A crucial match to grasp the opportunity to rise up

　Sec. 4, facing Kawasaki Frontale away. After consecutive losses to Niigata and Shimizu, this is a crucial match to turn things around. Despite only having two days between matches, the team aimed to make adjustments by increasing mutual understanding through meetings and changing the lineup. Lucas and Rychely as the two forwards, with Baba making his first start of the season as the attacking midfielder. In place of Kajiyama, who was injured in the Shimizu match, Konno started on the right and Miyazawa on the left, with Inonami at the bottom, forming a 4-4-2 formation.

　Tokyo will face Kawasaki, who dominated the first and second sections with the explosive scoring power of FW Juninho and Ganaha, but struggled against Kofu's tough press in the previous section and lost without scoring. For Tokyo, the first thing they need to do is deal with the tough marking. After that, they will want to take advantage of Rychely's speed and attack the sides and back of Kawasaki's defense.

　In the past two games, the players themselves have realized that they "lack the fighting spirit" in their battles for the ball. This match, one of the themes is to put their hearts into their play and fight with concentration. We hope to see the team come together and show a fighting attitude in this crucial match, as we aim to seize the opportunity to rise up. The game started at 4:04 pm at the peaceful Todoroki Stadium in Kawasaki, with the kickoff by the home team.

Equal match, but conceded from set pieces

　Kawasaki, who tried to attack from the start, was able to suppress their start well. In the first minute, Kawasaki FW JUNINHO tried to break through from the right side, but was tightly marked and finally stopped by Konno. In the 5th minute, Suzuki stopped FW JUNINHO's central breakthrough. Although a FK was given in front of the goal, MF MARX's direct shot went over the bar. In the 15th minute, Tokyo's Miyazawa made a big side change from his own half to the right front line. Rychely caught up and cut back the opponent's DF, and then connected with Konno who had moved up to support, but the cross was deflected.

　Kawasaki has a high awareness of shooting, with right MF Igawa in the 18th minute and left MF Mori in the 19th minute, boldly aiming for the goal from the middle range. In the 23rd minute, Tokyo's Tokunaga cuts inside and passes to Lucas. Baba, who received the return pass outside the left area, launched a rhythmic attack, but the opposing DF blocked it.

　After that, both teams had decisive moments. In the 25th minute, Inaba sent a left throw-in to Rychely on the front line. The ball was initially passed to the opponent's DF Terada, but Rychely picked up the loose ball and charged into the area for a shot! However, the opponent's GK blocked it, missing the chance to take the lead. In the 29th minute, MF Marcos dribbled into the Tokyo territory. FW Juninho made a run towards the goal with a crossing movement with Marcos, and received a last pass there. They also had a decisive shot, but escaped the pinch with Doi's fine save.

　In the first half, in the midst of a fierce situation where 5 warnings were issued, they showed an even battle, but in the 39th minute, they allowed a goal from a set piece following the Shimizu match. MF Marcus from a FK on the right side of the Tokyo team. MF Taniguchi heads it in. In the 43rd minute, Rychely was injured and replaced by Kawaguchi. Despite being behind, they looked to make a comeback and headed into the second half.

Jean, despite leading with Kawaguchi's goal, couldn't hold on to the lead.

　In the second half, the pace of the game continued with quick transitions between offense and defense. Right after the start, Lucas received a left throw-in and passed it to Miyazawa who took a shot! The ball hit the crossbar and did not go in... In the 47th minute, Kawasaki MF Marcus made a through pass to FW Juninho who slipped through the Tokyo DF and took a shot. However, Tsuchi made a nice save. In the 48th minute, Lucas jumped in with a header from Inano's right cross, but the ball went to the right.

　In the 58th minute, Kurihara was replaced by Kurisawa, who quickly made a decisive play to give the team momentum. In the 61st minute, Kawaguchi crossed from the right side after a quick pass from Imano to Kurisawa. Lucas headed the ball in the center, but it didn't meet the target. Then, in the 63rd minute, Kurisawa was fouled on the left side, earning a free kick opportunity. Miyazawa's accurate kick was headed in by Jean, equalizing the score! Miyazawa reflected on the play, saying "just like in practice."

　With this goal, we gained even more momentum and took control of the pace. We continued to launch quick attacks by stealing the ball and pushing forward. In the 68th minute, Kawasaki made a change by substituting MF Igawa for DF Yoneyama, placing him at right back and switching to a 4-4-2 formation. However, it was Tokyo who scored the next goal. In the 74th minute, Tokunaga intercepted the opponent's ball and passed it to Kurisawa, who quickly sent a through pass to Kawaguchi running into the goal from the right side. Kawaguchi calmly evaded the oncoming goalkeeper and scored! This was Kawaguchi's first goal since his transfer and it gave us the lead.

