The stadium echoes with the "Tokyo!" call!

The first away game of the season was against Sendai, and it was kicked off in the harsh cold of 5 degrees at Sendai Stadium, boasting top-class facilities in Japan. Sendai is a region that has been featured in sports news as "hot in Tohoku (J2)" after gathering over 10,000 spectators in the opening game of the previous round. On this day, nearly 5,000 spectators were cheering loudly, and the venue was filled with Sendai's colors. However, the approximately 50 supporters who rushed from Tokyo were able to compete with their sense and ideas, even though they were only 1/100 of the number. There is no other way to say it but "amazing!" and there is no way the players wouldn't be inspired by it.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle.

In the first half, FC Tokyo built their game from deep midfield with Almir's short and long passes, creating chances through Jin SATO's dribbling and Amaral's post play. Amaral's movement was good, and he stood out with aggressive plays, such as hitting the crossbar with a looping shot from a ball dropped by Okamoto in the 30th minute. In defense, Sandro and Komine showed excellent combination, with Asari providing tough checks and Fujiyama and Umeyama making calm decisions, resulting in a stable defense without any signs of being broken down. However, the ground conditions were poor and they struggled against the opponent's tight marking, making it difficult to create clear chances. On the other hand, Sendai's new foreign player Nixon became a key player on both offense and defense with his versatile movements, creating chances with his combination with Abe on the front line. The back and forth battle was eventually won by FC Tokyo's superior defense, gradually establishing their rhythm.

Riding the wave with the first goal of the new player's debut!

As the second half begins, the opponent's movement decreases and the ball that didn't go through in the first half gradually starts to go through the defense. Coach Okuma's "never lose in terms of movement" soccer strategy starts to show its effect. On the right side, a perfect through pass from Sato Yuki's dribble to the sharp overlap of Umayama can be seen multiple times, with Umayama's precise centering as a "craftsman". On the left side, chances were created from the combination play between Fujiyama and Almir. In the 15th minute of the second half, Fujiyama sticks to the left side with his dribble and passes to Okamoto in the center. Okamoto takes a strong shot while carrying the opponent on his back. The keeper manages to deflect it, but Sato Yuki, who was following up, easily scores a goal. In the 19th minute of the second half, this time a direct pass from Sato Yuki to Okamoto on the right side, and a quick cross from Okamoto. Almir, who ran in, takes a strong shot from the center. The keeper also deflects this one well, but Almir pushes it in for a goal. With the first goals from the two new players, they were completely riding the wave. Although they were unable to score any additional goals and ended up conceding an easy goal, it was a game where they were able to confirm the strength of FC Tokyo, who were able to secure a solid victory away from home in poor conditions.