After taking revenge from last year, the battle continues into the second half of the league

　Preseason matches will be held in preparation for the resumption of the league from August. Following last year, we will face FC Seoul from the Korean K League, and this year we will welcome them at home. After starting on the 21st (Sat), Tokyo has been adjusting for 5 days. Although Imakuno and Inoha, who will play in the Asian Cup as representatives of Japan, are absent, we cannot afford to lose at home this year, as we lost 0-3 in the away game last year. In addition, up to 22 players can be on the bench, and up to 6 substitutions are allowed, so we have high expectations for the performance of players who have had fewer opportunities to play in the matches so far.

　FC Seoul is a strong team that won the league cup last year. This season, they are led by coach Günes, a former Turkish national team coach. Young players are emerging, and they have representatives from various age groups. In addition to the strength unique to Korean soccer, they aim to take control by connecting passes and play attacking football.

　However, in this season's K League, they have struggled due to the absence of key player FW Park Chuyong due to injury, with 3 wins, 8 draws, and 3 losses (8th out of 14 teams). They have only scored 7 goals in 14 matches, but have also conceded only 7 goals, showing their strong defensive characteristics. Today, the key defender Kim Chigon is absent due to the Asia Cup, but the defensive line will be led by Park Yongho, who represented the Athens Olympics, and I Jeongyol. On the left side, Anteun, who is aiming for the Beijing Olympics, will take charge.

　The key player in the attack is the tall FW Jeong Joo Gook (candidate for the 2002 South Korean national team, member of the 2006 and 2007 South Korean national teams. In the 2003 World Youth Championship, he played against Japan with players such as Konno, Hirayama, Suzuki Nori, and Tokunaga). He scored goals against us in last year's match and is an ace player. We also need to be cautious of the Portuguese national MF Ricardo. The starting lineup consists of FW Jeong Joo Gook leading the front line, MF Ricardo playing as an attacking midfielder, FW Lee Sa Hyup on the left, MF Kim Young Jin on the right, and MF Lee Woo Young and MF Kim Dong Sok as double defensive midfielders.

　Tokyo will need to effectively contain FC Seoul's lively attack and break through their solid defense in order to succeed. We hope for an exciting match that will set the tone for the second half of the league. However, Noriyuki SUZUKI is sidelined due to injury. Mori will start on the left side, while Tadashi BABA will play as an attacking midfielder.

　The match took place at the Japan National Stadium after the rain. There was no wind on the pitch, and in the humid heat where sweat would come out even if you stayed still, it started at 19:05 with Tokyo's kickoff.

SOUZA takes the lead in Seoul, but quickly switches to counterattack

　From the beginning, Seoul dominated the ball. However, Tokyo also calmly defended and did not create any decisive chances. They quickly switched to a counterattack. In the 11th minute, Fukunishi lost control on the slippery pitch and Seoul gained possession of the ball. FW Jeong Joo-gook made a run on MF Iur Yong's vertical pass, but Shigeki Nagatani defended tenaciously and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 13th minute, Morimura quickly sent an early cross and earned a right corner kick. Fukunishi headed the ball from Baba's corner kick, but it went over the bar. In the 18th minute, Baba connected with Ishikawa with a short pass from a right corner kick and took a shot on the return. It flew towards the bottom right corner of the goal, but the opponent's GK made a save.

　21 minutes, quickly switching from defense to offense, Ishikawa runs up the right side. He took a daring shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper saved it. Lucas fought for the rebound, and Kanazawa took a long shot from the opponent's defender's clearance, but it missed by a wide margin. In the 22nd minute, starting from their own half, Kanazawa -> Fukunishi dribbled up and passed to Tokunaga on the right. From there, a cross to the center, and Ishikawa aimed for a header! The ball hit Morimura and shook the net. The goal was not counted due to Morimura's handball foul, but they created a chance from a fast attack starting from the side.

　After that, there were some mistakes on both sides, and the game was back and forth. Asari and Lucas changed sides, and they launched several attacks from fast breaks. In the 32nd minute, Asari passed to Ishikawa, who then passed to Tokunaga on the outside. Tokunaga made a ground cross. Baba jumped in the center, and Lucas prepared himself in the far side, but the opponent's defender cleared the ball. In the 34th minute, Shigeki received a pass from Fujiyama, but Motohaya couldn't control it and it was stolen by Seoul FW Jeong Jugook, who approached the goal. Despite being brought to the shooting position due to his own mistake, he managed to block the shot with his body.

　In the 37th minute, Fukunishi stole the ball in the opponent's territory and immediately took a shot. However, it missed widely. Immediately after, from a pass by Seoul MF Hikarudo, FW Isanhyop took a shot from the right area. Asari cut it off, but it was picked up again and entered the area, but it was defended. In the 38th minute, Fukunishi cut off the ball again in the opponent's territory. He immediately sent a through pass to the front line, and Ishikawa rushed out, but it was offside. Tokyo pressed and won the ball, but they lacked precision in their subsequent play and couldn't take control. The first half ended with a 0-0 score.

Substitute players launch a speedy attack, but fail to score a goal

　Substituting Shibata for Doi from the start of the second half, and Kawaguchi and Akamine for Ishikawa and Baba in the 52nd minute. However, both teams began to show signs of fatigue in the heat, and there was a struggle in the midfield. There was a period of time where neither team could bring the ball to the finish. In the 61st minute, Kawaguchi stole the ball from the opponent, dribbled from right to left, connected with Akamine, and approached the goal, but Kawaguchi, who had come out, was offside. From here, they suffered a counterattack and Tokyo's right side was broken. From a right cross, substitute tall FW Shimuuyon took a shot. However, the Tokyo DF closed in and Shibata caught the floating ball firmly.

