The Under-16 national football team of Singapore which comprises 23 athletes will travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh to play at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers on October 2.
The squad will start their Group E drive against host nation Bangladesh on October 5. Yemen and Bhutan are among their upcoming opponents in the group. All of the games of the Singapore team will be held at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mustofa Kamal Stadium.
Asian Cup Qualifiers
The U-16 team was originally composed of 30 players, they have undergone several training sessions five times a week that started on August 22 as a part of their preparations for the next season. The Asian Cup qualifiers serves as a precursor to the World Cup where online betting odds world cup 2022 are already available.
The team also had a chance to play in international friendlies, where they were able to receive essential game experience with other Asian teams such as the Albirex Niigata u-19, Tanjong Pagar United U-21, Hougang United U-21, and the U-16 squads of Malaysia.
The Asian Cup Qualifiers will occur at the same time as the academic ‘O’ and ‘N’ Level examination period. Ten new athletes were added to the team in which nine of them are on their Secondary 3 level. They have been carefully selected and will play to be representatives of the country in the tournaments that fit their age groups.
Coach comments
The head coach of the team, Angel Toledano, was interviewed about the new players and he expressed his admiration for the commitment of the group. He said that he respected the professionalism of each player as they prepare for the AFC qualifiers.
He also stated that the team has shown discipline when it comes to the improvement of their defensive and offensive system for them to be consistent in their gameplay in their upcoming matches. Support the team via online betting odds world cup 2022 on the betting site.
The professional coach also said that each of his boys was handpicked from a team in Indonesia he was pleased with the improvement of the squad. He also said that they were lucky to be given a rare opportunity to be part of something memorable such as the AFC qualifiers.
Current roster
The current roster of the U-16 national team consists of old and new players from several schools across Singapore.
Goalkeepers
The goalkeepers consist of Edgar Leo (St. Gabriel’s Secondary School), Aniq Zulfadli (Montfort Secondary School), and Isaac Lee (Singapore Sports School).
Midfielders
The midfielders are composed of Aiman Zayani (Singapore Sports School), Harris Ilhan (St. Patrick’s Secondary School), Loo Kai Sheng (Singapore Sports School), and Sky Yeo (Singapore Sports School).
They will be joined by Danish Haqimi (Singapore Sports School), Jonan Tan (St. Gabriel’s Secondary School), Rasul Ramli (Singapore Sports School), and Yusril Hanapi (Meridian Secondary School).
Defenders
The defenders of the team are Brayden Goh (Anderson Secondary School), Idzham Shah (Westwood Secondary School), Kegan Phang (Singapore Sports School), and Shaddiq Mansor (Singapore Sports School).
The rest of the defenders are Hadirul Harraz (Singapore Sports School), Ilham Iskandar (Singapore Sports School), and Marcus Heng (Raffles Institution).
Forwards
The forwards include Ahmad Luthfi (Singapore Sports School), Fernandez Casey (Singapore Sports School), Syazwan Latiff (Meridian Secondary School), Aqil Rusyaidi (Singapore Sports School), and Rayyan Tan (Victoria School).
According to the announcement of the Football Association of Singapore on September 30, the team is undergoing training to strengthen its defensive system.
Conclusion
The AFC Under-17 Asian Cup is a football tournament that happens once every two years. The competition is also designed as a qualification competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The footballing event will continue again for the first time since its last edition in 2018 where the U-17 team of Japan is the current champion.
Back up your favorite Asian team at online betting odds world cup 2022 and win surprising rewards!