2012 Season is here! Challenging the first FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP

　On Mar 3 (Tue), the FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP 2012 will kick off the season before the J1 League match. Tokyo, last season's Emperor's Cup champion, will face off against J1 League champion Kashiwa Reysol. Under new coach Ranko POPOVIC, Tokyo will aim to play organized, attacking, and attractive football with their slogan "C・O・A Football". After starting their training in late January with 8 new players, they have gone through two camps and training in Kodaira, and are finally ready to show their form.

　During this time, Ishikawa was absent from the team due to his activities with the Japan national team, Gonda with the U-23 Japan national team, and Hyun Soo JANG with the U-23 South Korea national team. In practice, the coach Ranko POPOVIC did not fix the members, but tried various combinations. He also asked the players to play multiple positions and explained, "Combination is not about 'who is good with who', but about being able to have good chemistry with anyone. That is the team's combination." Regardless of who plays, they have been focusing on playing with the same quality towards their desired style of soccer.

　The coach said, "We have chosen the best 18 players in terms of tactical understanding and physical condition at this point," and has placed Tokunaga as center back. New addition Ota will play left back, Hasegawa will play attacking midfielder, with GK Shiota, right back Mukuhara, and a double pivot of Kajiyama and Takahashi. On the wings will be Ishikawa and Taniyama, with Lucas up top.

　Kashiwa, as you know, won the title in the J1 league last season, just after being promoted. This season is the third season under coach NELSINHO's command. The tactical penetration has also increased, taking control with organized defense and tough pressing, and boasting an attacking soccer that utilizes the high abilities of FW Leandro Domingues, MF Jorginho Wagner, and FW Tanaka.

　However, in response to that, coach Ranko POPOVIC stated, "We have not communicated Kashiwa's analysis to the players. At this point, it is important for us to analyze our own football on the pitch," emphasizing the importance of focusing on their own style of play. How they can express what they have been working on so far and continue to play Tokyo-style football. This will also be an important match in terms of predicting the season. The game started at 1:36 PM with Kashiwa's kickoff on a calm and sunny day at the National Stadium, despite the cold wind.

2 goals conceded despite taking control of the game against Kashiwa...

　Tokyo, who started with momentum, approached the enemy's territory by connecting passes and Takahashi took a precise middle shot. Although it was saved by the Kashiwa GK, they continued to attack without hesitation. In the 10th minute, Ota made a breakthrough and earned a free kick just in front of the left area. Tanizawa took the kick and sent it to the far post, but it was cleared by the GK. In the 15th minute, they showed their strength in winning the ball. Takahashi stole the ball from the DF line and Ishikawa broke through the opponent on the right side. They controlled the game by connecting passes and focusing on side attacks.

　17 minutes, a vertical pass to Lucas before Hasegawa in the center receives a pass from the right side, but the shot from the direct drop is above the bar. In the 18th minute, Kajiyama → Taniyama drops it, and Takahashi takes a middle shot. In the 19th minute, Taniyama makes a long floating ball to Ishikawa trying to escape behind the opponent's DF. He neatly collects it and shoots after quickly cutting back the opponent's DF, but it is outside the frame.

　However, just 26 minutes later, a big development was launched from Kashiwa's DF line, and Kashiwa MF Jorge Wagner, who received the ball in the midfield, advanced with a dribble. As soon as he saw that there was no press, he swung his left foot without hesitation from just outside the penalty area... and was struck by a powerful shot... Tokyo had been playing the game with a good rhythm, but they couldn't score during that time and ended up conceding the first goal to Kashiwa instead.

　In the 41st minute, Kashiwa's MF Leandro Domingues headed from a FK. The shot was saved by Shioda in the lower left corner! Then, Tokunaga cleared it high, but Mori Shige committed a foul against Kashiwa FW Kitajima in the left area of Tokyo, giving a PK. In the 42nd minute, this PK was confidently scored by Kashiwa's MF Leandro Domingues, unfortunately losing the second goal and ending the first half.

We displayed our own soccer and Hasegawa marked his first goal. We gained confidence and rewards.

　Despite being two points behind, they calmly tried to counterattack with their own soccer and the second half became an attacking match. In the 50th minute, Tanizawa broke through the area from a coordinated pass work and seemed to have been fouled by the Kashiwa DF, but instead Tanizawa was called for a foul. In the 54th minute, Kashiwa made a move from the right side and FW Kitajima received the ball in front of the goal and took a shot. The course changed after hitting the Tokyo DF, but Shioda quickly recovered and held it down. In the 57th minute, Ota attacked from the left side and passed to Hasegawa in the center. Kashiwa read this pass and marked him tightly, but Hasegawa persistently connected with Lucas and took a shot after turning around. However, it was off target.

