Sochetra walks away

Hok Sochetra realises he's bitten off more than he can chew

Hok Sochetra has fallen on his sword. He has seen the writing on the wall and has resigned as head coach of the Cambodia national team, citing his own inexperience in the role. And that takes guts. I salute him for his decision. He could've stayed on - cor blimey, the last man in the job, Lee Tae-Hoon, stayed on way past his sell-by date - as Sochetra was the federation's choice as head coach so presumably they were prepared to back him, and take Cambodia into the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers early next year, but he's taken what in many respects is the tougher decision to get out now. The performances and results of the Cambodian team at the recent AFF Suzuki Cup, Sochetra's first serious competition in charge, were pretty much a disaster. Losing to Myanmar was to be expected but to fail against Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste was a bitter pill to swallow, and the manner of the defeats made it even less palatable. Sochetra simply wasn't ready for the top job and he's man enough to accept that. Until a few months ago he was a youth coach at Preah Khan Reach and number three in the Cambodian U-22s coaching set-up, and then in one quick blink of an eye he was elevated to head coach of the Cambodian senior team, with his A-licence AFC coaching badge as his sole qualification for the role. It was too much too soon and anyone with a footballing braincell could see that. The job is an almost impossible task for any coach unless they have suitable hard-earned experience in the role, preferably as a national team coach, who is strong enough to lead from the front and to whip the federation and the game itself, into far better shape. The slide needs to be arrested, and quickly, before Cambodia find themselves even further down the pecking order in Asian football. Sochetra has made a good decision, for himself and for Cambodia football, and for that he deserves credit. We should never forget that he knows where the net is - he's the country's leading goalscorer of all time with 42 goals in 64 national team games - and no-one can take that away from him. Now, he needs to cut his coaching teeth in domestic club football, show what he's capable of and come back in the future, when he's ready and qualified for another crack at the top job.

Sochetra's future

Cambodia's coach Hok Sochetra faces the press (www.affsuzukicup.com)

Hok Sochetra's first serious competition as the head coach of the Cambodian national team was pretty much a disaster. Four games, four defeats with two of those against teams ranked well below Cambodia in the FIFA world rankings. For many of the Kingdom's online football fans it was too much to bear. Calls for the coach to resign, who is just three months into the job, were loud and vociferous. But it is highly unlikely he's going anywhere soon. He spoke to the press after losing the final match, 3-0 to hosts Myanmar. “This is the first job for me leading the national team and many of my players are also very young so I think that we gained a lot of experience from competing here. Maybe with a better schedule, we might have done better in this competition but we had only two weeks to prepare together in Kuala Lumpur after our domestic league season ended and even then, not all of our players were there because three of them were with Phnom Penh Crown at the AFC President's Cup and they didn’t join us until three days before our opening game in Yangon. I think that we worked very hard but it was a very tight schedule for us. Unfortunately when we were training in Malaysia, I did not consider the problem that the timing of our first game was in the middle of the afternoon so our training sessions were mostly in the evening. That was a big mistake by me. I thought that we played well in the first half [against Myanmar] and managed to keep the game scoreless. But they pushed hard in the second half and we made mistakes. But we had not much time for recovery for the last game so it was difficult for us. Myanmar were well rested and they are a very good team.”
Sochetra is the football federation's man. It was he they turned too after Lee Tae-Hoon's twenty-one months in charge of the national team fizzled out when his contract was not renewed. Lee's record of 21 international matches, winning four times, drawing three and losing 14 games wasn't exactly a hard act to follow. The appointment of the country's leading goalscorer of all time (he netted 42 goals in 64 appearances) invigorated some, whilst others were seeking someone with a proven track record. Sochetra had some success as a player-coach at Samart United in the early part of the last decade, but that's been about it until he gained credibility in the federation's eyes by passing the AFC A-licence coaching course in February. Without much time to stamp his authority and style on his squad, Sochetra must've known Suzuki Cup qualification would be a tough ask, though I don't think he quite appreciated just how far Cambodia had fallen behind their nearest rivals. They were outclassed by Timor Leste and Myanmar, whilst the results against Laos and Brunei were closer on paper but Cambodia never looked capable of winning any of the matches. It certainly is a case of back to the drawing board for Sochetra and Cambodian football after this wake-up call. I would like to hear Sochetra's long-term strategy, and the federation's for that matter, on how he intends to improve the national team's fast-disappearing international credibility, but with an inept sports press in the capital, that's highly unlikely.
So what's next for Sochetra and the national team. Well, the first challenge is about five months away. The AFC Challenge Cup, 2014 edition, will have its draw later this month to decide who Cambodia will be playing. Pre-qualifying, home and away, is likely for Cambodia early next year, before the actual qualifying group stages a month later, if they get through. There's the next SEA Games, which will be held in Myanmar in December of next year, though that is for Under-23 teams rather than senior national teams. The next AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers are two years away. And of course, World Cup qualification is far in the distance, most likely sometime in 2015. With the federation's past record of failing to secure international friendlies, we're unlikely to see the national team playing again, anytime soon. So that gives the head coach and the federation a lot of thinking and planning time. Whether they put it to good use, remains to be seen. 

