First home game, wishing for the first victory at the National Stadium

"I want you to lend your strength this season as well. Let's fight together, and I want to show performances that exceed the support we receive." The first home game in J1 began with the voice of Coach Okuma directed at everyone in the stands. It was a message representing the feelings of all players and staff. And before the kickoff, Mr. Haruichiban shouted, "1, 2, 3, Daa!" Even if we can't do something glamorous, we will compete with spirit and wisdom. The stadium united in an opening event that truly reflected the team's colors, and the battle was set to begin.

Avispa Fukuoka won the opening match against Kawasaki Frontale 2 to 1. They would want to build momentum by defeating the two teams that have just been promoted, but they cannot let that happen here. During the Brooks era, they fought together in the JFL, and although they are seniors in the J.League after being promoted in the 97 season, they cannot afford to lose to this opponent to show their pride.

Everyone defends, everyone attacks

The starting lineup is the same as in Sec. 1. They played defensively against Yokohama, but will they be able to perform even better today...?

Right after the start, TUTO intercepted the ball from a Fukuoka defender who was trying to cut it off, and Kobayashi connected with a superb through pass. TUTO, who ran in, took a decisive shot, creating an immediate chance. Unfortunately, it was blocked by goalkeeper Kojima, but the match progressed at Tokyo's pace, showing a good start. While Fukuoka struggled to create attacking opportunities, Tokyo pushed forward with their soccer, clearly defining their roles.

Amaral keeps the ball with his post play, TUTO runs utilizing his vertical speed, and Kobayashi and Yukihiko actively engage in both offense and defense. The full-backs Naito and Fujiyama defend tightly and attack when the opportunity arises. In the 12th minute, TUTO dribbles in after Naito cuts the ball on the right side, and Naito, reacting to that movement, crosses it into the middle. In front of the goal, TUTO and Asari show good coordination with a follow-up shot, but they are denied by a great save from goalkeeper Kojima, and the goal remains unbroken. In the 17th minute, Miura from Fukuoka takes a free kick, which Montoya heads down, leading to a shot from Fujisaki. This hits the crossbar, resulting in an unlucky outcome for Fukuoka. However, in the 25th minute, Montoya shoots after a ball that was mishandled by goalkeeper Doi and defender Komine, who collided. This shot misses the target, but Fukuoka gradually starts to counterattack by exploiting Tokyo's mistakes.

In the first half, as Coach Okuma mentioned, there were many situations where the team couldn't connect the balls coming from the opponent due to being downwind. After 30 minutes, both teams made mistakes, leading to a shift in offense and defense. In the 41st minute, a long ball from a free kick taken from behind the center line was connected, and Nakahari was left free to shoot inside the penalty area. Although they avoided a crisis right in front of Doi, it was a close call.

Yukihiko scores his first goal of the season! TUTO and Amaral also contributed to two goals in a convincing victory.

Even in the second half, Tokyo maintains a rich amount of stamina and takes control of the game. However, every attempt to break behind the opponent's defense is caught offside, resulting in a continued inability to score.

Coach Okuma mentioned, "If it remained 0-0, I was considering bringing in Kamino to play with three forwards," during that time. In the 61st minute, TUTO passed the ball to the front line to Amaral. Despite receiving a tough charge, Amaral played a direct pass back to TUTO. With a beautiful one-two, he broke free and charged towards the goal while competing fiercely with the opposing defender. He was nearly blocked by Fukuoka goalkeeper Kojima's advance, but he passed to Yukihiko, who had come up from behind. Yukihiko calmly observed the goalkeeper's movement and shot!! A brilliant fast break resulting in the first home game goal! In the 70th minute, TUTO received a long ball from Sandro's free kick.

He connected with a header to the back, and Amaral scored! In the first half, the slight difference in decisiveness and concentration was evident against Fukuoka, who couldn't score in a similar situation.

There were parts where we were helped by the opponent's mistakes. As indicated by the numbers, with Fukuoka having 8 shots and Tokyo's goal kicks being 16, there were many instances where we failed to reach the shot and crossed Tokyo's goal line. On the other hand, Tokyo still showed an intention to finish with a shot, despite leaving issues with the accuracy of the final pass and crosses. The players shared a common awareness of breaking through from behind the defense and from the sides, and the speed of switching between offense and defense was remarkable.

Sole leader! Isn't it okay for us to dream!?

While the teams considered favorites for the championship are battling each other, Tokyo has achieved consecutive wins without conceding a goal, standing at the top with a goal difference of +3. It is a long season, and there is no reason to celebrate just yet, but it is also true that they are living up to their pre-season slogan of "creating a whirlwind in J1." Standing on the field of the top league means that even a team in its first year of promotion has the right to continue winning there. Dreaming of victory, it is meaningless unless they fight with all their might in every match to achieve that dream and keep it alive------.

There are no matches that can be counted on, and the real test is yet to come, but the way Tokyo has fought in the last two matches has made that clear. This victory, achieved through a different approach than in the Yokohama match, should greatly expand Tokyo's possibilities.

Manager's Comment

Director PICCOLI's Comment

"I think the difference in skill is not that significant, and it was a close match. In that context, FC Tokyo was able to capitalize on their chances well. There were instances where our goal was blocked by the crossbar, and if the situation had changed slightly, the result might have been different. I believe such occurrences can happen in the world of football. I don't think conceding a goal in such situations is a major fault of the defense. Certainly, after going behind, we became very nervous and made some minor mistakes, but it wasn't a way of playing that left issues for the future. This year, I think it will be a tough J-League for all teams, whether they were competing at the top, facing relegation threats until last year, or newly promoted teams. I believe the player wearing number 9 for FC Tokyo is an outstanding player. This year, he is likely to attract a lot of attention."

Director Okuma's Comments

"With fewer players capable of delivering decisive passes, it was probably easier for the opponent to defend in the first half. However, I wanted to avoid the defenders getting frustrated and losing their balance, pushing forward just to create numerical superiority. I believe we maintained a good balance between offense and defense in that regard. When the opponent's pressure is effective, there are times when I feel frustrated about the inability to make passes in tight spaces between the passer and receiver. However, I think we were able to consciously showcase Tokyo's characteristic fast vertical play. If we can supply passes properly even in tight spaces like we did in the second half, I believe we will create more chances. Achieving two wins in J1 for the first time gives the players some confidence, but as we play more matches, we will be studied. Each team's tactics and systems are different, so I want to approach each match as if it were the first encounter with the opposing team."