　Rychely replaced Fukunishi in the 65th minute, and Mori replaced Ikegami in the 68th minute. Kawaguchi and Rychely launched attacks using speed from the side. In the 72nd minute, Ikegami dribbled fiercely towards the left area and won a corner kick. From here, Tokunaga crossed the ball. Asari aimed for a ground shot after the rebound, but the opponent's defender blocked it. In the 76th minute, Seoul's forward Jeong Jugook returned the ball to the right area with a heel pass after midfielder Hikarudo. Jeong Jugook broke free and sent a cross into the goal area, but Shioda made a save.

　In the 79th minute, Lucas was replaced by Hirayama. The line gradually stretched and became a counterattack, but Seoul's counterattack was stopped by Shigeni and Fujiyama. Akamine and Hirayama became the starting point in the front line, and Seoul continued to push forward. In the 83rd minute, Akamine scored a header from Kawaguchi's right cross. In the 86th minute, Hirayama connected from Akamine's post, and finally Kawaguchi crossed, creating a good attacking opportunity, but they couldn't convert it in the center. In the 88th minute, from Rychely's left corner kick, Kawaguchi connected the loose ball and entered the left area. He sent a sharp ground cross, but the opponent's defender blocked it. In stoppage time, Ikegami boldly intercepted in the opponent's half. Immediately, he passed to Akamine on the left, and Akamine crossed. Hirayama followed with a header shot. There was momentum, but it hit the goalkeeper's face...

　In the final stage, both teams launched counterattacks, leading to a fast-paced game. Tokyo created chances through Akamine and Hirayama, starting from the sides, but failed to convert them into goals. The match ended in a scoreless draw, but it was a game where we could see both challenges and achievements, such as the quick transition between offense and defense and the contributions of substitute players.

　【Player Comments】《Morimura》"I wanted to move more dynamically and become the starting point of the attack by receiving and hitting the ball. The challenge was that I couldn't do that. There were many mistakes in ball circulation, and we were caught on the counter. I heard that Seoul's tackles are strong, so in the first half, I tried to hit the ball easily rather than dribbling to make it difficult for the opponent. But I lost in the duels and got robbed. I want to play in a way that is scarier for the opponent. The harvest is that I realized the challenges. I will continue to work on it consciously from practice."《Hirayama》"Before the match, I was thinking of staying forward and showing my face in front of the goal. FC Seoul is physically strong, and I think it was a good training for both teams. Korean players have strong determination and come at you head-on. (There was a close shot that missed) I regret that I should have aimed for a better angle. I didn't have many opportunities to play in the first half of this season, but I want to continue to appeal by focusing on the results."

　[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "The weather was like Vietnam where the Asian Cup was held, but this kind of weather can also occur in the summer. I think it was a good experience. It rained and was humid, but after a 5-day break, the players who were gradually recovering their condition were able to try various things. One of them was being able to use Morimura, who joined this season. We couldn't try him in official matches, but Suzuki Norio had discomfort in his knee, so we let him rest and used Morimura instead. Also, it was good that Baba and Ishikawa, who had been out of the starting lineup for a long time, were able to be tested. Shigeki Mogi, who returned to the final line, has finally improved. Of course, it also depends on the opponent's performance and the heat, but we were able to raise the line. On the other hand, there were certainly dangerous situations, but with Mogi's entry, we were able to raise the line that had been deep aggressively. However, there were several big mistakes despite some very good plays, and I hope we can eliminate them. We had so many chances, so we wanted to score 1-2 goals. However, we were able to pass the ball well and use the field widely to deliver the ball from the sides. I want to continue this and connect it to the J-League after the restart. FC Seoul also has many good players. By playing such matches every year, I hope that both teams, representing the capital cities of Seoul and Tokyo, will lead the league. I want us to continue to push each other and strive for improvement in the future."

　[FC Seoul Guinness Coach Press Conference Summary] "Today, I am very happy to have a match with the prestigious FC Tokyo. I think it was an interesting game. FC Seoul is approaching the start of the second half of the league in two weeks, so today's match was important to see the condition of all players. It ended in a 0-0 draw, but considering it was a friendly match, it was a good result. It was very humid and hot, not a good environment, but the players ran well. There were many chances, but we couldn't convert them into goals, so it was a close game. (Is this your first visit to Japan since the 2002 World Cup?) I had a very good impression back in 2002. I think Japan was a great host country and had beautiful support. Turkey lost in a very close manner and missed the championship, which is regrettable. There are many people in Turkey who love Japan. I think Japan is a country with advanced technology, and I hope they continue to invest in football skills and develop players who can go to Europe. (Regarding the young players who were brought but had limited playing time, what is your evaluation of them?) FC Seoul is a team with many young players. We have about 8 players under the age of 20, and we want to develop them considering the next 2-3 years. We didn't use them due to injuries, etc. Four players from FC Seoul participated in the U-20 World Cup in Canada, and two of them came to Japan, but we didn't use them considering their fatigue and injuries. Also, two players from FC Seoul are participating in the Asian Cup this time."