Kelly's long-awaited return!

　In the 4th round of the 1st stage, we will play away against Shimizu S-Pulse, who we have a nearly equal record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in past league matches. This season, S-Pulse has not yet won a game, with 1 draw and 2 losses after the 3rd round, and they have suffered two consecutive heavy defeats of 0-4 in the last two matches (first match of the Nabisco Cup and the 3rd round of the league). Manager Antonio, who took charge from this season, aimed for his first victory by making significant changes to the lineup, including excluding Brazilian players from the starting lineup for this match.

　On the other hand, Tokyo has gradually improved with 2 wins and 1 loss after finishing the 3rd round with a come-from-behind victory in the Verdy match last round. Furthermore, Kelly, the key player, finally joined the squad for the first time this season from this day's match. However, Kelly is still far from his best condition and has not yet regained his physical and game sense, so he starts from the bench. Also, Tokunaga and Kurisawa, who performed well last round as "specially designated players," have left Tokyo as their university soccer season has started. The starting lineup is the same as last round except for Kaji replacing Tokunaga at right back. In the substitute bench, Kelly has joined Kurisawa, and the rest of the squad is the same as last round, and they approached the match.

　At the Nihondaira Stadium, the venue, approximately 1,500 fans, including a record-breaking 11 buses with 480 people, crowded in and supported the players with a powerful cheer that was not inferior to the home team's S-Pulse supporters. In perfect conditions with a temperature of 18.9℃, clear skies, and no wind, the kickoff whistle blew at 3:04 PM.

In the early stages, struggling with S-Pulse's long balls

　The match showed an even development from the beginning, but both teams were unable to create decisive chances due to the low accuracy of the final ball and the solid defense of the last line. Tokyo quickly expanded to the sides after winning the ball, aiming to exploit the space behind the opponent's three-back formation, but the ball did not settle well in the front line, resulting in repetitive and monotonous attacks. The right side, where Ishikawa and Kaji were, was consciously taken care of and difficult to break through, but effective attacking participation from the left side of Kanazawa frequently supplied crosses to the goal area. In the 9th minute, Ishikawa sent a cross from the right side that was cleared by the opponent's defender. The ball rolled in front of Lucas, who was inside the penalty area, and he took a powerful shot from close range, but the ball went well over the bar.

　On the other hand, S-Pulse quickly put long balls from the DF line to the front line, and there, MF Sawa and MF Ito followed up on the balls that were contested and fell, picking them up and either spreading them to the side or aiming for intricate central breakthroughs from the posts of FW Kitajima and FW Kuboyama, instead of building up from the DF line as they did before. Because the DFs immediately put long balls to the front line when they had the ball, the press was ineffective and the time spent being pushed into Tokyo's side of the pitch became longer. The ball that Shigeno and Jean bounced back became a scramble in the midfield, but in the 13th minute, a miscommunication between Imano and Jean led to the ball being brought to the goal, and Imano, who was trying to recover it, was fouled, resulting in a free kick. The ball kicked by Sawa flew to the left corner of the goal, but it was not allowed to break the goal by a fine save from Doi. Also, in the 18th minute, when Sawa received a throw-in from the left inside the penalty area, he took off his marker with a sharp turn and shot with his left foot. The ball grazed Doi's hand and hit the right post of the goal, and MF Ota, who was closing in on the ball, shot from close range, but Toda, who had returned to the goal, blocked it with his body and it went out for a corner kick. Furthermore, this corner kick was headed by DF Saito from the center, but the shot went straight to Doi. There were several decisive moments, but they did not allow the goal to be scored with high concentration.

Unable to score despite having scoring opportunities

　Tokyo, who survived the pinch, starts their counterattack. In the 20th minute, Lucas, who received the ball on the left side, dribbled past two markers and passed it to Ishikawa on the right side. Ishikawa dropped the ball with his chest and unleashed a powerful volley shot from near the right corner of the penalty area without hesitation, reminiscent of the super goal he showed in last year's S-Pulse match. Unfortunately, the opponent's goalkeeper punched it away. In the 25th minute, Miyazawa picked up the clearance of the opponent's defender outside the penalty area after Akaji's cross and took a shot with his right foot, but it missed to the left of the goal. In the 32nd minute, Ishikawa dribbled past the marker on the right side with precise steps and played a vertical pass. Abe then kept the ball and passed it behind the opponent's defender, allowing Lucas to break free. He took a powerful shot near the right corner of the goal area, but the ball only shook the side net.

　S-Pulse's attack started with long balls as usual, but in the midfield, Imakano aggressively stole the ball and on the sides, Kaji and Kanazawa showed absolute strength in one-on-one battles, not allowing any decisive work. In the 33rd minute, Sawato sent a sharp through pass behind Tokyo DF, and Kitajima broke through, but Doi quickly came out and caught it a step ahead. That was about the only dangerous moment, and after that, Tokyo created numerous chances.

