My players learnt a lot

Cambodian national U-19 coach Prak Sovannara

At Wednesday's CPL games at the Olympic Stadium, I grabbed a few minutes with the U-19's coach to get his thoughts on how their recent tournament in Vietnam panned out.

The Cambodian Under-19 football coach, Prak Sovannara, the only A-licensed coach in the country and the man in charge of the full national team for much of the past year, has had time to reflect on the recent Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championships and the performances of his teenage charges. Although Cambodia lost all three games they played in their group A matches last week, two of those games were against the eventual finalists and all three nations they came up against are much further forward in their youth development programmes than Cambodia are. In fact Cambodia ’s youth development is very much at the fledgling stage and the coach managed to get the squad together for just a few sessions before they crossed the border into Vietnam a week before the tournament, held in Ho Chi Minh City , to work on some last minute tactical and teamwork issues.
Cambodia lined-up against bitter rivals and U-19 champions Thailand in their first game and Sovannara was pleased with their application. “My team did a great job, were well organised and we only went behind to a mistake that the Thais took advantage of. After half-time we missed a great chance to equalise and then lost our centre-half, who was sent off. After that, we struggled with the pace of the game and lost 3-0,” said the team coach.
Two days later they faced Singapore and put up a showing that Sovannara was proud of. Though they lost 3-1, the coach commented; “We played so well in the first half and led 1-nil at the interval, though a goal from [Prak Mony] Udom. We pushed forward at the start of the second half to get another but our goalkeeper made a mistake and we were punished again. After the previous game, my players were very tired and found it hard to keep up with Singapore .”
“In our final game we faced more tough opponents, Australia. There were no easy games in this competition. We conceded two goals in two minutes just before half time and that was it really. We were physically and mentally tired and couldn’t get back into the game despite giving our best,” said the man who is also technical director at Preah Khan Reach, who’ve led the Cambodian Premier League for much of the current season.

“We did our best and I was very pleased with the first half performances in all three matches, we showed great spirit and togetherness and our technical ability matched our opponents. But it was noticeable that we couldn’t sustain the speed and intensity of the games. Our physical strength was not up to it and it’s clear to me that the leagues in which the other teams play are stronger and faster,” bemoaned the coach. “My players learnt a lot from the competition, which is important, and they will take away the fact that their performance levels have to last for the whole game and not just for the first half of matches. I was happy with my squad and in Prak Mony Udom and Keo Sokngorn, I had two players in particular who were confident and strong and who impressed me very much.”
There are no more U-19 level matches on the calendar this year though quite a few of the players are expected to feature in the Under-23 squad for the SEA Games in Laos in December, when it’s announced by the national coach Scott O’Donell sometime soon. The Cambodia Football Federation have already lined up one friendly fixture for the U-23s, when they welcome their much-fancied Singapore counterparts to the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, 27 September.

Cambodia's stars of the future

The scene is set for the giantkilling of all time as the cream of Cambodia's budding young football hopefuls take on the young stars from Australia, Thailand and Singapore in the Asean Football Federation Under-19 Youth Championships in Saigon next week. Okay, so it's highly unlikely that Cambodia will progress from their group matches against the countries mentioned above, but there's always hope, as national U-19 coach Prak Sovannara (pictured) explains. "I have a good squad, all of the players bar one are with CPL teams and play regularly as well as train full time. I know its a tall order but at youth level I believe we can give a good account of ourselves. I've selected 20 players and we are going to Vietnam a little early so we can get together, train together and play a couple of practice games before it starts for real." Sovannara has spent the last year as coach to the full national team and took them to the Suzuki Cup finals, as well as using his know-how to guide Preah Khan Reach to the top of the CPL, as their technical advisor. If anyone can get the U-19's fired up and ready for the biggest challenge of their budding careers, Sovannara can.
The squad left Phnom Penh at 6am today, taking the overland route to Saigon, where they will prepare themselves for the tournament that begins on 4 August and involves three games in five days. Cambodia will face Thailand in their opening Group A game on 4 August and then meet Singapore on 6 August and Australia two days later, on 8 August. After some drop-outs, there are just two groups, with the winners and runners-up moving onto the semi finals on 10 August and the final on 12 August. Notwithstanding the coach's optimistic view, progress from the group stage would be a fantastic achievement for the Cambodian youngsters who number Phnom Penh Crown's wonder-kid Keo Sokngorn (pictured) amongst their ranks. Also included in the 20-man squad are two of the CPL's best goalkeepers this season, Peng Bunchhay and Sou Yaty. A number of the U-19 squad are also likely to feature in the U-23 squad that national coach Scott O'Donell will announce later this week.

With the Ministry of National Defense, Phnom Penh Crown and Preah Khan Reach providing the bulk of the U-19 squad for the tournament, CPL matches involving those three teams will be re-scheduled according to FFC Deputy Secretary May Tola. Prak Sovannara also indicated that the Australians would be sending their U-17 team to compete and he felt that at youth level, Cambodia have nothing to fear from Thailand and Singapore. Fighting talk indeed and if his optimism rubs off onto the players, we might just see that giantkilling I mentioned earlier. The full squad is as follows: Peng Bunchhay, Soeng Vanthan, Keo Sokngorn, Touch Pacharong, Hong Rathana (all Phnom Penh Crown), Sou Yaty, Thong Oudom, Lorn Sotheara, Phuong Soksana, Khek Khemarin, Oum Kumpheak (all Ministry of Defense), Chhun Veasna (Kong Reach Sey), Tum Saray, Prak Mony Udom, Suon Makara, Sok Chanraksmey, Sok Vannak (all Preah Khan Reach), Nhim Sovannara, Ek Vannak (BBU), Seng Komsen (Spark). Coaches: Prak Sovannara, Tep Long Rachana, Ouk Chomrong, Phea Sopheaktra.

