"Tokyo!" call echoes throughout the stadium!

The first away game of the season was against Sendai, and it was kicked off in the harsh cold of 5 degrees at Sendai Stadium, boasting top-class facilities in Japan. Sendai is a region that has been featured in sports news as "hot in Tohoku (J2)" after gathering over 10,000 spectators in the opening game of the previous round. On this day, nearly 5,000 spectators were cheering loudly, and the venue was filled with Sendai's colors. However, the approximately 50 supporters who rushed from Tokyo were able to compete with their sense and ideas, even though they were only 1/100 of the number. There is no other way to say it but "amazing!" and there is no way the players wouldn't be inspired by it.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle.

In the first half, FC Tokyo built their game with Almir's short and long passes from deep midfield, creating chances with Jin Sato's dribbling and Amaral's post play. Amaral's movement was good, and he even hit the crossbar with a looping shot from a ball dropped by Okamoto in the 30th minute, showing his aggressive play. In defense, Sandro and Komine showed excellent combination, with Asari providing tough checks and Fujiyama and Umeyama making calm decisions, resulting in a stable defense without any signs of being broken. However, the ground conditions were poor and they struggled against the opponent's tight marking, making it difficult to create clear chances. On the other hand, Sendai's new foreign player Nixon became a key player on both offense and defense with his versatile movements, creating chances with his combination with Abe up front. The back and forth battle was eventually won by FC Tokyo's superior defense, gradually establishing their rhythm.

Riding the wave with the first goal of the new player!

As the second half begins, the opponent's energy level drops and the balls that didn't go through in the first half start to make their way behind the defense. Coach Okuma's "never lose in terms of energy" soccer strategy starts to show its effectiveness. On the right side, a perfect through pass from Yuki Sato to Umayama, who sharply overlaps from Yuki's dribble, is seen multiple times. This pattern of Umayama's precise crossing, known as the "artisan", is also seen on the left side from Fujiyama and Almir's wall pass, creating chances. In the 15th minute of the second half, Fujiyama sticks to the left side with his dribble and passes to Okamoto in the center. Okamoto, with an opponent on his back, takes a difficult shot. The keeper manages to deflect it, but Yuki Sato, who was following up, easily scores. In the 19th minute of the second half, Yuki Sato's direct pass to Okamoto on the right side leads to an early cross. Almir, who runs in, takes a strong shot from the center. The keeper manages to deflect it, but Almir pushes it in for a goal. With the first goals from the two new players, the team is completely on a roll. Although they couldn't score any more goals and ended up conceding an easy goal, it was a game where we could confirm the strength of FC Tokyo, who were able to secure a solid victory away from home in poor conditions.