The dream is on

Orn Chanpolin will get to follow his dream in Saigon

Two members of the Phnom Penh Crown Academy, Orn Chanpolin and Chhuot Senteang, will line up with 48 same-age Vietnamese youngsters next week, all hoping to get selected as the best three players who will get the chance to try-out for a scholarship at the Aspire Sports Academy for Excellence in Qatar. The Aspire Football Dreams programme is exactly what it says, an opportunity for these boys to live their dream and to be part of a world-class football academy. No less than 60,000 boys aged 13-15 from Vietnam have been taking part in regional trials, alongwith around 600 youngsters in four centers in Cambodia. Chanpolin and Senteang were the best of the Khmer trialists after sessions were held in Phnom Penh, Pursat, Kompong Chhnang and Battambang. The top fifty boys will now undergo the final selection phase; an intensive three day assessment period at Thanh Long Sports Complex in Ho Chi Minh City from 6-8 August. The best three youngsters will then head for a critical month in Doha, Qatar for careful evaluation, training and development from Aspire's dedicated team of experts before their futures are decided. Amongst the coaches who will assess the boys in Saigon will be Lionel Messi's former coach, Arseni, as well as Xavier and Oscar (who also came to assess the boys in Cambodia), all from FC Barcelona. Make no mistake, Aspire are taking this very seriously. They started their unique scouting project to identify talented young footballers across the world in 2007. The boys are selected based on their physical, tactical and team integration abilities. Both Chanpolin and Senteang are fourteen years old and have been part of the Crown Elite Academy since its inception. Chanpolin hails from Phnom Penh and usually plays in midfield whilst Senteang, from Banteay Meanchey, is a striker who doubles up as a very good goalkeeper. Accompanying them to the Saigon trials will be the Crown Academy head coach Bouy Dary, who also leads the Cambodian U-14 national team.
Update: The two boys have returned home after their Aspire experience in Ho Chi Minh. They both enjoyed the opportunity to pit themselves against the 48 Vietnam youngsters but ultimately didn't qualify for the top two places that were selected to go to Qatar. Chanpolin made the final best twenty and both acquitted themselves extremely well according to Bouy Dary. Aspire are keen to expand their talent search throughout Cambodia next year and more trials will be held, which will increase the representation from Cambodia.