Metfone on the line

The Cambodian football federation (FFC) has joined forces with mobile telephone supplier Metfone in a sponsorship deal worth $1.5million over the next three years. Increasing interest from sponsors is great news all round, for the FFC, the clubs and the fans. Okay, so the name of the CPL will become the Metfone C-League for next season but that's a small price to pay as some of the funding will go towards relocating the National Football Center as well as funding the U-19 and U-23 squads. The current football headquarters is a 1-pitch facility southwest of the capital, whilst plans for the new location include 4 pitches on a 52 hectare site in the Bati district, about 40 kms from Phnom Penh. The FFC was previously sponsored by a South Korean technology company and now the Vietnam-based company who own Metfone have come to the party. If I was being picky, it would be nice to have some Cambodian sponsors involved, but beggars can't be choosers in the current financial climate.

Also on the football front, an AFC C-Licence course for coaches was completed on Monday,and 70% of the 30 Cambodian coaches passed the required standard. Cambodia's only A-Licence coach, Prak Sovannara was in charge of the 2-week theory and practical sessions and said he was "delighted at the commitment of the Khmer coaches" who took part. Better qualified coaches will be the springboard for better quality footballers of the future in my view. On the subject of players of the future, the national coach Scott O'Donell has been holding twice-weekly trials for the U-23 squad that will travel to Laos for the SEA Games in December. And he's been very impressed with the 35 or so players that have turned up at 6am at the National Football Center for the sessions. He wants to select his squad soon, as some of the players will also be representing Cambodia in the U-19 championships in Vietnam next month.

Sovannara leads from the front

Improved coaching will be one very important step towards football in Cambodia getting on a par with some of the better countries in the Asian region such as Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. The Asian Football Confederation, as the governing body of the sport in the region, organises regular coaching courses at all levels for the coaches of the future in the countries under its jurisdiction. Cambodia is no exception and a very welcome AFC 'C' coaching certificate course began at the National Sports Complex today. Led by Cambodia's only AFC Regional Instructor, Prak Sovannara (pictured), until recently the country's national coach, this will give 30 Khmer participants, drawn from Phnom Penh and the provinces, not only invaluable experience but also the opportunity to continue their coaching education and a shot at the 'B' and 'A' licences in the future. Sovannara is the only Khmer 'A' qualified coach. The course will last from today until 20 July and all the participants must already hold a 'D' licence or received exemption. Included amongst the roster for this course is Van Piseth, who has just been included in the coaching line-up for the Cambodian national team under the new boss, Scott O'Donell. It is vital that the coaches who qualify from the course then take their technical and tactical knowledge into the schools, junior clubs and senior teams within the Cambodian Premier League, to begin the grassroots steps needed to make that much-needed improvement in Cambodian football. They have a long way to go but as the Cambodian proverb says, 'a journey of 10,000 miles begins with one step.'

Prak Sovannara will also soon begin the task of putting together a squad of under-19 players to represent Cambodia at the AFF U19 Youth championships in Vietnam in early August. He was the national youth team coach before he took on the top job for a year and saw Cambodia through to the Suzuki Cup finals at the end of 2008. Now that Scott O'Donell has returned as national coach, Sovannara has resumed his duties with the under-19s and will select 25 players from the current crop of talented youth players with teams in the Cambodian Premier League. The U19 championships will take place in Saigon from 4-16 August and Cambodia have been drawn in a tough-looking Group B that also includes Australia, Thailand and Laos. They will begin on 5 August against Thailand at Thanh Long Stadium and then meet Laos on the 8th and Australia on the 11th.

Looking ahead

Cambodia's national coach Scott O'Donell, looking ahead to the SEA Games in December

Shaping the future of Cambodian football - by Andy Brouwer, Phnom Penh Post

Former national players Van Piseth and Bouy Dary have joined the national team coach O'Donell to develop Cambodian talent

Recently appointed Cambodian national football coach Scott O'Donell has selected the men he wants to help him shape the future of Cambodia’s national team. Van Piseth and Bouy Dary are no strangers to the international set-up, as both worked with O’Donell in 2007, the last year of his previous stint in charge of the national team. All three have been running their experienced collective eyes over the ten teams in the Cambodian Premier League (CPL) for the first half of the current campaign in order to identify the cream of the country’s young talent.

O’Donell is very happy with his choices. “Both Piseth and Dary were with me before," he said. "I trust and respect them. Both were national team players and have a good knowledge of the game, and we already have a mutual understanding of what we want to achieve. ” Van Piseth, 47, was a national player for Cambodia for three years during the mid-1980s, playing most of his football for the Army team before beginning his coaching career at Khemara. He is due to take his AFC C-Licence coaching certificate next month. Bouy Dary, 23, was assistant to the last national coach, Prak Sovannara, and is one of the younger generation of coaches in Cambodia, currently plying his trade with Phnom Penh Crown. He played under O’Donell in the SEA Games in 2005 whilst with the Royal Navy team, and already has his C-Licence. A third appointment is Prak Sovanny as the goalkeeping coach, a role he had under the previous national set-up.

“The next stage is to get a squad together, with the SEA Games in Laos in December as the next major challenge,” stated O’Donell. “I want to put on a series of trials for around 40 players in the last three weeks of July at the Olympic Stadium, with a view to whittling that down to a squad of 25. Then I’d like to get the squad with me a couple of times a week during August and September, which is why I met with the CPL coaches a couple of weeks ago, as I need their cooperation. I’d be concentrating on their technical and tactical awareness rather than their stamina until the end of the current season.” The 42-year-old Australian is also looking to cement his squad’s preparation for the Under-23 SEA tournament with a couple of friendly international matches and two training camps away in Korea and Vietnam.

