In the away game against Kawasaki F, Gamba lost first, but their ace pitcher Usami showed his brilliance, scoring one goal and making one assist. At one point, Gamba turned the game around and was close to their first come-from-behind victory of the season, but ended up with a bitter draw and missed out on the three points.
However, regarding their performance in the second half away from home, Usami emphasized, "We need to be confident in how we play in the second half. If we choose to have the courage to keep the ball, we can play that kind of football and score goals."
After making a comeback with three straight wins, Gamba has not won in three league matches, but the match against Kashima marks the halfway point of the league and is a match where "we need three points to gain momentum in the second half of the season" (Ichimori).

While current league leader Kashima boasts a tie for the most goals scored in the league, Gamba will show their traditional fighting style in front of their supporters gathered at Panasonic Stadium Suita, with the motto "the best defence is a good offence".
"I'm thinking about attacking, and wanting to have possession of the ball and dominate the game,"Head Coach said.
Kashima's offensive power is something to be wary of, but with Suzuki suspended for this match, Mitsuda said that rather than being overly conscious of defense, "we want to first try to extend our period of possession and play the game without conceding any goals," and Usami added, "If we have the ball, it's inevitable that the opponent will be able to make individual plays less often."
No matter who plays in place of Suzuki as a defensive midfielder, they will simply move the ball with courage and approach the opponent's goal.

However, the key to winning is still precision on both offense and defense. Even during their seven-game winning streak, Kashima won six of their matches by a single point. They have been able to take advantage of close matches, but "they don't forgive the opposing team for making errors. They have the competitive spirit to exploit those weaknesses," says Head Coach Poyatos, wary of Kashima's traditional competitive spirit.

When they beat Kashima at home two seasons ago, they won with goals from Kurokawa and DAWHAN(now in Beijing), but it doesn't matter who gets involved in the goals. There is no doubt that Usami will lead the attack, but I think they will show off their toughness to outdo Kashima and keep the ball in attack, and all we can do is express the words of Head Coach Poyatos, who says, "When we defend, we all defend together."

Meanwhile, Kashima was aiming for their first eight consecutive wins in 16 years, but lost to last-place Yokohama F･Marinos in the previous round, bringing their winning streak to an end at seven. With only three points separating them from second-place Kashiwa, they should come out to win, even away from home. Head Coach Oniki, who has led Kawasaki F for many years, will take over from now on, but "the base will remain Kashima. Rather than the change in Head Coach, it's not that the style of football has changed, but rather that the basics haven't changed," says Usami, expressing caution. Shut down Leonardo De Sousa Pereira(LEO CEARA), who is at the top of the scoring rankings with 10 goals, and Suzuki, who has five goals and three assists, will be essential for Gamba to win.

With the league at its halfway point, Gamba is aiming to beat the leaders. Usami vowed to "win and bring the momentum back to us," and he will embody that in front of his home fans.