Latest RSN news

PPCFC continue to assess their options for new players as the 2017 season looms a couple of months away. The MCL is expected to begin in February, though ratification by the Federation is still awaited, while Crown will be going to China in two weeks time for a tournament and also have the AFC Cup on the horizon, also expected to happen in February. With new head coach Oleg Starynskyi currently in his home country of Ukraine, first-team coaching duties are in the hands of goalkeeping coach Dave Maguire and he has seen two more new faces among his charges this week. South Korean midfielder Kim Namgun, fresh from a season with Korean National League side Gangneung City, but with experience in Brazil, China and Montenegro, is training with the team, as is young Khmer striker Thhe Va, who was with Thai team Trat last season. Tomorrow (Friday) the Crown team will face Western, at the Western Stadium, with a 6pm kick-off under floodlights in the latest pre-season friendly. Unlikely to feature are the injured trio of Anthony Aymard, Orn Chanpolin and Keo Sokngon, whilst Shane Booysen gets closer to joining in the competitive action every day.

Thanks for the memories

Two of PPCFC’s longest-serving players have recently parted company with the club. Bin Thierry, who joined the club in October 2012, and Leng Makara, who arrived at RSN in December 2011. Both players were an important part of our Championship-winning teams in 2014 and 2015 and both went onto deservedly represent the Cambodia national team during their time at the club. We would like to record our thanks and appreciation to both players for their service to PPCFC and wish them continued personal success in the future.

PPCFC and SALT Academy officially joined forces with NGO World Vision and sponsors Smart to kick-start the One Goal Pilot Programme, at a media conference yesterday (pictured above). The project fits into Smart's mandate to support education, environment and community sports and will allow World Vision to make a positive impact on youngsters in three provinces over the next year: Preah Vihear, Battambang and Takeo. One Goal will focus on children in those provinces receiving life skills and football coaching from coaches trained by PPCFC and SALT, who provide the technical expertise. Youngsters will train and play regular matches and enjoy a tournament at PPCFC later next year. Sam Schweingruber was at the official signing yesterday and has already started coaching the World Vision coaches to make this project a success.

Defeat to B-Ket

PPCFC line-up (pictured above), back row, LtoR: Aymard, Pissa, Chanchav, Kakada, Chanvuthy, Boris. Front Row: Muslim, Baraing, Piseth, Noeut, Ponvuthy.

Match Report: PPCFC 0 Boeungket 3 (Friendly).
Despite a hard-working performance from the Crown youngsters, it was the foreign influence that won the day for the visitors. Crown dominated possession in the opening half, and struck the post early on through Sin Kakada. Japanese striker Tomoki tapped-in the opening goal on 11 minutes after Gbenga avoided four challenges to set him up. The home team went close through Choun Chanchav, Yeu Muslim and Kok Boris but were a goal behind at the break.
Pov Ponvuthy went close twice in the early stages of the second-half including a bobbling effort that rebounded off the foot of the upright. A quick break gave Bata another tap-in goal from Tomoki's pass on 68 minutes for the visitors, and the same player netted a second within a minute. Sothearath's shot took a heavy deflection off Bata's outstretched foot and left keeper Svang Samnang scrambling across his goal in vain. Late on efforts from Ouk Sovann, Chanchav and Somkiat Kunmee were thwarted by Boeungket stopper Makara as the visitors saw out the game.
PPCFC select the following starting XI:
Chanvuthy, Noeut, Baraing, Boris, Aymard, Pissa, Chanchav, Muslim, Ponvuthy, Kakada, Piseth.
Substitutes: Samnang, Safy, Sovann, Pisa, Rozak, Piphop, Sakrovy, Somkiat, Booysen.
Injured: Chanpolin, Sokngon, Titchhy, Chhaya, Chandara, Chansopheak.
Unavailable: Soksela, Thierry, Sodavid, Sokpheng.

New faces from Roi Et

PPCFC welcomed a delegation from Roi Et United, a Thailand League Division 2 club to RSN Stadium this evening, including experienced coach Somchart Yimsiri, who will take charge of the Crown Academy, having previously been head coach at Sisaket and with the Thai U-17 team that were 1998 AFC U-17 Champions, before many years at Roi Et. Also joining Crown as a player and seeking to make an impression over the next few weeks is 18-year-old striker Somkiat Kunmee, who was an Academy player with Muangthong United, spent a year with Leicester City's Academy before joining Roi Et, and has appeared for the Thailand U-16 and U-19 national teams. They are pictured on either side of Crown president Rithy Samnang in the group picture.

