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 it's disappointing that it ended like this. (Regarding the scoring scene) A good cross came in and I jumped in. Although it ended up as an own goal, it was good to be involved in the goal. However, the opposing goalkeeper was also excellent, and even though we had chances afterward, it was unfortunate that we couldn't score. So far this season, we have conceded 7 goals and have yet to win. Next time, we definitely want to win at home." Suzuki: "I wanted to show my strengths and aggressively move forward... but Urawa controlled the ball for long periods, and there was no coordination in attack or defense. In both the opening match and today, we conceded the first goal, and when we tried to counterattack, we were countered ourselves... it played right into the opponent's hands. If we can't keep possession more, it will be tough. Still, this season, we aim to play soccer that can break down opponents even when they sit back. Although we've lost consecutive matches, we see this as the pain needed to grow, and we want to align everyone's direction. We want to keep pushing without breaking."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Since we couldn't win at the opening match, we approached today with a strong desire to secure 3 points. Although it was an away game, many fans came to watch, and it's very disappointing that we couldn't meet their expectations. Regarding the content, we need to consider individual plays, but overall, we were outplayed as the ball was circulated against us. Also, when we regained possession, we immediately lost it in situations where we should have maintained control. One reason for this was that Urawa took half-hearted defensive positions, faced forward, and moved the ball effectively. At the same time, they held the ball up front, sped up play near our last line, which caused significant damage. We spent too much time chasing Urawa's ball and felt fatigued. There were problems not only in defense but also in attack, as we needed to have more control of the game. Overall, it's very frustrating, but the result was fair. We will clearly identify our issues, reset, and focus on the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Finke's Press Conference at Urawa] "This is our first home game of the season, but when I actually visited three months ago, Urawa supporters were wonderful and cheered the team until the very end. Unfortunately, we lost that match, but for today's game, I wanted to achieve the best possible result. Therefore, the 3 points earned today are extremely valuable. We were able to score the opening goal early, and the team showed a very good performance. However, it was unfortunate that we conceded an equalizer. After that, for about 10 to 15 minutes, our team's play was not good, and at the same time, FC Tokyo showed excellent play. From the middle of the first half, the quality of our play improved. Ball possession and the players' transitions 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 even better results in the second half. (Did the defenders also contribute to the attack?) In my view, I want players in every position to create scoring chances and score themselves. To aim for combination football, it is important for defensive players to also participate in the attack."