Last week, O’Donell, the former AFC Director of Coach Education, went back to Kuala Lumpur to help conduct a joint AFC and FIFA course aimed at developing quality regional coach instructors throughout Asia. Also attending the course was Prak Sovannara, who is now employed as technical coach to XPL leaders Preah Khan Reach. Prak Sovannara will head a two-week AFC C-Licence course in Cambodia, starting July 7, for thirty prospective home-grown coaches. Meanwhile, Scott O’Donell has just flown to the Cayman Islands for a six-day FIFA coaching course he will instruct, a booking that was arranged before he took on his new role as the Cambodian coach.

Assistant coach Van Piseth is no stranger to the national set-up

Maintaining continuity, Bouy Dary was assistant coach in the last national set-up

Spare a thought

Spare a thought for former Cambodian national football team coack Prak Sovannara as the spotlight now shifts to the country's new Australian coach Scott O'Donell, who began work yesterday. Softly-spoken Sovannara took over the national team in July of last year and is Cambodia's best home-grown coach by a country mile. Though his record in a dozen international matches under his control of three wins, 1 draw and eight defeats, goals for 14, goals against 37, doesn't look too rosy, he was building for the future with a very young team and included in that record was successful qualification for the finals of the Suzuki Cup. For the first quarter of this year he was working without a contract and it was pretty clear to me that the Federation were actively looking for a coach with overseas experience, which they have now got. As for Sovannara, he has been coaching the Premier League leaders Preah Khan Reach this season and has also received offers to go and coach in Europe. Such a move would be invaluable experience for him and one that would augur well for a return to coach the national team sometime in the future. He is afterall only 37 years old, he's been coaching full-time for the last decade and experience outside Cambodia would be great for his coaching CV. Added to which he is a real gentleman, went out of his way to co-operate with the press at all times and remains committed to helping Cambodian football in any way he can.

Prak Sovannara took over as Cambodia's national coach in July 2008 after a string of poor performances under the former South Korean coach and the forecast looked bleak when a three week stint of practice matches in South Korea, produced losses in six of eight games to university and domestic teams. Not easily deterred, Sovannara, who played for the national team in the 1990s and who has coached domestic side Phnom Penh Empire and the national youth team, also cast aside crushing friendly defeats, 7-1 to Myanmar and 7-0 to Indonesia, to put some fire into the belly of his players for the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying tournament held in Phnom Penh last October. With wins over Laos (3-2) and Brunei (2-1), a draw with Timor Leste (2-2) and a loss to Philippines (2-3), his youthful Cambodian team, with an average age of 22, qualified as runners-up for the finals. This was a real success for the fans and players alike to rejoice in, exemplified by the whole squad running to throw their shirts into the 15,000 crowd at the end of the qualifiers. In the December finals Cambodia came unstuck against Singapore (0-5) and Indonesia (0-4) and narrowly lost to Laos 3-2 but could hold their heads high in competing at the senior level of Asean football. In April, he took his young squad to Bangladesh for the AFC Challenge Cup group stage and narrowly failed to qualify, beating Macau 2-1 but losing to Bangladesh and Myanmar, by a 1-nil scoreline on both occasions. He was looking to build the squad ahead of the SEA Games in Laos in December until he was told that his place was to be taken by Scott O'Donell at the weekend.

9 goals in 2 games

Livewire striker Sunday Patrick Okonkwo starred for Naga Corp

Okay I know its been a football dominated last few posts on my blog, but I promise this is the final one for this weekend. The two games at the Olympic Stadium this afternoon provided a few thrills and spills as Preah Khan Reach returned to the top spot in the Cambodia Premier League table, making heavy weather of beating Post Tel Club 2-0, whilst Naga Corp rattled in 5 goals against Phuchung Neak, who scored twice in reply. Sam El Nasa, with an early tap-in, and a Sotheavy own goal undid Post Tel, who failed to register with a last-minute penalty when Ouk Mic saved well at the foot of the post. But it was PKR striker Olisa Emeka Onyemerea who missed half a dozen guilt-edged chances to double and triple PKR's winning margin in an otherwise scrappy game. That said, PKR now sit at the head of the league table with 12 points, which will please their fans and their coach Prak Sovannara, who has just seen Scott O'Donell appointed as the national team coach in his place. He was philosophical about the change saying that Scott's experience will serve the team well and that he will now concentrate on PKR full-time, whilst also considering offers he's received to coach abroad in Holland and Germany.
In the opening game of the day, Naga rattled in the goals but still didn't look convincing, allowing their oppponents to score twice when the game should've been dead and buried. The star of the show was Sunday Patrick Okonkwo, who scored twice and looked constantly dangerous. Naga's other scorers were Friday Nwakuna (days of the week seem popular with Naga's overseas imports), Meas Channa and substitute defender Neang Chenla. Pointless Phuchung Neak's goals came from Ouk Thoun and Pov Samnang and they lost Oghenekevwe Auwara with a straight red card for a needless elbow on Channa in the dying moments of the game. Today's fare was certainly an improvement on yesterday's but one thing didn't change, the rolling around on the floor screaming in agony whenever a challenge came in was just as prevalent and something that the CPL should look to stamp out as quickly as they can. It's just a way to try and curry favourable refereeing decisions, whilst the poor lads who operate the stretcher are leaving the ground in an exhausted heap, having worked harder than anyone on the pitch!

