U-23 gossip

The Army's exciting winger Nov Soseila, definitely one to watch for the future

I should have confirmation of the Cambodia Under-23 football squad anytime soon, as they are currently preparing for the SEA Games in Laos in December under national coach Scott O'Donell. Whilst the Cambodian Premier League season has been underway, the squad have got together sporadically though once the Super 4 play-offs end, the squad will start full-time preparation for the tournament, which will include a training camp in Vietnam. There are other plans on the table to give the team the best possible chance of success and foremost amongst them is the friendly fixture against the Singapore U-23s at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday 27th September. This follows on immediately after the final play-off games the day before, not ideal but it was the only time such strong opposition as Singapore were available and the chance to pit our U-23s against them was too good an opportunity to miss. I want to get along to a training session at the Old Stadium (being used as the national football center is waterlogged) and have a look at the full squad as well as getting the thoughts of Scott O'Donell ahead of the important next couple of months of preparation. What I do know is that the majority of the squad is made up of players from Preah Khan Reach, the Ministry of National Defense and Phnom Penh Crown with Build Bright, Khemara and Naga also supplying members of the 25-strong squad, which will be reduced to 20 come the SEA Games. It doesn't take a genius to work out some of the names and it would be a major shock if the talents of keeper Samreth Seiha, centre-half Tieng Tiny, winger Prak Mony Udom and strikers Kuoch Sokumpheak, Keo Sokngorn and Khim Borey aren't in the 25, though Borey has been out of action for much of the CPL campaign. Having watched the majority of the CPL games this season, I would also stake the claims of the Army's exciting winger Nov Soseila, Phuchung Neak striker Heng Sokly, BBU skipper and midfield lynchpin Chhun Sothearath, Preah Khan's dominant defender Sok Rithy as well as the Army keeper Sou Yaty, who has swapped places with Samreth Seiha for much of the season. More as I get it.