The stadium echoes with the "Tokyo!" call!

The first away game of the season was against Sendai, and it was kicked off in the harsh cold of 5 degrees at Sendai Stadium, boasting top-class facilities in Japan. Sendai is a region that has been featured in sports news as "hot in Tohoku (J2)" after gathering over 10,000 spectators in the opening game of the previous round. On this day, nearly 5,000 spectators were cheering loudly, and the venue was filled with Sendai's colors. However, the approximately 50 supporters who rushed from Tokyo were able to compete with their sense and ideas, even though they were only 1/100 of the number. There is no other way to say it but "amazing!" and there is no way the players wouldn't be inspired by it.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle.

In the first half, FC Tokyo built their game from deep midfield with Almir's short and long passes, creating chances through Jin SATO's dribbling and Amaral's post play. Amaral's movement was good, and he stood out with aggressive plays, such as hitting the crossbar with a looping shot from a ball dropped by Okamoto in the 30th minute. In defense, Sandro and Komine showed excellent combination, with Asari providing tough checks and Fujiyama and Umeyama making calm decisions, resulting in a stable defense without any signs of being broken down. However, the ground conditions were poor and they struggled against the opponent's tight marking, making it difficult to create clear chances. On the other hand, Sendai's new foreign player Nixon became a key player on both offense and defense with his versatile movements, creating chances with his combination with Abe on the front line. The back and forth battle was eventually won by FC Tokyo's superior defense, gradually establishing their rhythm.

Riding the wave with the first goal of the new player's debut!

As the second half began, the opponent's energy levels dropped, and balls that had not passed through the defense in the first half started to get through gradually. Coach Okuma's strategy of "not losing in terms of energy" began to show its effects. On the right side, a sharp overlapping run from Umeyama was met with a superb through pass from Sato, and the pattern of "craftsman" Umeyama's highly accurate crossing was seen multiple times. On the left side, chances were created from the wall pass between Fujiyama and Almir. In the 15th minute of the second half, Fujiyama persisted with a dribble on the left side and passed to Okamoto in the center. Okamoto, while being marked by an opponent, managed to take a strong shot from a difficult position. The goalkeeper barely deflected it, but Sato was there to easily score. Furthermore, in the 19th minute of the second half, this time a direct pass from Sato on the right side reached Okamoto, who delivered a cross at a quick timing. Almir, who had made a run, took a strong shot from the center. The goalkeeper managed to deflect it again, but Almir pushed it in for a goal. With the first goals from the two new players, the team completely gained momentum. Although they failed to secure additional points and, conversely, conceded a goal too easily, this game confirmed FC Tokyo's ability to win steadily away from home despite poor conditions.