4 in 4

The Cambodian team line-up before the game begins

The Cambodian national team lost 3-0 to hosts Myanmar tonight in their final AFF Suzuki Cup tie, played in Yangon. As everyone pretty much expected after three successive defeats in their qualification group already this week. It's been a depressing last few days for Cambodian football fans, who had their fingers crossed that the national team would improve under the leadership of the country's all-time leading goalscorer, Hok Sochetra, but actually the form of the team is as bad as it was under the former head coach from South Korea. There's little noticeable difference, either in results or style of play, though we must give some credit to the team tonight, they held out for the opening half of the game and must've given the Burmese a few heart flutters at the break. But the writing was on the wall, it seemed only a matter of time before the Cambodian defence would crack and so it proved, a minute before the hour mark. Sochetra put the defeat down to tiredness. “It is very difficult match for us. It has not been easy for us because we had to play four games in seven days with our last game against a strong team who are playing at home. I thought that we played well in the first half and managed to keep the game scoreless. But they pushed hard in the second half and we made mistakes. But we had not much time for recovery for the last game so it was difficult for us. Myanmar were well rested and they are a very good team.”
Although the opening half was goal-less, Myanmar dominated the possession and chances. David Htan chipped onto the crossbar after 18 minutes, Kyaw Zayar Win side-footed wide when it seemed easier to score and the lively Kyi Lin toe-poked his shot the wrong side of the upright. Sos Suhana blazed Cambodia's only real attempt into orbit whilst Yan Aung Kyaw's glancing header missed the far post by inches. Myanmar were quicker, livelier, more direct but couldn't find the target. Just 18 seconds into the 2nd half and Khin Maung Lwin screwed his shot across the face of goal and then Kyi Lin sent his diving header wide of the target. Cambodia's beat chance of the game fell to Khim Borey on 54 minutes and the Crown striker was just inches away from giving his side the lead, when he glanced his header from Prak Mony Udom's free-kick wide of the far post. That was the last we saw of Cambodia as a serious attacking force. The rest of the game belonged to the hosts.
The opening goal came just before the hour. David Htan's right-wing cross was the perfect height for Kyi Lin to outjump Lay Raksmey and plant his header past Om Vichet, who was rooted to the spot. Six minutes later and substitute Kaung Sithu touched the ball over the line at the far post after a perfect first-time low cross from Zaw Min Tun. Cambodia had failed to clear their lines and it cost them dearly. Thein Than Win tested Vichet from 25 yards and then smacked a near post shot against the upright, whilst Vichet was rounded as he came charging out of his box, but Kyi Lin blazed high and wide. Vichet was quickly off his line to deny Sithu but was left clutching thin air, a minute into time added on, when Pyaye Phyo Aung's deadly accurate free-kick from 22 yards found the top corner sweet spot. It was unstoppable and Myanmar's third. Cambodia go home winless and pointless.
Cambodia line-up: Vichet, Raksmey, Pancharong, Piseth, Tiny, Sopanha (Veasna 74), Suhana, Sokngorn, PM Udom (Chhoeun 54), Borey, S Udom (Sothearath 62). Bookings: Piseth, Sothearath.

3 in a row

Khim Borey and Sos Suhana before the kick-off

No doubt Cambodia coach Hok Sochetra will feel the luck was against his team again, possibly the hot weather, but he really has to look closely at his defenders after Cambodia succumbed to their third straight AFF Suzuki Cup defeat in Myanmar this afternoon. Cambodia had led at half-time and looked pretty comfortable but defensive frailties proved to be their undoing as Brunei stormed into a 3-1 lead, only for Khim Borey to head a very late consolation goal to give the final scoreline some respectability at 3-2. What had started promisingly, turned into another nightmare for the coach and his charges as they saw their qualification hopes go up in smoke. With Sun Sopanha suspended and Tieng Tiny out injured, Sochetra was forced to change his starting line-up, though he persevered with Phourng Soksana as the lone striker. For most of the first-half it was Cambodia who created the dangerous moments with Brunei failing to pose much threat and keeper Um Vichet handling confidently when the ball did go into the Cambodian box. After Keo Sokngorn fired an early effort into the side-netting, it was Chhun Sothearath who created the opening goal on 24 minutes with a defence-splitting pass which Prak Mony Udom stole in and poked home from eight yards out. On the half hour, both Sokngorn and Sos Suhana watched in anguish as their well-struck shots sailed over the cross-bar by inches, while Vichet had to be alert to push aside a headed effort from the lively Shahrazen Said. The interval arrived with Cambodia still in front.

The second half was a different story altogether. Brunei started as if their lives depended on it and took just 19 seconds to earn a corner. On 46 seconds Shahrazen had headed the corner against the cross-bar. Brunei clearly meant business. Cambodia still posed a threat, especially when Sokngorn released Suhana but his low shot was well blocked by Brunei keeper Wardun Yusof. At the other end, Vichet clawed away a drive by Shahrazen but on 55 minutes, Brunei drew level. Touch Pancharong's weak header from Sairol Sahari's deep cross was drilled past Vichet by Aminuddin Tahir. Four minutes later Soksana had the ball in the net after some ping-pong in the Brunei box but a linesman's flag ruled it offside. Vichet was called into action again, to turn an Azwan Salleh drive around the post. On 63 minutes Brunei took advantage when Vichet couldn't hold Adi Bin Said's center under pressure from Shahrazen and Helmi Zambin was on hand to poke the ball home. Another good two-fisted save by Vichet kept out Adi Bin Said's piledriver but he was exposed twenty minutes from time as Brunei netted their third. Azwan Salleh was on the spot as Najip Tarif's cross was headed straight to him by substitute Khiev Vibol, and he made no mistake from 15 yards out. In the second minute of time added on, Suhana's close range effort was blocked and from Vibol's corner, Khim Borey escaped his marker and glanced his header inside the far post to close the game at 3-2 in Brunei's favour, though there was still time for Borey to claim a handball by a Brunei defender which the referee ignored.
Cambodia line-up: Vichet, Raksmey (Vibol 66), Pancharong, Piseth, Thavrak, Sothearath, Suhana, Sokngorn, PM Udom (Chhoeun 60), Borey, Soksana (Vathanak 62). Bookings: Thavrak, Sothearath.
Two weak clearing headers and a goalkeeping fumble were Cambodia's undoing in the final analysis. Too many players, including Udom, Soksana and Sothearath were anonymous for much of the match and having led at the break, Cambodia allowed themselves to be put on the back foot by a mediocre Brunei side. In the second match, Timor Leste brushed aside Laos 3-1 and will go forward if they beat Brunei in the last game. Cambodia meet Myanmar in their final match on Thursday, with the hosts clear favourites to push their winning streak to three matches, having already beaten Brunei 1-0 and Timor Leste 2-1. The last word goes to Cambodian coach Hok Socehtra. “We played well in first half and we had lots of chances to score but we allowed them to take control at the beginning of second half and they managed to score three times. I can’t really explain the mistakes that we made on those goals but I think that we had many chances that we didn’t take today. I think that we still could have got an equaliser in the last minute because there was a handball by Brunei that could have been a penalty for us. I’m very sorry that we had this result and I feel very sad that our team cannot go through to the Final Round now.”

