Aiming for victory this season, we will head to the away game against Urawa.

　The second round of the league, which will be held on Sunday, will be played away against Urawa Reds. In the previous round, Hirayama scored a dramatic goal in stoppage time to secure victory. Coach Jofuku reflects, "The team had a high defensive awareness, but in the end, we pulled back a little too much." However, he continues, "It was a good result to accumulate points without rushing for 90 minutes," and the focus of this round will be on how we can patiently fight and take points. On the other hand, Urawa will face Kashima Antlers in the previous round. Despite dominating the ball, they lost by conceding two goals due to defensive mistakes. However, this round is also the home opener, and they will surely aim to take all three points. In the previous round, they played with FW Edmilson as the front line in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but this round they will change to a two-top with FW Tanaka and Edmilson. In response, Tokyo will need to make adjustments from the previous round and press from the front to not let Urawa easily take control, and a compact formation will be one of the key points. In the second round of last season, we coincidentally faced Urawa and suffered a big defeat. Above all, we have not been able to win against them since 2004 in this match-up, so it's not surprising to be called "weak". Coach Jofuku says, "Urawa is undoubtedly the biggest club in Japan, including the atmosphere of the stadium and supporters. We haven't been able to beat them for many years, but there must be a reason for that. Soccer is influenced by our strength and mentality, but we want to build a strong one that is not affected by such an atmosphere. Still, there is no shortcut to victory. We need to be aware of not showing any weaknesses and express our own soccer. If we can't do that at a high level, it will be difficult to win at Saitama Stadium," and we are determined to approach the game with a strong mindset. We will demonstrate our perseverance shown in the opening match and our awareness for further growth through our play, and aim to take points! Despite the lingering cold in the shade, it was a sunny Saitama Stadium. The match started at 2:02 PM with Tokyo's kickoff.

In the early stages, Urawa was pushing but conceded the first goal from a PK.

　Tokyo took control of the rhythm from the start. In the 5th minute, Nakamura dribbled up the middle of the opponent's half and took a shot, but it missed the goal. In the 6th minute, Nakamura went up the right side and passed to Suzuki who had run behind the defense, but it was slightly too long and the goalkeeper caught it. In the 9th minute, they quickly switched to attack and Suzuki broke through on the right side. He sent a last pass to Hirayama in the center, but the shot was not successful. In the 12th minute, Suzuki → Muhara sent a cross. It was cleared by the defense, but Hayashi took it and sent a floating ball to the front line. However, the final play was not precise enough and the goalkeeper caught it. As time passed without being able to take advantage of the early chances, Urawa started to send passes from the defense line to the front line and counterattack. In the 18th minute, Urawa's left back Uga's breakthrough into the area was fouled by Morishige, resulting in a penalty. In the 19th minute, Urawa's MF Ponte scored the penalty, giving them the lead. Urawa gained momentum from this lead. In the 23rd minute, they connected passes in front of the goal and allowed an attack into the area, but Tokyo's Imakawa took the ball from Urawa's FW Edmilson and defended. In the 27th minute, Urawa's right back Hirakawa attacked and FW Edmilson took a shot from a cross. In the 34th minute, a pass was sent behind Tokyo's defense and Urawa's FW Tanaka took a shot, but both shots missed the goal. In the 38th minute, Urawa's MF Kashiwagi aimed for the left post with a direct free kick from just outside the right side of the area. The rebound was taken by FW Tanaka, but it was saved by the right post... Despite some mistakes by the opponent, they did not allow another goal, but in the 39th minute, Morishige stopped Edmilson's attack with a foul and received his second yellow card of the day, resulting in a red card and forcing them to play with 10 men. As a result, Tokunaga moved to center back, Matsushita moved to defensive midfielder, and Ishikawa came in for Nakamura in the 44th minute. They tried to counterattack with Hirayama as the top, Suzuki on the left, and Ishikawa on the right.

Sent off a player and faced a counterattack in a numerical disadvantage situation...

