2022 Season Review:The club had the best performance in their history

In 2022, Okayama finished in the 3rd position with 72 points out of 22 club. Their performances had been stable around the whole season, but they couldn't finish in the top two for the tickets for the upper league.

It is obvious that non-Japanese players such as Duke, Mauk, Han, Buijs and Tiao made a great contribution to the club's performance. They improved the club's offensive and deffensive strength a lot. The club scored 61 goals and conceded 42 goals, which much better than the last year.


During the summer, the club signed with some attacking talents such as Nagai, Senba. They brought additional forces to the team as well as young talents like Sano so that the club almost reached the top two.


It has been already announced that the club would not extend the contracts with veteran players such as Kiyama, Sekido. Therefore, the club are expected to sign with some young talents to enhance their strength to secure the promotion next year.

Playoffs Quarter Final Review: VS Montedio Yamagata at City Light Stadium on October 30

Okayama 0  Montedio Yamagata 3

The total attendance:11,854

This sec, Duke and Nagai were back in the starting line up. They were expected to score a goal. The club's top scorer, Tiago stood by as a institute.


Five minutes after the kickoff, Yamagata's ace attacker, Akira Silvano DISARO smash the net so that the home club couldn't make a good start. In the 9th minute, Nagai tried to make a finish. Afterwards, they struggled to push forward. In the 22nd minute, Nagai's header was off target. In the 30th minute, Duke missed the chance for an equalizer. In the 39th minute, Duke's attempt was denied by the opponent.  


Eight minutes after the break, Tiago came off the bench to change the game. In the 58th minute, Duke's shot was saved by Yamagata's keeper. In the 66th minute, head coach, Kiyama sent Han onto the pitch, however, the game still remained the same. In the 75th minute, the rival added a second. In the 77th minute Naruse, Motoyama and Senba came onto the pitch. In the 80th minute, Okayama conceded a clincher. Afterwards, Okayama were not able to smash the net and their season ended here.

Playoffs Quarter Final Preview: VS Montedio Yamagata at City Light Stadium on October 30

Okayama finished in the third place in the regular season, which was the best place in the club's history even through they lost the tickets to the division without the playoffs. The match is expected to be highly heated.


They host the sixth placed, Montedio Yamagata. The red-uniformed men defeated the rival twice in the regular season, but now they are in a good shape. Yamagata's ace attacker, Akira Silvano DISARO is one of the key players. He scored eight goals this season even through he joined Yamagata in the mid season.

Match Review 42nd Sec : VS Tokyo Verdy at Ajinomoto Stadium on October 23

Okayama 0 Tokyo Verdy 2  

The total attendance:9,239

 

This is the last match of the league this season. This sec, head coach, Kiyama placed some fresh men in the starting line-up. Mauk and Han were expected to score a goal.


Three minutes after the kickoff, Sano's strike was slightly off target.Three minutes later, Tiago's attempt was denied by Tokyo's goal keeper. Afterwards, Okayama struggled to create chances. In the 34th minute, they conceded an opener. In the 37th minute,a free kick was given to Okayama. Tiago's free kick was blocked by the opponent, right after that, Sano's strike was ballooned over the bar. During the added time, Mauk was not able to make an equalizer.


Naruse was replaced by Nagai. In the 49th minute, Han showed his attempt. In the 56th minute, Hotta showed a fine saving. In the 60th minute, Duke and Kawai came off the bench to change the game. However, in the 63rd minute, the rival added a second. In the 78th minute, Duke smash the net, but it was an offside. During the added time, Sano almost found the net. Later, Nagai nearly scored a goal. Okayama lost to Tokyo, however, they finished in the third place and successfully advanced to the playoffs round 1 to face the 6th placed, Montedio Yamagata.

Match Review 41st Sec : VS Blaublitz Akita at City Light Stadium on October 16

Okayama 1 Blaublitz Akita  2

The total attendance:12,570

 

This is the last match of the league campaign at City Light Stadium this season. Okayama were expected to obtain three points for the chance to finish in the third place. Tiago was back in the starting line-up.


Five minute after the kickoff, Tiago's attempt was blocked by the opponent. In the 11th minute, Sano tried to open the score. In the 15th minute, free kick was given to the home club. Jordy BUIJS's free was denied by the rival. In the 27th minute, Tiago was not able to grasp two chances for an opener. Afterwards, Okayama tried to keep pushing forward, but the first half ended in a scoreless tie.


