Believe in ourselves - Opening of the 2006 season

　The 2006 J1 League finally kicks off. Oita Trinita is welcomed to the home Ajinomoto Stadium, marking the start of a long season. This season, Tokyo aims to play "soccer that controls the game by connecting passes" under the new coach Garo, and has been preparing for about 40 days. The focus is on how much this style of soccer has permeated the team. Every year, the start of the season is a mix of expectations and anxieties, but coach Garo and the players were not burdened, saying, "We just need to show what we have prepared in the game."

　Until now, there were concerns about injuries to Doi and Konno, but they have been adjusting their aim and making adjustments on this day. On the other hand, Jean and Baba, who broke their fingers, are in the stage of careful recovery. Therefore, Rychely, who has not played in official matches so far, was appointed as one of the FW. Lucas, Sasa, and Rychely form the front three, with Inoha in the midfield, Kajiyama on the right, and Konno on the left. CB consists of Shigenobu and Mashima, with Suzuki and Tokunaga as both SB. They will face the match with GK Doi's formation. The average age of the starting lineup is 22.91 years old, making it the youngest team compared to other teams. Also, Manager Gallo is the youngest coach in the J-League. Tokyo, full of freshness, aims for victory with fresh soccer!

　Oita, on the other hand, has concerns about the team's strength being weakened with FW Magnouves and MF Yoshida leaving. However, they are a team known for their all-out attack and defense. There are no changes in the lineup of the defense, and coach Chamusca, who is in his second season, plans to "fight with the power of the team united as one. If we can play with the rhythm we created last season." So far, it seems that the FW line has not been fixed, but it will be crucial how FW Takamatsu and new addition FW Osmar fit in.

　One of the highlights is how to avoid the opponent's press and connect it to the attack in order to launch an offensive. In addition, this season, there are seven players on the bench, and it is also worth noting how both coaches will make substitution decisions from among them.

　Before the start of the match, a live performance by special guest Mr. Coba (accordionist) and a greeting from Mr. Marco Bode (former German national team player) were held. After that, a bouquet was presented to Imano, who achieved his 100th appearance in today's J1 League match, by Mr. Marco Bode. The highly anticipated opening match took place at Ajinomoto Stadium, under clear skies, with a kickoff by Oita at 13:35.

Sasa, Rychely takes full advantage of the opportunity!

　The start of the game saw a tight battle for control between the two teams. Tokyo gradually gained momentum from their focused defense. It was evident that players like Kajiyama and Tokunaga intended to use side changes to bring the ball forward. In the 10th minute, Oita's right midfielder Umeda took the first shot for Oita. Tokyo also had a chance in the 11th minute when they connected simple passes from a goal kick, and Kajiyama made a forward run to take a shot, but both shots missed the target.

　Tokyo had been dominating the ball so far, but they struggled to finish. However, they made the most of a decisive chance. In the 14th minute, Imakano intercepted the opponent's ball in his own half and quickly sent a long feed to the left front line. Rychely, who caught up with the ball, bravely challenged the opponent's defender and crossed it to the goalmouth. Sasa jumped and connected with his right foot, scoring a goal! They took the lead early in the game.

　Tokyo completely took control of the game after taking the lead. In the 19th minute, Sasa sent a last pass from the right side of the opponent's field to the center, and Lucas bravely attempted to break through the opponent's defense and took a shot. In the 21st minute, Suzuki sprinted up the left side and won a corner kick. In the 24th minute, Doi punched away a cross from Oita's left midfielder Nemoto. Edmilson picked up the loose ball and took a shot at the empty goal, but Imamura calmly blocked it.

　In the 27th minute, Inaba cut off Oita's cross. From there, Lucas connected with Ima-no, who again hit the ball that had fallen to the opponent. Ima-no quickly sent a long ground pass from his own territory to the front line. The ball, which passed through the opponent's defenders, was chased by Rychely from the right side and he shot it into the goal with great force. The ball went through the legs of the opposing goalkeeper who had jumped out! It was Rychely's first appearance and first goal in an official match. They scored an additional goal from a quick counterattack, switching from defense to offense, and extended their lead.

　After that, the defense focused on connecting the ball through the efforts of Shigenobu, Mashima, and Inoha, and they attacked with speed at key moments. In the 39th minute, a shot by Osmar, who ran into the goal area after a pass from Oita FW Takamatsu, was cut off by Mashima. In the 43rd minute, MF Nemoto passed to FW Takamatsu inside the area, but Shigenobu effectively blocked the hit. The first half ended with a score of 2-0.

With a calm game play, we achieved victory in the opening match for the 8th consecutive year!

　At halftime, we received instructions from Coach Garo, saying "It's only been 45 minutes. Let's go for more goals." However, it was Oita who came out on the offensive in the second half. In the 52nd minute, DF Miki, who was left unmarked in the area, took a shot from a left corner kick, but Tokunaga defended well and the ball went over the bar. In the 57th minute, we lost the ball in Oita's half, and Oita MF Uchimura sprinted towards the Tokyo goal. He attracted the attention of the defenders and made a final pass to FW Takamatsu, who came in from the right. Takamatsu turned the Tokyo defenders and took a shot, but missed the target. With the help of the opponent's mistakes, we did not allow any goals.

