The JSL and JB have already started at the end of February, while the J3, the third tier of the Japanese league, kicks off this weekend. Speaking of J3, we have to mention Hong Kong midfielder Au Yeung Yiu-chong, who is currently playing for YSCC Yokohama, and it seems to be the right time for us to update you, whether you are following the Japanese game or the local game, on Au-chong's recent situation!
In this week's opening match, YSCC Yokohama will host FC Gifu, who ranked sixth last year, in a tough battle. YSCC Yokohama ranked eighth out of 15 teams last season, and their performance was only moderate; Ou Chong revealed that the club's goal for the new season has been set at striking the promotion qualification of the Japanese Second Division, as No Limit has always been the club's motto, so they will have a more ambitious goal for the new season.
The biggest change in YSCC Yokohama's new season is that Kenji Nakata has replaced Yuki Stouffer as the supervisor of last season's team. As for the new supervisor, Ou Chong pointed out that Kenji Nakata is more focused on the team's overall defense than Yuki Shido, and the physical requirements of the players are also higher, and the pre-season drills have already felt how strict the new supervisor is, and the whole team of course, do not dare to hold out the stalls.
When asked if he will try more in the new season, Ou Chong, who plays as an attacking midfielder, said that the coaching team thinks that he is one of the best in the team in terms of physical strength, but he is a little bit lacking in speed. As a result, Ouchong has started to familiarize himself with the role of defensive midfielder in his daily drills. Ouchong admitted that defense is his weaker link, so he will put in more effort to improve it in the future drills.
In addition to the change of supervisor, YSCC Yokohama also got the 40-year-old former Japan national team midfielder Daisuke Matsui to join the team this season, and the team's strength is believed to be improved, what does Ou Chong himself think of the big brother? Ouchong mentioned that Daisuke Matsui has been playing in Europe for many years, and his skills and vision on the pitch are top-notch, which he has already realized during the drills; off the pitch, Daisuke Matsui has also mingled with his teammates, and Ouchong himself has been talking to Daisuke Matsui from time to time to learn from him, and as both of them can converse with each other in Japanese supplemented by Portuguese, they have absolutely no problem in communicating with each other.
After half a season of adaptation, how is Ochi's life in Yokohama? Ou Chong revealed that he has already gotten to know most of his teammates well, and with the help of the club and his manager, he has no more problems in his daily life, so this year, he will make a new attempt to live alone in Yokohama, in order to integrate into the local life more. In addition, Ou Chong has also continued to take Japanese classes regularly, and his current level of Japanese is good enough to cope with daily life. Ou Chong laughs that he usually crashes into the boards due to communication problems, which may have accelerated the progress of learning Japanese.
Although he is in Japan, he is still keeping an eye on what is happening in the Hong Kong soccer circle. The Hong Kong team is going to play the 2023 Asian Cup in India in June, but the epidemic has halted the Hong Kong Premier League matches and the club's training, so the preparation work has been greatly affected; on the contrary, Ou Chong is now in Japan to train and play in the friendly matches, so I believe that he will be in a better condition than all the current Hong Kong players. Ou Chong, who has not been selected for the Hong Kong team for nearly 6 years, said that as a Hong Kong player, of course he would like to play for the Hong Kong team, but he frankly said that his chances of being selected for the Hong Kong team are not very good; however, Ou Chong said that if he is called up, and if the objective conditions allow him to return to the team, he will definitely play for the Hong Kong team.
Whether off the field or on the field, Ouchong's development in Japan is quite positive for the time being, and after YSCC Yokohama went through a coaching change this season, Ouchong will be given more chances to show his performance under the new personnel and new style of play, and will strive to play in J3 as soon as possible, and become the first Hong Kong player to play in the Japanese professional soccer league. For the rest of the season, this column and the official JLF Youtube channel will follow up with Ouchong's news from time to time, so keep your eyes peeled!
YSCC Yokohama schedule for this month:
March 12 vs FC Gifu (Home)
March 20 vs. Matsumoto Yamaya (home)
March 27 vs. Fukushima United (guest)
*The schedule is subject to the final announcement of the Race Committee.
This week's JLF live streaming schedule:
March 11, 6:00 p.m. Kobe Victory vs. Kashima Antlers Cable 601/661
March 12, 1:00 pm: Hokkaido Sapporo Gonzaga vs. Yokohama Marinos Cable TV 601/661
March 12, 1:00 p.m. Shimizu Heartbeat vs. Osaka Sakura Cable 602/662