Five minutes after the break, Kawai smash the net with his superb shot. In the 59th minute, the game was equalized by the rival. In the 67th minute, Han and Nagai came off the bench to change the game. In the 76th minute, Duke's header was off target. In the 78th minute, Han was not able to hit the target. In the 44th minute, Naruse almost found the net. During the added time, Okayama conceded a clincher. However, Okayama secured the third place of the league.

Match Preview 41st Sec : VS Blaublitz Akita at City Light Stadium on October 16

On April 27th, Okayama visited Akita. After the kickoff, Okayama struggled to take a control of the game. In the 27th minute, Yanagi took a header, but it was blocked by Akita's keeper. In the 35th minute, Jordy Buijs's attempt was off target. Right before the break, corner was given to them and Yanagi opened the score with an excellent strike. However, after the break, the red uniformed men struggled to create chances. As a result, the red uniformed defenders made efforts to keep a clean sheet.


Former Akita's midfielder, Wakasa left Akita to sign with Okayama during this season so that he must be motivated to against his former club.

Match Review 40th Sec : VS Ventforet Kofu at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium on October 9

Okayama 2 Ventforet Kofu 1

The total attendance:5,516

This sec, Naruse and Nagai were back in the starting line-up. Nagai was expected to score a goal since he hadn't scored a goal since his debut for Okayama. The club's top scorer, Tiago was not listed for this match.


After the kickoff, the visitors struggled to have a ball possession. In the 12th minute, Yanagi's header was over the bar, crossed by Kawano. In the 19th minute,Hotta made a fine saving. Afterwards, Kiyama's men were mostly forced to play on their own side. In the 41st minute,Duke's attempt was blocked by Kofu's keeper.Two minutes later, Nagai made an opening goal with his superb strike. The first half ended with Okayama's lead.


After the break, the opponent continued to take a control of the game. In the 59th minute, head coach, Kiyama send Sano and Kawai to change the game.In the 73rd minute, the red-uniformed men conceded an equalizer. In the 77th minute, Han and Senba came off the bench. Three minutes later, Han stroke a clincher with his excellent shot. Afterwards, Okayama made efforts to avoid an equalizer and obtained three points.

Match Preview 40th Sec : VS Ventforet Kofu at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium on October 9

At the opening sec of this season, Okayama defeated Kofu. After the kickoff, Okayama aggressively kept pushing forward. In the 35th minute, Okayama conceded an opening goal. Right after that, Kawamoto equalized the game with his superb header. In the 42nd minute, Tanaka added a second. Seven minutes after the break, Tiago smash the net with an amazing long distanced goal. Four minutes later, he clinched the game with his second for the day.


There will be only two matches after this sec. The red uniformed are expected to made a victory.

Match Review 39th Sec : VS Zweigen Kanazawa at Ishikawa Athletics Stadium on October 4

Okayama 1 Zweigen Kanazawa 3

The total attendance:3,697

This sec, Duke was back as a starter from his international duty. The club's top scorer, Tiago was not listed for this match.


Three minutes after the kickoff, Duke's header was off target. Four minutes later, Tokumoto missed the chance to open the score. In the 14th minute, Duke failed to take a lead, crossed by Sano. In the 19th minute, the visitors conceded an opener. In the 24th minute, Duke's header hit the cross bar. In the 28th minute, a penalty was given to Okayama and Jordy Buijs smash the net. Three minutes later, Tanaka almost added a second. The first half ended in a tie.


Six minutes after the break, Duke's header was off target. A minute later, the opponent added a second. In the 55th minute, Nagai and Kawai came off the bench. In the 59th minute, Sano nearly equalized the game.In the 69th minute, Sano missed another chance. In the 79th minute, Nagai's strike was ballooned over the bar. One minute later, Sano's attempt was off target. In the 45th minute, Yanagi almost made an equalizer with his header. During the added time, Okayama were not able to avoid the rival's third.

Match Preview 39th Sec : VS Zweigen Kanazawa at Ishikawa Athletics Stadium on October 2

On June 4th, Okayama welcomed Kanazawa.In the 6th minute, Motoyama smash the net with his superb header, crossed by Kawano. Four minutes later, Yanagi doubled their lead with his fantastic header. In the 12th minute, a penalty was given to Kiyama's men. Tiago failed to add a third. In the 26th minute, Kanazawa scored a goal. In the 34th minute, Mauk smash the net with his excellent strike. Five minutes later, Han made a clincher. Right before the break, a penalty was given to Okayama again and this time, Tiago grasped the chance. Nine minutes after the interval, Hotta showed a fine saving. As a result,Okayama defeated the rival.