Unlucky Cambodia

The Cambodia line-up v Laos on MyTV

In a game in which both sides produced a handful of chances, with a bit more good fortune the Cambodian national team could've got a point from their AFF Suzuki Cup encounter with Laos earlier this evening. They didn't and now sit firmly and squarely at the foot of the group with two defeats in their first two games. They have two matches remaining, against Brunei and the group leaders Myanmar, who beat Timor Leste today 2-1, but qualification looks a distant dream. Showing more determination than they did against Timor, the Cambodians should've taken the lead just before the half-hour. Khim Borey's deft pass sent Phourng Soksana racing clear but his rushed shot was too close to Laos keeper Sengphachan Bounthisanh and he cleared with his feet. Aside from a Sun Sopanha free-kick that cleared the bar by inches just before the break, Soksana's attempt was the best Cambodia managed to serve up in the opening half. Laos meanwhile, were applying the pressure after a slow start and keeper Sou Yaty was kept busy, pushing out rasping distance shots from Vilayout Sayyabounsou and Sopha Saysana. With five minutes to go, Sopha's free-kick to the near post saw Yaty scrambling to keep it out, the ball popped out to Viengsavanh Sayyaboun and he squared it for Visay Phaphouvanin to score with a simple tap-in. Cambodia also lost Tieng Tiny to a knee injury three minutes before the break, replaced by Say Piseth.

Yaty was again in action just after the interval as Sopha tried his luck from 22 yards out but found Yaty's fingertips between him and his name on the scoresheet. The next best chance fell to Cambodia and substitute Chhin Chhoeun, on for Khim Borey. With an hour of the match gone, Chhoeun found space at the far post only to see keeper Sengphachan save his first attempt and then Kovanh Namthavixay threw himself at Chhoeun to block his second shot. Less than a minute later and Cambodia's task just got much tougher. Captain Sopanha was caught on his heels, pulled back on Soukaphone Vongchiengkham and picked up his second yellow card, followed by a red one. It was not the kind of example coach Hok Sochetra would've expected from his skipper. With a numerical advantage, Laos pressed forward only to find Yaty in no mood to concede another goal. The Army keeper kept out four attempts, the best a diving save from Soukaphone, who had a clear view of goal, whilst Om Thavrak headed clear when the lightning quick Laos striker threatened in the box. Cambodia's final chance came on 77 minutes when Say Piseth headed a corner back across the face of goal only to see Soksana arrive on cue, but flash his header over the top from just three yards out. It was a glorious chance to level the tie, but the image of Soksana holding his head in his hands, spoke volumes for the missed opportunity. Laos saw the game out with no further alarms and just about deserved their success over their close neighbours. Hok Sochetra's take on the game; "My players did well today, but they were a bit unlucky. I think we had chances to score tonight so I think, I don't know how else to say it. Just unlucky. Today we did much better than in the previous game, all my players all worked very hard. It was still very hot, and I think I made a mistake, because we prepared for this tournament by practicing in the evenings, in cooler weather. We are not used to this heat." 
Cambodia line-up: Yaty, Raksmey, Pancharong, Tiny (Piseth 42), Thavrak, Sopanha, Sokngorn, Suhana, PM Udom (Saray 82), Borey (Chhoeun 53), Soksana. Bookings: Sopanha (+ red card 61)

Reversing the trend

Anyone who has read my blog in the past will know that I abhor age-cheating in football. The AFC, who initially used X-rays to determine the accurate age of players, and who now use the more reliable MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) tests, have sent a clear message to all Asian countries that age cheating will not be tolerated. They disqualified Korea, Tajikistan and Iraq from the 2008 AFC U-16 championships and then banned eight players during the 2010 event for trying to cheat the system. It looks like the bad old days of age cheating at international competitions has come to an end for the most part. In domestic football closer to home, it is still taking place as birth documentation is unreliable and often unavailable. It's difficult to know how to combat against this cheating at a local level.
Anyway, I was intrigued when Hok Sochetra, the Cambodian coach said that most of his players who got thumped by Timor Leste were under the age of 21 years old. Factually, that's a little skewed. The average age of the team that started the game against Timor was 22 years old. Five players were under 21. So then I looked into the ages of the whole Cambodian squad, which are provided by the official AFF Suzuki Cup website, with birthdates shown for all players. I cross-matched that against a document produced by the Cambodian League in 2009 (though I would add it's not stamped as official), which listed all players (and birthdates) for the ten Premier League teams at that time. The comparison left me somewhat dismayed in that nine players in the 20-man Cambodia squad appear to have managed to reverse the normal ageing process that occurs in humans. Their 2009 birthdates do not match their 2012 birthdates; their birthdates have been altered. Two of the players have actually managed to knock five years off their ages - I just wish I could do that. The nine players, whose birthdates have changed, are as follows: Sou Yaty (real age 23; current age 21), Um Vichet (19; 18), Khiev Vibol (22; 20), Touch Pancharong (25; 20), Chhun Sothearath (25; 22), Prak Mony Udom (20; 18), Tum Saray (22; 20), Phourng Soksana (22; 20) and Srey Udom (24; 19). The Suzuki Cup is not an age-level competition, so it doesn't matter in that respect. But surely, it's the principle that really matters. A lot of people couldn't give a toss about a player's age, it's what they do on the pitch that matters, and that's their view, but there are basic standards that need to be followed in any sport, especially football, and we appear to be making up our own.

