FC Tokyo enters the new season with a clear goal of "winning the championship." The key to the style that head coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI aims for—dominating both offense and defense—is the holding midfielder position, which serves as the team's heart. This time, we present a dialogue between Tokiwa Kouta, who rapidly increased his playing opportunities in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, and Takahiro KO, who vows to make a comeback after a challenging six months plagued by injuries. In this first part, they discuss the new team's readiness and potential for the 2026/27 season.
── Please review the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, where we finished in 4th place overall.
Tokiwa Kouta Until now, the club as a whole had not publicly declared a clear goal, but for this special tournament, from the very start date, they clearly set “championship” as the objective. Everyone constantly approached it with a strong awareness toward winning, but in the end, we finished in 4th place, leaving a lingering sense of regret.
Takahiro KO Although we didn’t reach the goal of winning the championship, overall I think there were many very positive games. In that sense, I feel the direction the team is trying to take has become very clear.
── Takahiro KO, you were sidelined due to injury for a period, but how did you view Kouta Tokiwa’s rise during that time?
Taka I thought it was a very good thing for the team. Competition raises the overall level of the team, and I felt it worked positively in many ways. Honestly, I personally received great motivation.
Tokiwa In my first season after joining, I was naive and things didn’t go as I had hoped. Taking that into account, I organized everything again during the off-season and approached the camp with full focus from day one. I thought, “This camp is my only chance,” so my mind and body aligned well, and I was able to get off to a good start. Although it was a short half-year season, I feel it was good that I was able to run through it in good form until the end.
──What kind of season do you want to make the upcoming new season?
Taka Our goal as a team remains unchanged: to win the league. Having experienced the frustration in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, we have no choice but to aim for the very top. We want to challenge ourselves with everyone aligned in focus. Personally, I struggled with injuries over the past six months, so first, I want to get my condition right, reflect on myself, and return to my roots once again.
Tokiwa It’s true that I was able to participate in matches during the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, but I still feel that I’ve only properly played as a professional for about six months. That’s why I want to put the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League behind me for now, refocus, and start the competition from zero again. The midfield position doesn’t have a deep roster, so losing even one player means a significant drop in strength. I want to be careful about injuries and fight with a spirit that won’t lose to anyone. Even if the matches come in quick succession, I’m determined to play full-time in every game and take on the challenge boldly. As a team, we absolutely want to seize the championship.
──What kind of soccer will FC Tokyo show in the new season?
Taka As Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI mentioned in the meeting, it is important for the players on the pitch to take the initiative to change the course of the game and work backward from winning, depending on the game situation, the score, and how the opponent plays. Also, since it is a long season spanning an entire year with various phases, flexibility and toughness to adapt to any situation will be crucial.
Tokiwа The overall framework, including the match situation, has been presented, but the finer details and methods are left up to us. That’s why it’s important that everyone plays with a shared understanding. I’m not sure if this expression fits perfectly, but I feel we need to become a more mature, more grown-up team. For example, what to do when leading 1-0—Coach MATSUHASHI has given us more in-depth guidance, and to choose the style of play that aligns with that, I think we need to take another step toward becoming a more mature team.
Takahiro KO: I often talk with Kyota during training matches while we play. We frequently have conversations like, "Since the game is unfolding this way now, let's do this," or "When one of us moves out, the other should fill the position." I feel that our balance has become very good as we play more matches.
Kyota: This is something I want to keep a secret, but we actually found a good rotation pattern that we both felt was "good." It's important that when we think we've made a good play, we share the same feeling. If one thinks it's good but the other doesn't feel the same, it doesn't mean much. However, with Yan-kun (Takahiro KO), that alignment happens quite often. Not just in one play, but if we can increase the number of scenes where our senses match and we feel "this is it" in various situations, that will spread to the entire team. So, I want to start by fine-tuning this kind of understanding from our close positional relationship.
Takahiro KO: In that sense, the whole team is able to push each other well. The issues that arose in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League were pointed out by Coach Matsuhashi and the staff, and those have been incorporated into the training menu in this camp. Everyone is positively absorbing them, and there are actually many opportunities to talk during each play and between training sessions. I think such communication is happening in all situations.
Kyota: Since Coach Matsuhashi took over, in the past year and a half, the style of soccer we want to play and the overall framework have solidified, and I feel everyone's focus has aligned. Within that, this camp had many menus specialized in finer details, and I felt the training was easier to engage with. The training is all about improving the presented challenges, so I think everyone is approaching it positively. I feel that "if we can improve this a little more, we can go even higher," and I believe it is having a positive effect mentally.
──You two have similar playing styles and characteristics, and your ways of thinking are close as well. How do you see each other?
Taka There are quite a few parts where we really "click." Even when we played together in the opening match of the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, I thought we had a good balance. I feel that in daily training and practice matches, our senses align well in many aspects, including passing and positioning, and we also have various conversations within that.
Tokiwa Indeed, our sense of "I want you to be here at this timing" is very close. So, conversely, when Yan-kun has the ball, if I am in the spot where I want to be, that choice usually matches up. We always think while playing, but often moving instinctively leads to the right decision, so there’s no stress. Also, since both of us are expected to contribute in the final third, we want to raise that level one step further. If the defensive midfielders can get involved in scoring, the team will have an easier time. I want to be conscious of the numbers, and I intend to play thinking of him as a rival.
Taka The season in which I scored the most goals was three goals, so I want to aim for four or more goals this new season. I scored three goals in the 2024 season when I joined Tokyo, and two goals the following season, so I want to surpass that.
Tokiwa Then I’ll say five goals.
Taka That’s a clear goal (laughs).
Tokiwa I want to be involved in five or more goals including assists.
Taka So that’s a total of five. Shouldn’t it be ten? But ten might be difficult. In my 2024 season, I had three goals and two assists, I think.
Tokiwa In the 2026 season, I had zero goals and zero assists. Whatever you multiply by zero is zero. So first, I want to get one.
──In this camp, the speed of transition after losing the ball stands out, and there are many scenes where players react before anyone even calls out.
Taka We are currently in the phase of improving our condition, so everyone is consciously switching quickly within the limited time available. Personally, I spent a lot of time watching the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League from the outside, and I felt that the speed of transition is Tokyo’s lifeline. When we are ahead of the opponent in this aspect, the rhythm naturally becomes ours and the momentum builds, and I believe everyone has ingrained the feeling that they must do it. Both Kyota and I have the ability to win the ball, which is a weapon possessed by all of Tokyo’s central midfielders, so how we connect the recovered ball to a goal and carry it through to the finish is extremely important. However, since Tokyo’s fullbacks aggressively push forward, managing the risk behind them is absolutely essential. When we play well, I feel that the time spent thoroughly managing those risks and confining the opponent to our half is longer.
Tokiwa Defense and attack are two sides of the same coin, so the better the attack, the better the spacing becomes. Even the moment the ball is lost, defense becomes easier, and during training matches in camp, our high defensive awareness and quick transitions between offense and defense, along with good tempo and spacing in attack, allowed us to immediately recover the ball after losing it. There were many such occasions, including several times when we applied high press and won the ball near the opponent’s goal. I was reminded once again that good defense and good attack are always connected. Conversely, if we think without separating attack and defense, and can eliminate the boundary between them without stopping our play or thought, the number of times central midfielders play closer to the goal should increase. We want to consciously work on that.
Taka It is our role as central midfielders to give instructions to the whole team on when to apply high press and when to hold back. We are very conscious of our coaching voices, and it is also important to keep the team compact. If we can close the middle and build a solid defense, I believe the probability of conceding goals will naturally decrease.
The latter part is here
(Honorifics omitted in the text)
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
