  If Tokyo can sweep their games this week (a reasonable possibility), it will be a bold statement that the Gasmen are in the running for a title in 2009.

Errata

This will be the first match at Ajinomoto Stadium in a month and a half; improvements and repairs have been made to the pitch and the irrigation system.

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Match Preview: J1 Week 13, FC Tokyo vs. Kawasaki Frontale (5/24)

Published on May 23, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview by dokool. 3 Comments
May 24th 2009, 2PM Kickoff at Ajinomoto Stadium (Chofu, Tokyo)

J1 Competition Record: FCT 5 wins, 4 draws, Kawasaki Frontale 4 wins

Background

It’s Clasico time!  FC Tokyo and Kawasaki Frontale will take on each other in the 15th edition of the Tamagawa Clasico and the last J.League match before the national team break.  This rivalry, more or less a low-level derby, came as a resulty of the Tamagawa River that separates Western Tokyo and Kanagawa.  The front offices of both teams work together to promote the Clasico, which has provided several entertaining matches.  In the last two years, the team that has won the first leg has gone on to win the second; Kawasaki took the series in ’07 and Tokyo dominated in ’08.  With J.League Division 1 set to return to play at the end of June, a win would put either team in contention going into the next part of the season.

Though off to a shaky start this year, Tokyo looks to be regaining its form and several players who have been out with injuries recently (Cabore, Tokunaga, Ishikawa, and Kajiyama) appear to be healthy and are in the running to make the roster tomorrow.  Tokyo’s lineup has also been bolstered by the long-awaited appearance of Hokuto Nakamura, who capped his J1 return with a goal against Yokohama F. Marinos last Saturday night.

The Matchup

Kawasaki has one of the most potent offenses in the league; to say that Gonda will be challenged is an understatement.  The question is not if he will have to make a big save, but when.  Defense will be helped by Tokunaga’s return; Konno has done quite well in the backfield and it will be interesting to see if Jofuku keeps him there.

Offensively, though goals still aren’t coming as frequently as anyone will like, the offense seems like it could come together with Hirayama redoubling his efforts and Nakamura making a big splash onto the scene.  Whether Ishikawa and Kajiyama will have an impact on their return is to be seen, but Cabore back in front will certainly be welcome.

On the weather front, rain predicted for tomorrow.  Yuck.

Predictions

The last couple Clasicos at Ajinomoto have been high-scoring affairs, however I fear that if the same happens tomorrow it will not be in Tokyo’s favor.  The team is capable of winning a 1-0 or 2-1 match, but unless the offense suddenly finds its mojo Tokyo can’t win in a shootout.  The rain predicted to fall tomorrow could be in Tokyo’s favor as it becomes a game of attrition.

Errata

The team announced today that in response to the flu threat, normal on-field pre-game activities involving the fans will not take place.  These include the group of kids that give the players high-fives as they come onto the field for practice, the fans carrying the Fair Play flag, and the children that hold the players’ hands as they come onfield during the official introductions.  The Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra concert, however, is still on and will hopefully be fantastic.

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Match Preview: J1 Week 12, Yokohama F. Marinos vs. FC Tokyo

Published on May 16, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview by dokool. 2 Comments
May 16th 2009, 7PM Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (Yokohama, Kanagawa)

J1 Competition Record: Yokohama FM 6 wins, 5 draws, FC Tokyo 7 wins

Preview

Due to unavoidable circumstances over the last couple weekends, today’s match will be the first for me in about a month.  While I’m not exactly the most optimistic given how our season has gone so far, that’s why the play the game and there’s still opportunity for Tokyo to come back and make a strong effort this season.

Unfortunately, we’ll be without two of our greatest assets: prolific goalscorer Naohiro Ishikawa is out with injury, as is striker Cabore.  This will undoubtedly weaken our already-decimated offense, which just hasn’t played with the confidence it carried all last season.  As a result, Akamine, Hirayama, and Kondo will have to step it up on offense… which they haven’t done so well with all season.

Jofuku is attempting to tweak positions even further by starting Nagatomo on the right side, with yet-to-suit-up Nakamura having displayed great poise as a left SB in practice.  Hokuto will join the team lineup for the first time tonight, likely coming off the bench.

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Match Preview: J1 Week 8, Gamba Osaka vs. FC Tokyo

Published on April 29, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview by dokool. 0 Comments
March 29th 2009, 7PM Kickoff at Expo ’70 “Banpaku” Stadium (Osaka City, Osaka)

J1 Competition Record: Osaka 8 wins, 2 draws, FCT 8 wins

Preview
Short and sweet because it’s Golden Week and I’ve got to pump out 3 or 4 more of these.

Tonight’s match at Banpaku finds both teams struggling; the home team has to play 7 matches in 22 days due to its ACL commitments while FC Tokyo has yet to score more than one goal in any match this season.

I’m going to repeat that because it sounds a little important.  FC Tokyo has yet to score more than one goal in any match this season.  That includes 7 league matches and 2 Nabisco Cup matches for a total of 9 goals in 9 games.  Compare to last season when in 9 games the team scored 14 goals (granted that includes 6 league matches and 3 Nabisco matches, but that’s splitting hairs).  The team has excelled in winning close matches it probably doesn’t deserve to win (see Iwata and Oita) but has set new standards for futility in losing matches everyone was expecting it to win (Chiba, Niigata, etc).

In the battle of the forwards, the big head to head is Yusuke Kondo for Tokyo against Gamba’s own former FCT squadmember Lucas.  Lucas scored in both matches against Tokyo last year (one of which was a draw, the other a win for the blue and red) and has stated his desire for a 3rd in a row.  Yusuke on the other hand has continued to get starts but hasn’t contributed enough in the scoring department to make the case for not being substituted.

If Tokyo can pull off another win in enemy territory, the team might return to Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday with something resembling momentum.  If not, then the struggle will likely continue.  Tokyo squandered a great start to the 2008 season in last year’s Golden Week Sprint, maybe the team will find solid ground after a shaky start in this year’s.

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Match Preview: J1 Week 6 FC Tokyo vs. JEF United Chiba

Published on April 18, 2009 in F.C. Tokyo Match Preview by dokool. 0 Comments
April 18th 2009, 1PM Kickoff at Tokyo Olympic Stadium (Sendagaya, Tokyo)

J1 Competition Record: FCT # wins, # draws, Chiba # wins

Background

In a move set to coincide with Tokyo’s presentation to site evaluators for the 2016 Olympics, tonight’s match between FC Tokyo and JEF United Chiba will be played at the old Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.  Both teams are hoping for an Olympian effort from their players as the squads have so far failed to meet expectations.  FC Tokyo is off to a shaky start and coming off of a well-fought loss to Kashima, while Chiba has completely failed to play up to expectations and is still winless after 5 rounds.  FC Tokyo will be looking for revenge as Chiba’s come-from-behind victory in front of a sold-out home crowd at Fukuari at the end of last season saved the team from relegation.  Given how Chiba is playing at the moment, perhaps they would have been better off taking a J2 vacation after all.

The Matchup

Rookie Yonemoto looks like he could be making his first pro start, as he was used as part of the main force in practices this week.  Jofuku will continue to tweak the lineup in an effort to finally get all of the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place.  Wish I had more than that, but I’m quite burned out this week.  On the plus side we’re against a team that’s winless in its first 5 games so deep analysis isn’t really necessary.

Predictions

A win, most likely.  It’d be very good if we went to town on Chiba and started to make up some of that goal differential.  We’ll see!

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