This sec, Okayama are expected to remake the 20th sec on June 4th. 

Match Review 38th Sec : VS Vegalta Sendai at City Light Stadium on September 25

Okayama 3 Vegalta Sendai 0  

The total attendance:11,661

This sec, Sano was back as a starter from his international duty. The club's top scorer, Tiago was not listed for this match. Duke missed this sec for his international duty.


After the kickoff, the home club aggressively kept pushing forward. In the 6th minute, Okayama missed the first chance for an opener. In the 10th minute, Hotta made a fine blocking. In the 20th minute, Motoyama showed a mid-range shot. In the 25th minute, Sano tried to find the net with his long-distanced attempt. In the 40th minute, Mauk opened the score with his superb shot. Right after that, he failed to add a second. Right before the break, Sano's strike was side-netted.


Five minutes after the break, Sano added a second, which was a good birthday present for himself. In the 57th minute, a free kick was given to Okayama, but they were not able to grasp the chance. Right after that, Kawano almost found the net. In the 69th minute, Mauk was replaced by Han. In the 74th minute, Nagai showed a fine strike, but it was saved by Sendai's keeper. In the 79th minute, Senba and Naruse came off the bench. In the 82nd minute, Nagai's strike was ballooned over the bar. During the added time, Senba made a clincher. As a result, Okayama defeated the rival and stayed in the third place.

Match Preview 38th Sec : VS Vegalta Sendai at City Light Stadium on September 25

On May 25th, Okayama shared a point with Sendai. During the first half, the visitors struggled to have a ball possession. In the 39th minute, Han failed to find the net with his header. In the 43rd minute, Tanaka nearly took a lead with his strike. After the break, Okayama were mostly forced to play on their own side. In the 84th minute, Yanagi almost smash the net with his header.


In order for the club to survive in the top six, they are expected to defeat the rival.

Match Preview 37th Sec : VS V・Varen Nagasaki at City Light Stadium on September 17

Okayama 3 V・Varen Nagasaki 0

The total Attendance:8,321　

This sec, Yanagi was back in the starting line-up. Head coach, Kiyama placed two fresh forwards,Saito and Nagai. Tiago and Duke stood by as a institute.


One minute after the kickoff, Saito's attemot hit the cross bar. In the 13th minute, Kawamoto's shot was off target. In the 19th minute, Jordy BUIJS failed to open the score. Five minutes later,he was not able to grasp anther chance. In the 31st minute, Kawano's strike was blocked by Nagasaki's defender.In the 33rd minute, Wakasa missed the chance for an opener.During the added time,a penalty was given to Okayama and Jordy BUIJS scored an opening goal.


Saito was replaced by Duke. Three minutes after the break, Kawano tried to add a second. Two minutes later, Yanagi's header was off target. In the 53th minute, Duke failed to add a second. In the 65th minute, Tiago came off the bench.Five minutes later, he doubled the club's lead with his superb strike. In the 75th minute, Duke added a third with his amazing header, crossed by Tokumoto. In the 89th minute, he tried to add a fourth.

Match Preview 37th Sec : VS V・Varen Nagasaki at City Light Stadium on September 17

On May 29th, Okayama shared a point with the rival. After the kickoff, Okayama struggled to have a ball possession. In the 8th minute, centre back, Jordy Buijs's header was off target. Afterwards, they couldn't create lots of chances. Seven minutes after the break, Duke was not able to make a strike, crossed by Miyazaki. In the 58th minute, Hotta showed a fine blocking. Afterwards, In the 87nd minute, Tiago nearly smash the net with his long-distance attempt. As a result, the match ended in a tie.  


This is one of the most important matches to survive in the promotion race. Okayama are expected to obtain three points.

Match Review 36th Sec : VS Tokushima Vortis at Pocarisweat Stadium on September 14

Okayama 0 Tokushima Vortis 1

The total attendance: 3,766


This sec, Senba and Motoyama were back in the starting line-up. Two ace forwards, Tiago and Duke started the game. They were expected to score goals.


After the kickoff, Okayama struggled to face Tokushima's solid defense. In the 9th minute, Duke failed to provide a through pass with Tiago. In the 28th mintue, Tokumoto's free kick did not work well. In the 36th minute, Duke's header was off target. In the 43rd minute, Jordy Buijs's free kick was ballooned over the bar. In the 45th minute, Hotta showed a superb saving. The first half ended in a scoreless tie.