Naga Corp ran out easy 5-2 winner against the league's whipping boys Phuchung Neak

Bottom of the table Phuchung Neak and still without a point

PKR's Olisa Emeka Onyemerea missed a hatful of chances in the game against Post Tel

Preah Khan Reach went back to the top of the table with their 2-0 success

Saturday's soccer

A coolly taken goal by BBU's Prum Puth Sethy took his team to the top of the CPL

I don't hate the word soccer, as many do, but it's what football is known as around the American-accented globe, hence the catchy headline. Saturday's games in the Cambodia Premier League were anything but classics. For much of both matches, it was all pretty dreary, the teams cancelling each other out and goalmouth action was scarce. There was more rolling around on the ground and being carried off on a stretcher than actual playing time. A rainstorm heralded the start of the second half of the opening game and a whipping wind took down all the advertising hordings and pitchside umbrellas at one stage too. To be honest, the weather conditions were more interesting than the football, and its rare to be able to say that. I watched the games in the company of the national team coach Prak Sovannara, so it was good to get his tactical perspective on what we saw, with his team, Preah Khan Reach - who he has been helping coach this season - and who play today, due to meet Spark next week so he was running the rule over his future opponents. The first match was Defense Ministry against Spark, pitching Khim Borey, last season's Golden Boot winner, with the leading scorer this season, Justine Prince from Spark. However, the two strikers failed to live up to the hype and both had quiet, almost anonymous afternoons. The goals arrived after the rain and in the last 15 minutes. Thong Oudom poked in the opener for the Defense team with Spark's Chhordaravuth heading in the equalier ten minutes from time, to keep his team unbeaten this season. A 1-1 draw was a fair result for this drab encounter. In the second match, Build Bright would've expected a harder game from Kirivong, but the Takeo-based team lacked their usual killer touch and BBU's Prum Puth Sethy finished coolly just before half-time, with the game's only goal. It has put BBU at the top of the table, before this afternoon's two matches and no-one would've expected that at the start of the seaon. The CPL is very tight so far this term, there's no runaway leader as many expected Crown to be, which gives all the teams something to play for. Amen to that.

This Kirivong Sok Sen Chey team suffered a surprise 1-nil defeat to BBU

Spark's Meak Chhordaravuth headed an equaliser for his unbeaten team against Defense Ministry

Unbeaten Spark FC, with leading scorer Justine Prince, 3rd from left back row

The Defense Ministry team with Khim Borey, 2nd from left back row, but still without Samreth Seiha in goal, who was amongst the subs

Olympic fun & games

PKR goal hero Khoun Laboravy who sent a 20 yard screamer into the net, after missing a sitter from a yard out - such is football - just behind him umbrellas are swirling across the pitch

It's pouring with rain and I've just returned home from this afternoon's fun and frolics at the Olympic Stadium. It should've been a straightforward couple of games in the Cambodia Premier League but the thunder and lightning storm, a mini-tornado on the pitch, and a shock upset in the first game made it anything but a normal day at the office. The black clouds were gathering as the 1st game reached its conclusion and as the final whistle went, a mini-tornado whipped up the advertising hordings, sending them crashing into the goalposts, umbrellas were sent spiralling across the pitch and the two portable dug-outs went on a slalom course as the rain came down in torrents. The 2nd game between National Defense and Khemara began but was quickly abandoned after just two minutes as the players couldn't see each other, let alone the ball. That was the end of the day's proceedings. Earlier, in the 1st game, Preah Khan Reach pulled off the shock result of the season so far, with a deserved 2-nil win over champions Phnom Penh Crown. Without Lappe Lappe up front, Crown were toothless and it showed as PKR upped their game after the interval and netted with goals from Khoun Laboravy and Olisa Emeka Onyemerea - way too many names for a footballer. They were ecstatic to beat the title favourites and it should be good for the league competition that Crown won't have it all their own way this season. National team coach Prak Sovannara is helping out at PKR this season and was delighted, saying the key was PKR's passing game, which worked a treat in this match. Watching the game from the stands was the 22-strong squad for the brand new Cambodia Under 16 girls football team, who fly to Laos on Tuesday for their first-ever friendly. The girls looked resplendent in their national colours and were pleased as punch when the announcer asked the crowd to give them a round of applause. Their smiles beamed from ear to ear.

The Preah Khan Reach starting 11 who inflicted Crown's 1st defeat of the season

Phnom Penh Crown, not looking as invicible as in recent seasons

The storm clouds approaching the almost deserted Olympic Stadium

Proud as punch: the 22-strong Cambodian U/16 national football team for girls

As seen on the way to the stadium: I know Khmer guys love their bouffant hair-do's but this is taking it to the extreme.

Sovannara's AFC epilogue

Prak Sovannara remains upbeat and positive as always

Cambodia returned home from the AFC Challenge Cup in Bangladesh without qualifying for next year's finals but gained valuable competition experience for their young squad and national team coach Prak Sovannara remained upbeat about his team's results when I spoke to him on Saturday. "I saw the players visibly grow in confidence as the tournament progressed and with such a young squad that gives me confidence for the future. Players like Samreth Seiha, Khim Borey and Keo Sokngorn, all teenagers, have many years to improve and grow in the national team. They played with a lot of freedom against Myanmar and that pleased me so much. The team spirit was there for all to see, our teamwork was good and we played confidently, they followed my instructions and we deserved better results against both Macau and Myanmar for the football we played. I am frustrated we didn't qualify, we were good enough as a team and with better finishing and a bit of luck, we could've gone to the finals."

His overall impression from the tournament was one of promise for the future. "I was very pleased to see such a big improvement with our defending, we have made great strides in restricting our opponents goal threat. We had to work hard in midfield and now we need to work on improving our attack, especially finishing and supporting our strikers. One of the few disappointing aspects of our play in Bangladesh, was our failure in front of goal. Against Macau we had a hatful of opportunities to score, and we didn't. And again against Myanmar we had perfect chances to score, so this is something we really need to work on, as a team unit, not just our strikers." The head coach was quick to shower praise on his players, picking out three players who really impressed him in Bangladesh. "I was really pleased with Teab Vathanak on the left side of midfield. He had a long injury lay-off last year and he came back so strongly in the games against Macau and Myanmar, he was excellent. Also centre-half Om Thavrak played so well, his commitment was very good. And Keo Sokngorn is a wonderful prospect at just 17 years old. He always gives 100% and has great talent. I have to be careful not to expose him too quickly but he is a player with a very big future ahead of him."

