Both matches, which took place at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town, saw an all-new Phuket FC lineup that included foreigners Mussa Silla and Berlin Ndebi with Coach Songyot “Daeng” Klinsrisuk roaming the sidelines.
In the first match, Phuket FC's Ndebi scored all three goals in the 3-1 victory. Ndebi's spectacular debut was the first time Phuket FC fans were able to see the new team take the field.
“We try to focus on being more efficient in the counter attack and have patience in the defending. In particular, we need to get rid of the ball quicker and attack as soon as possible.
The second match on Sunday (January 25), Coach Daeng would employ a much more aggressive zone defense – a tactic which backfired. Yokohama took advantage of the Ronins' heavy pressure and were able to sneak two goals into the back of the net to split the series before the visitors headed back to Japan.