Eight minutes after the break, the visitors conceded an opening goal. In the 56th minute, head coach, Kiyama sent three fresh men, Tanaka, Han and Kawai onto the pitch. In the 60th minute, Jordy Buijs's free kick was saved by Tokushima's keeper. In the 66th minute, Hotta made another fine saving. Later, Okayama kept pushing forward, but they were not able to make finishes.

Match Preview 36th Sec : VS Tokushima Vortis at Pocarisweat Stadium on September 14

On February 27th, The club host Tokushima. Three minutes after the kickoff, TIAGO smash the net with his excellent opener. In the 6th minute, Duke almost added a second, Later, Okayama tried to control the game. In the 40th minute,the red-uniformed men conceded an equalizer. Two minutes after the break, the red uniformed men struggled to have ball possession. In the 71st minute, Kimura came off the bench to change the game. Afterwards, Okayama were not able to make a clincher. The match ended in a tie.


This is PRIDE OF CHUSHIKOKU DERBY. The match is highly expected to be heated.  

Match Review 35th Sec : VS Montedio Yamagata at City Light Stadium on September 10

Okayama 2 Montedio Yamagata 1

The total attendance:8,191


It had been only ten days since the last time they met. This sec, Hamada and Naruse were back in the starting line-up. Hamada was expected to play for the first choice, centre back, Yanagi.


Three minutes after the kickoff, Hatta made a fine saving. In the 9th minute, Tanaka was not able to grasp the chance, crossed by Duke. In the 28th minute, Tiago tried to open the score, but it was blocked by Yamagata's keeper. Later, the home club kept pushing forward for an opening goal, however, the first half ended in a scoreless tie.  


Four minutes after the break, a free kick was given to the opponent and they scored an opener. In the 55th minute, Tiago made an equalizer with his super strike. In the 71st minute, Hamada was not able to make a clincher with his header. Three minutes later, Han and Nagai came off the bench. In the 76th minute, Duke smash the net his excellent header. As a result, Okayama successfully defeated the rival.

Match Preview 35th Sec : VS Montedio Yamagata at City Light Stadium on September 10

On August 31sh, Okayama visited Yamagata again.This sec restarted from the 11th minute due to the misjudgement of the referee at the match on April 3rd. Korean forward, Han started the game.In the 11th minute, Okayama started the game with their free kick in Yamagata's box. Their tactic worked well and Jordy Buijs opened the score with his spectacular strike. Afterwards, the visitors struggled to have a ball possession. During the second period, the red-uniformed men were mostly forced to defend Yamagata's attacking. During the added time, Han clinched the game with his excellent shot. As a result, Okayama successfully obtained three points.


In order to catch up with top two clubs, Okayama are expected to defeat the rival again.

Match Review 34th Sec : VS Machida Zelvia at City Light Stadium on September 4

Okayama 2  Machida Zelvia 0

The total attendance:10,584

This sec, Tanaka, Tokumoto and Tiago were back in the starting line-up. The club's top scorer, Tiago was expected to score goals. Nagai was on the reserve list.  


After the kickoff, Okayama showed good attackings. In the 5th minute, Kawai's shot hit the post and Tanaka pushed the ball into the net. In the 16th minute, Duke nearly added a second with his header. In the 35th minute, Tiago almost found the net with his mid-range shot. While, Kiyama's defenders made efforts to keep a clean sheet.  


Nine minutes after the break, Sano added a second with his superb strike. Three minutes later, Motoyama came off the bench. Afterwards, they kept pushing forward. In the 70th minute, Jordy Buijs tried to add a third with his header. In the 72nd minute, head coach, Kiyama sent Han and Nagai onto the pitch. In the 74th minute, Tanaka made an attempt. Three minutes later, Nagai's shot was denied by Machida's goal keeper. As a result, Okayama defeated the opponent.

Match Preview 34th Sec : VS Machida Zelvia at City Light Stadium on September 4

On March 13th, Okayama lost to Machida, 1 - 3.  After the kickoff, Okayama struggled to take a control of the game. In the 20th minute, Okayama conceded an opener. In the 23rd minute, Tanaka almost equalized the game with his header. In the 49th minute, the opponent doubled their lead. Four minutes later, the rival added a third. In the 59th minute, head coach, Kiyama sent Kimura and Mauk to change the game. In the 80th minute, Kawamoto smash the net with his superb strike. Afterwards, the red-uniformed men were not able to find the net.


Former Fagiano first-choice goal keeper, Popp William plays for Machida. He knows well about Okayama therefore he can be the one to watch out for.