Aiming for 3 points!

　In Sec. 14 of the J1 League, we will face Kawasaki Frontale away. In the previous match against C Osaka, after the league break, we attacked rhythmically from the first half, took control of the game, and scored consecutively in the second half with goals from Toda and Lucas. However, we were caught up in stoppage time, only managing to extend our points by one. The key point of this match is how we manage time after taking a two-goal lead, or more specifically, how we keep the ball and use time in the last five minutes. The entire team needs to reflect on this and ensure we do not make the same mistake in the future. During this short six-match stretch in July, it is crucial not to carry over any negativity. It will be very important to switch our mindset and fight in the next matches.

　Kawasaki has been promoted to J1 this season. Currently, they have 5 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, placing them 10th. As seen in their recent away victory against Iwata, they are accumulating points through tenacious pressing and sharp counterattacks, with the formidable finishing ability centered around FW JUNINHO. Unlike their battles in J1 in 2000, they are fully demonstrating their capabilities. This match will see JUNINHO (currently with 6 goals) suspended due to accumulated warnings, but FW Kurozu, one of the two forwards, has also scored 3 goals, and FW Hulk, who will replace him, scored in the last match. Including MF Konno, there is a need for sufficient caution regarding their attacking power.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, has an in-form attacking lineup. In particular, Toda has scored in three consecutive matches, from the Juventus game to the Nabisco Chiba match and the previous round. Also, Kaji on the right side has maintained his good form from the Japan national team, contributing to two goals in the last match. His combination with Ishikawa poses a significant threat to the opponent's left side. Although Kurisawa showed some signs of fatigue towards the end of the first half of the season, he refreshed during the break and has regained sharp movements, adding a good accent to the attack. This round, Kajiyama will start in place of Miura. It will be his first start since Sec. 14 of last year's 2nd stage (Ichihara match), and we hope he will demonstrate the aggressiveness he showed at the World Youth Championship and lead the midfield with his strengths. Additionally, Suzuki Nori, who returned from injury in May, is on the bench. He is expected to bring momentum to the team by creating chances on the left side and serving as a kicker for set plays.

　In the preseason match before the opening, we lost 0-1, but if we can firmly contain Kawasaki's counterattacks and launch our attacks without panic, we can see a chance of victory. This will be the first official match against Kawasaki since July 8, 2000 (National Stadium). It started at 7:05 PM with Kawasaki's kickoff in the humid weather after the rain.

Going For The Points!

In the previous game TOKYO had attacked in style and taken a two-goal lead before being held to a draw by a last-minute free kick. The team had addressed the failure to protect the lead by maintaining possession and were determined to allow no repeats. With a rash of games in July the side couldn't afford to dwell on past mistakes and eagerly looked forward to the short trip to Kawasaki. 
Newly promoted Frontale lay in 10th place at kick off with a W5 D3 L5 record. A tenacious, counter-attacking team with a potent attack led by Brazilian Juninho, they had posted a fine away win at Jubilo in their previous game. In contrast to their last appearance in J1 in 2000 the side had managed to translate their ability into results. Juninho missed the game through suspension with three-goal Kurotsu taking his place in attack while the other forward Hulk had scored against Jubilo. With midfielder Konno also a threat the TOKYO defense would need to be at their best. 
The TOKYO attack was in fine form. Toda, in particular, was enjoying a productive spell with goals in his previous three matches. Kaji returned from his National Team exertions displaying the same form he had shown on tour and had contributed to both goals in the Cerezo match. His combination with Ishikawa on the right posed a serious threat to any defense. Kurisawa had benefited from the break and appeared refreshed and back to top form. Kajiyama replaced Miura and assumed responsibility for directing the midfield, a just reward for his excellent performances in the recent World Youth Championships. Norio Suzuki returned to the bench after 5 months out injured and his dynamic presence, aggressive running and thunderous free kicks were a welcome addition to manager Hara's tactical options. 
TOKYO were aiming to avenge a 0-1 loss to Frontale in a pre-season game as the first competitive encounter between the teams for 5 years kicked off on a humid evening in Kawasaki.

Although they aggressively attacked from the start of the first half, they could not deliver a decisive blow.