Finding it hard

Head coach Hok Sochetra was left to explain the reasons for the 5-1 thumping by surprise package Timor Leste in his first competitive match in charge of the Cambodian national team. He came up with; "The players were finding it hard against the more physical side from Timor. Most of my players are under the age of 21-years-old so they struggled somewhat. With the several injuries to the senior players, we have to use a lot of the players from the Under-21. It is not a great situation to be in but that is what we are left with. And with young players, their level of concentration is unpredictable." Certainly the result made a mockery of the FIFA rankings for the five teams competing in this qualification stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Cambodia are ranked second in the group at 189, whilst Timor are wallowing at 206. The action on the pitch last night certainly didn't mirror that disparity in the ranking positions. Cambodia failed to get a shot on target until Keo Sokngorn's last-minute penalty conversion, whilst Timor found the back of the net with relative ease. In the later match played yesterday, the home nation, Myanmar, left it until a few minutes from the end to grab the single goal it required to put Brunei in their place, but again, the sovereign state that sits on the island of Borneo, and are ranked at 203, belied their pre-tournament status by very nearly holding the best ranked team, who sit at 184. The group action continues tomorrow, with Timor taking on their Burmese hosts in the early kick-off, whilst Cambodia get a quick chance to redeem themselves against their old foes from Laos (ranked at 193), with a 6.30pm Cambodian-time start. The last time the two teams met in Suzuki Cup action, they played out a goal-less draw in 2010 but more recently, Laos knocked Cambodia out of the World Cup with an 8-6 aggregate win over two legs. Coach Sochetra will be seeking a much improved performance from his Cambodian players, whilst the football fans back home will expect to see more passion and fight from their team, as well as more attacking intent, qualities that were sadly absent against the Timorese.
The Cambodian coach had this to say in the lead up to the Laos match. “The main thing now after our defeat against Timor Leste is that our players have to get more confidence and get back to playing again. The players were sad about the result when we talked after the game but now we must now put that behind us and try to prepare for our next game. The problem yesterday was that each of our players lost confidence so we have to forget everything now and move on. We have a good rivalry with Laos but I don’t know what to expect of them tomorrow. They have a new coach and a lot more experienced players compared to us. However in terms of physical size and skill, we are quite similar to them and we play football in a similar way so it may be quite a close game.” His opposite number, the Laos coach Kokichi Kimura, from Japan, had his own view. “Playing a first game in a tournament is difficult because you don’t really know what to expect and Cambodia have many good, young players so will not be an easy game. I thought that in terms of tactics and organisation, Cambodia were better than Timor Leste but Timor Leste have more skilful and powerful individuals who caused them problems. They had trouble with the size of the Timor Leste players but they can match up better against our team because In terms of our systems and players, we are quite similar although we may have a bit of an advantage because our players are quicker. We have confidence but it will be a tough tournament for us because we have to play four games in seven days and we will probably have to use all 20 of our players with so little time for rest in between games.”

It just got worse

The final result on MyTV; Cambodia 1 Timor Leste 5

That tough proposition I mentioned for the Cambodian national team in qualifying for the final stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup, just got considerably harder, with an inept performance against Timor Leste in the opening fixture of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Two goals down at the interval, Cambodia succumbed to a 5-1 defeat by the final whistle and never looked like scoring until Keo Sokngorn won a penalty in injury time, which he converted. It was a performance without obvious passion, without attacking intent and one which coach Hok Sochetra will have to think long and hard about his approach to the tie. Playing a 4-1-4-1 formation, Khim Borey cut a lonely figure up front and without any invention from Sun Sopanha, Sos Suhana or Keo Sokngorn in midfield, and a lack of pace on the flanks, very little was seen of Cambodia in an offensive sense. Sochetra said before the game that he would field his best line-up and his comment; "I think Timor Leste have improved in the last two years and that this will not be an easy game for us," certainly came back to haunt him. Not only did Timor Leste make it uneasy for the Cambodian coach, they used their strength and height advantage to good effect, without really looking dangerous.
In the opening stages Alan Leandro came the closest for either team, flashing a header wide, before his cross was deftly nodded wide of keeper Sou Yaty by Murilo Ribeiro and crept inside the far post six minutes before the half-time break. Ribeiro was plying his trade in Indonesia recently and outjumped Om Thavrak to get his glancing header on target. A minute before the interval and Ribeiro put the Timorese into seventh heaven when he shrugged off Thavrak's attentions in the box and fired a low drive under Yaty's body to round off a quick counter-attack. Two goals to the good and it would only get worse for Cambodia after the break.
Ten minutes after the restart and Timor's Adelino Trindade hit a hopeful lob over Sou Yaty and it sailed into the top corner, much to everyone's surprise. On the hour mark the referee gave an indirect free-kick in the Cambodian box, a very strange decision, but the danger was averted until Trindade was on the scoresheet again, on 73 minutes, finishing off a run by Diogo Rangel that bamboozled the Khmer defence. Ten minutes from time and Tieng Tiny was lucky not to see a red card, bringing down Ribeiro as he raced through on goal. On 86 minutes, Ribeiro did break free and Yaty tussled with the striker outside and inside the box, which the referee deemed was sufficient for a penalty award. Five Timorese players debated over who should take the spot-kick until Leandro grabbed the ball and stroked home the penalty. As the clock ticked over into time added on, Ramon de Lima caught Keo Sokngorn from behind and the Boeung Ket player capped an otherwise anonymous game with a well-struck penalty to give Cambodia some scant consolation. But in reality it was a mere full stop to a game which Cambodia never looked like winning with their cautious approach from the start.
Cambodia line-Up: Yaty, Pancharong, Vibol, Thavrak, Tiny, Sopanha (Sothearath 61), Chhoeun (Saray 54), PM Udom (Vathanak 71), Sokngorn, Suhana, Borey. Bookings: Tiny, Thavrak.

