One of the tactical puzzles LCS Coach Ranković had to solve in advance of the Singapore Cup Final was the Lopes-Shawal-Thy selection problem. All three players are relatively better finishers than they are creators or connectors. Deploying all three simultaneously on the pitch, as has been tried before, would create a top-heavy team waiting around for supply.
With the departure of Maxime Lestienne, the temptation to throw in three individually good players into the Starting XI would be a strong one. However, it would make the team unbalanced and easy to exploit. Solution? Enter the Singapore flag bearing Kyoga Nakamura.
What a way to set the local football scene on fire, early in 2026! If Nakamura had not gone to Bangkok United and then subsequently cut his stay short, there is no conceivable universe in which he would have signed for LCS straight from BGT. But life is never linear, and LCS pounced on the opportunity to sign the left-footed playmaker to fill the massive hole in their squad left by Lestienne.
Nakamura featured prominently on the right side of the pitch from the first minute. His left-footedness and vision meant he could distribute the ball to a line of LCS forwards spread out across the BGT penalty box. With the combination of Diogo Costa and Bart Ramselaar requiring extra attention on the left side of the pitch, Nakamura would be freer to play make from the right. Also, attacking midfielder Song UiYoung playing deeper than usual in a defensive double pivot (alongside Tsiy Ndenge) gave Nakamura the protection to roam higher.
Shawal and Thy started the game and were substituted at 75′. Hami and Lopes came on, bringing fresh legs and ideas. Nakamura stayed on and continued to float around in the Lestinne zone.
No two players are the same. Nakamura will write his own story at his newest club. Fans of Singapore football win by getting to watch the growth of one of our own, in the flesh, for (hopefully) years to come.
