There are still 8 rounds of matches left in the JB, so it can be said that it is entering the final straight road. Direct promotion, promotion play-off qualification and even the situation of the protection of the situation has begun to have a look, today we will look at the current situation of the Japanese second big trend.
FC Yokohama secure direct promotion to the next division
FC Yokohama, who was relegated to the bottom of the Nippon Professional League last season, has been leading the Nippon League 2 standings from the start of the season to the present with a slightly superior position. As of the 34th week, FC Yokohama has accumulated 67 points, taking 10 points away from the third-place Okayama Green Pheasant, and the chance of obtaining direct promotion qualification is high in the clouds.
FC Yokohama, in addition to the national treasure Shunsuke Nakamura in the lineup, there are Watanabe Chizen, Ito Sho and other famous players in the lineup, there is a certain star flavor, but when it comes to the performance on the field, we have to mention the Ogawa Kangi. This 25-year-old, 6-foot-1 center, this season Zunichi B big breakthrough, temporarily Zunichi B 33 appearances made 20 goals, Zunichi B leading scorer list. Kogawa has represented Japan's national team in all age groups in the past, and if he stays in the team next season, we should continue to pay attention to his performance even if he is promoted to the Nippon Professional League.
Niigata Swans, who ranked second behind FC Yokohama with 2 points, were last in the Nippon Professional League in 2017, so if they can qualify for promotion this year, it will surely make their fans excited. Although Niigata Swans only ranked second in the JLB, their goal difference ratio was better than FC Yokohama's, and their performance at the top is quite reasonable.
Niigata Swans also have quite a few players with JLF experience in their squad, such as Maiyuki Ryu, Kazuhiko Chiba, Yoshiro Takagi, etc., and Gao Yuyang, the son of former Chinese international Gao Sheng, who was born in the youth training system of Flying Foot of Osaka, is also in the lineup this season, and at the age of 24, he is taking the lead in the midfield of Niigata Swans, and is believed to be the mainstay of the squad in the coming season after being promoted.
Battle for promotion to the play-offs crumbles head to head
The battle for the third to sixth places in the promotion play-offs is much fiercer than the two teams at the top of the table. According to the regulations, J-League 2 clubs need to hold a valid J-League license before they can participate in the promotion play-offs, and from the third-placed Okayama Green Pheasants to the tenth-placed Machida Sawaiya, all of them have J-League licenses, so there is no question of any of the teams being exempted from the qualification.
Okayama Green Pheasant, which has never competed in the JLF, is now ranked third with 57 points, 5 points away from Oita Mikami in the sixth place, and the qualification for the promotion playoffs is relatively stable, so I believe that Okayama Green Pheasant's loyal fans will be looking forward to the team's chance to appear in the JLF. Most of the local players in Okayama Green Pheasant's squad are not well known, and the team has to rely on a group of foreigners for their performance. The backline is led by Dutch stalwart Jordy Bjergs, the midfield has Steven Mock who has rich experience in the AFL, and the frontline is led by Brazilian shot-stopper Tiago Ives and Australian winger Michelle Durkee. Tiago Ives, who has been playing in Asia for many years, has scored 14 goals this season, which is the most important player of Okayama Pheasant this season.
Sendai Viktoria, who were highly regarded at the beginning of the season, are now in fourth place with 2 points behind Okayama Green Pheasant, and the team has recently suffered 4 consecutive defeats, so the chances of getting promoted are already quite slim, and the main goal now is definitely to keep the play-off spot. Sendai Vigatte have two international veterans in their squad, Liang Yongji and Endo Yasushi, but the most noteworthy players for the time being are Togashi Keizin and Nakayama Rindou, who have scored a total of 23 goals so far in the opening season. It is no wonder that Sendai Vigatte's goal scoring figures are among the highest in all of the Japanese Second Division, but the team will really need to improve the performance of its backline defense if it is to retain its playoff spot.
As for the Kyushu trio of Kumamoto Roasso, Oita Sanshin and Nagasaki Koseimaru, they occupy the 5th, 6th and 7th places, and there are only 3 points between them, so no matter whether it's for the qualification for the promotion playoffs or for the status of Kyushu, the three teams will definitely fight for the top spot. Kumamoto Roasso has returned to JB from JC this season, and was originally regarded as a protectionist, but the chance for the team to compete for promotion is a big surprise. Toshiki Takahashi in the lineup is definitely worth paying attention to, as the 24-year-old local goal scorer has already scored 12 goals this season, so it is worth watching how the future development is going to be like.
