Background
As Montedio Yamagata hopes to keep its surprising form going, FC Tokyo’s players hope to reward manager Hiroshi Jofuku with the best birthday present possible; the first win of 2009 and an end to the unexpectedly poor start to the season.
Yamagata are a mystery to most J1 teams; while pundits and reporters across the board in both languages had predicted that the team had no chance of staying in Japan’s top division for more than one season, they have managed to stay near the top of the table after two weeks (a small sample size, granted) with a win against the halpless-looking Jubilo Iwata and a draw in the snow against touted favorites Nagoya Grampus. Despite the weather, over 12,000 fans came out for the game, leading some to wonder if Montedio could end up being the little team that could.
On the other hand, FC Tokyo came into the season riding high on a wave of expectations, but has so far failed to deliver. The offense has sputtered in its first two matches, only scoring two goals, while the porous, injury-ridden defense has allowed 7 as first-time goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda has struggled to assert himself. Though there are still 32 matches in the season, Tokyo is in a position where, should it not quickly assert itself as the league powerhouse it aspires to be, the team may be battling to avoid relegation instead of battling for an ACL slot.
The Matchup
The best way to describe Tokyo’s lineup would probably be “better late than never.” Defender Hideki Sahara and midfielder Naohiro Ishikawa returned to the lineup in time for the Urawa match following injuries sustained during training camp, with Ishikawa coming on in the second half as a substitution and contributing some of Tokyo’s best chances at goals. Jofuku decided, for one reason or another, not to start Sahara at defense against Urawa; a decision he may still be regretting. Expect Sahara on the field and ready to release two weeks of frustration on any Montedio player he comes into contact with. Nagatomo, Tokunaga, and either Moniwa or Hiramatsu (probably Moniwa) will of course join him on the back line.
Midfielders and forwards are, unfortunately, the larger issue. Last week Konno and Kajiyama played at defensive midfielder positions but still failed to halt the red tide, they should have better luck this week. team captain Hanyu and either Suzuki or Ishikawa will also round out the midline. At forward will be Cabore and… Hirayama? The Lost Boy of Tokyo showed impressive form against Chiba in Sunday’s Satellite League match, scoring two goals off headers and demonstrating an air game that Tokyo has lacked so far. He followed this up with another solid performance in a practice match on Thursday, intercepting an errant pass and kicking a 20-meter goal past a defender. Given the lackluster play of Akamine and Kondo so far, it’s certainly worth a shot. Even if Hirayama doesn’t get the start, expect to see him on as a midfield substitution.
On the Montedio side… well, truth be told I really don’t know too much about them. That they pistol-whipped Jubilo should be no surprise since that team is on track for a swift J2 demotion after avoiding a similar fate last season, but holding Nagoya to a snow-capped 0-0 draw is still an impressive feat. Yamagata has a lot of everyman players; not too many stars to speak of but a bunch of hard workers who will Get The Job Done. And that’s not bad to have on your side no matter who you play.
Predictions
0-2 is the worst start in team history; I don’t expect it to become 0-3. The team’s back is against the wall and they know it, expect Week 3 to be the game where a line in the sand is drawn and Tokyo takes home its first victory of the season.
Following this match, the league takes a break for international play (Japan hosts Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on the 28th). Before J1 play resumes on April 4th, Tokyo will face Kashiwa Reysol and Vissel Kobe in Nabisco Cup group play. These two matches will either allow a team coming off their first league win a chance to build on their momentum or give a winless squad a chance to tinker with their lineup and finally get it right. I, and many others, hope it will be the former.
Errata
While the weather on Friday was gray and rainy and miserable, clear and sunny skies are in store for Saturday. The promotion for the match is Tokyo Kids Club Day, with Elementary/Jr. High student tickets going for 100 yen. In addition to manager Hiroshi Jofuku’s birthday, March 21st is also the predicted start of Tokyo’s cherry blossom season.
As of this posting, there does not seem to have been any settlement in the case of the broken chair in Section 57. While the chair was replaced for Tokyo Verdy’s match at the stadium, should someone not come forward before tomorrow’s match that part of the stands may be blocked off. We’ll see how LA12 reacts in that case.
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