Academy into semis

Back Row LtoR: Sakrovy, Chanchav, V Samnang, Baraing, K Chhaya, S Samnang. Front Row: Rozak, Noeut, David, Piphop, Ponvuthy.

The Phnom Penh Crown Academy team have a free weekend from the FAM-Frenz U-15 Asean Champions Trophy as Singapore, their opponents have a cup competition at home involving international teams such as Arsenal. Their next Asean match is a first-ever visit by a Cambodian team to Dili in East Timor next weekend. This morning the Academy 1 team met the Army in the Cambodia Football Development League U-16 play-off quarter-final, after the regular season came to an end and play-offs in all age categories, U-12, U-14 and U-16 were decided upon. It was one-way traffic for most of the game and a comprehensive victory for the Academy team with Vat Samnang firing in a 25-yard drive for the opening goal ten minutes before half-time. After the break, Men Piphop tapped one in after Pov Ponvuthy's shot was saved, Sath Rozak slid home the third and Suon Noeut rounded it off with a great individual goal and cool finish. The Academy 1 now meet their teammates Academy 2 in the U-16 CFDL semi-final on 18 June. 

Meanwhile, Crown have released South Korean striker Choi Jae-Cheol (aka Season), and he has returned home to Korea. Season scored on his final appearance, as a substitute against National Police, but had been finding it tough to attain a suitable level of fitness since he joined the club in April. He went through the Korean university system though two serious knee operations meant that he dropped out to join the Army. He was a regular member of the South Korean national squads as a junior between the ages of 12 and 17 and was looking to get back to that level, but didn't manage it.