The Cambodian starting line-up on MyTV

Tough proposition for Cambodia

The Cambodian national team will be expected to win when they meet Timor Leste in the opening match of the AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying Group tomorrow afternoon at the Thuwunna Youth Training Center in Yangon, Myanmar. Past results point towards a Cambodian success, even though Timor Leste's only draw in their Suzuki Cup history came against Cambodia, 2-2 in 2008. However, they will be buoyed by a 1-0 win over Cambodia's U-21s in a cup competition in Brunei a few months ago and under recent arrival, Brazilian coach Emerson Alcantara and their squad of overseas imports from Brazil, Thailand and Indonesia mixed with local players, they will be out to pull off a shock result, undermining their FIFA ranking of 206, compared to Cambodia's 189. I take Cambodia to win by the odd goal.
Cambodia, with four games in seven days, will meet a much tougher proposition in Laos on Sunday. Still smarting from that World Cup debacle under previous coach Lee Tae-Hoon, when Cambodia went down 8-6 over two legs, the Khmers will be out for revenge but Laos are no dummies, having qualified for the final round in 2010, when the two teams fought out a goal-less draw in the Suzuki Cup that year. Laos are coached by Japanese tactician Kokichi Kimara and recently defeated Philippines 2-1 in a friendly, with five players in their squad plying their trade in Thailand. With Laos sitting below Cambodia in the rankings at 193, I believe the match will be a draw, at one goal apiece.
Third game up for Cambodia will be Brunei on Tuesday. South Korea's Kwon Oh-son is their coach, in charge of a squad of all home-based players, who were bolstered by their Hassanal Bolkiah U-21 Cup win on home soil earlier this year. Just back from an international ban, Brunei last played Cambodia in 2008, losing 2-1. They are 203rd in the rankings and I tend to go for another draw, 0-0, when the teams meet on Tuesday. I'm very concerned about Cambodia's lack of firepower and the absence of enough quality warm-up games leading up to this do or die qualifying competition.
Their final match, with Cambodia taking on the host team Myanmar a week today, should be a predictable two-goal win for the Burmese. Or will it? Without their talismanic striker Yan Paing out injured, Myanmar under another South Korean coach, Park Sung-hwa, may find goals hard to come by, though a recent 1-1 draw with Singapore showed their strength. Home advantage will count for a lot and with Myanmar ranked the best of the five teams at 184, everyone expects them to progress. So do I and I believe they'll be joined by Laos, with Cambodia finishing in third place. It's important for new coach Hok Sochetra that his Cambodian team put up a good performance, with more offensive tactics deployed against Timor and Brunei, looking for wins, whilst adopting a more cautious approach against Laos and Myanmar. There's no point in being gung-ho in their approach, as even at this level, teams are disciplined enough to make you pay, but Timor and Brunei are winnable matches, if the team believes in itself, and its coach.

Warm-ups

3 PPCFC players, Khim Borey (left), Tieng Tiny and Sos Suhana, fly out to join the main squad. Pic courtesy of Khim Borey

The Cambodian national team are in their final stretch of preparations for the AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches which begin this Friday when they meet Timor Leste in Myanmar, one of four matches in a space of a week that will determine their immediate future, in coach Hok Sochetra's first big test of his reign. On Saturday, minus the Phnom Penh Crown trio of Khim Borey, Tieng Tiny and Sos Suhana, the Cambodian squad drew 3-3 with Courts Young Lions, the feeder team for the Singapore U-23s side. The visiting national team goals came from Prak Mony Udom, Phoung Soksana and Teab Vathanak, after the Young Lions led 2-1 at half-time. Tomorrow they will be back in Malaysia, where they've had a two-week training camp, to play a final warm-up against a Malaysian team and then they will head to Myanmar for their moment of truth. It's not clear which team the Malaysians will play, their senior side or their U-23s, as the main squad are preparing for their own Suzuki Cup involvement in November with matches against Hong Kong and Vietnam. The three Phnom Penh Crown players flew out to join the national squad at noon today, after returning in the early hours from their AFC President's Cup trip to Tajikistan. Cambodia begin their Suzuki Cup qualifiers against Timor Leste on Friday and then meet Laos (7 Oct), Brunei (9 Oct) and Myanmar (11 Oct).

Six cast aside

I'm a bit late in announcing the departures from the Cambodian national team squad, which will head to Malaysia for a training camp ahead of their AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying matches to be played in Myanmar at the beginning of October. Someone forgot to tell me. Following the 0-0 draw with Philippines ten days ago, the national coach Hok Sochetra decided to jettison half a dozen players from his squad, namely keeper Phorn Ratana and Chuon Chum from Naga, Sok Rithy and Nen Sothearoth from Preah Khan, Pov Phearith from Army and Sok Pheng from Phnom Penh Crown. That leaves a squad to travel to Malaysia, where they will meet the host country in a friendly on 2 October, of: Yaty, Vichet, Raksmey, Pancharong, Khemarin, Vibol, Thavrak, Piseth, Tiny, Sothearath, Veasna, Sopanha, S Udom, Suhana, Sokngorn, Saray, PM Udom, Vathanak , Borey, Chhoeun, Soksana.

