The 2016 Meiji Yasuda J3 League Sec. 16 match is an away game against Fujieda MYFC.

The J3 League also enters the second half of the season from this match.
In the previous home match, we took the lead with a goal from Insoo YU, but we conceded an equalizer from a penalty kick, ending in a 1-1 draw.
The Tokyo starting eleven has Iwai as the GK. The DF line consists of Yanagi, Yamada, and Okazaki in a three-back formation.
Nozawa as the anchor in midfield. Sasaki as the inside half, and Tanabe, who made his first appearance and first start in the J3 League.
Mizunuma and Ogawa will serve as the two outside players, with Hayashi and Insoo YU in the front line in a 3-5-2 formation.
Although Fujieda was listed as 4-5-1, in reality, it was 3-4-3.
Although the system has changed since the last match, the approach as a team remains the same, connecting short passes including the goalkeeper and actively pressing from the front line.
The match started with a kickoff in Tokyo, amidst some humidity possibly due to the rain from the previous day.
 

[First Half]

Both teams will actively start and try to take control of the game.
The first shot is by Fujieda.
In the 2nd minute of the match, Fujieda's long-range shot aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal, but Kawai desperately reached out, touched the ball, and it was deflected off the post.
Furthermore, calmly catching the opponent's cross ball to prevent conceding a goal.
The first shot in Tokyo was 4 minutes later, 2 minutes after that.
Sasaki receives the ball in midfield, advances diagonally towards the center from the left side, and takes a long-range shot, but it goes wide of the target.
After that, both teams tried to break through while connecting passes, but they couldn't quite evade the midfield press.
Then, they conceded a goal from that connection of passes.
After 15 minutes, the ball was taken from Tanabe in our own half, and they advanced through the center, resulting in a goal from a long-range shot.
Tokyo allowed the opening goal, but gradually began to retain possession of the ball and started to move it around in small increments.
In the 24th minute, they attempted to break through with coordinated movement. Okazaki passed a vertical ball to Insoo YU and then dashed forward.
Insoo YU dropped the ball to Ogawa and connected with Okazaki, who had broken behind the opponent, but it got caught by the opposing defense.
Furthermore, in the 31st minute, a diagonal ball was played into the penalty area to Insoo YU from the right side, connecting to Mizunuma who made a diagonal run into the penalty area from the right side.
However, Mizunuma's left-footed shot is blocked by the opponent's GK's excellent save.
Tokyo continued to press towards the Fujieda goal, mainly through the left side where Ogawa was, but they couldn't manage to score.
Conversely, in the 39th minute, they were caught behind on the right side, and a cross was sent into the center in front of the goal. Kawai closed the distance with the opponent and made a solid block with his body.
Thanks to a big save by the goalkeeper, no additional goals were allowed, and the first half ended 0-1.
 

【Halftime】
Coach Anma's Comments
"To turn this around, let's use the sides effectively and keep our attack simple. Let's confirm how to enter for crosses."
In defense, not only should you be in front of the opponent, but also make sure to close in on the ball properly.
Let's continue what we are doing with confidence.
 

