It was tough. FC Tokyo's memorable J1 debut match was a real struggle. However, it can also be said that today's battle showed Tokyo's never-give-up spirit and soccer style to the fullest. The opening of the 2000 season should be a day to remember as Tokyo takes its first step into a new history.

Spectacular J1 opening match.

Excitement and a slight unease mix in the opening ceremony of Yokohama International Stadium, utilizing fireworks and lasers. Prior to the opening, supporters who sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" and welcomed the players from behind the goal, although they appeared to be a minority in this massive stadium, their vocal power and resonant voices overwhelmed the surroundings. On the pitch, there are both stern and relaxed expressions, but the familiar faces of Tokyo's players are always there.

Yokohama F.Marinos, who have Japanese national team goalkeeper Kawaguchi, midfielder Nakamura, and defender Matsuda, are a strong opponent who is considered as one of the contenders for the championship. With the arrival of coach Ardiles this season, it will be interesting to see what kind of soccer they will show, and how much Tokyo, a "first-year" J1 team, can compete against them. This is a highly anticipated match.

Tokyo's formation is a 4-4-2 with a midfield set up in a inverted trapezoid shape.

Yokohama FC deploys a 3-5-2 formation, utilizing Ueno as a defensive midfielder, Nakamura and Nagai as attacking midfielders, and Miura and the attacking prowess of both Endo as wing-backs.

Earned 3 hard-fought points. Victory through concentration!

　The match started with a precise long ball from Yokohama's DF Komura to forward Yanagi, who dropped the ball to new signing Mardona. Although there was no shot, Yokohama created an early chance. In the 3rd minute, Yanagi had a heading shot, followed by Miura's dribble and shot, but neither resulted in a goal. Yokohama's fast attacking gradually put pressure on the opponent.

Tokyo, which was being pushed in, caught my eye with the counterattack after Matsuda, the Yokohama DF, cut off the feed from the backline to the top. However, Tokyo also created an opportunity by taking advantage of Yokohama's vulnerability in attacking with an elevated defensive line. In the 7th minute, Asari connected the ball he stole in the midfield to Yukihiko on the right from TUTO, and dribbled for a shot! Tokyo's first shot was firmly caught by GK Kawaguchi, but the speed of transitioning between offense and defense was astonishing.

There is Amaral and TUTO starting the fast break from the cuts by Fujiyama and Naito, but they couldn't bring it to a shot. On the other hand, Yokohama quickly started passing and connecting, causing Koike, the defensive midfielder marking Nakamura, and Asari to be pressed back and chased by the defense until the final line. In the 23rd minute, Nakamura dribbled freely in the midfield and took a loop shot with skill, narrowly missing the goal but showing his outstanding individual technique. After that, Yokohama showed variations in their attack with aggressive forward runs by defender Matsuda, powerful heading shots by Yanagi from free kicks, and Ueno's mid-range shots, but none of them resulted in a goal against Tokyo's committed defense.

On the other hand, Tokyo, who was not prominent in the early stages, has become actively involved in the ball, and although there are many scenes where they are caught offside in the counterattack, they end the first half without any decisive moments.

Beautiful Counter Attack!!

Half-time instructions from Coach Ardiles: "Tokyo is quite tired, so let's try to take the ball early with a quick press. Be very cautious of the counter-attacks."

As for Coach Okuma, his words were "It's not enough to say 'it was a good game'. We must concentrate and win no matter what!!" These words from both sides ultimately became the determining factor in the outcome.

The back and forth continued even in the second half. While Yokohama sent quick balls to the front line, Tokyo tried to counterattack by stealing the ball at the last line, but the accuracy of the final pass was poor and they couldn't make it to the shot. In the 55th minute, Yokohama had a great chance. The ball dropped in front of the goal from a post-play from the defense line. Nagai bravely attempted a shot, but it missed the target by a wide margin and the danger was averted. However, around the 60th minute, Tokyo's players started to slow down and became defensive. The voice of "COME ON Tokyo!" echoed from behind the goal.

However, in the 61st minute, Yokohama's Yanagi was replaced by Yoshida, and Tokyo started to launch sharp counterattacks. In the 65th minute, a perfect pass was sent to Yukihiko on the right from Kobayashi, creating a decisive chance, but he couldn't take a shot and instead crossed it back into the middle, which was cut off by the defender. In the following 66th minute, Amaral flicked a feed from Koike with a back header, and it seemed like it would reach TUTO who had slipped behind the defense, but GK Kawaguchi jumped out a moment earlier. Tokyo allowed Yokohama's midfield to have more freedom and took control, but managed to concentrate and defend at the final line. In the midst of such intense battles, in the 79th minute, Asano was substituted for Koike, who had fought hard until then, in an attempt to regain balance in both attack and defense. And in the 85th minute, just after Yokohama's corner kick, TUTO stole the loose ball and passed it forward. Amaral made a big stride and carried the ball into the penalty area, causing Ueno from Yokohama to commit a foul, and Tokyo was awarded a penalty kick.

TUTO scored a spectacular GOAL! Even though it was a penalty kick, it was a moment when Tokyo's counterattack, which couldn't be stopped even if they knew it was coming, fit perfectly.

After that, the remaining 10 minutes including 4 minutes of stoppage time were dominated by Yokohama's fierce attack. In a situation where it wouldn't be strange for them to score at any moment, Sandro, who showed his height, and Komine, who fiercely threw his body, along with everyone else, concentrated without a moment's distraction and defended this one goal until the end of the game! It was a perfect demonstration of Tokyo's presence.

With the severity and response of J1 in my heart

However, after the game, the players each mentioned their own challenges. "We couldn't create opportunities from the midfield," "We didn't have any attacking options, so we need to figure something out," "We struggled against the opponent's press."

He makes a lot of mistakes. His trapping and kicking accuracy are also poor. "We can't forget today's victory and start over from scratch."... Leaving behind many things to reflect on, in the locker room after the game, everyone

No one was celebrating. Although 3 points is a significant gain, there is no time to be complacent. As everyone says in unison, "It's only one game that has ended," the players themselves, who have experienced both the toughness and the sense of accomplishment firsthand, know best what they should do next. Let's look forward to the future of J1 Tokyo.

[Manager Ardiles' Comment]

"We have made significant changes in our approach compared to last year, but our pressing and ball movement were poor, and we couldn't circulate the ball at a sufficient speed. We expected Tokyo to play defensively. In these situations, we should have used the wings more, but we were too focused on the center. We want to play fast and modern soccer, but today's game was slow and boring. The opponent saw through us."

Our team has talented players, but it will take a little more time for them to fully meet my demands. The opposing team was united as one. How long will it take? I can only say "until it's done". There are no shortcuts in soccer.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

The players fought until the end with concentration. Only one game has ended so far, but I want to continue this level of concentration. In the first half, we were chased by fast passing and the pressing on the ball side was slow. We had no choice but to defend because when the defenders in the front line become loose, it inevitably happens. (An unexpected event was) in the second half, the marking in the midfield was off.

I considered whether to replace experienced players and keep moving or to continue as is. In the end, I decided to put in Toda, who is a rookie and inexperienced, in a position that is not his original position. Although it was a certain amount of time-saving, I think it was a big thing to gain experience in this atmosphere. From now on, I want to overcome the tough J1 battle not only with the 11 players, but also with all 33 players, including Toda and the substitute players."