Q&A with Shane Booysen:

We ask our South African ball wizard the top 5 questions sent in by fans and as an added bonus we get to hear his fabulous singing voice. Thanks to all the fans who sent in their questions, and a big thanks to Shane for taking part.
https://youtu.be/eI_sGs9WHKo

Friendly results/fixtures

This coming Saturday, PPCFC will play our 6th pre-season friendly against National Police at RSN Stadium (3.30pm). Our friendly results and future pre-season fixtures are:
29 Oct vs Boeungket @ RSN Won 1-0 - Kakada
5 Nov vs PKR Svay Rieng Away Lost 0-1
7 Nov vs Cambodia NT @ RSN Lost 1-3 - Rozak
12 Nov vs Western @ RSN Won 3-2 - Sovann, Boris, Muslim
19 Nov vs Nagaworld @ RSN Lost 0-2
26 Nov vs National Police @ RSN Training Pitch 3.30pm
18 Dec vs Guangxi Longguida (China) Away 10.30am
20 Dec vs Army Utd (Thailand) Away 3pm
22 Dec vs Nam Dinh (Vietnam) Away 10.30am. 

RSN Youth Cup kicks off

RSN Stadium was a hive of activity this afternoon with the opening day of the community-based RSN Youth Cup, which began with a friendly tournament involving 90 ten-minute games across the various age levels. Next week the real competition begins with the following categories: U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 (including an elite group of invited teams) for boys and an open-age girls group. Here are a few pictures from today's events, which gave the competition a fabulous opening day with involvement from hundreds of youngsters. It was great to see the enjoyment, commitment and fair play from all the teams and we look forward to the next five weeks of competitive football at RSN Stadium each weekend.

China fixtures

PPCFC's matches in the China-Asean Cities Invitation Tournament (CACF) in Nanning, southern China next month, have been announced. Crown will kick-off the tournament against the home team, Guangxi Longguida, at 10.30am on Sunday 18 Dec at the Gangxi Sports Centre Stadium. Two days later (Tues 20 Dec) they will meet Thailand's Army United at 3pm at the same stadium. The final game for PPCFC in this 4-team competition will be on Thurs 22 Dec against Nam Dinh from Vietnam with a 10.30am kick-off. The tournament winners will be determined by most points won.

Oleg gets top job

Oleg (right) and VP Tommy Lim

Ukrainian-born coach Oleg Starynskyi has today signed a contract for the forthcoming season as the Head Coach of Phnom Penh Crown. He replaces Sam Schweingruber, who guided the club to two Cambodian League Championships, and who steps up to the role of Technical Director at RSN Stadium.
Starynskyi (30) joined Crown in February 2016 as an Academy coach after spending the last 3 and a half years in Malaysia including six months as the assistant coach of the Malaysian U-17 national team. He was born in Bila Tserkva, near the Ukraine capital of Kiev, and played youth football for FC Arsenal-Kyiv before spending five years learning the art of film directing at the Kyiv International University. That's where he began coaching and worked for the Kyiv regional federation and as a youth coach with FC Arsenal-Kyiv, before taking up a coaching post with the Goal Academy in Malaysia for three years. He's a UEFA B-license coach, with a Coerver coaching diploma.
Starynskyi coached the Crown Academy to the Smart RSN U-19 Youth Championship in June, supported Sam Schweingruber as an assistant coach of the first-team for much of last season, and did the same for the Cambodia U-19 national team in the recent AFF U-19 Youth Championships in Vietnam. Twenty-two of his U-19 Academy squad have been promoted to the Crown 1st-team this season.
Commenting on his appointment (pictured with Crown Vice-President Tommy Lim), he said: “This is an unexpected and great chance for me and this season will be a season of opportunity for everyone: starting with me as a coach. The club has given me the responsibility to lead the team and I really appreciate this. It will be a big responsibility on my shoulders, as it will for the boys who are newly-promoted to the 1st-Team. It’s a huge opportunity for them, they wouldn’t get this chance at any other club around the world, so I want them to grab it and show their passion and commitment, hard work and attitude.
I am committed to the club and the team, I try to implement attractive football, so we need to adjust our mentality to be more aggressive and take control of games. It won’t be an easy task, I don’t want to talk about winning trophies, we need to be realistic and try our very best in every game. Our team will be young so they need to take responsibility and adapt their mentality. We’ve had one month of pre-season and we will aim to be ready when we go to China and then the MCL and AFC Cup. We need to improve in all areas, especially our decision-making and I need some experienced foreign players in specific positions to help guide our younger players.”