Prak Sovannara is now focused on the future. "The next task is to build the team up for the SEA Games at the end of the year and I hope I will be given the oppportunity to do that. I would like a series of friendly matches both home and away to strengthen our team as a unit, work on areas that need improving and to continue the progress I saw in Bangladesh. This team can only get better." He added, "I have a couple of players in mind who will add something extra to the squad and we will see what the new Cambodia League season will produce too. I have taken on the coaching duties at Preah Khan Reach for the coming season and that will see me involved on a regular basis with a club side again. We have three Khmer players coming over from abroad very soon so that will add some extra interest too." For now, the focus will be on the new Cambodia Premier League season which kicked-off on Saturday though the Football Federation must arrange a program of friendly matches and squad getogethers for the national team before they travel to Laos for the SEA Games competition in December.

Press clippings

My article in today's Phnom Penh Post

Note: To read the article in the Phnom Penh Post, click here.

Youth has its chance

17 year old prodigy Keo Sokngorn

My discussion with the Cambodia national football coach Prak Sovannara at the Olympic Stadium yesterday revealed a remarkable statistic. I'd previously thought the average age of the Cambodian national team was somewhere in the twenties but as Sovannara went through the list of his 18-man squad that had just returned from Bangladesh, and reeled off each player's age, we quickly realized that his squad was even younger than I first thought. 22 is the average age with three teenagers in the team, the youngest being the 17 year old star of the future, Keo Sokngorn. Sovannara was effusive in his praise for the teenager, who is on the books of the current league champions Phnom Penh Crown. "Keo Sokngorn is a wonderful prospect at just 17 years old. He always gives 100% and has great talent. When I play him I give him the freedom of the park. I have to be careful not to expose him too quickly but he is a player with a very big future ahead of him." True to his word, the coach sat Sokngorn on the bench for the games against Bangladesh and Myanmar, introducing him in the second-half of each game, though he did start him against Macau and the youngster rewarded him with a goal. The two other teenagers are the 19 year old pairing of goalkeeper Samreth Seiha and talented sriker Khim Borey. Both have come through the youth ranks and have been regulars in the national squad for a while, belieing their tender years. Seiha is an exciting goalkeeper to watch, agile, brave and the best in the country, though a dispute with his team National Defense Ministry is casting a shadow over the start of his domestic league season. Borey has already proved his ability as a goalscorer, winning the golden boot award last season as the country's top marksman, but he too is in limbo after his club made serious allegations against the two players in a recent Hun Sen Cup game.

With the majority of the squad in their early twenties, the exceptions are national captain Kim Chanbunrith, who is the elder statesman of the team at 30, whilst number two goalkeeper Ouk Mic is close behind at 29. Pok Chanthan, recalled for duty after missing the international games in 2008, is 27 and Sam El Nasa is 25, though seems to have been playing for the national team forever, having made his debut as a teenager. Sovannara is upbeat about his squad. "With such a young squad that gives me confidence for the future. Players like Seiha, Borey and Sokngorn, all teenagers, have many years to improve and grow in the national team. I would like a series of friendly matches both home and away to strengthen our team as a unit, work on areas that need improving and to continue the progress I saw in Bangladesh. This team can only get better." Amen to that I say. With such a youthful national squad to work with, Prak Sovannara is carrying the nation's hopes forward and its his job to mould that youthful exuberance with the experience of seasoned players, into a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asian football. It won't happen overnight but the signs are good that Cambodian football is set to end its spell in the doldrums.

The big kick-off

Your reporter and Cambodia national team coach, Prak Sovannara

This afternoon, the Cambodia Premier league season kicked-off with two games at the Olympic Stadium. The season's opener turned out to be a surprise 4-2 win for Kirivong Sok Sen Chey against the more fancied Khemara Keila, whilst Build Bright were leading Post Tel, 1-nil, in the second game with 2 minutes to go as I left early to avoid the thunderstorm just around the corner. Khemara looked set to win comfortably against Kirivong after national team striker Kouch Sokumpheak put them into the lead after just four minutes. He then missed a penalty and that came back to haunt his side as Kirivong looked a different outfit after the interval and came back strongly in the latter stages to win, with In Vichheka inflicting most of the damage. The Build Bright game was far less interesting as I collared the national team coach Prak Sovannara for an in-depth chat about Cambodia's showing in the AFC Challenge Cup in Bangladesh earlier this week. As always Sovannara was a great interviewee, giving me his views on the AFC competition, the players in his squad, his hopes for the rest of this year and the heads-up that this season he will be acting as chief coach to CPL team Preah Khan Reach, who begin their campaign tomorrow. More revelations in my article for Monday's Phnom Penh Post. I watched the games with PPP journo's Dan and Robin, who cover most of the CPL matches, and also met Chamroeun for the first time, another football nut who writes for French newspaper Cambodge Soir Hebdo.

