Young Lions raring to go in Asian Under-23 qualifiers after recent setbacks
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(From left) Young Lions coach Firdaus Kassim, captain Amir Syafiz and midfielder Muhammad Asis in training.
PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
Follow topic:
- Singapore's U-22 team, initially omitted from the SEA Games, gained entry after appeal. They are preparing for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
- Coach Firdaus Kassim emphasises resilience and defensive organisation, as they aim to be a "very tough team to break down".
- Captain Amir Syafiz highlights the team's "hunger" to prove themselves.
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SINGAPORE – The headlines in recent years have not been kind to Singapore’s Young Lions.
At the last SEA Games in 2023, the football team finished bottom of their group with one draw and three defeats, including a 7-0 mauling by Malaysia.
And on Aug 6, they were in the spotlight for the wrong reasons when the Singapore National Olympic Council omitted the national Under-22 side
After earning a reprieve following a successful appeal
Coach Firdaus Kassim recalled the players’ disappointment on hearing the news that they had missed the cut “because in local football, SEA Games is one of the highlights of a career”.
“But this is something that we have no control over. So we put our sole focus on football and we were never distracted.”
He noted the team now had “more hunger”, especially with the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers looming.
Captain Amir Syafiz agreed, noting the eagerness within the camp to prove that they deserved to make the cut.
Amir, 21, who earned his senior international debut during a 3-1 friendly victory over the Maldives in June, said: “Now that we have the chance to play at the Games, we have to make the most out of it.
“The hunger in the team is very positive. Representing the country is not something that we can take for granted, so every time we put on that jersey, we want to give our all and do well in our international matches.”
The bulk of the SEA Games U-22 squad will be taking part in the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers from Sept 3 to 9.
Singapore are drawn in Group C with hosts Vietnam, Bangladesh and Yemen. The 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will qualify for next January’s tournament in Saudi Arabia.
The Young Lions’ campaign begins with a match against Yemen on Sept 3 (5pm) before facing Vietnam three days later at 8pm.
They will conclude with a tie against Bangladesh on Sept 9 (5pm).
All matches will be played at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province.
The tournament will serve as a tune-up for the SEA Games, where Singapore will be looking to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 12 years.
Firdaus, 38, who was appointed coach of the Young Lions
He noted the importance of good performances to build towards the SEA Games.
He sees Vietnam as the best team in the region, with Yemen a “tough” side and Bangladesh an “up-and-coming” team.
At the last U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in 2023, Singapore finished third in a four-team group after 1-1 and 2-2 draws against Guam and Vietnam respectively and a 3-0 loss to Yemen.
Since June, the Young Lions have been holding training camps and playing a series of friendly matches in Thailand and Portugal.
In Portugal, three of the matches featured solely Singaporean players from the U-23 team, while the SPL Young Lions side, which includes their foreign signings, played in the other three games.
Those in contention for the SEA Games also played matches against the Philippines and Malaysia in August.
Coach Firdaus Kassim said his players will do their best to get results from every game at the Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, but noted the importance of good performances to build towards the SEA Games.
PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
Firdaus said his team’s preparations for the U-23 qualifiers has been positive, and supporters can expect a side built on resilience.
He said: “I think the best way to show this (resilience) is to demonstrate on the pitch that we are a very tough team to break down.
“I’m really happy with how we’ve been working a lot on our defensive organisation... we have shown this in our recent games (where) we clocked a lot of clean sheets.
“This is something that we really want to build on.”
He has named a 23-man squad for the tournament with an average age of just 20.
The team include Harith Danish, 16, Luth Harith, 17, and Rae Peh, 16, and three overseas-based players – Jonan Tan, Muhammad Asis, and Khairin Nadim – who are with second-tier Portuguese club FC Vizela’s U-23 side.
Firdaus added: “Competing in games requires a lot of factors: hunger, desire, passion and fight.
“The bottom line is that in every game, you have to always show your passion, and this is what we are trying to instil into the boys; to compete in every single moment, in every single duel, in every single action.”
All matches will be streamed live on Mediacorp’s video-on-demand service mewatch, as well as the Vietnam Football Federation’s official YouTube channel.
Singapore squad for AFC U-23 qualifiers
(All Young Lions unless stated)
Goalkeepers: Ainun Nuha, Aizil Yazid, Firman Nabil
Defenders: Adam Reefdy, Andrew Aw, Aqil Yazid, Junki Yoshimura, Kieran Teo, Luth Harith, Marcus Mosses, Raoul Suhaimi
Midfielders: Ajay Robson,Harith Danish, Ong Yu En, Ryu Hardy, Ethan Pinto (Geylang International), Rae Peh (BG Tampines Rovers), Muhammad Asis (FC Vizela - Portugal)
Forwards: Louka Tan-Vaissiere, Kian Jared Ghadessy, Amir Syafiz, Jonan Tan (FC Vizela),Khairin Nadim (FC Vizela)
