Aiming for our first victory of the season, we head into the away match

　In Sec. 2 of the league, we will face Urawa Reds, heading to the away Saitama Stadium 2002. In the opening match, we suffered a heavy defeat at home, conceding four goals. It is urgent to reorganize the defense, but at the same time, there was frustration in not being able to convert scoring opportunities during good rhythm phases in attack. We want to correct the issues identified while tackling new challenges and use them as nourishment for moving forward. In this match, Sahara and Ishikawa return from injury and will be on the bench. Additionally, Cabore and Suzuki will be in the starting lineup, with Konno and Kajiyama serving as defensive midfielders. The formation will feature Tokunaga on the right and Nagatomo on the left as full-backs.

　In contrast, Urawa lost to Kashima in Sec. 1. This match will be the home opener, and they will approach it with a strong determination of "absolutely cannot lose." Under the new manager Volker FINKE this season, they are trying to transform into an attacking style of play that connects the ball. On the other hand, for Tokyo, the key point will be how much they can seize control and create decisive chances. Originally, Urawa's central defense is solid, so they want to create opportunities from the sides and initiate challenges.

　Since September 2004, there has been no victory against Urawa. Although the away game presents tough conditions, we aim to dispel our mental block and calmly express our strong desire to surpass Urawa on the pitch to achieve victory. Under the unstable spring weather, with cold rain falling at Saitama Stadium, the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 14:02.

Although they allowed the first goal, Tokunaga and Cabore teamed up to equalize.

　From the start, we were pushed back by Urawa's speedy attacks. In the 4th minute, Urawa forward Tatsuya TANAKA broke free on the left flank and sent a strong cross in front of the goal. Gonda saved it, but the ball crossed the line, giving Urawa a right corner kick. Then, Urawa MF Ponte's low trajectory kick was directly kicked in by MF Abe inside the right area, allowing us to concede the opening goal once again from a set piece.

　However, in the 13th minute, Hanyu boldly made a penetrating pass, and Cabore in the center received it → Nagatomo sent a cross from the left. No one was able to connect in the center, but after that, they persistently connected the play, and shortly after, Tokunaga passed to Kajiwara, who had moved up front, and then back to Tokunaga who attacked the right side again. Cabore dove in with his body to meet the low cross from there, and the ball went into the Urawa goal. They induced an own goal from Urawa and took advantage of their limited chances to equalize.

　In the 23rd minute, Moniwa sent a floating pass to the front line, and the opposing DF cleared it to Hanyu just outside the area. Hanyu aimed for the goal with a direct shot, but it didn't connect well. The ball spilled to Cabore in front of the goal, who took a shot but was caught by the Urawa GK. However, this was the only real chance, and the rhythm continued to favor Urawa. In the 43rd minute, Moniwa and Urawa DF Tulio collided. Both were injured and temporarily left the pitch, resulting in a fierce match, but no additional goals were allowed. With hopes for a comeback in the second half, the first half ended.

Struggled throughout the match as Urawa held the initiative, resulting in a tough defeat

　In the 48th minute of the second half, we struggled to regain the ball against Urawa's quick passing. Finally, Konno managed to take the ball and launched a counterattack, but he was crushed by the opponent in midfield and fell down. For a moment, it seemed like the game had stopped, but the ball went to Urawa's defender Tulio. From there, it was spread to the right, and MF Ponte's cross pinpointed to FW Edmilson, resulting in the second goal conceded...

　Once again, they allowed the lead and found themselves chasing a one-point deficit, but Urawa, gaining momentum, passed the ball quickly, and even when they regained possession, they couldn't connect it to an attack, making it difficult to counter. In the 58th minute, Ohtake was brought in for Suzuki, in the 60th minute, Akamine came on for Kondo, and in the 66th minute, Ishikawa replaced Hanyu. They tried to change the rhythm with substitutions, but in the 71st minute, Ishikawa received a pass from the left side in the right area and took a bold shot that hit the crossbar and bounced back...

　In the 83rd minute, Urawa DF Tsuboi was allowed to advance to the left front line and passed the ball to the center. Urawa MF Naoki YAMADA calmly drew in the Tokyo DF and made a final pass to the right MF Ponte. This was converted reliably, and Urawa's sharp counterattack broke through the defense, resulting in the third goal conceded... Under the severe pressure of the away game, both offense and defense lacked brilliance, leading to a bitter defeat. This marked their second consecutive loss.

　[Player Comments]《Cabore》"I started the match, but I'm disappointed with the result. (Regarding the scoring scene) a good cross came in and I jumped in. Ultimately, it became an own goal, but it was good that I was involved in the goal. However, the opponent's goalkeeper was also excellent, and even when we had chances afterward, we couldn't convert them, which is unfortunate. This season, we have conceded 7 goals so far and haven't won yet. Next time, I definitely want to secure a victory at home." 《Suzuki》"I had the intention to showcase my strengths and aggressively push forward, but... we spent a long time being passed around by Urawa, and there was no coordination in both offense and defense. In both the opening match and today, we allowed the first goal, and when we tried to counterattack, we were hit back... it was a situation that played into the opponent's hands. If we can't hold onto the ball more ourselves, it will become difficult. However, this season, we aim to play a style of football that can break through even when the opponent sits back. We have suffered consecutive losses, but I want to see this as pain for growth and align everyone's direction. I want to keep pushing forward without giving up."

　【Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference】 "Since we couldn't win the opening match, we approached today with a strong desire to earn 3 points. Although it was an away game, many fans came to watch, and I am very disappointed that we couldn't meet their expectations. Regarding the content, we need to reflect on individual plays, but overall, we were manipulated by the ball. We lost it quickly in situations where we should have firmly retained possession after winning it back. One factor was that Urawa took a half-hearted positioning from a defensive standpoint, allowing them to face forward and move the ball. At the same time, they were able to hold the ball up front, speeding up at our final line, which caused significant damage. We spent too much time chasing Urawa's ball, leading to fatigue. There were issues not only in defense but also in attack, as we needed to create more of our own time. Overall, I feel very frustrated, but the result was fair. We need to clearly identify our issues and switch gears to move on to the next challenge."

　【Urawa - Coach Finke's Press Conference Summary】 "This is our first home game of the season, and when I visited three months ago, the Urawa supporters were amazing, cheering for the team until the very end. Unfortunately, we lost that match, but I wanted to achieve the best possible result in today's game. Therefore, the three points from today's match are very valuable. We were able to score the first goal early on, and the team showed a very good performance. However, we unfortunately allowed an equalizer. For about 10 to 15 minutes after that, our team's play was not good, while FC Tokyo showed excellent play. From the middle of the first half, the quality of our play improved. Our ball possession and the transitions of each player got better, and our movements improved compared to before. At halftime, I felt that if we could continue the play from the end of the first half, we could achieve an even better result in the second half." (Did the defenders also contribute to the attack?) "In my opinion, I want players in each position to create scoring opportunities and score themselves. I believe it is important for defensive players to participate in the attack in order to aim for combination soccer."