Unite the team's strength to aim for victory

　The Emperor's Cup 3rd Round will be a match against Thespa Kusatsu, following the Nabisco Cup Final, and will take place just two days after the previous league match against Urawa. It will be necessary to switch our mindset back to a tournament format. However, Coach Jofuku stated, "There are players I want to rest considering the impact of injuries, but right now we are in a tight situation. All field players who are not injured will go on the expedition." This is a crucial match where we must gather the team's strength and win at all costs to secure the remaining two titles.

　Kusatsu, on the other hand, is ranked 10th in the J2 League. In league matches, they have 17 wins, 10 draws, and 21 losses, with losses outnumbering wins. However, forward TERRY is currently ranked 2nd in the scoring rankings with 21 goals. Forwards Takada, as well as midfielders Kumabayashi, Hiroyama, Kita, Matsushita, and other technically skilled players are gathered, and many have experience in J1, making their attacking power comparable to J1. Coach Jofuku analyzes that they possess solid weapons. The key point will be how effectively they can suppress Kusatsu's attacking line with coordinated defense.

　Tokyo has made significant changes to the starting lineup. With Konno and Tokunaga absent due to their selection for the Japan national team, Hirama takes the left in the defense, while Sahara steps in the center. In midfield, Asari and Tanabe replace Kajiyama and Suzuki. The two forwards will be Hirayama and Kondo forming a partnership. Scoring the first goal will be key to stopping the opponent's momentum. Against the compact and organized defense of Kusatsu, Tokyo aims to dominate midfield and break through with an aggressive approach. Although the tournament format may lead to extra time, they want to maintain their energy from the start and showcase their Tokyo style.

　Asari said, "In the past, when we faced teams that were stronger than us, I felt that we could do it in the first 10 minutes and we built on that. So how we start the match is crucial. We must not lose our spirit, always take the initiative, and show the difference in class. If we fall back, it becomes dangerous very quickly. I know this painfully well from the Emperor's Cup in recent years." Although it was a battle with fresh members, we will fight with only victory in mind, regardless of the circumstances! The match started at 19:04 with Kusatsu's kickoff at Nagasaki Prefectural General Sports Park Athletics Stadium, where a cold wind was blowing.

Sahara scores the opening goal with a header! Leading at the end of the first half

　From the start, we were dominated by Kusatsu in terms of ball possession. Early on, Kusatsu forward Tokura attempted an overhead kick, but Shiota caught it. In the 12th minute, midfielder Kumabayashi took a direct shot from a free kick outside the area, which Shiota saved, hitting the crossbar. However, Tokyo remained calm and composed, responding without panic. They created rhythm from their defense. In the 15th minute, Kondo broke through with a vertical pass, checked the position of the opposing goalkeeper from a distance, and aimed for a shot, but it went over the goal.

　In the 20th minute, from Shiota's long feed, Hirayama contested the loose ball, which Kondo brought into the area for a shot. He was closed down by the opposing DF and the shot was cut off. In the 24th minute, from a clearance that fell to him, Hirayama broke behind the DF and was about to go one-on-one with the GK, but the opposing DF's desperate defense prevented him from taking a shot. In attack, despite being able to connect passes along the DF line against Kusatsu's organized defense, vertical passes from the midfield to the front line were not coming through, leading to an increase in long balls naturally.

　As time passed, Tokyo-style wing attacks began to emerge, but Kusatsu's momentum did not wane. In the 32nd minute, following a surge from Mukuahara, they earned a right corner kick. Kondo took the kick, and Sahara dove in to head the ball into the goal! Taking advantage of the set-piece opportunity, Sahara scored his first goal of the season to take the lead. After that, in the 34th minute, Kondo shot following a steal by Yonemoto, and in the 40th minute, Hanyu took a long-range shot, but they couldn't secure an additional goal, ending the first half with a one-goal lead.

Nakamura and Hirayama's goals pulled ahead, achieving victory despite struggles

　In the second half, both teams tried to connect passes and attack, resulting in a back-and-forth development in the early stages. In the 57th minute, Hirayama broke free from the opposing DF and made a run towards the goal, passing to the unmarked Kondo. They created a big chance, but the shot went straight to the GK... Just after missing the chance for an additional goal, Kusatsu MF Kumabayashi sent a long ball from his own half to the front line. In response, FW Tokura broke through behind the Tokyo DF. Shiota also bravely came forward, but the one-touch shot rolled into the open goal... and they were equalized.

