The scene that lay ahead of the upward gaze is still vividly etched in my mind. Masato MORISHIGE said, "I remember," and spoke about the event from three months ago.
"I got goosebumps, or rather, I really felt their passion coming through."
On May 31, after the Sec. 19 match of the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League, held away against Kyoto Sanga F.C. The team suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat, marking their third consecutive loss. With downcast eyes and biting their lips, they headed with heavy steps to greet the away goal supporters' section. From there, passionate cheers from fans and supporters were being sent out.
"I might have been able to heckle. But they cheered for us there. Among those cheers, there might have been some anger. I believe it was a cheer that expressed frustration, and I felt that. Along with the fans' and supporters' anger and frustration, I also felt the message of 'Do more,' and 'Let's work harder together.' Personally, I felt it was that kind of support."
Shaking his head, Morishige says, "I still haven't fully responded to that support."
This season has been a series of hardships, one difficulty after another. The team has been unable to fix the lineup due to a surge of injuries and illnesses. The mutual understanding and coordination on the field have not fully developed. Even so, they have fought earnestly. Morishige describes this struggle as follows.
"Although we were uncertain at times, we have steadily built up what we need to do. Changing the formation shifted us into a good gear. It felt like the gears meshed well, so from there we were able to proceed without hesitation. Rather than overthinking, we began to see clearly that clarifying this and that would make things even better."
A glimpse of hope, confidence almost within reach... Yet, progress stalls just when results seem imminent. Morishige himself missed three league matches due to poor condition. He just made his return in the recent 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Sec. 28 match against Nagoya Grampus. With this reliable man back, the team will make a fresh start from here.
"Right now, we are starting to feel a sense of achievement, so in order not to lose that, we need to be strict in practice and also demand that from those around us. Because we experienced a lot of frustration in the first half of the season, even if we achieve two or three consecutive wins here, a natural desire to do more will arise. We won't be satisfied, and we must not forget the frustrating first half of the league. To maintain this upward momentum, we need to become mentally more ambitious."
After the September break, matches that naturally ignite passion continue against Verdy and Kawasaki Frontale. The man who has long equated himself with Tokyo repeatedly questions himself about the response to the cheers from that time.
"While quietly fueling the frustration from the first half of the season, I want to overcome the heat with even more heat. I want to be the player who radiates the strongest passion on the pitch so that this heat never cools down."
There are 10 league matches left. The fighting man, wrapped in passion, keeps fueling himself, saying "It's still not enough."
(Honorifics omitted in the text)
Text by Kohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
