Castle Fukutokyo's first pre-season match!

　With the league opening in about 2 weeks, a preseason match was held against Cerezo Osaka. This season, Tokyo started with a new coach, Hiroshi JOFUKU, and the team slogan "Moving Football", aiming for a soccer where both the ball and the players move. After going through training camps in Guam and Miyazaki, this away match provided a great opportunity to test the team's progress so far.

　In the activities of the Japan national team, Nagatomo, Konno, Kajiyama, Hirayama, and Hanyu are absent, and Cabore also joined on 2/20, so it is not possible to form the best lineup today. However, the players who have deepened their coordination in the practice matches so far will start. GK Shiota, DF from right to left Tokunaga, Fujiyama, Motoniwa, Kanazawa, in the midfield Asari at the bottom, Bruno QUADROS, in front of them from right to left Kurizawa, Ishikawa, Otake, and Kondo as the lone striker, will face the match in this formation.

　C Osaka, who faced them, gradually began to infiltrate the soccer of coach Krupi in the league last season, achieving a rapid advance such as 7 consecutive victories including a draw, but finished in 5th place, so they should have a strong desire to promote to J1 this season. C Osaka also lacks players in the national team, but they must be fully cautious of the attacking power involving FW Furuhashi and MF Kakitani.

　The match started at 12:05pm in Tokyo amidst strong winds.

Unable to break the goal despite gradually creating opportunities

　In the pre-match meeting, Coach Jofuku told the players, "Let's focus on winning while showing the results of what we have done so far," and sent them onto the pitch. C Osaka continued their offensive from the start of the first half. They created opportunities from passing in the midfield and building from the left and right sides, threatening the Tokyo goal. However, Shioda and Mobata calmly dealt with them and no decisive chances were created.

　Tokyo struggled to get the ball moving and faced a difficult situation, but after 10 minutes, they gradually started to find their rhythm. In the 14th minute, Asari stole the ball in midfield and quickly passed it to Otake. Otake dribbled into the opponent's half and sent a final pass to Ishikawa, who came up from the right, but it was cleared. In the following 15 minutes, the opponent committed a foul to stop Tokunaga, Kurizawa, and Ishikawa's dribble on the right side, earning a free kick. Kondo took a bold shot at goal from this free kick, but it hit the wall and bounced back.

　At 24 minutes, the ball was cleared once from the left free kick, but Bruno QUADROS in the center picked up the loose ball and shot. It hit the defender, but Daichi OTAKE shot over the goal with the rebound. At 29 minutes, Asari made an exquisite through pass to Ishikawa. Ishikawa dribbled and Kondo in the center became a wedge, passing to Kurisawa who ran up the left area directly. Kurisawa also sent the ball directly to Otake who ran into the goal area, but it didn't connect.

　Take complete control with coordinated movements. In the 35th minute, Otake, who received the ball on the right side, skillfully evaded the opponent who came from behind and started dribbling forward. He then sprinted 20m and attempted to pass a through ball to Kondo, but it fell just short. In the 38th minute, Kondo dropped the ball received from Asari, and Kurizawa took a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. As a result, both teams went into halftime with no goals scored.

Lacking accuracy in front of goal, it ends in a scoreless draw

　Tokyo became the windward side in the second half, and it seemed that they would continue with the momentum from the first half, but instead they allowed the opponent to counterattack from a mistake, inviting danger. In the 56th minute, a quick development from Bruno QUADROS in the center to Tokunaga on the right side. Although he faced the opponent one-on-one, he couldn't get past and crossed with a liner-like cross, and Kondo, who was free in the center, took a direct volley shot. It was a decisive chance, but he couldn't meet it and the ball went well wide of the goal. On the contrary, in the 58th minute, C Osaka stole the ball in the center and quickly counterattacked with FW Shiratani breaking through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He aimed carefully as the goalkeeper came out and took a shot, but it hit the right post and couldn't score.

　Tokyo often passes the ball in the defensive line to counter the opponent's early press, but even when they put a pass into the front line, they consistently have the ball taken away and create dangerous situations. In order to change the flow, Kondo was substituted for Akamine in the 76th minute, and Ishikawa was substituted for Koyama in the 81st minute, with Tokunaga positioned in the midfield. Both teams started to show signs of fatigue towards the end, and although they were able to reach the goal area, they lacked accuracy and couldn't take it to a shooting scene.

　Tokyo, who never gives up until the end, earned a right FK in the 84th minute and sent a sharp cross towards the goal with a left-footed shot by Otake. Tokunaga ran in and tried to head it, but couldn't touch it. Tokunaga fell after colliding with the opponent's goalkeeper, but there was no serious injury. In stoppage time, Kawaguchi was substituted for Kurisawa. They increased their attacking efforts to aim for a goal, but couldn't score and the match ended in a scoreless draw.

　【Player Comments】《Kurizawa》"The ball didn't go forward much, and we often circulated it at the back. There were moments when we lost the ball in midfield due to mistakes and got hit by counterattacks. Personally, I wanted to make more effective passes to change the flow. The timing between the passer and receiver is still not right, so we need to work on that thoroughly from now on. As a team, we need to see if we can coordinate our movements, and individually, I want to see if I can make the best plays while assessing the situation over the next two weeks." 《Otake》"We couldn't score, and I wasn't able to get involved in the attack effectively. There are still areas where I need to adjust to fit in with the team. The national team players are coming back, and I want to work hard to be able to contribute to the matches leading up to the opening game. I believe there will be opportunities." 《Ishikawa》"It's disappointing that we couldn't get a result in our first preseason match with so many fans supporting us. The team has been in good shape so far. From now on, with the national team players returning, we can practice with a good sense of tension. I still don't have my position guaranteed, so I want to fit in with the team." 《Shioda》"It was good to play a 90-minute match in front of fans. In terms of defense, we were compact and managed to adjust our lines well, so we were stable. However, in the second half, there were moments when we got a bit chaotic, and we need to correct things like how far to push up depending on the opponent's ball situation. We only have two weeks left, but I want to enhance our combinations. Especially in attack, we have been struggling to score, which is our biggest challenge."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Hello. Today, we had a preseason match with our guests, and I spoke to the players about showcasing the results of our training while being mindful of achieving solid results. Winning is, of course, important, but it was crucial to maintain a clean sheet while demonstrating our strengths. In that sense, it was good that we did not concede any goals, but we were put in several critical situations. In particular, we created those situations from our own mistakes, which we need to correct. We were able to connect fine passes up until the shot, but we often had poor control at the final moment, preventing us from taking shots. It is important to improve our final accuracy, and in terms of the number of shots, it is not something we can be satisfied with. However, there were several instances where a few players connected passes and created chances in front of the goal, which I believe reflects our previous efforts. (What is your evaluation of starting player Otake?) Not just him, but the young players have been working very hard in training. Today, I gave him a chance, and I think he did very well, which likely boosted the motivation of the other players as well."

　【C Osaka - Levir CULPI's Press Conference Summary】 "Since both teams are currently in camp, we need to consider that this serves as a test for the players. However, I believe we were able to have a good game. This was our first match of the year, and I felt very positive about it. Since the beginning of this year, we have been focusing on building from the back, and we were able to take the first step in the build-up from GK Aizawa's throw. I think the results of our practice are showing. Japanese football applies pressure from the very beginning of the build-up, so we want to improve our precision to evade that. C Osaka has five FWs, and I wanted everyone to quickly grasp the feeling of the game, so I used all of them. Last year, there were times when we couldn't field a full squad due to injuries and suspensions towards the end, which affected our results. This year, I want to elevate the entire team and work hard in practice until the opening match to achieve results beyond last year's numbers."