As for Oita Sanshin, who was relegated from the J-League this season, it can be said that there are always three pounds of nails in a rotten boat, and after being relegated to the J-League, it still maintains a certain degree of combat power. Veteran center forward Nagasawa Jun has scored nine goals this season and has become the team's leading scorer, and in addition to the end of August, it also got the top domestic striker Kanazaki Yumeshiro who was released from the contract of the Nagoya Whale, so it is worthwhile to look forward to the attacking power of the team in the near future.
Nagasaki Koseimaru, who have been relegated from the J-League to J-League 2 since the start of the 2019 season and have missed out on the promotion playoffs in the last two seasons, will continue to strive for the promotion playoffs this season as well. Nagasaki Koseimaru has only scored 39 goals in 32 matches this season, which is a fatal flaw in their performance, but fortunately the team has only conceded 33 goals, which is still a balanced result. Brazilian striker Eddie Garzunho has scored 10 league goals for the time being this season, which is the majority of the goals scored by Nagasaki Koseimaru, and the team is really looking at it for the rest of the season.
The four teams at the end of the pack are trying to escape.
The rules for who will be relegated to the second division are relatively simple, with the last two teams landing directly in the second division in the coming season. Okinawan team FC Ryukyu is now 29 points at the end of the table, but only 1 point away from the last two Iwate Morioka Senzuru, with the last three, four Omiya squirrels and Gunma Kusatsu Onsen is only a gap of 2 points, the side of the two teams relegated to the class is still very variable.
Gunma Kusatsu Onsen has always been a relegation protection team in JB, and last season they only escaped relegation by finishing in the bottom five, and this season the former Urawa Red Diamonds supervisor, Tsuyoshi Ozeki, is still not showing any improvement in the team. Gunma Kusatsu Onsen have scored the fewest number of goals in the J-League this season, 25, and it will be hard to improve at the end of the season, so they will have to hope that their all-turf team can make a miracle.
Omiya squirrels, the last three of the team, used to be a stalwart in the top league, and even after landing in J.League 2, they seldom had to worry about relegation protection. However, it is unlikely that the team's performance in the last two seasons has taken a drastic turn for the worse, and they will have to struggle for survival again this season after the last season. In terms of squad, Omiya is not too bad, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Shinya Yajima, Hitoshi Izumisawa and Atsushige Kawada are the strongest players in J-League 2. As long as they can improve their performance, I believe that Omiya will have a relatively optimistic chance for relegation protection.
Iwate Morioka Senzuru, the promoted team in JB, is struggling for relegation protection as expected. The team has scored very few goals but conceded the highest number of goals in JB this season, so it is no wonder that they have to be trapped in the relegation protection whirlpool. Although Iwate Morioka Senzuru has few foreign players in the squad, their performance is mediocre, coupled with the poor quality of the local players, even though they have beaten the top of the table FC Yokohama in a blowout, I believe that it is only a short-lived, and I believe that the road to relegation protection is full of thorns in the future.
FC Ryukyu has always been supported by many fans in Okinawa, and I believe many of them were not expecting that they would be the last team to win this season. 11 draws were made by FC Ryukyu this season, which is a fatal injury for the team. However, after Ghanaian striker Adam Sully joined the team in July, the attacking power has improved, and this scorer has scored three goals in six appearances, which can be said to be an important lifeline for FC Ryukyu on the road to relegation protection.
The situation is quite tight at the moment, no matter who is in the race for the title, the promotion playoff seat and the level of protection, so if you want to know how the rest of the season will develop, you should remember to pay attention to the relevant live broadcast of the Japanese second!
This week's JLF live streaming schedule:
September 10, 5:30 PM Kawasaki Frontale vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Cable 604/664
September 10th, 6:00pm Yokohama Marinos vs Fukuoka Hornets Cable TV 601/661
September 10, 6:00 p.m. Osaka Cherry Blossoms vs. Tosu Sandstone Cable TV 605/665
September 11th, 12:00 noon, Sapporo Okasado, Hokkaido vs. Iwata Yamaha Cable 605/665
This week's Sunday B live streaming schedule:
