Aiming for victory away with fresh players amidst a tough schedule

In Sec. 16 of the league, we will face Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match against Jubilo Iwata, we struggled due to being outpaced and outworked. This match comes just two days after the last one. Although the schedule is tough, as Coach Jofuku aims to "keep the goals conceded to a minimum while breaking down the opponent's defense with our ball movement," we will not use fatigue as an excuse. We will maintain an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense, aiming to hold the initiative longer and strive for victory. On the other hand, Niigata currently sits in 9th place with 22 points. In the last match against Kashima, their defensive midfielder Honma was suspended, but they approached the game with an aggressive three-forward formation, pushing Kashima back. Although the result ended in a draw, they have shown strong performance in the league with 5 wins and 4 draws since Sec. 7 on April 17, remaining unbeaten in 9 matches. Particularly, forward Yano has been a key player, with left-side player Cho aggressively initiating plays, creating chances through the fluid movements of midfielder Marcio Richardes and forward Micheu. Additionally, we must pay close attention to the set pieces from the in-form midfielder Marcio Richardes. Tokyo will utilize fresh players due to "the impact of three consecutive matches, injuries, and strategies against Niigata (Coach Jofuku)." Mukuhara will play as right-back, with double defensive midfielders Morishige and Takahashi, and wingers Suzuki and Hanyu, while the two forwards will be Oguro and Akamine. In the Nabisco Cup qualifiers on May 22, we won 1-0, but Coach Jofuku warns, "Niigata's style of play is no different from the Nabisco match, and that game was also a close contest. However, we have gained solid confidence from our unbeaten results in the league." Takahashi expressed, "We need to take care when forwards like Cho and Micheu, and midfielder Marcio Richardes come inside. Also, from the defensive line, we need to drop back to defend against long balls aimed at forward Yano. I want to run more than other players and increase the number of times we win the ball." He also noted that the flanks will be a key in our attack. Niigata's side midfielders and full-backs take high positions, so we want to exploit the spaces behind them to create chances. The match will kick off at 19:03 at Tohoku Electric Power Big Swan Stadium with Niigata's kickoff.

Allowed a goal from a mistake, leading to a difficult situation. Trailing at the end of the first half.

　From the start of the first half, we pressed Niigata and tried to connect passes to launch an attack. In the 4th minute, Akamine made a run to the right front line to meet a long pass from the back and crossed it to the center. Suzuki rushed in front of the goal, but was defended by the opposing DF. Conversely, Niigata also launched a speedy attack, and the back-and-forth battle continued. However, in the 15th minute, Takahashi's pass was intercepted by Niigata MF Micheu in our own half, who then delivered a through pass behind the DF. FW Yano calmly slotted it in, allowing an early lead. But we did not panic and countered with our own style of football. In the 26th minute, Hanyu passed to Morishige, who turned from right to left just before the area and was fouled, earning a free kick. Matsushita aimed for this, but the shot hit the upper left bar of the goal. In the 34th minute, Kim Yong-gun advanced with a dribble, passed to Matsushita, and Suzuki, who flowed to the left, brought it forward and crossed. Akamine jumped in front of the goal but could not connect. In the 38th minute, a big switch from Konno found Suzuki on the right side. He dribbled in and delivered a low cross in front of the goal, but it was cleared. In the 40th minute, a cross from Mukuahara led to a right corner kick. Hanyu picked up the loose ball from Matsushita's kick. He evaded the opposing DF just before the area and brought it forward, unleashing a powerful shot, but it went straight to the GK. We continued to press Niigata, sending crosses from the sides, but the ball did not reach Daigoku or Akamine in good shape. Niigata's counterattacks were sharp, creating a tense situation, but we could not create any decisive moments, and the first half ended.

Kono's goal narrowed the gap to one point, but they couldn't score again and lost the match.