【Second Half】
Both teams entered the second half without making any substitutions.
In the second half, both teams will start actively, leading to an overall open development.
Both teams create scenes approaching the goal, but they allow the next score to Fujieda.
In the 53rd minute, a cross from the left side was delivered to the near post, and a direct shot resulted in an additional goal being conceded.
In the 56th minute right after, Tokyo, who was having a tough time with a shot that barely missed the target, raises the banner of counterattack.
In the 59th minute, Mizunuma, who had the ball on the right side, passes to Yanagi, who has made a run behind the defense.
When Yanagi entered the penalty area diagonally, he made a low ground cross to Tanabe, who slotted it into the goal.
Tokyo, now trailing by one point, substituted Sho SASAKI for Koyama, placing Koyama as the left side back.
Switching Yanagi to the right side, changing to a 4-4-2 formation with Yamada and Okazaki as center-backs.
Tokyo, increasing their offensive pressure, has a chance in the 66th minute. After stealing the ball from the opponent's mistake, Insoo YU finds himself one-on-one with the GK but is thwarted by a great save from the Fujieda GK.
Furthermore, Tokyo switched from Hayashi to Hiraoka in the 71st minute, increasing the speed of their attack even more.
As both teams found it difficult to press in midfield, the game opened up, and a chance arose in the 75th minute.
When Yanagi intercepted the opponent's pass on the right side of the midfield, the ball went directly to Mizunuma, who broke through on the right side.
In the center, Insoo YU and others make runs, but Mizunuma's shot goes over the goal.
In the 77th minute, just after missing a chance, a through pass was sent behind the DF line to Fujieda, and when Yanagi chased from behind and contested, a foul was called.
Yanagi, who received his second yellow card of the day, was sent off, but the free kick in front of the penalty area was blocked by the wall, preventing any additional goals.
Tokyo dropped Nozawa back to the central position, forming a three-back with Yamada and Okazaki to launch a counterattack, but Yamada cramped up and Ito was brought in.
Leaving Nozawa and Okazaki as the two remaining.
Push the small mountain on the left and the small river on the right to a high position and launch a counterattack with full force.
In the 89th minute, Hiraoka broke through on the left side and delivered a cross, but was unable to get a shot off.
In the 90+1 minute, Mizunuma's cross from the right side.
In the 90+2 minute, Ogawa made a vertical pass to Insoo YU in front of the penalty area, and Ogawa aimed for the dropped ball, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.
Despite fighting tenaciously until the end, the score remained unchanged, resulting in a 1-2 defeat.
 

Thank you very much for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-23 today.
We appreciate your continued warm support.

[Summary of Coach Anma's Press Conference]

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who came to Fujieda, despite the consecutive matches in J1.
The match was welcomed with a good lineup, including over-age players. Fujieda has also become a really strong team, so I was truly looking forward to this match.
In that process, we have been able to create good chances and do quite a bit, but it's about scoring the final goal and the last pass.
In terms of defense, there are still things I need to learn through practice, such as conceding goals at the wrong timing, so I want to turn the experiences I've gained from that into valuable lessons.
Among them, even in this heat, they started off strong, and even with 10 players, they did not stop their legs. Although it was tough for Nozawa, the players chose to take risks and go for the equalizing goal, pushing towards the goal until the end. Compared to the mentality of the players in early spring, they have become stronger. I want to build on that further.
However, I believe that we cannot win just with feelings, so while cherishing those feelings, I want to improve the areas where we lack quality, win future matches, and aim to take higher positions with the players.
 

【Player Comments】
《Tanabe》
"(What are your thoughts on the J3 League?) It was a match that required battles at various moments, more open than J1. I felt it was different from J1, somewhat similar to the ACL."
(I think we had the upper hand in the midfield during the first half?) We were connecting the ball well, but I made a mistake that led to a goal. It was a pass I shouldn't have misplayed, and since the team was doing well, it was especially regrettable.
(Was there any difficulty in playing against the younger generation?) Not at all. The younger players were also doing their best, and I hope the younger generation will play with confidence.
(There were many scramble-like situations) but since we were in a losing position, in the end, it was less about the system and more about individual judgment in each situation, which required us to take defensive risks. The players in the back were doing their best, so it would have been great if we in the front could have scored, but I think we kept fighting until the end even with one less player.
(It looked a bit bad in terms of how we entered the game?) I didn't think it was that bad mentally, but since there is an opponent, they might have had the momentum on their side. As a team, we weren't lacking in concentration, and I thought we should really focus on entering the game. There were players who could hold the ball in the midfield, and there were strong players on the sides, so we aimed to keep possession of the ball.
(I think the final effort was amazing, right?) It was a match we had to win. We had chances, and I wanted to score one more goal.
(The feeling of scoring) I'm glad I was able to score, but more than that, I made some mistakes, so I am reflecting on that.

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