First Preseason Match of the Season

With the league opening in about 2 weeks, a preseason match was held against Sagan Tosu. Under the guidance of coach Popovic, who took over from last season, the team started the season with the slogan "C.O.A Football ~ aiming for further evolution ~" with the goal of winning the league title. Following the Okinawa camp, the team is currently conducting the Miyazaki and Miyakonojo camps. This away match provided a great opportunity to test new players and assess the team's condition so far.

Tokyo will face Ulsan Hyundai in a practice match tomorrow, considering the players' condition due to consecutive matches so far, and will approach the match with a fresh lineup. There will be no significant changes in the defense, but Yonemoto and Tanabe will be in the central midfield, Vucicevic and Ishikawa on the left and right midfield, and Kono as the attacking midfielder, with Hirayama as the lone striker. Newly joined Nozawa and Abe, who returned from Yokohama FC, will be on the bench. On February 14, the addition of Chun Son LEE from Southampton FC (England) on a loan transfer was announced. Amidst the intensifying competition within the team, it will be a test for the players to see how well they can showcase their own play in order to survive. That is also the significance of this match.

Sagan Tosu, who aims for the soccer style of coach YOON Jong Hwan, which was established in the previous season's league matches and made a leap to 5th place. Many key players remain, and they are planning to further improve their solid defense and hard work this season. The focal point of their attack remains FW Ayumu TOYODA, but Sagan Tosu's strength lies in the fact that all players understand the concept of pressing hard to win the ball and quickly launch attacks. With further improvement, they should be able to compete for the top positions. Today, FW Ayumu TOYODA is absent due to poor physical condition. In addition, MF Fujita, who is crucial in both offense and defense, is also on the bench due to injury, and new recruits FW Roni and MF Jonathan are starting.

The match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 14:01 in the refreshing weather at Best Amenity Stadium.

Allowing the opponent to take the lead by seizing the initiative for a moment

Tokyo started the game by firmly connecting the ball and looking for opportunities to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. In the 3rd minute, Hirayama stole the ball from the opponent's defender in the penalty area and took a shot with his right foot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. After that, Kono, Ishikawa, and Vucicevic moved around freely and created chances. On the other hand, Tosu tried to counterattack quickly after stealing the ball, but the defense also responded well.

In the 21st minute, from Hiraoka's side change to Ishikawa on the right side. He dribbles up and puts in an early cross, and Hiraoka runs into the center and heads it, but the ball goes over the bar. In the 26th minute, a throw-in from the right side. Tanabe quickly connects to Tokunaga, and crosses from a deep position on the right side to the front of the goal. Nema runs into it and heads it, but the ball lacks power and goes outside the left goal.

Side creates attacking shapes multiple times, but cannot take it to a shot. Then, in the 31st minute, Tosu floats a pass from near the halfway line behind Tokyo's final line. FW Roni quickly reacts to this and touches the ball before Gonda, scoring in an empty goal. The game was progressing well, but we conceded a goal with just one long ball. Tokyo wanted to counterattack, but gradually failed to pick up second balls and allowed the opponent to control the pace. After that, we created opportunities to bring the ball to a shot from set plays, but couldn't score a goal. We ended the first half trailing by one point.

Watanabe, who came on as a substitute, scores a goal to secure the victory

At halftime, Tokyo, who had been urged by coach Popovich to "definitely turn the game around," started the second half by aggressively pressing forward to regain possession of the ball. In the 49th minute, Hirayama broke through the left side and attempted a shot with his right foot, but it was blocked by the opposing defender. In the 58th minute, Vucicevic dribbled inside the left area, attracting the attention of the opposing defender, and passed the ball to Yonemoto who had moved up. Yonemoto took a direct shot from outside the area, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.

After passing the 20th minute of the second half, gradually the passes start to circulate in the midfield and the team becomes able to launch attacks while facing forward. In the 66th minute, there was a side change from Kawano in the center to the left side. Ota brought it inside and took a right-footed shot. In the 69th minute, Kawano dribbled out from the right side in cooperation with Hirayama, cut inside, and took a shot. They completely took control of the pace. Then, in the 74th minute, Morishige sent a long ball from near the halfway line. Hirayama persevered in the left area and connected with Vucicevic behind him. From here, they aimed for a goal, but the opponent's defender cleared the ball just before the goal line. However, Ishikawa picked up the loose ball and took a shot, and Kawano touched it, changing its trajectory, and the ball flowed into the bottom left corner of the goal, equalizing the score.

Tokyo, in the 77th minute, substituted Noyama for Nozawa. Furthermore, in the 80th minute, they substituted Watanabe for Ishikawa in the left corner kick situation, and Vucicevic quickly crossed the ball for a shot. Watanabe, who had just entered the field, ran into the center and pushed the ball into the goal with his chest. They achieved results with a one-touch play. After that, in the 87th minute, Abe was substituted for Vucicevic. They calmly responded to the opponent's counterattacks and the game ended like this. They adorned the first preseason match of the season with a victory.

[Player Comments]
"Kawano: "(What about the goal scene?) I only touched it a little (laughs). Personally, the performance was not good at all. Even so, I tried to create a flow by facing forward with as few touches as possible and focusing on simple plays. However, if we could break through with one-two passes closer to the goal... The distance between the players was also good. We still have a long way to go." Watanabe: "Even though we had injured players and the team was not complete, it was good to be able to produce results firmly, which also means developing a winning habit. I pushed the ball into the goal with my left chest... (laughs)" Hirayama: "First of all, we were focused on the results, so it was very good to be able to achieve a victory by turning the game around even after conceding the first goal. The goal scene was not because of my persistence, but thanks to Nema and Nao-san who worked hard afterwards."

[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"I think it was a match as expected. Both teams showed their strengths despite not being in top form during the preparation period. Our team aimed to take control of the game from the beginning, create opportunities, and score."
I think we were able to control most of the game, but we couldn't finish our chances in the first half. On the other hand, the opponent scored a goal inside the first frame.
I think it is commendable that we were able to come from behind and win despite being scored against first. In terms of the game, we had more ball possession and chances, so I feel that it was good that it led to the result.
Even if we couldn't achieve the desired result here, I don't intend to change my thoughts. However, today's victory must have given confidence to the players, don't you think?
I would like to express my gratitude for being able to play on this wonderful pitch at this time. I am grateful to the fans and supporters of both teams for their support and Tokyo fans for coming all the way to cheer us on. I want to say thank you."

[Sagan Tosu - Coach YOON Jong Hwan Press Conference Summary]
"Many people came to the first official match of this season, but unfortunately it resulted in a disappointing outcome. However, we were able to identify areas for improvement and saw a sense of anticipation, so it was a game where we felt both. (Specifically, what are the areas for improvement?) Continuing from last season, we still have many areas for improvement in terms of ball possession, unnecessary movements, and concentration."