SINGAPORE - Overseas-based Lionesses Danelle Tan and Putri Syaliza will link up with the women's national football team for the upcoming FAS Tri-Nations Series 2022 (Women's) in Singapore, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Thursday (March 31).
Tan and Putri, who are pursuing their studies in England and the United States respectively, were named in the 25-player squad who will play against Seychelles and Papua New Guinea in the triangular tournament.
They will first face Seychelles next Monday, before taking on world No. 49 Papua New Guinea on April 11. Seychelles and Papua New Guinea will also face each other on April 8.
The competition, which will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium, is part of world No. 135 Singapore's preparations for the May 12-23 SEA Games in Hanoi. The Lionesses will be making their first appearance at the SEA Games since 2003.
Head coach Stephen Ng said: "I have not had the chance to work with Putri since my appointment as head coach but have kept tabs on her performance in Florida and watched video reels of her. I know of her technical ability and am glad to see that she has kept advancing herself in America.
"Danelle has also been training with boys since she moved to London to keep pushing herself, and I would like to see how we can fit the two with the rest of the team to find the best combination."
Ng stressed that the upcoming FAS Tri-Nations Series 2022 is an opportunity for the team to test the things they have worked on since their last international outing at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign in Tajikistan last September.
He said: "It is vital for us to continue the development we have made since the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers and to keep building on it. To do this, we need to have more competitive action to be able to test the different dynamics within the squad, and for the players to keep pushing themselves to get to the next level.
"While we have had several friendly matches with local clubs, we need to keep challenging ourselves. Seychelles and Papua New Guinea will each be a good challenge and it will be a way to benchmark our progress."
Forward Clara Lau and goalkeeper Hazel Lim have received their first call-ups to the national squad.
Defender Nur Afiqah Omar, who was away from action for four years due to two anterior crucial ligament tears and a dislocation in her right knee, also returned to the national fold.
The 21-year-old made her international debut in 2017 against Sri Lanka and played a full match on her second appearance against Guam two years later, where she scored in injury time.
After a lengthy and challenging lay-off, Afiqah was grateful to be back in the squad.
She said: "It was tough having to deal with my injuries, one after the other, and I was moments away from ending football altogether. It seemed like my playing career had ended, even before it really began.
"I'm thankful for this opportunity to wear the national jersey again and I hope to get some minutes on the pitch. The team is focused on improvement, and we are excited to apply ourselves in these two friendly matches."
