Cambodia national team will begin preparations for the SEA Games in May by entering The Merlion Invitational Tournament held in Singapore later this month.
A chance to shine…..
The competition will give the U22 players a chance to show football fans everywhere their ambitions for gold medals at the games in May. Football was marked by government as the one sport the host nation had to show improvement in. The appointment of Honda and government money thrown into the development of the game locally was a result of their desire to win a medal and now. entry into this tournament will be largelyb seen as the benchmark of how far we have come.
The Merlion Invitational….
The Merlion Cup was an invitational football tournament that was held in Singapore annually from 1982–1986, in 1992, 2009 and 2019. Participants included full national sides, Olympic sides, Invitational XI’s and club teams. This year’s competition will feature Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong alongside our boys in blue. The format is simple with all teams playing two games, semi finals and a final (3rd place play off for the losing semi finalists), Cambodia will play Malaysia whilst Hong Kong play Singapore.
The fans expect….
The semi final draw has given all fans room for optimism. Recent performances against Malaysia have been good, the most recent was a 3-1 win in the AFF Cup, and with regional powerhouses Vietnam & Thailand absent from the tournament, there is a general feeling that we can beat any of these teams in this tournament. Bringing home this trophy will give even the most hardened football fan a smile and expectations will be high come May.
The squad is as good as anyone else’s…
The U22 squad is very strong. In Lim Pisoth we have one of the most exciting talents on the continent right now. The Crown forward is unplayable on his day and is off the back of an award winning season for him.
