Charity match held in Matsumoto!

　A charity match will be held against JFL Matsumoto Yamaga FC. We inquired with the Nagano Prefectural Football Association about the possibility of holding it at Matsumoto Hiroba Park Comprehensive Athletic Stadium (Alwin), where we have hosted several home games, and the match against Matsumoto Yamaga FC, which has Matsumoto City as its home town, has been realized. While the result is important, we want to make this match something that can contribute to the revitalization of Japanese football as a whole.

　From the activities of the Japan national team, Konno, Yonemoto, and Gonda have joined energetically. Coach Okuma stated, "As a charity match, we must first show a solid game," and will approach the match with the best available lineup. The starting lineup includes GK Shiota, DF from the right: Mukuhara, Konno, Morishige, Abe, with Uezato and Kajiyama at the base of midfield, and on the flanks, Tanizawa and Hanyu, with Hirayama and Suzuki as the two forwards.

　Matsumoto Yamaga FC, which was granted provisional membership in the J League last February, finished 7th in the JFL last season and did not achieve promotion to J2. This year, they have attracted attention by acquiring DF Naoki HATTA from Yokohama FM. Additionally, players with J League experience have joined, raising expectations for a competitive season. In their recent practice match, they won against FC Gifu and have been holding their own against J teams so far. For Tokyo, it is important not to be passive and for each individual to play their part effectively.

At Alwin, where the spring sunlight shines but a cold wind blows with a temperature of 7.4°C, the kickoff in Tokyo started at 2:05pm.

Kozaki's powerful shot pierced the net to take the lead

　A moment of silence was held before the kickoff, and the match began. The pitch conditions were poor, making it difficult for the ball to settle, and even when both teams regained possession, they couldn't reach the goal due to passing errors. In midfield, effective vertical passes were not made against Matsumoto Yamaga FC's intense pressing, resulting in a stalemate in the early stages. In the 10th minute, Tanizawa took a shot from slightly left of center, but the opposing goalkeeper deflected it with a punch. This was the first time Tokyo managed to get a shot in this match.

　In the 18th minute, Hanyu picked up a clearance from the opposing DF and dribbled forward. He aimed from just outside the area and struck with his right foot, but it went over the bar. After the 20th minute, Tokyo began to calmly circulate the ball and started to create attacking plays. From a big switch of play, both Mukuhara and Abe delivered several crosses from the flanks, but they lacked precision and could not connect inside. However, in the 30th minute, Morishige received the ball on the left side and made a big switch to the right side. Uesato skillfully exchanged positions with the opposing DF, dribbled in, and struck with his left foot, piercing the top right corner of the goal! He scored a spectacular goal in his debut match for Tokyo.

　With this goal, they seized the momentum and completely took control of the game. In the 34th minute, Kondo connected with a header from a left corner kick by Uezato, but it didn't hit the target. The ball flowed to the opposite side, and Kajiyama delivered a low cross. Hirayama, who was in the center, unleashed a powerful header, but the GK made a great save, preventing an additional goal. In the 43rd minute, a long ball spilled behind the opposing defense, and Suzuki dribbled it up to the goal, facing the GK one-on-one. He calmly rolled it to the left, but the ball just missed the left post. In the closing stages, they faced some pressure from the opponents, but with Shiota at the center, they defended calmly and ended the first half with a one-goal lead.

Taniyama and Suzuki efficiently scored additional points, winning 4-0 in a complete victory

　Substituted Gonda for Shiota at the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Hanyu's left cross found Tanizawa in front of the goal, who headed it perfectly, but it was met with a great save from the opposing GK. In the following 51st minute, Uezato delivered a sharp cross from a left free kick into the goal area. Morishige managed to head it, but once again, it was thwarted by another excellent save from the opposing GK. The momentum then began to shift towards Matsumoto Yamaga FC. Particularly, they repeatedly approached the Tokyo goal with quick counterattacks after regaining possession. Although there were moments of pressure, Morishige and Konno ensured that they closed down well, preventing any free shots on goal.