　In the 63rd minute, Rychely launched an attack on the right side and sent a cross that passed through the opponent's defense. Lucas received it inside the right area and took a direct shot, but the opponent's defense blocked it. Sasahara picked up the loose ball and took a free shot, but it went over the bar, missing the chance for an additional goal. Oita made substitutions, replacing FW Ozmair with FW Yamazaki in the 61st minute and replacing DF Uemoto with MF Nishiyama in the 72nd minute, switching to a 2-back formation to launch a counterattack. Tokyo also made a substitution in the 69th minute, with Kawaguchi replacing Rychely. In response to Oita's aggressive play, Kawaguchi used his speed to run into the open spaces and compete.

　In the midst of a fast-paced attack and defense, in the 71st minute, Kawaguchi and Sasa led the team to show a solid offensive play on both sides. Inonami, who had advanced to the left area, made a last pass to Lucas in front of the goal. However, the shot hit the opponent's goalkeeper head-on. In the 73rd minute, Lucas, who was free on the right side after Tokunaga in the right area passed to Sasa in the center, took a shot. It was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Suzuki picked up the rebound and made a left cross. Kawaguchi then made a heading shot in the center. The wide attack using the side as intended threatened Oita's goal, but the ball narrowly went over the frame.

　In the 89th minute, Kawaguchi broke through the left side. Sasa met the fast cross, but the shot did not hit. Although they couldn't convert these good opportunities into goals, they dealt with Oita's attacks without losing focus. They maintained a calm game and shut out the opponent. The match ended with the 2 points scored in the first half, securing a victory in the opening game for the 8th consecutive year since 1999 in J2.

　【Player Comments】《Rychely》"(With 1 goal and 1 assist) I'm very happy. I want to continue contributing to the team. The shot that became a goal was a ball that I tried to get a corner kick by hitting the GK. It went through the GK's legs and went in. I want to dedicate this goal to Ishikawa, who is injured. During my injury, everyone was kind, not just Nao, and I hope Nao gets better soon. Last night, I can't say I was calm... I called my family in Brazil to report that I would be playing in the match. I was a little nervous today, but I want to report this result to them as well." 《Konno》"I had some anxiety, but scoring early made it easier, and getting 2 goals was due to the fast football we played until last season. If we can utilize the good points we've had so far and add the detailed passing style of Coach Garo, I believe FC Tokyo can level up even more. I'm still at 50% of my ability, but winning with that is significant. I will forget today's victory and continue to make adjustments."

　[Summary of Coach Garo's Press Conference] "We were able to play a good game. The results of about 40 days of practice showed. I think the passing we practiced was good, and there was a fighting spirit as well. However, this is just the beginning. I want to make sure we don't get carried away with this. We need to level up in various aspects, and I want to improve our quality through continued practice. Rychely was initially in the substitute group during the practice match, but he was also making good moves when he joined the regular group. FC Tokyo is one team, and even if you are a substitute, if you perform well, you can join the regular group. He is young at 18, but making a professional debut is a path everyone goes through. I also scored in my professional debut, and I think he played well today. Regarding Kawaguchi, I considered the fatigue of Rychely, who has not had much match experience, when I brought him in. I thought about utilizing his speed in the sense of aiming for a quick attack, just like Rychely. As for Baba, Lucas was doing a wonderful job defensively today, so it must have been tough for him physically. I think there were only a few minutes left, but I asked Baba to take over the same role as Lucas."

　【Oita - CHAMUSCA's Press Conference Summary】 "In the first half, the quality dropped. The passing and the accuracy of the ball in midfield were not good, and we conceded a goal due to mistakes. In the second half, the speed increased, and I think we had a good start. We were able to create dynamic developments. There were several moments where we seemed to take control, but we couldn't finish. I anticipated that today would be a very difficult match, and I knew that FC Tokyo is an aggressive and strong team, but I believe the key point was how well we could capitalize on our chances. I communicated to the players that I wanted to be more aggressive by changing to a two-back system midway through the second half. The risk increases, but the substitute midfielder Nishiyama is good at long shots from outside the area, so I believed in his potential and took a chance on that opportunity. I moved the holding midfielder Tulio forward and placed forward Yamazaki in the attacking midfield position. However, the passing of the entire team was not good today, and we couldn't move the ball from midfield to the front. The ground was hard, which also lowered the quality of our passing. In the first half, we used high balls for crosses, but that is not the original style of Oita's soccer. Tokyo has changed to a different type of soccer compared to last season. This season, they are focusing on the attacking aspect and have become a good team. Last season, the image was to keep the midfield compact, defend well, and counter from there. This season, I felt that the initial press = attack line has moved forward. I don't think today was a match where Tokyo could showcase their full capacity."