Okumak Tokyo - First Preseason Match of the Season

　With the league match just a week away, we held a preseason match against Zaspa Kusatsu. Under Coach Okuma, we adopted the team slogan "TOKYO SPIRIT - Everything is for Winning" and have continued to emphasize that "it's not just about being promoted to J1, but about becoming stronger and returning to J1." We have been training hard and playing practice matches during our camp in Miyazaki and Kagoshima, and today, although it is an away game, it provided an excellent opportunity to test our progress so far.

　Tokyo will face challenges as Gonda, Kajiyama, Pedro JUNIOR, and Ishikawa are not available due to injuries, but Coach Okuma emphasized, "There will be injuries and absences for the Japan national team in the future. It's about how much we can showcase our strengths on the pitch. This is also a good simulation leading up to the opening match." The squad consists of 29 players. The members include Abe and Tokunaga as left and right defenders. In the holding midfield, Hanyu will partner with Roberto CESAR, while Tanizawa will play as left midfielder, and the formation will feature Hirayama and Suzuki as the two strikers.

　Kusatsu, last season ranked 12th in J2 League. They struggled with a lack of goals, but this season they have added Brazilian FW Rafinha and FW Bandai, who performed well in Sendai and Tosu, and have been showing results in their practice matches so far. Coach Soejima, who positions today as an important match, expressed his determination, saying, "We want to show our style in both offense and defense without being intimidated by the title contenders FC Tokyo," and aims to actively take the initiative against the opponent's high motivation.

　Clear skies at Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma, feeling the arrival of spring. The kickoff in Tokyo started at 2:05pm.

Although we allowed the first goal, we equalized with Hirayama's header and ended the first half.

　From the beginning, Tokyo maintained possession of the ball and took control. Utilizing Suzuki's mobility and starting with Hirayama, both full-backs Tokunaga and Abe pushed forward, trying to break down the Kusatsu defense. However, Kusatsu was quick to respond, and at the same time, their coordination and precision in the attacking area were lacking, making it difficult to create any clear-cut chances. In the 30th minute, a cross came from central Hanyu to the right to Suzuki. Hirayama jumped at the near post but couldn't connect and sent it wide.

　In the 36th minute, Tokyo allowed Kusatsu MF Matsushita to advance on the left side, resulting in a mid-range shot that missed and rolled in front of the goal. MF Kumabayashi jumped in and took a shot, but Shiota made the save. However, the ball spilled in front of MF Gotou, who was pressing on the left flank, and it was kicked in, resulting in a goal. Kusatsu capitalized on their limited chances and took the lead.

　After that, Kusatsu began to actively push forward and took control of the pace, but they calmly launched a counterattack. Just before the end of the first half, Hanyu, who had entered the opponent's territory, passed the ball to Abe, who was trying to move up on the left. Abe skillfully switched places with the opposing defender and, becoming free, delivered a cross that Hirayama headed in perfectly for a goal!! With a powerful header, they equalized and ended the first half.

Unable to break through the opponent's defense until the end, resulting in a draw

　In the second half, they increased their momentum and advanced the ball to the front line. In the 52nd minute, Ohtake was surrounded by two opposing defenders in the area, but attempted to break through with skillful dribbling, getting close to the goal. However, he was ultimately held back by the defenders and fell down, with no whistle blown. In the 59th minute, Suzuki broke free on the right front line and passed to Hirayama at the near post, who aimed for the goal just before the right area. From the resulting corner kick, Morishige took a header shot, but it was blocked by the post.

　As time passed, space began to open up in the midfield, allowing for a wide development that gave an advantage on both sides. Utilizing substitutions, they tried various combinations as they moved towards the goal. In the 73rd minute, Roberto CESAR in the center made a long pass to the front line. This reached the substitute Roberto CESAR, creating a one-on-one situation with the opposing defender in the right area, but he could not finish. On the right side, substitutes Nakamura and Makuara initiated dribbles, bringing the ball to the sideline and delivering crosses multiple times.

　In the 82nd minute, Hanyu passed to the center where Roberto CESAR took a decisive shot from just outside the area, but the Kusatsu GK made a save. In the 85th minute, Roberto CESAR broke into the area and his shot shook the net, but this was ruled offside. In the 3 minutes of stoppage time, Taniyama's free kick from the right was met by Morishige's header. It was a crucial moment, but the opposing GK made a great save and the goal was not scored. In the end, they could not secure an additional goal, finishing the preseason match in a 1-1 draw.

　[Player Comments] {Hirayama} "(About the goal) Takumi has been delivering good balls since practice, and I was also discussing my aim to score. I think it came together well. It's important to communicate my positioning to my teammates, and by scoring today, I was able to demonstrate that a little. As for areas to improve, including after competing for headers, the distance between players. I'm not just aiming to drop the ball, but when such balls come, we need to be closer to each other. The season has finally started, and I feel like this is just the beginning, but I want to continue good preparations for the next week leading up to the next match."

　"Shioda" "The situation where we conceded a goal started from our clearance leading to a loose ball being put in carelessly. We needed to be careful about the second and third attacks, and I want to thoroughly prepare and manage against the opponent's counterattacks. (What did you feel in the match against J2?) The opponent's forwards dropped back and created a solid block. Our aim was to break through that, but even when the full-backs pushed up, there was no space, and considering the state of the pitch, it was difficult to connect directly. Blocks don't break easily, so I felt that we also need to fight simply and pick up the second balls."

　(Towards the opening) Everyone's condition has improved, and we are mentally prepared. The opening match will have high expectations from those around us, and of course, we are expected to earn 3 points. But the most important thing is to be in J1 after fighting through the season. I believe it's important not to become overly tense and to stay grounded in our preparations.

　[Coach Okuma's Press Conference Summary] "In the first half, we were somewhat unaccustomed to the pitch, and the play was narrow, allowing the opponent to clearly identify their targets. In the second half, we need to expand our play wide and have players make movements that we should have started in the first half. While respecting the opponent, we must not act with impatience. We took two or three steps to switch sides, which they were targeting. We need to create big plays from the finer details. Additionally, when the opponent has somewhat pulled back their block, we can pass the ball sideways, but we can't get behind them. If players like Tatsuya could have stirred things up a bit more from behind, I think we would have done well from the first half."

　There were times when the goal area became thin because the ball was stuck to the side when there was no space. I would like to correct that aspect in our attack. As for defense, there were a few dangerous moments, but that's football. It's not about lacking numbers, so we must maintain our structure while attacking. If we rush, it could lead to a different outcome. I felt that we need to work together not just with the 11 players but also including the substitutes.

　[Summary of Coach Seko's Press Conference] "It ended in a draw, but we were able to see how much of what we have prepared we could execute against FC Tokyo. I believe they will likely be the top team for promotion this season. I expected we would have long periods of being dominated, but we managed to score against such a team and defended well in the second half. Despite having injuries, we approached the match with our best available lineup, but we still lost the ball too often after winning it, and we struggled to create the patterns we intended. That is our next challenge."

　We had injuries in the center-back position, but DF Arizono and DF Atsushi TANAKA formed a partnership that contributed significantly to the team's defensive strength. I believe this has added depth and strength to our squad. There are clear issues to address, and I want to make those corrections in the coming week. (How did you feel about FC Tokyo's strength?) Individually, of course, but also as a team, the speed was impressive. I felt that various aspects of their speed were very high. In that context, their technique was precise, and they capitalized on our mistakes. This led to conceding goals, and I believe they are a strong team.