2014 Season Opening! Under the guidance of Manager Massimo, a new Tokyo emerges.

The long-awaited J-League 2014 season has begun. In the first match, we will face Kashiwa Reysol away. This season, under the new manager Massimo Ficcadenti, we started on January 18th. We have been preparing for about 40 days, aiming to play beautiful and attacking football. And today, we will finally show our new form.

Manager Massimo said, "We need to see how much we can do what we have been working on and what we need to do as a team. Today, we need to assess the situation and conditions of the game and maintain our focus throughout the 90 minutes, which will also be a test for us. We will also rely on the strength of our team's organization that we have built up."

Kashiwa, on the other hand, won the Nabisco Cup last season despite finishing 10th in the league. It can be said that they are a "winning" team that has consistently won titles since their J1 championship in 2011. Under the guidance of manager NELSINHO, who is in his 6th year, the team has continued to mature. In particular, their attacking force is diverse, led by MF Leandro Domingues and including new addition FW Leandro and Japan national team member FW Kudo, making them a major threat.

However, as Mori Shige says, "I don't think everything will go well right away, but I do feel that if we can improve the completion of Massimo's style, we will definitely become stronger." Can we calmly assess the situation and execute countermeasures while improving the completion of our own style? We hope for a unified team victory.

The game started at 3:03 PM in Tokyo, under the cold weather with light rain falling.

Both teams show their individuality, in a tense offensive and defensive battle.

Immediately after the start, both teams quickly attacked each other, resulting in a fierce exchange of offense and defense. Tokyo maintained their strength in the ball and quick transitions, and threatened the Kashiwa goal with Muto's ball control and Mita and Edu's boldness. In the 1st minute, Muto on the left side passed to Edu in the area, and Mita took a first shot from outside the left area. In the 8th minute, Muto pressed the opponent's DF on the front line and stole the ball, aiming for a goal.

Tokyo was firmly responding to Kashiwa's attack centered on long balls, but gradually they were able to launch sharp counters. In the 10th minute, Tokyo's cross was blocked and quickly brought to the front line, where MF Leandro Domingues sent a through pass behind the DF. However, Kaga was able to respond and prevent FW Leandro from connecting. Tokyo also took advantage of set piece opportunities, and in the 29th minute, Morishige headed in a left corner kick, but it was saved by the GK.

Tokyo continued to attack with a sense of dynamism, but their accuracy and coordination in front of goal were still lacking. As the game went on, they were unable to create opportunities for shots. On the other hand, Kashiwa regained their composure and launched a varied attack, leading to a tense back-and-forth. In the 37th minute, Kashiwa's through pass was beautifully received by FW Leandro, who then set up a decisive opportunity for FW Kudo, but the shot went wide. In the 43rd minute, a speedy passing sequence led to a cross from Kashiwa's left-back Hashimoto, but it was deflected by Gonda. Tokyo maintained their focus and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Mita scores first goal of the season! Despite conceding 1 point, we take 1 point for the win.

In the second half, Tokyo pressed from the start and launched a fierce attack. In the 46th minute, Morishige → Ota on the left side crossed to Edu in the center of the area. Edu dropped the ball to the left area with his chest, and Mita jumped out here. The first shot was blocked by the GK's extended hand, but the ball that Kashiwa DF tried to clear hit the GK again and bounced. Mita persisted and pushed the ball in again, and scored! Mita scored his first goal of the season and took the lead.

At 51 minutes, Julian created an opportunity on the right side with a pass from the front line, and Takahashi broke through on the right side, exchanging positions with Watanabe. He sent a negative pass from the sideline to the area. Lori was free to score a decisive shot, but it went wide to the right. At 54 minutes, from a left corner kick, Morishige and Watanabe launched a wave attack, but they were unable to break through the line in front of Kashiwa's determined defense...

Kashiwa made a player substitution to switch to a 3-back formation in the 60th minute, adding depth to their attack and launching a counterattack. In the 63rd minute, Kashiwa MF Leandro Domingues played a vertical pass to FW Leandro, who ran into the area and received the ball with one touch. FW Kudo on the right side then took a powerful shot, barely grazing the hand of goalkeeper Kanda and rolling into the far net... Unable to keep up with Kashiwa's quick passing and fluid attacking, they conceded a goal.

Substituted Iwashita for Muto in the 71st minute. Changed to a 4-4-2 formation with Edu and Watanabe as the two top players, and Ishikawa and Mita on the sides. Both teams continued to attack in search of a lead, creating quick chances. In the midst of both teams creating opportunities, in the 83rd minute, Higashi launched a counter attack and made a decisive pass to Watanabe in front of the goal from the right area. However, their timing was just slightly off...

In the final stages, Kashiwa showed a fierce attack in their determination to win at home, but they did not allow a second goal. The intense battle ended in a draw, with both teams sharing the pain. However, their persistent attitude towards winning paid off as they secured a valuable 1 point away from home.

[Player Comments]
《Mita》"I think we were able to show what we have been working on, both in attack and defense. As for the goal, I really wanted to score with the first shot. I thought it went in! But the ball didn't slide as much as I expected and it didn't go in. However, I declared that I wanted to score a goal before the season started, and being able to score in any way gives me confidence. I am approaching my second year as a professional with a strong sense of crisis. I want to continue fighting for goals and victories."

《Muto》"I couldn't score in the decisive moment, which resulted in a draw. I feel strongly that I couldn't contribute to the team's victory. However, I felt that we had a good performance. There were moments where my plays and dribbles were effective. If we could have continued to push after taking the lead in the second half... I think the game would have been easier. (Starting as a rookie in the opening game. Were you nervous?) I was more nervous about 3 days ago. But I gradually calmed down. Age doesn't matter in the professional world. I want to score a goal at the next Ajinomoto Stadium."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"Although it ended in a draw, I think it was a good game to watch for the fans and supporters. There are two things I think about now. The first is that I could see the growth of the players. What we have been doing since the training camp has been conveyed and it was clearly reflected in today's game. The second is that it is regrettable that we couldn't score despite having so many chances in the first 20 minutes of the second half. We need to improve on this aspect. It was a very important game today, as it was our first match against a strong team like Kashiwa. In order to gain momentum from the start of the season and to give confidence to the players, I thought it was important."

[Kashiwa NELSINHO Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"I think it was a very high-level game in terms of both teams' skills. We competed with each other while maintaining a high quality throughout the first and second halves. For us, there is room for improvement in terms of connecting well during the start of the first half. However, the players gradually regained their pace and composure, and were able to create a high-quality game from there. Tokyo was also a tough opponent with a well-organized tactical approach and high quality. I believe a draw was the correct result."