　Tokyo, who began to grasp the rhythm, passed the ball smoothly from Abe to Lucas in front of the goal in the following 34 minutes. Lucas evaded one marker and took a sharp middle shot, but it was caught by the goalkeeper in front of him. In the 42nd minute, Lucas sent a long ball from Jean to the front line with a back header, and Abe reacted to it and rushed towards the goal. He took a shot while sliding, but couldn't score a goal without hitting it perfectly. In the end, they couldn't convert several scoring opportunities, and the first half ended with both teams scoreless. The game was carried over to the second half.

Kelly finally appears on the pitch! The result is...

　Entering the second half, in the 50th minute, Tokyo made a move. Kelly, the MF, was substituted for Abe. With the long-awaited first appearance of Kelly this season, the voltage in the stands reached its peak. When Kelly received the ball for the first time, he quickly supported Ishikawa, who had the ball on the right side, and loudly demanded the ball, saying "Hi, Nao!" This voice brought about the rhythm of the attack. On the pitch, they were able to easily break through in detailed situations that had not been seen this season. Especially on the right side, Ishikawa, Kelly, and Lucas entangled the opposing defenders. Although some fine improvements are necessary, there is no doubt that the level of soccer has improved with Kelly's addition. In the 55th minute, Kelly → Ishikawa combination tore through the right side and sent a ground cross to the front of the goal, but Toda jumped in and the goalkeeper caught it a moment earlier. In the 61st minute, Kelly received a pass from Ishikawa, broke through the right side, and crossed the ball, but Lucas jumped in and the goalkeeper caught it just out of reach.

　The furious attack continues. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side again and crossed the ball, but Toda received it freely on the far side. However, his trap was too heavy, and the ball was cleared by the defender before he could shoot. In the 73rd minute, they faced their biggest scoring opportunity of the day. The ball was passed from Lucas on the left side to Kelly in the center, who then dropped it back. Miyazawa ran in and took a right-footed shot. The ball hit a defender and rolled to the right side, where Ishikawa picked it up and immediately crossed it back to the center with a perfect ball. Toda, who was free in the center, headed the ball, but unfortunately it went straight to the goalkeeper. The size of the sighs from the stands told the story of the missed chance.

　Tokyo, who never gives up, made their final move with Baba in the 75th minute and Miura in the 77th minute. On the pitch, Kelly's energy suddenly dropped, and there were high expectations for Baba, who had been in good form in the past two matches. However, Baba's movements on this day lacked sharpness and he hesitated in his decision-making, resulting in a lack of opportunities created. S-Pulse also showed a desperate defense, with many players returning to the goal area to avoid conceding a goal. On the other hand, in the attack, they tried to collect the ball to Araujo, who came on as a substitute, from counterattacks, burning with determination to secure their first 3 points of the season. However, they were silenced by Tokyo's stable defense line. In the end, despite a fierce battle, neither team was able to score a goal before the final whistle. Tokyo ended the match without scoring for the first time this season, settling for a scoreless draw and earning only 1 point.

【Player Comments】《Toda》"In the scene of Naoya's decisive cross, I had to do a heading that hits the ground as usual. That was everything in today's match."《Kanazawa》"I actively went forward because there was space, but Shimizu S-Pulse had many players in front of the goal, so I couldn't create decisive opportunities easily. I needed one more idea."《Miura》"It's important not to lose. But if I can be greedy, I wanted to win today and play against Júbilo."

[Summary of Manager's Press Conference] "I felt the team's determination to defend when I heard that S-Pulse would start with only Japanese players, but unfortunately we couldn't break through. They pressed hard from the front line, and I could feel their desire to win. What surprised me was that they didn't connect from the defense, but instead kept throwing the ball forward. In the first half, we were kicked long balls and lost our rhythm to Shimizu. We also created a decisive chance from Nao to Toda, but couldn't score. We wanted to attack more from the sides and score points, but... However, considering the high temperature and difficult conditions today, I want to think positively about taking 1 point away without losing concentration until the end. As for Kelly, he is not yet 100%, but the rhythm improved when the ball was played to him. I think he will continue to improve as we practice. Today, the fact that Kelly came back is a positive outcome."

[Summary of Shimizu S-Pulse Manager Antoninho's Press Conference] "Compared to the previous match against G Osaka, I think we played a much better game. We made significant changes to the lineup and were able to execute our defensive strategy as planned. However, it was unfortunate that our shots hit the post and we couldn't secure a win. The reason why I started only Japanese players in today's match is because, at this point, I believe it was the best decision. I always choose players who are in good form at that moment. That's why today's lineup was focused on dealing with the midfield players' movements when Lucas from the opposing team dropped back, and also paying attention to the speed of Ishikawa and Toda on both sides, while maintaining the balance of our defense. In that regard, Saito did a great job and kept a clean sheet. Additionally, we knew that the opposing team's pressing from the front was strong, so we instructed to quickly play long balls behind their defense instead of spending too much time on build-up play, and I think it worked well."