PLAYER SUPPORTERS
At Iwaki FC’s home matches, we will implement the “Pre-Support” system to recruit player support for every match this season!
The support amount will be used to cover the training costs of the players themselves and their team. Thank you for all your support this season!
MATCH PREVIEW
2024 J League YBC Levain Cup 1st Round 2nd Round. Iwaki FC will host Albirex Niigata at Hawaiians Stadium Iwaki on Wednesday, April 17. We explain the highlights of this match.
Points and reviews
Our opponent this time, Albirex Niigata, is a professional soccer team whose hometown is located across Niigata Prefecture. “Albirex” is a coined word that is a combination of the double star “Albireo” in the constellation Cygnus and “Rex”, which means king in Latin.
The origin of Niigata Eleven SC was founded in 1955, primarily by former pupils of Niigata Akinori High School. Niigata Eleven SC of the Hokushinetsu League began efforts to strengthen Niigata Eleven SC in the Hokushinetsu League in 1995 in order to realize the creation of a professional football club and joining the J League, which was part of the attempt to host the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup. Cup. In 1997, the club’s name was changed to “Albirex Niigata” and they won consecutive Hokushinetsu League titles. With the establishment of J2 in 1999, only clubs affiliated with the regional leagues were allowed to participate.
They have competed in J2 since 1999, and in 2003 they won the J2 title and were promoted to J1 after winning a fierce promotion battle with Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kawasaki Frontale, and competed in J1 until 2017. They competed again in J2 in 2018, they won the championship in 2022 and were promoted to J1. In 2023, they will rank 10th in J1 with a record of 11 wins, 12 draws and 11 losses. In the Emperor’s Cup they finished in the top eight, their highest ever.
In 2024, they have played 8 games in J1 so far and are 14th with 9 points with 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. They started the season with 1 win and 1 loss, but have since had a rather slow start with 3 draws and 2 losses. In J1 Round 8 held on April 13, they drew 1-1 against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, ending their losing streak.
Niigata averages 662.3 passes per game. They are one of the most possession-oriented teams in J1. However, although they possess the ball well and create chances, they have not been able to score many goals, which has led to their current ranking.
For Iwaki, they want to put pressure on the central defenders and midfielders, who will be responsible for distributing the ball, from the attack. How well will they demonstrate the high press they have consistently maintained since the start of the season against a J1 club with superior technique? This will serve as a reference point for the future.
The lineup will be based on the 11 members from the match against Shimizu, but there will probably be some changes. In particular, we look forward to the success of players who have only played for a short time so far, such as MF Eisuke Shimoda, DF Hitoshi Ikoma, FW Keihiro Shirawachi, Mizuki Kaburagi and DF Yusuke Ishida, who are expected to play on their return from injury.
DF Hitoshi Ikoma is a 24-year-old who transferred from Renofa Yamaguchi FC this season. Last year in Yamaguchi he played 20 games as vice captain. He is a central defender who can kick with both feet with great accuracy, and has started the first two games of this season due to injury. Although he continued to be absent, he returned to the starting lineup in the 7th round match against Akita and played the entire match. He recently reached his 100th appearance in the J League.
Midfielder Eisuke Shimoda is a volunteer who grew up in the Kashima Antlers youth organization and was selected for the Japanese U17 and U18 national teams. Last year, he joined Kashima on a two-year loan deal when they were promoted to the top team, and showed a wide range of vision and excellent passing sense, becoming a mainstay by mid-season. He started the first round this season, but was absent due to injury.
MF Mizuki Kaburagi is a volunteer who won the championship in his second year at Maebashi Ikuei High School and joined the team last year after graduating from Takushoku University. High mobility and excellent forward propulsion. Even though he was a rookie last year, he started in the opening match, but after that he had the misfortune of getting injured every time he had the chance. He is very enthusiastic about his role as this year he will be vice president of the players’ association and I hope this competition gives him an opportunity to grow.
FW Keihiro Shirawachi joined Toin Yokohama University this season. A striker who can demonstrate his abilities anywhere from CF, shadow or top two. He moves with dedication, extracts the ball and is also very good at getting behind the scenes. And DF Yusuke Ishida has excelled at right back after joining Gainare Tottori from Funabashi City High School and moving to Iwaki last year. His specialty is his strength one-on-one. Last season he was injury-prone and didn’t show his true potential, but this season he started one league game as part of the back three and played as a substitute in six games.
Increasing their experience points is an essential element to surviving the next season. Through this valuable experience of competing head-to-head with J1 clubs, we hope that new heroes will emerge and the competition for positions will intensify in the future.
“As usual, I went to steal the ball in front and put it in front of me.” Coach Yuzo Tamura
“Even though we couldn’t win last weekend’s match, we managed to make Shimizu S-Pulse suffer until the end. That’s why we wanted to win, and the players must have been disappointed too. Mistakes are inevitable and part of of the game, so we will carefully examine our positioning when we make mistakes and correct any weaknesses.
I also noticed a difference in the quality of Shimizu’s attacks, especially in the way he broke down in the attacking third. There are many things we should emulate, such as the timing of the players and receivers in front of the goal, and I think this will be necessary to get points in the future. The game continues from here, so there’s no time to look down.
Albirex Niigata is a team good at building from the back and has a variety of attacks, such as involving a third player in deliberate vertical passes and accelerating from the crowd with short passes. As always, he embodies football that breathes soul. . I’ll share with you what I’ve worked on so far. How much can the current players do against J1 clubs and how far can they go as a team? I’m really looking forward to it.”
Will it really become “Jaikiri”?
“J League YBC Levain Cup 2024”. If Iwaki FC wins in the second round, they will face the winner of the Shonan Bellmare vs. Blaublitz Akita match on April 24 in the third round on May 22.
Shonan Bellmare is a club to which representative Satoshi Okura and coach Yuzo Tamura once belonged. Blaublitz Akita, also in J2, is the team that lost in Round 7 of J2 on March 30. Neither of them misses the other. We want to win against Niigata at any cost and advance to the third round.
If they manage to get past the third round, they will advance to the playoff round (home and away format with the 10 teams that won the first round) which will be held on June 5 and 9. If they make it through the playoff round, they will advance to the quarterfinals of the Prime Round, which will be held in September. The Prime Round will be a home-and-away tournament (only the final will be played on a neutral pitch) with a total of 8 teams, including the 5 teams that won the playoff round, Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Ventforet Kofu (team participating in the knockout phase of the ACL 2023/24, won 1 match). By the way, the winning prize is 150 million yen.
2024 J League YBC Levain Cup 1st Round 2nd Round Iwaki FC vs Albirex Niigata will begin at Hawaiians Stadium Iwaki on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00 PM. Watch the match on SKY PerfecTV! Live streaming elsewhere. Lemino will distribute it for free at the end of the match.
The appeal of cup matches is that you can experience the tension of a one-shot match, different from league matches, and the real thrill of slaying a giant to defeat a club from a higher league. Will they be able to defeat the J1 club in their first appearance? Please give your enthusiastic support to the young players of Iwaki FC!
The latest information about Iwaki FC is currently distributed in the “Breath of the Soul” note. This match preview is also written in a more in-depth format, so be sure to check it out.
MATCH INFORMATION
Click here for information on Iwaki FC players
Click here for information on Albirex Niigata players
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Half time discount available!
To make it easier for you to get to the stadium after school or work, we will be offering an “intermission discount” where some seats will be discounted after the first 30 minutes.
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