The team's enter a soul-less Olympic Stadium for the first match of the season

The surprise package of the opening game of the CPL, Kirivong Sok Sen Chey, pose for the camera

The word from Dhaka

Cambodia's national coach Prak Sovannara is not a happy man, despite his team beating Macau 2-1 yesterday to register their first win of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying group matches being played in Dhaka in Bangladesh. In a match he had expected his team to win comfortably, his players failed to find their goal-scoring touch and I think in the dressing-room afterwards, they would've been left in no doubt as to his feelings. However, in the scramble for qualification places, Cambodia's shyness in front of goal in this game may not be as damaging as at first glance. With the group winners getting automatic qualification, the last qualifying place for next year's finals will go to the best-ranked of the runners-up in the four groups, and results against the lowest-placed team in the group may not count. It starts to get a bit complicated and there are a few variations according to the competition's rules, but the bottom-line is that qualification is still up for grabs by all three teams, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh and so tomorrow's final group games will settle the issue. Cambodia will meet group leaders Myanmar (kick-off 4.30pm), who already have six points after they defeated the hosts Bangladesh 2-1 yesterday. Myanmar need a point to secure the group title, whilst Cambodia need to win to keep alive their hopes of qualification. In the other game, Bangladesh take on bottom team Macau (kick-off 7pm) and they too need to win to push their claims for a place in the finals. It all adds up to an intriguing last day of Group A.

Back to the game against Macau. Team coach Sovannara rang the changes for this, their second game of the competition, including Om Thavrak, Khoun Laboravy and Keo Sokngorn from the start, with Pok Chanthan sidelined through injury and regular striker Kouch Sokumpheak amongst the substitutes. With the coach's instructions to attack their opponents from the first whistle, Cambodia began with a flourish and took a 12th minute lead when Teab Vathanak (pictured) controlled a pass from Khim Borey and scored with a low drive into the corner. So far so good. With Cambodia dominating possession, Sovannara made two first-half substitutions, bringing on San Narith and Sokumpheak to add to his attacking options, but it was his team's inability to convert a hatful of goal-scoring chances that left them with just a 1-goal half-time lead. The coach was not happy, as he explained to me. "We began well, with perfect tactics and strategy and had about 80% of the play, creating at least six golden opportunities to score. I also made two changes in my team to give us even more attacking options. But my players lost concentration at the vital moment and we lost the opportunity to add to our early goal," he said.

For the second half, and with Macau visibly tiring in the scorching 39C afternoon heat, Sovannara encouraged his team to apply even more pressure in the final third. This paid off when Keo Sokngorn rewarded the coach's decision to include him from the start, with a tap-in after a corner had struck the woodwork, on 66 minutes. It was all Cambodia again as they kept possession and pushed forward but with Macau getting players behind the ball and frustrating their opponents, it was the group underdogs who grabbed a surprise consolation goal with fifteen minutes remaining. In their only serious attack of the game, a free-kick into a crowded penalty area fell to Che Chi Man and he bundled the ball in past an otherwise redundant Samreth Seiha in the Cambodia goal.

Whilst celebrating their 2-1 success, Sovannara had expected more goals from his team. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck in front of goal and today we didn't have any. We created so many good chances but only took two of them. My team gave a good performance in terms of possession of the ball and taking the game to the opponents, they followed my instructions but we lost concentration at vital times and often, we were too hungry to score and missed the opportunity. In the second half, Macau defended in numbers and gave us fewer chances and their goal came from one silly mistake. We were definitely better than in our first game, but had there been more than a day's gap in between matches, I think we would've performed even better." Now all eyes turn towards tomorrow's final group matches. "I have no injuries so will choose from a full team against Myanmar. I hope we will win if my players keep doing the right things, show their fighting team spirit and have a strong mental approach. It will be a very tough game but I will encourage my players to believe in themselves that they can achieve a positive result," said the Cambodia coach by email this afternoon.

Defeated but not down

If you believe the Bangladeshi press reports then their team fully deserved their success over Cambodia in last night's AFC Challenge Cup qualifying encounter, played in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka. As I didn't see the game myself, I can't agree or disagree, though the Cambodia national coach, Prak Sovannara (pictured), has given me his version of events by email, and they paint a somewhat different picture than the syndicated press reports. Bangladesh scored the game's only goal in the 73rd minute, a header from close range following a free kick. That one-goal separated the two teams, who are neck and neck in the FIFA world rankings, but it may not signal the end of Cambodia's hopes if they can win their next two games. The group winners will automatically go through to next year's finals, but so will the best ranked of the runners up from the four qualifying groups, so its important that Cambodia keep their sights firmly on winning their remaining two matches. And that's certainly what coach Sovannara is looking to do. "I was pleased with my players attitude and I am confident that if we keep doing all the right things, and can be more creative, we can win the next two games. We will need to score more goals against Macau and if we win the next 2 games, we still hope to qualify, depending on the other results."

As for the match against Bangladesh, Sovannara expressed his disappointment with the final result but was pleased with how his players performed. "My players put on a good performance from start to finish. They showed a good team spirit, good discipline and a great attitude against the hosts. We kept our focus, even when we went 1-0 down and if we had taken our chances the result could've been different. If we keep doing that, we will succeed. The players followed my instructions, but they showed too much respect to Bangladesh and I want them to be more creative in the next games. I will change the team against Macau for tactical reasons as we need to play more offensively with three strikers and two supporting from midfield and on the flanks from full-back as well. Pok Chanthan suffered an injury in the first game and the other changes I made in the game were tactical. I believe we can still win the next two games."

How did he view the Bangladesh game? "The Cambodia team played well according to our game plan and strategy. My starting eleven were selected since the training camp in Vietnam, though I changed it after half an hour and took off Vathanak, to give more cover to the defense and to create more options down the flanks. We allowed Bangladesh to have the ball, so we sat back and then counter-attacked as soon as we got the ball, especially down the flanks where the opponents were weaker. We were unlucky when Laboravy missed a great 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper just before half-time. The 0-0 score at half-time was a good platform for us." The second-half showing from Cambodia was much stronger as the coach explains. "After assessing our opponents, we changed our tactics and attacked more, again along the flanks and we put more pressure on them when we lost the ball. This improved our play and we got two good chances through Sokumpheak and El Nasa, but didn't score. I also made a switch with Sokngorn replacing Borey. But we lost a goal on 73 minutes when we made a mistake in a dangerous area and they scored from the free-kick. I immediately replaced Narith with Ravy and despite being a goal down, we stayed focused and fought well but we couldn't recover the goal." The result has left Cambodia needing two wins to have any hope of qualifying, and their first test will be against the minnows of Macau on Tuesday afternoon in a must-win game for Sovannara and his Cambodia squad.