　Receiving loud cheers from the supporters behind the goal, the team started the first half with momentum, launching attacks through quick passing. At 4 minutes, on the right side, Kaji passed to Ishikawa who then dribbled inside, sending a through pass to Toda flowing into the right area. Kondo Yusuke rushed in from the end line cross but missed the connection. At 5 minutes, from Kanazawa's throw-in, Kajiyama dribbled straight through the center and took a shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. At 8 minutes, Kondo Yusuke was fouled and earned a free kick. Ishikawa's kick from 22-23 meters straight in front of the goal was blocked by the wall, but Kurisawa took a follow-up mid-range shot. The ball deflected off a defender and Konno picked it up freely in the left area and shot, but despite the wave of attacks, the goal was not broken. At 13 minutes, Doih kicked the ball which Kondo Yusuke won against the opposing defender, causing it to spill back. Toda picked it up, broke through behind the defense, and shot from outside the area, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

　Up to this point, Kawasaki has been on the defensive against Tokyo's fast attacks. Even when they transitioned to offense, their attacks became monotonous, and the only real chances came from set pieces. In the 21st and 23rd minutes, they earned consecutive free kicks, but they did not lead to decisive moments. In the 29th minute, Tokyo connected a play from Kurisawa to Konno, who received a short pass, and Toda took a powerful shot that went on a tricky course but was saved by the goalkeeper. This time, Kawasaki seized another chance from a free kick. Although it was cleared by Tokyo's DF once, they connected the loose ball, and in the end, DF Terada, who had moved up in front of the goal, took a shot that went over the bar. Including this shot, Kawasaki had only two shots in the first half.

　In the 32nd minute, the ball was passed from Kajiyama to Ishikawa on the right side, who delivered an early cross. Toda jumped in at the near post but was crowded by the defenders, resulting in a corner kick. In the 34th minute, Ishikawa made a breakthrough with a dribble and sent in a cross, but the goalkeeper caught it directly. Tokyo created several chances by utilizing the sides, but the accuracy of the crosses and the forwards' positioning in front of the goal were slightly off, preventing them from taking a shot. Conversely, after the 40th minute, Kawasaki began to calmly respond to Tokyo's fast attacks, starting to circulate the ball in midfield and increasing their entries into Tokyo's territory. However, Tokyo's defense also responded firmly, preventing any dangerous situations. In the end, neither side was able to score, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

TOKYO Make Positive Start

Buoyed by a vocal away support F.C.TOKYO started the match on the front foot, dominating possession and playing the ball around in confident style. In the 4th minute Ishikawa received the ball from Kaji and dribbled forward before picking out Toda on the left. Toda took the ball to the byline and crossed but Kondo failed to make contact. Kajiyama then picked up the ball in midfield, raced forward and shot but hit his effort straight at the keeper. In the 8th minute Kondo drew a foul some 22 yards from goal; Ishikawa blasted the ball against the wall, Kurisawa hammered the rebound goalwards only to see the ball deflected again and Konno fired the loose ball wide. In the 13th minute Kondo battled hard to win the ball following a long punt upfield from Doi. The ball ran loose to Toda who fired first time from outside the area but again the Frontale keeper held the shot comfortably.
Kawasaki struggled to stem the tide and threatened only from set plays. A pair of free kicks in the 21st and 23rd minutes came to naught. In the 29th minute Aizawa, in the Kawasaki goal, rescued his team with a fine save from Kondo following some neat short passing between Konno and Kurisawa that opened up the home defence. Kawasaki created a better opportunity after a partially cleared free kick was floated back into the danger area but defender Terada fired over the bar. The home side managed only two shots in the first half.
In the 32nd minute Ishikawa played an early cross into Toda at the near post but the Kawasaki defence scrambled the ball away for a corner. TOKYO made headway along the flanks but the accuracy of the crosses and the timing of the strikers' runs were somewhat lacking. As half time approached Kawasaki began to gain a foothold in midfield and enjoy increased possession but the TOKYO defence remained impregnable and the first period ended scoreless.

In the end, unable to break through Kawasaki's solid defense! Ends in a scoreless draw

　In the second half, Tokyo took control of the attack. Early on, Kaji-yama was fouled after pressing the opponent's defender during a clearance, resulting in a free kick opportunity. Ishikawa aimed directly but missed the goal. In the 54th minute, Kaji passed to Ishikawa on the right side, who broke through the flank, and KONDO jumped for an early cross but was offside. In the 56th minute, Ishikawa dribbled through on the right side after a switch from Kanazawa, and although he was initially cleared by the defender, Kaji picked up the loose ball and shot, which deflected off the defender and fell in front of Ishikawa, who sent a cross to Kurizawa for a header, but it did not connect properly.

　In the 57th minute, Lucas, who has scored in three consecutive league matches, was brought on to replace Yusuke KONDO, who showed signs of fatigue. Immediately after, in the 58th minute, Kaji surged up the right side on a counterattack and took a shot, but it went over the bar. In the 60th minute, Kawasaki DF Terada could not resist fouling Ishikawa as he broke through with a dribble, receiving a second warning and being sent off. They quickly substituted DF Sahara for MF Konno to adjust the defensive line, but Kawasaki completely fortified their goal area and aimed for counterattacks. However, conversely, Tokyo struggled to mount effective attacks against an opponent that had solidified their defense, leading to a stalemate.

