YBC J League Levain Cup Match Preview: Verdy vs. Kagoshima United FC – Key Players, Tactics, and Predictions

YBC J League Levain Cup begins. Verdy won the first championship in 1992 and won three consecutive championships until 1994. He took second place in 1996. This time, the format of the competition has changed, with J1, J2, and J3 teams ‘participate in a one-shot format. The first round has already ended, and they will face Kagoshima United FC, who beat Chiba 1-0. Verdy has been able to win the last two league games. This is a different competition to the league held during the week, and we would like to make good use of the away games to change the tide.

Verdy’s first league game was against FC Tokyo. The match, which attracted 31,746 people to Ajista, attracted attention, and in the 26th minute, Tomoya Miki, who ran in front of the goal at the right time, was brought down in the penalty area and won a penalty kick. He took this calmly and Verdy managed to take the lead. Then, in the 33rd minute, Kazunari Miyahara got the ball back on the right side and put a cross in front of the goal. Yuzuki Someno hit this ball with an eye-opening volley to score another point. And it was 43 minutes. Souma Anzai is sent off for his second yellow. This gave Verdy a numerical advantage, and the match seemed entirely in Verdy’s favor.

On the other hand, however, it was clear that things were going to be difficult. A score of 2-0 is known to be dangerous in football. It was 68 minutes. As Verdy prepared, the ball was stolen by Kosuke Shirai and they got a short count. He was followed as he was, and when he turned, Keita Endo, who had just been replaced, pushed the ball in for a 1-point lead. The atmosphere in the stadium became tense, and the game went to extra time in the second half. When Endo connected with Go Hatano’s long ball and left-footed it, Verdy’s net skipped mercifully. In the end, two points were lost.

However, the leader says, “Instead of dragging on what has already been done, what should we learn and what should we build on?”‘ For the first time the this season, they had a two point lead. We must use this painful experience as a way to end the game in a sustainable way. That will certainly be necessary in this game, where the only way forward is by winning.

On the other hand, Kagoshima finished second in J3 last season and is competing in J2 this season. This season, Verdy’s former captain Akira Ibayashi was joined by Yamagata’s Wataru Tanaka, and Tokushima’s Ryo Toyama. In the first round of the Levain Cup, they faced Chiba as mentioned above. He continues to attack relentlessly even against opponents in higher divisions, and is able to surpass Chiba in terms of the number of opportunities. That attack paid off in the 71st minute. Hideto Nakahara was brought down in the box and won a penalty kick. Shota Suzuki took this calmly and Kagoshima took the lead. After that, Kagoshima continued to create chances and ran away with it to win the match.

They are also currently 16th in the league. The final match was in Round 10 against Ehime. Kagoshima, who had gone without a win in five games until then, dominated the game and conceded the lead in the 25th minute, with Nakahara sent off for red in stoppage time the first half. Furthermore, in the 49th minute, they conceded their second goal and the situation became desperate. However, in the 60th minute, Masayoshi Endo’s goal brought them back to life, and in the 90th + 7th minute of extra time in the second half, Hiroya Nodake’s goal caught them at the last minute.

Kagoshima played just like FC Tokyo in the previous game. There is no doubt that Kagoshima will come into this game with a lot of momentum as they will be playing on their second day of middle school and at home. But, how can they capture victory while still maintaining the initiative? The coach has made it clear that he will use players who have not had the opportunity to play in league games so far, and this will be an opportunity for them to show their mettle. Of course we will win, but we also have high hopes for the improvement of the players who will be involved in league games from now on.

(Photo: Atsushi Kondo)