　In the 68th minute, Nakamura was brought in to replace Hanyu, shifting Tanizawa forward. Then, in the 75th minute, Tanizawa, who remained up front, intercepted an opponent's pass mistake and dribbled forward, taking a good look at the opposing goalkeeper before shooting with his right foot. He finally scored an additional goal by slotting it to the left of the goal. After that, Matsumoto Yamaga FC, not giving up, launched an attack, but conversely, Tokyo pressed forward towards the opponent's goal on the counter.

　In the 86th minute, a clearance ball from Ohtake, who came on as a substitute, went to Suzuki on the right side. Starting to dribble from the halfway line, he swiftly bypassed two opponents and struck a powerful shot into the top left corner of the goal from inside the area, scoring the third goal. A minute later, during a counterattack, Nakamura passed to Hirayama on the left side, who dribbled into the area and made a final pass to Suzuki, who calmly slotted the ball into the goal with his right foot. In the end, they secured a resounding victory with a total of four goals.

　[Player Comments] {Konno} "Today, many people came to the stadium and encouraged me with various voices, which motivated me. I am a football player, and my job is to give dreams to children through football. Many children came to watch, and I wanted to show them a performance that would inspire them. The content may not have been great, but I believe I showed that I would not give up until the end."

　It is truly sad that things that used to be taken for granted can no longer be done, and I must be grateful for the fact that I can play soccer as if it were normal. I want to steadily do what I can do now, step by step, and also look for other things I can do besides soccer. (Towards the resumption of the J-League) There were many mistakes, and in the beginning, our approach to the ball was weak. To aim for victory in J2, we must thoroughly address those aspects. However, it wasn't just the bad parts; there were also good parts. There is still time until the resumption, and we will properly correct the bad parts and build on the good ones.

　"Suzuki" "I wanted to play in a way that would excite everyone and make them feel energized, and I think I was able to express that feeling. That attitude brought out good plays, and I wanted to show good plays to the fans and supporters who traveled from far away. The chances in the first half were moments that we absolutely had to convert. The opposing goalkeeper came out without hesitation, so the shooting angle disappeared. I need to get closer to the ball and shoot more quickly. Personally, I made new discoveries in this match, and I think it was a fruitful game. I was able to reaffirm my strengths and also confirm what kind of plays would be a threat to the opponent. There were chances to score a third goal as well, and there are still many issues to address, so I want to make corrections."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "In a situation where several players are away from the team due to injuries, we have been training quite rigorously in preparation for the restart, which has been tough physically. There has been a disparity between players who are managing well in this context and those whose performance quality reflects that. In the second half, I think it was a positive that players who came on as substitutes did their part, and we were able to exploit the space behind the defense. We need to improve our quality in the attacking third before the opponent's defense weakens, or it will be tough. I want to make adjustments leading up to the restart on the 24th."

　(What is the effect of adding player Kamisato to the team?) Despite having a knee injury, he performed well throughout the 90 minutes today. His free kicks, left-footed shot power, and ability to make vertical passes with through balls are things we didn't have in our team, and he showed signs of that in today's match. I got the impression that he possesses qualities that our previous team lacked. Whether he will be included in the league roster moving forward will be competitive, but I think we can view today's performance positively. He has good qualities in defense, but there are challenges in terms of strict defending and filling spaces or marking players. I hope for future improvements.

　【Matsumoto Yamaga FC - Coach Yoshizawa's Press Conference Summary】 "First of all, I would like to express my condolences to those who are living in difficult conditions due to the earthquake and to those who have lost their precious lives. As football players, we approached this match with the hope that many people would gather for the charity match to raise funds to support recovery and a fresh start. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to discuss the content of the game here. However, considering that the season opener is just three weeks away, playing against a team like FC Tokyo has revealed many challenges, and I felt there are gaps in our scoring opportunities, individual skills, and decision-making speed. Based on this, we must prepare well for the league matches ahead."

　(What is the meaning of adopting a three-back formation today?) We understood that FC Tokyo is superior to us in terms of individual abilities and overall strength, but there was no intention to adopt a three-back formation to avoid that. As the season begins, we want to decide on player placements and usage as one style for this season. The three-back is not everything; we want to consider it as one option.