　Substituting Ishikawa for Watanabe in the 58th minute, Lucas was brought to the front line. With Hasegawa slightly pulling back and Hasegawa moving to the right MF, they aimed for the goal. In the 60th minute, Hasegawa, who had broken through the back of the right side from Morishige's vertical pass, crossed to Watanabe in front of the goal with a direct pass. Watanabe controlled it with his chest, but couldn't get a shot off. Tokyo's soccer strategy paid off in the 65th minute. Watanabe, who had just barely escaped offside from Hasegawa's vertical pass, received the ball and skillfully moved to the left. Takahashi, who had moved up to support perfectly, made a precise last pass in front of the goal. Hasegawa followed up with a shot! Although it was initially saved, he pushed it in with his head for a GOAL!! This was his first goal since transferring and also the team's first goal of the season!

　Substituting Hanyu for Tanizawa in the 73rd minute. Tokyo continues to create big chances with their energy and movement. In the 78th minute, Hanyu makes a sharp run from the far side to jump in front of the opponent's defense and head the ball in, but it goes wide to the right... Immediately after, Watanabe dribbles on the right side and Hanyu makes a run into the area, receiving a final pass from Watanabe, but his shot is saved by the goalkeeper...

　In the 85th minute, Kono replaced Takahashi. In the end, both teams stretched their lines and tried to counter each other, and in stoppage time, there was a scene where Kashiwa MF Leandro Domingues' shot hit the bar, but they did not allow a goal and the game ended 1-2. They couldn't grab a victory, but it was a game where they could show Tokyo's strengths along with their challenges. They gained confidence and rewards, and it should have been a start that gave them hope for the future.

　【Player Comments】《Masaru HASEGAWA》"In the first half, we were able to move the ball well up until the goal, but the support from Luca when he went vertical was slow. So at halftime, we talked about being more conscious of playing closer to Luca. I was thinking of running between the defenders and the goalkeeper to score. Then Takahashi sent a great ball near the goal. Contributing to the team is not just about scoring goals, and today's goal was not just my own effort. I think it was great that we were able to create chances by connecting passes together. I believe that individual players can shine within the team's efforts, so I want to continue playing like this and also aim for more goals."

　"Takahashi" "I think that all players had the consciousness of moving the ball together and trying to score. However, I realized that we need to tighten up our defense and counter against the opponent more. In the end of the game, we were pushed back by the opponent's momentum and they were able to take more shots. When the ball is taken away, and how we as a group can take care of the defense in the box, I want to improve on that."

　[Summary of Coach Popovich's Press Conference] "I couldn't enjoy it from the bottom of my heart because this was the result, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Looking back on the content based on the first official game after the training camp, I don't think it was bad. We were able to take control throughout the game. Unfortunately, we lacked accuracy in finishing and couldn't get the result, but we should have been able to show what we want to do and what we are aiming for. As for the match, I have the impression that we were a little unlucky. It's common in soccer, but Kashiwa scored the first goal with their first shot and scored the second goal with their third shot."

　We are still in the process of creating a new team, and I think that is where the difference in experience lies. Today, I want to congratulate Kashiwa Reysol. The challenges we faced today were caused by our own mistakes. Both Morishige and Tokunaga made one mistake each, and it led to decisive moments from the opposing team's center backs. We need to fix that. However, the season is still long, so we want to steadily build up one step at a time. Today was a soccer festival, and I think we were able to show everyone a satisfying and enjoyable game. Of course, we are not satisfied with the result, and we need to fix our challenges and continue from here. We want to make sure we can connect to the next game."

　[Kashiwa NELSINHO coach's press conference summary] "In the second game of the season, it was the first official game for both teams, but we were not able to play in our usual rhythm, especially as we were pushed back by the opponent's press and had to focus on defense. Even when we were able to take the ball in our own half, we would quickly lose it again and be subjected to continuous attacks from our own mistakes. It was certain that MF JORGINHO Wagner's goal brought some calmness to the team as we were still trying to organize our defense. After that, we were able to maintain a stable shape and finish the first half without letting the opponent's number 10, Rene, create any chances."

　In the second half, the opponent also had strong players and various options, so there were moments when they were able to create good opportunities and push us back. However, we were also able to create several decisive chances on the counter, so if we had scored additional points there, the situation would have been different."