Final ‘audition’ for national Under-23 squad
TOMORROW’S friendly match against Jeonju Citizens should be the final chance for 26 national Under-23 players to “audition” for a place in the final squad for the 2018 Asian Under-23 Championship in China.
National Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee said all the players will be given a final chance to prove themselves as three players will be dropped after the friendly match against the Korean side before they head off to Nanjing on Saturday.
However, Kim Swee admitted he faces a tough task in deciding which three players to drop after three friendly matches over two weeks in Mokpo, South Korea.
“All the players have shown determination and a high level of discipline throughout training.
“When all of the players perform well, for sure it presents a difficult situation for the coach to choose 23 of the best players that will go to China.
“But I can assure you that the players who make the cut are the ones that are needed the most and fit the bill for the championship,” he said yesterday.
The national Under-23 squad will play one more friendly match in Nanjing before they start their campaign against Iraq on Jan 10, Jordan (Jan 13) and Saudi Arabia (Jan 16).
“We have been on a good path during our time here in South Korea as well as when we carried out the first phase of centralised training back home before this.
“I expect the team to be in very good shape before our first match against Iraq in about two weeks time,” he said. Syafiq Aznan