　Tokyo's momentum continues. In the 78th minute, Suzuki took a low middle shot from the left side. Although it was blocked by Kawasaki's DF, it was picked up by Imano and shook the goal net. However, this was offside. In the 80th minute, Kawasaki substituted MF Marcos for FW Kurotsu, creating a 3-top formation for a counterattack. In response, Tokyo substituted Miyazawa for Masushima in the 84th minute. Masushima was assigned to mark FW Juninho, while Inonami was pushed forward to protect the 1-point lead. However, in the end, this player substitution would determine the outcome.

　85 minutes, immediately after the substitution, Kawasaki MF Nakamura was able to take advantage of the gap and break through the Tokyo DF while avoiding a one-two with JUNINHO. They were caught up by a goal from a shot from the right area and were equalized. However, they did not lose their spirit and continued to attack. In the midst of a quick exchange of attacks, in stoppage time, Kurihara picked up a ball that Kawaguchi had contested near the area and took a shot. However, the ball hit the bar and they were unable to score a third goal. In the end, it ended in a 2-2 draw, but their attitude of going for goals and going for the win was evident, making it a promising game.

　【Player Comments】《Kawaguchi》"We were on a losing streak, but we came into the game with a strong determination to fight, led by the coach and Mr. Doi. It's a shame that it didn't result in a win. The goal-scoring scene was a great pass from Kurisawa. The timing of the pass was perfect. I was able to calmly score because I could see the goalkeeper and the surrounding defenders. I believed that if I made a good run, the pass would come. I'm happy to score my first goal, but I won't forget the sense of crisis and will continue to strive for 3 points."《Kurisawa》"(On the assist) As soon as I received the ball, I saw Kawaguchi-san was open, so I just had to pass it without hesitation. I'm happy, but it's a shame that it didn't lead to a victory. However, I think it was because I had been aiming for the space behind the defense the whole time that it resulted in a goal. I want to continue making plays that lead to goals. If there's space in front, I want to make a vertical pass without hesitation."

　[Summary of Manager Garo's Press Conference] "We were able to play at a high level against each other. As for our team, we were able to play with the spirit and mentality we aimed for, and we were able to connect passes. I think the players did their best until the end without giving up. Baba and Kurizawa have been away from the game for a while, so we planned to substitute them before the 90 minutes. The opponent was also tired, and I think Kurizawa's dynamic movements helped us break down Kawasaki in a good way. Miyazawa also hasn't played a 90-minute game for a while, so we substituted him with Masushima, considering his physical condition. The opponent also changed to a 4-4-2 formation, so we moved Inoba up and had Masushima mark FW Juninho. We also decided to bring in Masushima to deal with Kawasaki's height in set pieces. Kawaguchi has speed and the ability to change the rhythm. Rychely is also the same, but today we wanted to use fast players up front and play with speed. Rychely got injured and Kawaguchi came in, but today we were able to play with plays that utilized the passes of Baba and Kurizawa and flowed into space. (What is your impression of the J-League?) I think every team is evenly matched and it's a difficult league to get 3 points. But we want to keep striving for victory. Unfortunately, we couldn't win today, but we played well in the second half. I want to praise the players."

　[Kawasaki - Manager Sekizuka's Press Conference Summary] "In the previous match, we lost without scoring any goals, so we tried to switch our mindset and aim for a win. I think we were able to play a very well-balanced game from the first half. We tried to play organized football by working together on both offense and defense, using the entire field to attack and creating many chances. We were able to score from set pieces and enter the second half with a lead. As for the content of the second half, we were a bit too eager to score a second goal and ended up making mistakes. This led to more fouls and resulted in us conceding a goal. In a game where we are winning 1-0, we need to improve. However, even after being reversed, we continued to fight until the end and were able to score a second goal in a good way. It would have been better if we could have scored another goal from a restart. I want to thank the players who fought until the end without giving up. Also, thanks to the many supporters who came to the game, I think we were able to play our football. (The change to a 4-4-2 system) was due to Igawa's injury and also because we were wary of Kurisawa, who was brought on when we were leading 1-0. We were planning to switch to a 4-back or 3 midfielders and mark him, but when we were tied, we switched to a 4-back and ended up conceding a goal due to a lack of coordination. After that, we only focused on scoring with a 3-front."