Real tester

The Cambodia national team praying for a good performance against Philippines

The Cambodian national team have their first real test ahead of the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying games in early October when they take on the visiting Philippines team, who are in the middle of what appears to be a world tour. They are literally playing everywhere and anyone ahead of their own Suzuki Cup games later this year. The match takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on Wednesday with a 6pm kick-off under floodlights - exactly what the fans want to see, evening matches under lights. Let's hope the lights are bright enough. The test for Hok Sochetra's team is a tough one, even on their home turf. The Philippines have been improving in giant leaps over the past couple of years since they decided on an influx of players who are plying their trade abroad. Take their goalkeeper Neil Etheridge for example. He's with Fulham in the Barclays Premier. Their federation have decided on an international approach to their training and playing, with training camps overseas and a series of friendly matches designed to pit their team against different styles of opponents. So the test for Sochetra's Cambodia line-up will be intriguing. The coach has had his squad in training boot-camp for the last few days, after holding three sessions a week for the past couple of months, and playing a glut of matches against local club opposition. Tomorrow he gets to test his formation and his tactics against a senior international opponent for the first time. His team selection will be crucial. Four Phnom Penh Crown players are in the national squad - Khim Borey, Tieng Tiny, Sos Suhana and Sok Pheng. They will rejoin their home club after tomorrow's game to prepare for the AFC President's Cup later this month.

PKR down national team

Cambodia national team v PKR. Back: Vibol, Sopanha, Thavrak, Yaty, Tiny, Borey. Front: Pheng, Suhana, Sothearath, Chhoeun, Pancharong. Photo by Sabay.com

This is the starting line-up for the Cambodia national team's latest practice match, a 2-1 defeat by Preah Khan Reach yesterday afternoon. Sos Suhana gave Hok Sochetra's team a very early lead before Prak Mony Udom, back in full swing after an injury absence, levelled and Joseph Olatubosun scored the winner. PKR played three of their foreign contingent as well as Udom and Sok Rithy, both returning to their line-up after debilitating injuries and who should be knocking on the door of the national squad if they can prove their fitness to Sochetra. It was the national team's second defeat after three victories against local club sides. Four players from Phnom Penh Crown started the game. They play Phnom Penh Crown on Saturday (at Olympic Stadium) and NagaCorp next Tuesday (Olympic Stadium) in practice matches, both games starting 2pm.

Local fixture list

The 30-strong Cambodia national team squad under head coach Hok Sochetra have been meeting up three times a week, every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hour early morning sessions. Though that initial plan quickly changed when they started organizing practice matches, which have been taking place at 2pm every Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium. They've already played, and beaten Preah Khan Reach and BBU. This Tuesday they face Boeung Ket and in the following three weeks they will meet up with National Police, Preah Khan again and NagaCorp on each consecutive Tuesday. In terms of preparation, this is a continuation of the style adopted by the previous head coach, South Korean Lee Tae-Hoon, who chose to play local opponents rather than face international opposition. So far, we've been informed that the following month, when a reduced squad will be brought together for a two-week training camp at the national football center in Tonle Bati, there will be matches against the visiting Philippines national team and a touring Khmer-Europe team. The squad are then touted to be heading for an overseas training camp, Malaysia has been mooted, in the two weeks leading up to their departure for the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying group matches in Myanmar on 3 October. Presumably their schedule will be affected by the Metfone C-League play-offs, which have yet to be scheduled by the football federation, as well as the matches that Police will play in Vietnam in the Eximbank Cup, and the journey to Tajikistan that Phnom Penh Crown will make towards the end of September. I certainly would not expect Crown's build-up and preparation for the AFC President's Cup impacted in any way by players being unavailable for club training sessions in the two weeks leading up to the competition proper. So much so that I don't really see how any Crown players can be actively involved in either of the training camps being organized for the national team, as their first priority will be to Crown's cup preparations. The national squad will already be without the services of two of the country's best players, with Khuon Laboravy and Kouch Sokumpheak both suffering serious knee injuries in recent weeks and will not be available for the Suzuki Cup, even though Sochetra surprised everyone by not picking Laboravy in his initial squad.

The big question

Looking glum - Khuon Laboravy

The big question on everyone's lips is why Khuon Laboravy has not been included in the provisional squad of thirty players selected by Cambodia's new head coach Hok Sochetra. It's as clear as the nose on anyone's face that Laboravy is one of the few players in Cambodia that can win games on his own, with a burst of his electrifying pace or his eye for goal. He's proved that over the past couple of seasons in domestic football, time and again, both in league and cup competitions, and though an injury put him on the sidelines earlier this season, he's now back on the pitch and chipping in with goals in Preah Khan Reach's push for a Super 4 slot. However, that doesn't hold sufficient sway with Sochetra, who has decided to omit the lanky frontman from his AFF Suzuki Cup preparations, which began last week, much to the consternation of the football fraternity in the capital. Laboravy would be a kingpin in pretty much everyone else's squad, except the newly-appointed head coach. It's a decision that needs investigating, though Sochetra's response when the question was put to him yesterday was abrupt and to the point: "Ravy cannot play in my system.  I need players who will run forwards and run back." Sorry coach, but that won't wash with me and many others. Firstly, there are so very few quality strikers available to you, that to jettison one of the best is opening the door wide for a shower of criticism so early in your stint in charge and secondly, if it's the case that the player doesn't defend enough to your liking, make him do it or at least give him a chance to fail in the attempt. To simply leave him out of the reckoning for such an important series of competitive games for the national team, their first in over a year, is mind-boggling. On the other hand, a coach will live or die, figuratively-speaking, by his decisions on who to include and who to leave out and the country's football fans will be able to judge for themselves by the results when Cambodia go to Myanmar in October for the qualifying competition.

Of course, in any other country, the sports press would be asking these questions, putting the new coach through the ringer about his squad selections player by player, his preparations for the competition, in-depth queries about his preferred style of play and tactical awareness, why other countries have lined up a glut of friendly matches and yet Cambodia seem intent with just a couple of warm-up games, and so on. Not so in Cambodia, where the sports press is toothless, inept and blatantly couldn't give a shit unless there's something in it for them. Take the Phnom Penh Post for example, who are only interested in tennis and coverage of the Olympics on the back of sponsorship from Naga-World - apparently the best integrated business, leisure and entertainment hub in Indochina - my foot. They finally got around to mentioning that the AFC President's Cup finals have been awarded to Tajikistan in today's edition, after the announcement was made last Wednesday. Pathetic.