　In the 67th minute, Noriyuki SUZUKI was brought on to replace Kurizawa, and gradually the team began to regain its "momentum." In the 69th minute, a left cross from Kanazawa was dropped by Noriyuki SUZUKI to Lucas, but they could not get a shot off. In the 70th minute, Noriyuki SUZUKI sprinted up the left side and earned a corner kick. In the 72nd minute, Konno stole the opponent's ball and made a through pass to Toda, who ran behind the defense. It was close, but the offside was called. The development was exactly as planned, but Kawasaki showed no signs of being at a disadvantage with one less player, maintaining their intensity and preventing any decisive moments from occurring.

　In the 81st minute, Miura was brought on for Kajiwara, pushing Konno forward. In the 82nd minute, a pass from Noriyuki Suzuki outside the left area reached Konno, who took a long shot towards the upper left corner of the goal. It seemed like it would go in, but it was denied by a superb save from the goalkeeper. In the 85th minute, Toda sprinted down the left side on a counterattack, and Ishikawa ran into the right space for a pass, but he panicked and made a trapping error. It was a scene that made one want to hold their head in despair. In the 86th minute, Norio Suzuki on the left side evaded a defender and sent in a low cross, creating a decisive chance in front of the goal, but Toda couldn't connect with his sliding attempt. They continued to spread the ball left and right, sending in crosses and pinning the Kawasaki defense in front of the goal, but despite their efforts to score until the end, they couldn't break through Kawasaki's solid defense, and the match ended as a scoreless draw.

　【Player Comments】<Toda> "This is a typical match that happens when you can't score. It was a game we could have won if we had scored one goal. Right now, I'm working hard together with Yusuke, the two forwards, saying 'Let's definitely get results,' so I'm disappointed and frustrated myself. I missed the timing to dive into the cross by just a fraction of a second. Maybe if I had been more aware that the ball would come faster, I could have scored... I want to reflect on this and connect it to the next game. (Did you rush your attack when the opponent was down to 10 players?) I wasn't panicking. But with chances and no goals, I was conscious of trying to get the ball quickly in front of the goal. If that looked like rushing the attack, then maybe it was..." <Norio SUZUKI> "It was 0-0, and I came in at a moment when scoring one goal would win the game. I was told to keep challenging up front and take shots, but I couldn't really play my game. I couldn't even take shots, and I wish I had been able to take on more... (There was a chance from a cross near the end, right?) If that doesn't lead to a goal, it's like I haven't done anything. But I think it's good to increase those kinds of plays and keep challenging repeatedly. Personally, I had a tough time with injuries, so I'm happy to be back like this. I haven't fully gotten used to the match atmosphere, and my game sense hasn't returned yet, but since I'm playing, I can't make excuses like that. I want to do my best to give my all." <Kajiyama> "I was conscious of hitting it forward once and then spreading it to the sides. On top of that, I was thinking of moving up to the front of the goal... It's disappointing to end without scoring. I want to make use of this in the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Watching Kawasaki's last match against Iwata, Kawasaki defended well as a team. Although JUNINHO was suspended today, their counterattacks were very fast and their motivation was high. I expected today's match to be quite tough. With JUNINHO absent, I thought the two forwards would be Hulk and Kurotsu, or possibly Ganaha, who has recently appeared in practice matches. Kawasaki's three stoppers are tall, and both fullbacks and the two defensive midfielders have strong defensive awareness. Therefore, we tried not to spend much time on attack and aimed to use the space behind their defenders as quickly as possible. We started the first half well, but as the attack slowed down, Kawasaki pulled back and it became difficult to break through. Even when crossing, we struggled to get shots on goal—that was today's match. The opponent was down to ten men and pulled back even more, but we had to break through that. Since the opponent solidified their defense in front of the goal, we brought in Lucas midway through. I told him to receive the ball further forward, but he was a bit too deep. Then we brought in Norio SUZUKI to create opportunities not only from the right but also from the left. It was his first match in a while since dislocating his shoulder, so he couldn't get into the game at first, but as seen near the end, we expected crosses, free kicks, or shots from the left side, though they just missed. We wanted all three points, but we couldn't break down their deep defense. We've struggled against teams reduced to ten men since last year; ironically, it's better when we are the ones down to ten (laughs). When a player is sent off, our tempo slows down by one beat, so I had a bad feeling about that. We have to take risks to score goals. However, the team's overall momentum is returning. I'm not satisfied, but we want to accumulate points and focus on the next match, which comes soon. We want to win the Tokyo showdown against Verdy and regain momentum once again. We want to prepare well. Kawasaki is a wonderful team where everyone can work so hard even without JUNINHO."