　Tokyo replaced Asari with Kajiyama. They launched a counterattack. Then, in the 63rd minute, Kondo was fouled, earning a free kick just outside the left area. Nakamura, who came on as a substitute, struck with his right foot, and the knuckleball dropped straight into the top right corner. With a magnificent free kick, they took the lead again. In the following 76th minute, Kajiyama's switch found Hanyu on the left side, who delivered a cross. Hirayama headed it in to score the third goal. It seemed they would pull away from Kusatsu, but...

　However, Kusatsu did not give up and kept the ball in midfield, quickly launching an attack from a wide play. In the 81st minute, they took advantage of a lapse in Tokyo's marking, and a cross from the left side was met by forward Takada in the center, narrowing the gap to one goal. After that, the opponent sent long balls into the center and pressed forward, but Tokyo regained their composure, kept the ball, and managed the time until the final whistle. Although there are still issues to address, they secured a 3-2 victory and advanced to the 4th Round to be held in Marugame on the 15th.

　[Player Comments] {Nakamura} "It was my first appearance in a while, but I have a lot of regrets. Looking back now, all I can think about are my mistakes. However, as soon as I came on, we equalized, and from there, scoring the winning goal boosted my spirits and got my adrenaline flowing, making it easier for me to move. I should have worked harder defensively at that point, and I could have done more. That's where I need to reflect. (What about the free kick?) Actually, in my mind, I was aiming for the left side on the opposite side... It was a mis-kick. But I think it flew to a place that neither I nor the GK could have predicted... (laughs)? However, since I've been practicing free kicks consistently, I hope to use today's goal as confidence and make it one of my strengths.

　The next 4th Round is coming up soon, and with the limited number of players, I believe that those who are on the field need to perform well to achieve results. I want to do my best. (Was the local support amazing?) My family home is really close to this stadium. So, I was happy to show myself playing like this, and the support was great. Since the fans from Tokyo couldn't come, many of my juniors from Kunimi High School cheered for us. Good juniors (laughs). If I assist and Sota scores, it might have been the most exciting moment.

　"Since it's a tournament, I had a strong feeling that I absolutely couldn't lose. The goal came from a cross by Hanyu, who always sends crosses like that, so I was able to connect perfectly. (My junior from Kunimi High School came to support me) When I heard the song that has been sung since my high school days, 'The tall one...♪', I couldn't help but smile a little... But the cheers were encouraging. I will do my best, and I hope Kunimi High School will also do well in the championship. The 4th Round is coming soon, so I want to prepare well and make sure we can win with everyone's strength and achieve good results."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "First of all, it was crucial to definitely advance to the next stage, so I am glad we were able to clear that minimum goal. We anticipated today would be a very difficult game, so given the various circumstances where we did not want to field players carrying injuries and wanted to give them rest, the players who joined the lineup for the first time in a while were motivated, and I believed they would play with heartfelt determination to advance. There are aspects regarding quality that we need to reflect on, but that can only be addressed by continuing practice at the Kodaira training ground, and we must connect the issues that arose this time to the next steps. The most important thing is to advance, and we strongly hope to continue with this squad for as long as possible, ideally until January 1, 2010. I think it was very good that we achieved that. It was also great to be able to share joy with the fans who came from afar."

　(What are the points that need improvement?) Even if the members change, we need to think about how well we were able to maintain possession from the back line while creating our own time and advancing to the attacking third. There are many things to reflect on. I don't want to dismiss it by saying it's because of the current members or the skills of the players on the field. We could have done more with our current skills, and I don't want to give up on that. I want them to grow, and I want to approach it logically with them. I believe we showed the determination not to lose with this group, but I don't want to settle for that alone.

　[Summary of Coach Sano's Press Conference] "Although we only had two days in between, I believe we were able to play a style of football that was somewhat in line with our intentions against FC Tokyo. However, regarding the two goals conceded in the first half and the set pieces, this is an area that has not improved much throughout the J2 League, and it is very disappointing that we could not control those critical moments. I believe we had plenty of chances to win, and we had a fair amount of ball possession, which allowed us to execute our game plan to some extent, but in terms of those critical moments, I think the opponent was better. (What do you mean by executing your game plan?) The opponent has many players with superior individual abilities, so we wanted to organize as a group and apply pressure while maintaining possession of the ball for as long as possible. I think we were able to organize ourselves well, and including the sliding aspects, I believe we managed our line control effectively."