After suffering a shock Emperor's Cup exit at the hand of a university team during the week, J-League top-tier newcomers and leaders Machida Zelvia showed their mettle with a win against Yokohama F Marinos at a time when their physical playing style was also coming under heavy fire.
Manager Go Kuroda's intense and clinical side has taken the J1 by storm this term, and they have deservedly been at the top of the table for the majority of the season that is nearing its midway point. However, their perceived "rough" approach has not necessarily been welcomed with open arms from those outside.
When Machida exited at the hands of Tsukuba University in a penalty shootout in the second round of the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday, four of their players went off injured, including two with fractures. After Kuroda criticized the opposing team's style of play, the reaction online was fierce.
"The manager might have said those words to protect us players, but we've all seen the criticism toward us on SNS over the past two days," Chilian-born attacker Byron Vazquez said. "We felt more than anyone for our supporters, who had to see the team they support be the target of that much abuse."
The way they came out of the latest scrutiny, however, against the Asian Champions League runners-up on Saturday, underlined Zelvia's surprising but growing title credentials. They had the guts not to deviate from their feisty, direct style and came away with full points.
"Gen (Shoji, captain) said before the game that we wouldn't be us if we stopped playing the way we had been...and obviously, we don't play to commit fouls," Vazquez said. "We had nearly 3,000 fans in the stand today, the most in away games, and we showed who we are by winning with three goals."
Kuroda guided Machida to the top tier last year after taking over the side following a distinguished career in high school football that spanned nearly four decades. The 54-year-old believes all the obstacles only make his team, yet to lose back-to-back matches this season, stronger.
"We are definitely not villains. We play the right way for us. When something is wrong, we say it's wrong and stay our course because I think that is the power Japanese football demands," he said.
"Exuding dignity gives value to our existence. There is not a single one of our players who thinks Machida's football is negative. None of them think our style of football is worthy of criticism. Everyone understands and believes in playing to win. All of us being on the same page is a reason for our success."