　【Kawasaki - Sekizuka's Press Conference Summary】 "Following the match against Jubilo Iwata in the previous round, the players maintained a high level of concentration for the full 90 minutes. I believe this is thanks to the many supporters who gathered at home and believed in our victory. Tokyo is a team with momentum. How we stop that was the key point of today's match. The theme was whether we could pick up the second ball and attack in our rhythm after regaining possession. In the first half, as time passed, we became more composed, and the combination of Fukki, Kurotsu, and Konno in the front started to utilize the flanks. However, in the second half, we had a player sent off, and we inevitably aimed to score from counterattacks or restarts. Even with one less player, the team aimed to score from a solid defense. Playing with 10 men for about 35 minutes in the second half is a tough situation, but I think it was a positive that we didn't just defend but continued to seek goals until the end."

Game Ends Scoreless

TOKYO began the second half as they finished the first, on the attack. Ishikawa whipped a free kick fractionally wide and Kondo was given offside in a marginal decision in the 54th minute. In the 56th minute Ishikawa again raced down the right before a Kawasaki defender ended his run. The loose ball fell to Kaji who drilled a shot against a defender; Ishikawa crossed but Kurisawa failed to make appreciable contact.
In the 57th minute Lucas replaced the visibly tiring Kondo. Kaji fired over the bar in the 58th minute before Terada took an early bath after collecting his second yellow card for a foul on Ishikawa in the 60th minute. Frontale replaced Konno with defender Sahara and attempted to frustrate TOKYO with blanket defence. The visitors found it difficult to penetrate the 9 man defence and the game developed into a stalemate.
In the 67th minute Suzuki replaced Kurisawa in an attempt to enliven the attack and while several half chances were created a goal seemed a distant prospect. The Frontale players increased their workrate to compensate for the loss of Terada but failed to produce a meaningful threat to the TOKYO goal.
In the 81st minute Miura replaced Kajiyama and Konno moved forward to support the attack. A minute later Konno nearly made the vital breakthrough with a blistering long range strike that seemed destined for the top corner until Aizawa pulled off a stunning save. In the 85th minute Ishikawa failed to control a through ball from Toda in a good position and was left holding his head in frustration. Toda then failed to connect with a low cross from Suzuki when only a touch would have sent the ball over the line. As full time approached Frontale packed their penalty area and the sheer number of bodies denied TOKYO until the final whistle. The game finished scoreless.


Players' comments 
Toda: 
"If we had scored today we would have won. Kondo and I are giving it our all in attack so it's very disappointing. The timing is not quite right and it's only a matter of a split second. We didn't really become impatient after they had a man sent off although we did try to get the ball forward faster. Maybe that seemed like being impatient". 

Suzuki:
"When I came on it was 0-0 and one goal would have won the game. I was asked to get forward and shoot but I couldn't really play to my best today. Since we didn't score from that move at the end of the game it's like I didn't contribute to the game today. Personally, I'm very pleased to be back as the time out injured was difficult. I haven't become reaccustomed to the match atmosphere yet and that showed in some of my play but I'm determined to do my best for the team".

Kajiyama:
"I concentrated on taking the ball forward and spreading it out to the wings. I'd have liked to have been involved in scoring but it wasn't to be today. It's very disappointing that the game finished 0-0. We'll do our best in the next match".


TOKYO manager Hara: 
"I saw the Frontale-Jubilo game and they defended well and countered very quickly. We were expecting a very tough game today. With Juninho suspended we thought Ganaha would have played today. Frontale fielded three stoppers and two defensive midfielders, all very tall and strong players so we planned to waste no time in building attacks and get the ball into space behind the defence as quickly as possible. We started well but tailed off during the match and that allowed them to come back into the game. We put in many crosses but couldn't get shots on target and that was the story of tonight's game. After they had a man sent off they pulled back and we should have taken advantage of the situation. We were outnumbered in attack so I sent on Lucas but he played a little too deeply. Suzuki hadn't played for a long time and is still getting over his dislocated shoulder but I had wanted to play him from the start. He put a good cross in at the death but otherwise looked a little rusty, as you would expect after such a long layoff. We really wanted the three points but Frontale defended in depth and we couldn't break them down. There's another game coming up so we're focusing on that now. We've definitely got our spirit back. Frontale played very well with only 10 men, though".

Frontale manager:
"As in the Jubilo game the players concentrated completely for the 90 minutes. A lot of fans turned out for the match and we believed their support would help us to win tonight. TOKYO are a dynamic team. The point for this game was how to stop them. Winning the loose balls and imposing our rhythm on the game was the way, we felt. We became more composed as the first half progressed and worked the ball out to the wings. But then we lost a player and had to rely on counter attacks and quick restarts to have any chance of scoring. Even with only 10 men the team defended superbly and looked for a goal. The last 10 minutes were especially difficult but the players were still trying to get forward with the ball and that's a positive thing to take from the match".