Sochetra's Thirty

Cambodia coach Hok Sochetra (right) with his assistant Meas Channa

Time to spill the beans on the Cambodian national team. New coach Hok Sochetra will begin his preparations for October's AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifiers tomorrow morning at 7am when he calls a thirty-strong squad of players together for their first training session. The players who he has listed, and who he hasn't listed, will be of intense interest to the footballing public, who appear to be split down the middle over Sochetra's appointment as head coach; between those who are invigorated by the arrival of the country's best-ever goalscoring striker as the new man in charge, and those who were looking for someone with a proven track record. His first squad of thirty players, which will be whittled down to twenty for the actual competition, will begin their familiarization sessions tomorrow and will meet three times per week until September, when two training camps, at home and abroad, are planned. So who is in the frame you ask? First of all let me mention one name which doesn't make the thirty notified to all the C-League teams last weekend. Khuon Laboravy, the Preah Khan Reach striker who has rattled in the goals for the last couple of seasons but who has been on the sidelines with injury this term, is omitted. That will come as a shock to most, as Laboravy's pace and talents are not in dispute, though he's still coming back to match fitness after his lay-off. Another noticeable absentee is arguably the country's best player, Kouch Sokumpheak but his knee ligament injury sustained last week whilst playing for Phnom Penh Crown will rule him out of football for the foreseeable future.

Now, let's look at those selected. Sochetra has named four goalkeepers and the surprise amongst them is Naga's Phorn Ratana, especially after his glaring error at the weekend. Defensively, the Army will supply Khek Khemarin and Ke Vannak, whilst old-hand Tieng Tiny is included alongside his Crown teammate Sok Sovan. Naga's Om Thavrak is also in despite playing sparingly this season. One surprising omission is PKR's leggy centre-back Moul Daravorn. The squad is packed solid with midfield options and another old stager that Sochetra has included is Naga's Teab Vathanak, who has been playing a midfield role for his club side this season, as well as his teammate Sun Sopanha. As expected, National Police's Tith Dina and Crown's Sos Suhana are in, alongwith Pov Phearith of the Army, just three of the U-22 squad members who have booked a spot in the senior squad. Players who can double-up in more than one position include BBU's Prum Puthsethy and PKR's Tum Saray, as can Keo Sokngorn from Boeung Ket. Up front, Sok Pheng (Crown), Srey Udom (Police) and Chuon Chum, Naga's and the C-League's leading scorer, also come into the reckoning. And one name that will please many national team fans after his exploits in previous years in a Cambodia shirt is Khim Borey, back from the wilderness imposed by the previous head coach. Army supply the most players with seven of their team included. There are no overseas players, though one or two might come into the picture when the Khmer-Europe team come here in September for a few games. Also, there are still quite a few Metfone C-League matches to play over the next few weeks, so one or two faces might yet force their way into Sochetra's plans between now and the qualifiers in early October in Myanmar.

The 30-strong squad invited to begin training tomorrow are:
Goalkeepers; Sou Yaty, Um Vichet (Army), Sar Sophea (PKR), Phorn Ratana (Naga).
Defenders: Sok Sovan, Tieng Tiny (PPCFC), Om Thavrak (Naga), Say Piseth (Police), Lay Raksmey, Nen Sothearoth (PKR), Khek Khemarin, Ke Vannak (Army), Khiev Vibol, Touch Pancharong (Boeung Ket).
Midfielders: Sos Suhana (PPCFC), Sun Sopanha, Teab Vathanak (Naga), Tith Dina (Police), Suon Veasna, Tum Saray (PKR), Prum Puthsethy, Chhun Sothearath (BBU), Pov Phearith (Army).
Forwards: Khim Borey, Sok Pheng (PPCFC), Chuon Chum (Naga), Srey Udom (Police), Chhin Chhoeun, Phuong Soksana (Army), Keo Sokngorn (Boeung Ket).

Preparing the ground

The Cambodian national team will soon kick-off their preparations for the AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifiers to be played in October under new head coach Hok Sochetra. Squad training - the 30-strong squad has not yet been formally announced by the federation - will begin this Thursday and will place a considerable strain on the players and their domestic clubs as the federation are demanding the attendance of the players at three sessions a week, which will include fitness and tactical sessions as well as test matches, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week, from 7am in the morning for a couple of hours, at the Olympic Stadium. This is smack-bang in the middle of the end of season run-in for the Metfone C-League championship and play-offs and will also impact on external cup competitions that Phnom Penh Crown and the National Police are involved in. I understand that Sochetra will jettison five players after a month and then reduce it again, concentrating on a squad of twenty players for the four matches that begin on 5 October when they face Timor Leste, with the games being played in Myanmar. Playing every two days, Cambodia then face Laos (7 Oct), Brunei (9 Oct) and hosts Myanmar (11 Oct). The schedule issued by the federation has test matches for the national team squad scheduled for every Tuesday in July and August and then September will be taken up by two training camps, one at the federation's new Tonle Bati HQ for the first half of the month, followed by an overseas training camp (Malaysia has been mentioned) for the second half of the month, before the squad departs for the qualifiers in Myanmar on 3 October. The training camp idea could be a sensible one, though it will not work for any Phnom Penh Crown players who might be involved. Crown will play their AFC President's Cup final stage matches from 24-30 September and will not want their own preparation compromised during the month of September. Let's hope the club v country situation can be resolved amicably. A little bird tells me that five PPCFC players have been invited to join the squad sessions: Khim Borey, Tieng Tiny, Sok Pheng, Sos Suhana and Sok Sovan.