AFC press talk

If you thought football was off the agenda until after tonight's opening AFC Challenge Cup qualifier between the host nation Bangladesh and Cambodia, then think again. The 4 participating teams spoke at the official press conference yesterday amidst a heat wave that has gripped Bangladesh and the capital Dhaka in temperatures that topped 38.5C, as well as forcing acute electricity and water shortages on the city's inhabitants. The Brazilian coach of Bangladesh, Dido, has said that his team's best form of defense will be to attack Cambodia from the start of their evening match, after Myanmar face Macau in the opener earlier this afternoon. He said he knew nothing about the Cambodian team and had problems in attack as his two main strikers have been carrying injuries. Meanwhile, Cambodia's national coach Prak Sovannara said; "We are here to win against Bangladesh as well as against Myanmar and Macau and wins against all of them will take us to the finals if we don't squander the opportunities." He felt he was 70% confident of a win over the hosts and that the scorching heat would not affect his players. "I see no difference compared to our country and I don't think it will hamper our performance."
As for Macau and Myanmar, they begin the qualifying tournament in the mid-afternoon heat and that will be a tough ask in anyone's book. Macau are the underdogs of the competition but have been together for a year and a half according to their coach, so aren't afraid of anyone. Myanmar have brought a young team to the qualifiers, comprising of under-23 players as their coach searches for the next generation of senior players. All of the games will be shown live on Bangladesh television and will be played at the 36,ooo-capacity Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.

Carrying the nation's hopes

The Cambodia football squad and officials getting ready for the off

The players and officials of the Cambodia national football team are pictured early this morning at the departures area of Phnom Penh's international airport as they prepare to leave for their three-match AFC Challenge Cup Qualifying Group competition in Bangladesh. Team coach Prak Sovannara confirmed that the squad is fit, healthy and ready to do battle, with the only injury doubt, striker Kouch Sokumpheak, reporting fit for duty. The players had to miss out on their recent Khmer New Year celebrations as they were in a training camp in Vietnam, so their preparation has been strict and focused on qualifying for the 2010 finals to be played in India. Team Manager Tola May was also upbeat about their chances as the 18-strong squad and party of seven officials left for Dhaka. They will have a light training session this afternoon once they arrive, will train again at the national stadium in Dhaka on Saturday and then begin their competition in earnest against the host nation on Sunday evening. I know Bangladesh television are carrying the games live but doubt whether they will be viewable here in Cambodia.

Coach Prak Sovannara talks to a TVK reporter about the nation's chances in Bangladesh

A light-hearted moment during an interview with striker Khim Borey

"We can do it" - Prak Sovannara

Cambodia national football coach, Prak Sovannara

I interviewed the Cambodia national football coach Prak Sovannara at the National Football Center on the outskirts of Phnom Penh this week and much of the interview appeared in today's Phnom Penh Post. However, there is more to add, so here's the full interview, so you get the views of the national team coach ahead of the country's important matches that begin on Sunday:

Cambodian national football coach Prak Sovannara will lead his squad of 18 players into the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying group matches in Bangladesh this weekend with the belief that his unfancied team can qualify for next year's finals in India. "We have a real chance to qualify, and I believe we can do it," said the softly-spoken 36-year-old at the team's training headquarters at the National Football Center Tuesday. "We don't know too much about Bangladesh, though they are the home team so we know they will want to win. We know how to play against the other two teams, Myanmar and Macau, and I feel we can beat both of them if we play to our ability. My target is two wins and a draw. That should see us through."

Sovannara, who is working without a contract after his original agreement ended following the AFF Suzuki Cup finals in Indonesia in December last year, has just returned with his squad from a two-week training getaway in Vietnam where they honed their fitness with three practice matches against local opposition. The three matches they played were against Vietnam's best club, The Cong from Hanoi, which Cambodia lost 6-2, against a team of Cameroonian professionals, with a 5-2 scoreline in Cambodia's favour, and a final 2-2 draw against HCMC Club (formerly Saigon Port). Sovannara was particularly pleased with the outcome. "The results don't matter so much as my main priority was that we bonded together as a team, as a unit, with one mind. That's so important. I try to get the players to understand how to cope with hard training, to change their attitudes and their lifestyle, their surroundings, everything really. It was a good test for the players and very successful in my view. I was able to keep the squad together for nearly two weeks and to work with them very closely. They can see the benefit especially when they get the chance to travel abroad to Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh."

Time away together like the Vietnam trip is a godsend to a squad like Cambodia, particularly as the players have recently been involved in Hun Sen Cup action and their time with the national coach has been disrupted and piecemeal. Sovannara took the opportunity to reinforce one of his favourite coaching tools, video-replay. He's used this before especially with the Suzuki Cup games, as well as videoing some of his own training sessions, and then the practice matches in Vietnam. "It's something I'm very keen to use to get the players thinking on the same lines. It's been very successful - they can see exactly what I mean and I have seen them change and improve as a result. We sit down in the evenings as a group to watch the video and discuss everything, not only the football itself and tactics, but also lifestyle and attitude on and off the football field."

