Kelly makes long-awaited return!

　In the 4th round of the 1st stage, we will face Shimizu S-Pulse, who have a nearly equal record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in past league matches. This season, S-Pulse have yet to secure a win with 1 draw and 2 losses after the 3rd round, and have suffered two consecutive 0-4 defeats in their last two matches (first round of the Nabisco Cup and 3rd round of the league). Manager ANTONIO, who took over this season, is aiming for his first victory by making significant changes to the starting lineup, including benching Brazilian players for this match.

　On the other hand, Tokyo gradually improved with 2 wins and 1 loss after the 3rd round, winning a come-from-behind victory in the previous match against Verdy with persistent soccer. In addition, Kelly, the key player, will finally join the team for the first time this season from this match, and the best members will be gathered. However, Kelly is still far from his best condition and has not yet returned to his physical and game sense, so he will start from the bench. Also, the "special designated player group" of Tokunaga and Kurizawa, who played well in the previous match, are currently away from Tokyo as their university soccer season has started. The starting lineup is the same as the previous match except for Kaji, who replaced Tokunaga at right back. The bench also saw Kelly replacing Kurizawa, with the same members as the previous match.

　At the venue, Japan's Hiratsuka Stadium, approximately 1,500 fans, including a record-breaking 11 buses and 480 people on a cheering bus tour, crowded in and supported the players with powerful cheers that could not be beaten by the home team's supporters. In perfect conditions of 18.9℃, clear skies, and no wind, the kickoff whistle blew at 3:04 PM.

In the early stages, struggling with S-Pulse's long balls

　The match showed a 50-50 balance from the beginning, but both teams were unable to create decisive chances due to the low accuracy of the last ball and the solid defense of the final line. Tokyo quickly expanded to the sides after taking the ball and tried to attack by aiming for the space behind the opponent's 3-back, but the ball did not settle well in the front line, and they were unable to create a layered and monotonous attack. The right side, where Ishikawa and Kaji were consciously taken care of, was difficult to break through, but from the left side, Kanazawa frequently supplied crosses to the goal with effective attacks. In the 9th minute, Ishikawa's cross from the right was cleared by the opponent's DF. The ball rolled in front of Lucas in the penalty area, and he took a powerful shot from a close distance, but the ball went well over the bar.

　On the other hand, Shimizu S-Pulse quickly put long balls from the DF line to the front line, where MF Sawa and MF Ito competed for the ball and then followed up by picking it up and either expanding it to the side or aiming for a fine central breakthrough from FW Kitajima and FW Kuboyama's posts. Instead of the previous style of building up from the DF, the DF quickly put long balls to the front line, making it difficult for the press to work and resulting in Tokyo being pushed back on their own pitch for a longer period of time. Although Mochida and Jean fought for the ball in the midfield, in the 13th minute, a miscommunication between Imano and Jean led to the ball being brought to the goal, and Imano tried to recover it but ended up fouling and giving a FK. Sawa took the kick and the ball flew to the left corner of the goal, but Tsuchi's fine save prevented it from going in. In the 18th minute, Sawa received a throw-in from the left in the penalty area, shook off his marker with a sharp turn, and took a left-footed shot. The ball grazed Tsuchi's hand and hit the right post, and MF Ota tried to score from close range, but Toda, who had returned to the goal, blocked it with his body and it went out for a CK. Furthermore, this CK was headed by DF Saito from the center, but the shot went straight to Tsuchi. There were several decisive moments, but they were unable to break through with their high concentration.

Unable to score despite approaching the scoring opportunity

　Tokyo, who survived the pinch, starts their counterattack. In the 20th minute, Lucas, who received the ball on the left side, dribbled past two markers and passed it to Ishikawa on the right side. Ishikawa dropped the ball with his chest and took a powerful volley shot from near the right corner of the penalty area! It was a shot from the middle range that reminded us of the super goal he showed in last year's game against S-Pulse, but unfortunately it was punched away by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, Miyazawa picked up the clearance from the opponent's DF after Akachi's cross and took a shot with his right foot from outside the penalty area, but it missed to the left of the goal. In the 32nd minute, Ishikawa dribbled past his marker with quick steps on the right side and passed the ball vertically, which Abe kept. Abe then passed the ball to the back of the opponent's DF, and Lucas broke free. He took a powerful shot near the right corner of the goal area, but the ball only shook the side net.

　S-Pulse's attack started with the usual long ball, but in the midfield, Imakawa aggressively took the ball and on the sides, Kaji and Kanazawa showed absolute strength in one-on-one battles, not allowing any decisive work. In the 33rd minute, Sawato passed a sharp through pass to the back of Tokyo's defense, and Kitajima broke through, but Tsuchi quickly caught it with a quick jump. That was the only dangerous moment, and after that, Tokyo created numerous chances.