Suzuki draw

Hok Sochetra's first major test as the new head coach of the Cambodian football team will be the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 Qualifiers. The draw for the qualifiers and the competition proper was made in Bangkok yesterday and pitches the Cambodian team against Timor Leste in the first tie of the five-team qualifying group, which will be played in Myanmar. The first match will be on 5 October. Playing every two days, Cambodia then face Laos (7 Oct), Brunei (9 Oct) and hosts Myanmar (11 Oct). The two qualifiers from the group will go onto the competition proper which is being held jointly by Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

The Metfone C-League continued yesterday with Phnom Penh Crown going down 5-1 to newcomers Boeung Ket, who retained their top 4 spot with the victory. Young substitute Keo Sokpheng overshadowed everyone else with a hat-trick and might be an outside contender for a spot in Hok Sochetra's initial 30-man squad for the AFF Suzuki Cup. I was a mite surprised he wasn't involved in the recent U-22 squad. In the second match yesterday afternoon, there was little to choose between National Police and Kirivong, even though Police have been one of this season's revelations and sat in second place before the match began, whilst Kirivong hovered just outside the relegation places. The first-half was instantly forgettable but the game came alive on the hour when Ek Sopheap fired Kirivong into a deserved lead. Police refused to lie down and when Joel Omoraka poked home through a crowd of players with twelve minutes to go, they breathed again. The point from the 1-1 draw puts them level with Preah Khan Reach in top spot.

My shot at the 30

Hok Sochetra (right) with assistant coach Meas Channa

I wondered if the new Cambodian national coach, Hok Sochetra, might need the heads-up about who to include in his first squad of players for the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers that are coming up in early October. He's already indicated that he will put out a list of possibles by the end of this week, with a view to getting them together as often as he can during the next three months. Having just spent the last few months working with the U-22 national squad, I'm sure he will already have a batch of those players in mind to form a youthful backbone to his new senior squad, adding a number of experienced older and wiser heads to steady the ship. Here's my suggested squad of thirty players that the new coach might just consider calling up for his first training session sometime soon. Let me know if you agree or want to put other names in the frame.
Goalkeepers: Sou Yaty, Um Vichet (both Army), Sar Sophea (PKR), Peng Bunchhay (Boeung Ket).
Defenders: Lay Raksmey, Moul Daravorn, Nen Sothearoth (PKR), Pheak Rady, Sok Sovan, Tieng Tiny (PPCFC), Touch Pancharong, Khiev Vibol (Boeung Ket), Say Piseth (Nat Police).
Midfielders: Chhun Sothearoth (BBU), Suon Veasna, Chan Vathanaka (PKR), Sos Suhana (PPCFC), Sun Sopanha, Sun Sovannrithy (Naga), Tith Dina (Nat Police), Um Kumpheak (Boeung Ket), Pov Phearith (Army).
Forwards: Chuon Chum, Kop Isa (Naga), Kouch Sokumpheak, Khim Borey (PPCFC), Khuon Laboravy (PKR), Keo Sokngorn (Boeung Ket), Phourng Soksana, Chhin Chhoeun (Army).

Under the spotlight

Match officials in the Metfone C-League are a constant source of bemusement for the fans and players alike. Let's take both of Saturday's games. Khuon Virak was the referee for the Phnom Penh Crown v Preah Khan Reach clash and made three decisions that appeared to change the game. I'm watching from the stands (without the benefit of video replay) and he awarded Crown a free-kick an inch outside the box when Sok Pheng was floored, though it looked as though the incident was two yards inside the penalty area at least. Minutes later, Chan Chaya headed in after Kingsley Njoku had headed the ball across the six-yard box. Both the referee and his lineman were on their way back to the middle when the Preah Khan team surrounded Virak. After thirty seconds of jostling, pushing and screaming in his ear, the referee was persuaded to go to his linesman who changed his mind and did indeed see a handball by Njoku, even though he failed to flag for it at the time. Njoku was booked and the goal chalked off. But why didn't the match officials see it first-time and avoid all the subsequent furore? Very late in the game, Crown defender Chan Dara appeared to push a PKR player in the back inside the penalty area but Virak waved play on to everyone's amazement, and Crown's relief. And don't even get me started on Virak's failure to caution some of Preah Khan's players for repeated infractions.

In the second game of the afternoon, in which the Army just managed to squeeze past a plucky Western University team 2-1 with goals by Phourng Soksana and Pov Phearith, referee Chi Samedy was the center of attention. Late in the game, with Western pushing for an equalizer, the referee bizarrely red-carded Army keeper Sou Yaty for a challenge, which I thought should've gone the other way. As Yaty trudged slowly off, the Army players pointed at a raised linesman's flag for an earlier offside call - this time the linesman did see an infringement and kept his flag up to catch the referee's attention (which is what the linesman in the earlier game had failed to do) - so Samedy rescinded the red card, Yaty re-took his place between the sticks and Army hung on to win the game.

Watching both matches was the newly-revealed head coach of the Cambodia national team, Hok Sochetra. I'm not sure when he takes up the position or when the current incumbent, Lee Tae-Hoon formally closes the door behind him, but the appointment has caught a lot of people by surprise. Sochetra was the golden boy of Cambodian football, scoring goals for fun in the 1990s before having a stint as player-coach at Samart United, who he led to the 2002 league title. He went into hibernation for a while before re-emerging as an assistant coach with Preah Khan Reach and then more recently has been responsible for the national futsal team and was called into assist with the U-22 squad that were just knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup. He was one of a batch of Cambodian coaches who qualified for the AFC A-licence in early March and this recognition appears to have won over the Cambodian football federation, who have now appointed him as the man to lead the country in the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers in Myanmar. To assist him in his new role, he's turned to a few of his former national team colleagues with Ieng Saknida, Meas Channa, his younger brother Hok Sochivorn and goalkeeping coach Suong Phirum coming on board. By comparison, the appointment is akin to Alan Shearer being made the England head coach, the fans' favourite as a player and now expected to repeat the success as national coach. Sochetra definitely has his work cut out to gel a team together ahead of the Suzuki Cup matches in October, and very little time to do it.