One of the problems he faces is the quality of the Cambodia Premier League. "I would like the teams to improve the quality, raise their standards and become more professional. Phnom Penh Crown are a good example of a club who are definitely heading in the right direction. It can sometimes be very hard to change the attitudes of the players when they join the national team. But I feel I have a good relationship with the clubs, I have worked hard to build the link as when I started there was nothing." One hot topic under discussion recently has involved Cambodians in countries like France and America coming back home to play for the national team. Sovannara is in favour. "I will welcome them if they come here for a long period of time, to get used to the conditions and the style of play, and if they are better than the players we already have. There's a lot of talk about it right now." He is also very much in favour of current Cambodia Premier League players seeking fame and fortune abroad. "I would love some Cambodian players to play abroad. I try to motivate them and instil confidence in them that they are good enough to compete with the likes of the best players in Vietnam and Thailand," he said. He identified three key players in his squad for the forthcoming matches in Bangladesh. "I believe these players will be very important for us in the coming games, Tieng Tiny in defence, San Narith in midfield and in attack, Kouch Sokumpheak."

Cambodia begin their qualification attempt on Sunday with their opening match of three against the group hosts, Bangladesh, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. They then have two days to prepare for a game against Macau Tuesday, before facing Myanmar Thursday in their remaining fixture. A look at the latest FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings reveal that Cambodia have jumped above Bangladesh to 175th spot, with the hosts at 178th while Myanmar are the best-ranked in the tournament at 159th. The minnows of Macau, who beat Mongolia in a pre-qualification decider last week, are ranked at 195th. However, rankings can count for nothing when the teams face each other on the pitch and in the heat of battle. Sovannara said, "Cambodian players have very good mental strength and toughness. In the Suzuki Cup, even though we conceded goals, we never gave up, we kept focused and that pleased me very much. The players still need to improve their self confidence when they have the ball, but they are physically strong enough, and I was very happy with the players attitude at the last tournament. They believed in what we are trying to achieve and had a belief in me and the football federation."

"For the Bangladesh game we will focus on our defence initially and look to counter-attack until we know how strong they are. We will need at least a draw against them. In the Suzuki Cup, I learnt that my players could adapt well to different situations. In the qualifying games we concentrated on attack and scoring goals, while in the finals we had to change tactics and become more aware of our defensive duties, as the [opposition] teams were so much stronger. The players didn't let me down," he said with obvious pride. It clearly means a lot to him to coach the country he represented for six years in the 1990s, which is why he is currently working on a month-to-month basis. "I understand the situation. I understand the stance of the federation who spent a lot of money last year, and I am happy to remain as national coach as I love to work with the team," he concluded, as he donned a shirt and joined his players for a practice session. With a man like Sovannara committed to improving Cambodia's international standing, the nation's footballers are in good hands.

On the training ground

A training session line-up: [back row LtoR] Ravy, Seiha, Raksmey, El Nasa, Laboravy, Chanthan, Sokumpheak, Mic, Pichseyla, Vathanak, Sovannara. [front row LtoR] Rady, Tiny, Narith, Sovannarith, Chanbunrith, Borey, Sokngorn, Thavrak

This is a look behind the scenes with the Cambodia national football team during one of their afternoon training sessions earlier this week, as they make their final preparations for their Friday morning departure to Bangladesh and three important AFC Challenge Cup qualifying matches beginning Sunday. Coach Prak Sovannara was a genial host as always and after completing our interview about the nation's chances of qualifying for next year's finals, he spent the next couple of hours with his 18-man squad, practising game situations and explaining his requirements to his players. One point from the interview that he emphasized was how well the players respond and adapt to different situations and match conditions, which will be put to the test next week.

No 7 Sam El Nasa, 40 Sun Sovannarith and Khim Borey don the green bibs

Coach Prak Sovannara (centre) explains what he wants from his squad

Sovannara (orange bib) directs his players during a practice session

More instruction from Sovannara to his squad, with his coaching staff on their feet too

Sovannara making it clear to his players what he wants them to achieve

A last look at the national team's training session before I depart

National team news

What I didn't put in my article for the Phnom Penh Post was a few words about the player selection by Cambodia football coach Prak Sovannara. Initially he named a 22-man squad, which he took to the two-week training camp in Vietnam and has now reduced that to an 18-man squad who will fly out to Bangladesh tomorrow morning. The most obvious omission from the squad that will take on the host nation in the first game on Sunday evening is that of left-foot wizard Chan Rithy (pictured), who captained Phnom Penh Crown to the Cambodian Premier League championship last season and was in the team that won the Hun Sen Cup recently. On his day Rithy can be a match-winner, but I have seen a few of his games, for both club and country and it's his lack of consistency that leaves a question mark. Not for the first time, there has also been talk of him plying his footballing trade in Thailand in the near future, but in the meantime, he won't be travelling with the Cambodia team to the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying matches. The other players who didn't make the final squad are Phnom Penh Crown's young goalkeeper Peng Bunchhay, defender Sok Rithy and midfielder Ngoun Chansothea, both from Preah Khan Reach.

One feature of Sovannara's Bangladesh squad is the return to the national fold of three players, all from the Naga Corp team, who were regular squad members in 2007 but didn't feature in the Suzuki Cup games last year. They are the dominating presence of Naga Corp skipper and lynchpin Om Thavrak at the centre of defence, playmaker Pok Chanthan in the middle of the park and striker Teab Vathanak. These three individuals will add some grit, know-how and experience to an otherwise young squad, that is epitomised by the precocious talent of Keo Sokngorn, another member of the successful Crown club side, for whom he scored the winning goal in their recent Hun Sen Cup victory. The only injury concern I could detect from the training session I attended this week was an ice-pack on the left hip of striker Kouch Sokumpheak, but he assured me he would be fit for the games that begin on Sunday when Cambodia meet the host nation Bangladesh in the national stadium in Dhaka.