　Tokyo, who has started to grasp the rhythm, passed the ball smoothly to Lucas from Abe in front of the goal in the 34th minute. Lucas managed to get past one marker and took a sharp middle shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 42nd minute, Lucas sent a long ball from Jean to the front line with a back head, and Abe reacted to it and rushed towards the goal. He took a sliding shot, but it didn't meet the target and they couldn't score. In the end, they couldn't convert several scoring opportunities and the first half ended with both teams scoreless. The game was carried over to the second half.

Kelly finally makes an appearance on the pitch! The result is...

　In the second half, at the 50th minute, Tokyo made a move. Kelly, MF, was substituted for Abe. Not only the player himself, but also everyone was eagerly waiting for Kelly's first appearance this season, and the voltage in the stands reached its peak. When Kelly received the ball for the first time, Ishikawa quickly supported him on the right side and loudly demanded the ball, saying "Hi, Nao!" This voice brought the rhythm of the attack. On the pitch, they were able to easily break through in small situations that were not seen this season. In particular, on the right side, Ishikawa, Kelly, and Lucas worked together to outplay the opposing defenders. There is still room for improvement, but there is no doubt that the level of soccer has improved with Kelly's addition. In the 55th minute, Kelly → Ishikawa combo tore through the right side and sent a ground cross to the front of the goal, but Toda jumped in and the GK caught it a moment earlier. In the 61st minute, Kelly received a pass from Ishikawa, broke through the right side, and sent in a cross, but Lucas couldn't quite reach it and the GK caught it.

　The fierce attack continues. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side again and crossed the ball, but Toda received it free on the far side. However, his trap was too big and the ball was cleared by the DF before he could shoot. In the 73rd minute, they faced their biggest chance of the day. The ball was passed from Lucas on the left side to Kelly in the center, who then passed it back to Miyazawa who had made a run behind him. Miyazawa took a shot with his right foot, but it hit the DF and rolled to the right side. Ishikawa picked it up and quickly passed it back to the center, where Toda was free and took a header shot. However, it went straight to the GK. The size of the sighs from the stands showed the magnitude of the missed opportunity.

　Tokyo, who never gives up, made their final move with Baba in the 75th minute and Miura in the 77th minute. On the pitch, Kelly's energy suddenly dropped, and the focus turned to Baba, who had been in good form in the past two games. However, Baba's movements lacked sharpness and he struggled to make decisions, resulting in missed opportunities. Shimizu S-Pulse also showed a desperate defense, with many players returning to the goal to prevent conceding. On the other hand, in attack, substitute Araujo tried to create chances from counterattacks, determined to secure their first 3 points of the season. However, they were unable to break through Tokyo's stable defense. In the end, despite a fierce battle, neither team could score and the game ended in a scoreless draw. Tokyo failed to score for the first time this season and only managed to earn 1 point.

【Player Comments】《Toda》"In the decisive cross from Nao, I had to head it down to the ground as usual. That was everything in today's match."《Kanazawa》"I tried to be aggressive since there was space, but Shimizu S-Pulse had a lot of players in front of the goal, so it was difficult to create decisive opportunities. We needed one more idea."《Miura》"It's important not to lose. But if I can be greedy, I wanted to win today and play against Jubilo."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "I felt the team's determination to defend when I heard that S-Pulse would start with only Japanese players, but unfortunately we couldn't break through. They pressed hard from the front and I could feel their desire to win. What surprised me was that they didn't try to connect from the defense, but instead kept sending the ball forward. In the first half, we were constantly kicked with long balls and it became Shimizu's rhythm. We also created a decisive chance from Nao to Toda, but couldn't score. We wanted to attack more from the sides and get 3 points, but... However, considering the high temperature and difficult conditions today, I want to see getting 1 point away as a positive. As for Kelly, he's not yet at 100%, but his presence helped improve our rhythm. I believe he will continue to get better as we practice. Today, the return of Kelly was a positive outcome."

[Summary of Shimizu S-Pulse manager Antonio's press conference] "Compared to the previous match against G Osaka, I think we played a much better game. We made significant changes to the players and were able to execute our defensive strategy as planned. However, it was unfortunate that we were unable to win due to bad luck, such as hitting the post with our shots. The reason we started only Japanese players in today's match is because, at this point, it was the best option. I always use players who are in good condition at that time. That was the case with today's lineup, and we focused on taking care of Lucas' midfield runs when he dropped back, as well as being aware of the speed of Ishikawa and Toda on both sides. It was important to maintain a balanced defense and Saito did a great job of keeping a clean sheet. We also knew that the opponent's pressing from the front was strong, so we instructed to quickly play long balls behind their defense instead of building up slowly. I think it worked well."