　However, in the second half, although we were able to pass the ball against a defensive Urawa, we lacked the finishing touch. Conversely, we lost the ball while trying to advance it to the front line, leading to a counterattack from Urawa. In the 52nd minute, Hanyu sent a long ball from our own half to Ishikawa, who was making a run forward, but he couldn't catch up. In the 53rd minute, we tried to create a chance by passing the ball in the opponent's half, but the pass from Mukuhara to Hirayama was intercepted, resulting in a Urawa ball. In the 56th minute, we effectively contained Urawa's quick attack and pushed forward, but the vertical pass from Tokunaga to Hirayama couldn't get through. In the 60th minute, we substituted Akamine for Mukuhara to play as an attacking midfielder, followed by Kajiwara coming on for Hanyu. With Matsushita serving as the right side back, we aimed for the equalizer. However, in the 69th minute, after Nagatomo's advance, Ishikawa, who had moved to the left side, circled back and passed to Hirayama in the area, but Hirayama was called for a foul and couldn't finish. In the 73rd minute, a pass from Hirayama allowed Akamine to break through behind the defense, and his shot shook the net, but it was offside... In the 77th minute, Nagatomo dribbled up to the sideline, and Hirayama jumped in for a cross, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 78th minute, Ishikawa ran into the left area to meet Hirayama's drop, but the goalkeeper caught his shot. In the following 79th minute, Hirayama contested Matsushita's long feed, creating a decisive moment for Akamine, but he couldn't score. We solidified our defensive block and did not allow Urawa to add to their lead. Even while being at a numerical disadvantage, we showed a willingness to connect passes and attack, but ultimately, we only managed four shots in total, two in each half. We faced the final whistle without being able to capitalize on our chances, and once again, we couldn't secure a victory at Saitama Stadium... 【Player Comments】《Nakamura》 "In the early stages, we needed to achieve results as a team according to our image. Personally, I was able to receive passes in crucial areas and attack. I think we should have scored during that time. For Urawa, it was their home opener, and it’s natural for them to gain momentum if they take the lead. That’s what I regret. After going down to ten men, I felt we were outplayed by Urawa, who took advantage of their numerical superiority. It’s even more frustrating because I don’t feel like we were completely outplayed." 《Hanyu》 "In the early part of the first half, we needed to secure results during our time. The reason we lost was primarily because we couldn't score during that good period in the first half. Additionally, there was some confusion in defense around the time we conceded the penalty. We were kicked by Urawa and couldn't control the situation ourselves. The moment Morishige was sent off also created a gap for the team. I have a strong desire not to lose a single match this season, and I was conscious of picking up points in a gritty manner. Therefore, it’s very frustrating that we ended today with zero points. However, I see it as a necessity for the team to become stronger and mature, and we must work even harder." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "FC Tokyo had not been able to win against Urawa for a long time, so today, the players stepped onto the pitch with strong determination. I think they fought well aiming for three points. It’s disappointing that we ended with zero points, but I told the players there’s no need to hang their heads. I want to use this reflection for the next match. In terms of content, we started well in the first half, but at some point, the back line was left behind. The forwards and midfielders went to win the ball, but we over-cared for Urawa's free-running players, allowing them to exploit the space left by the defenders. After that, we tried to make adjustments, and with nine field players, it was tough, but everyone responded well, and in the second half, we managed to win the ball from the front and played our style of football to some extent. Morishige's sending off disrupted our flow, and we must reflect on the difficulties the team faced because of it. However, if that play was ruled a penalty under the circumstances where the ball was about to cross the goal line, I must study it again and guide the players. It’s important to utilize today’s reflections for the next match." 【Urawa Coach Finke's Press Conference Summary】 "Of course, we approached today wanting to achieve our first victory of the season, and we were able to deliver that result. However, I wonder if we could have played a better game if the situation had remained 11 against 11. The opponent had a player sent off, and we gained a numerical advantage, but as a coach, it created a perplexing situation. This is because, in such situations, there can be an unconscious loss of concentration. Today, I had to point this out to several players, and it’s common, but games tend to unfold better when the teams are even. Overall, we were able to show excellent play, but we should have scored additional goals. In the second half, our fighting spirit was excellent, but I felt dissatisfaction with our awareness, game control, transitions after winning the ball, and plays towards the goal. However, we must not forget that we showed very good play in the first half and that the content was good. Today, after suffering such a defeat in the away opener, it was important to secure three points in the home game right after. Since we achieved that, I have no intention of complaining about the results."