In a tough schedule, aiming for victory away with fresh players

In the 16th round of the league, we played against Albirex Niigata away. In the previous match against Iwata, we lost in terms of starting and physical fitness, and were forced into a difficult battle. We face this round with only two days of rest, just like the previous round. Although the schedule is tough, coach Jofuku aims to "minimize goals conceded and break through the opponent's defense by carrying the ball," so we should not make fatigue an excuse, maintain an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense, extend the time of taking control, and aim for victory in this match. On the other hand, Niigata is currently in 9th place with 22 points. In the previous match against Kashima, midfielder Homma was suspended, but they approached the match with an attacking formation of three forwards and pushed Kashima back. Although the result ended in a draw, they have shown strength in the league with 5 wins and 4 draws since the 7th round on April 17, without a loss in 9 matches. Especially, starting from forward Yano, left side player Cao aggressively makes moves, creating chances from the fluid movements of midfielder Marcio Richardes and forward Misael. We also need to pay close attention to the set plays of the in-form midfielder Marcio Richardes. Tokyo will use fresh players based on "three points: three consecutive matches, the impact of injuries, and Niigata's strategy (Coach Jofuku)." Muroya will play as a right full-back, Morishige and Takahashi will form a double pivot in midfield, Suzuki and Hanyu will be the left and right midfielders, and Okubo and Akamine will be the two forwards. Although we won 1-0 in the Nabisco Cup qualifier on May 22, Coach Jofuku is cautious, saying "Niigata's style of play is not different from the Nabisco Cup match, but that match was also a close contest. However, they have gained solid confidence with the result of being undefeated in the league." Takahashi emphasized the need to "carefully handle when forwards Cao, Misael, and midfielder Marcio Richardes come inside. Also, it is necessary for us midfielders to drop back once and defend against long balls kicked from the defensive line to forward Yano. I want to run more than other players and try to win the ball more frequently." In terms of attack, the side players should be the key. Niigata's side midfielders and full-backs also take high positions, so we want to exploit the space behind them and create chances. The match started at 19:03 with Niigata's kickoff at the Tohoku Electric Power Big Swan Stadium.

Conceding a goal from a mistake, the situation becomes difficult. Trailing at the end of the first half.

　Niigata pressed from the start of the first half and tried to attack by connecting passes. In the 4th minute, Akamine jumped out to the right front line to meet a long pass from the back and crossed it to the center. Suzuki ran into the goal area, but was defended by the opponent's defender. On the contrary, Niigata also launched a speedy attack, and the game continued with a back and forth exchange. However, in the 15th minute, Takahashi's pass was intercepted by Niigata MF Misheu in their own half, and a through pass was sent behind the defense. Yano calmly put it in, breaking through and conceding the first goal in the early stages. However, they calmly launched their own soccer and counterattacked. In the 26th minute, Hayashi -> Morishige in front circled around from the right to the left and drew a foul, earning a free kick. Matsushita aimed for it, but the shot hit the top left bar of the goal. In the 34th minute, Kim Young Gwon dribbled up -> Matsushita -> Suzuki, who had moved to the left, carried the ball forward and crossed it. Akamine jumped in front of the goal, but couldn't connect. In the 38th minute, from a big side change by Konno to Suzuki on the right side. Suzuki dribbled and put a low cross into the goal area, but it was cleared. In the 40th minute, from Mokuhara's cross to the right corner kick. Hayashi picked up the loose ball from Matsushita's kick. He bypassed the opponent's defender in front of the area and took a powerful shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. After that, they continued to push Niigata, sending crosses from the sides, but the ball did not reach Okubo or Akamine in a good position. Niigata's counterattacks were sharp as well, making it a tense game, but they couldn't create any decisive opportunities and ended the first half.

Makoto IMANO's goal narrowed the gap to one point, but they couldn't score any additional points and lost the game.