Singapore shots

PPCFC Academy in Singapore with Ray Parlour (yellow) and coach Bouy Dary

A camera malfunction meant that a group shot of the ten Phnom Penh Crown Academy boys who returned with the runners-up trophy from their visit to Singapore last weekend doesn't exist. Instead here are a couple of photos of most of the youngsters, who will know that they should've really won the Singapore Sixes U-14 Charity competition but had to settle for second spot. The day before the matches began they had a coaching session with ex-England and Arsenal player Ray Parlour, who was the guest of honour for the weekend.

The PPCFC team before a game. Back LtoR: Samnang, Chanpolin, Baraing. Front: Senteang, Muslim, Ponvuthy

Academy praised

In Sodavid, the Academy top scorer in Singapore with six goals

Phnom Penh Crown Academy coach Bouy Dary praised his charges for their runners-up spot in last weekend's Singapore Cricket Club International Soccer Sixes U-14 Charity tournament but felt there was much to learn from the experience for the ten players who made the trip. "We were dominant in every game, including the final but we lacked concentration at the start of the last match, conceding twice before playing well for the rest of the game. We pulled it back to 2-2 but we should've scored half a dozen. Our finishing was not great and its frustrating because Bali had only two chances in the whole game. When it came to the penalties we missed twice and I think it was down to nerves. Everyone who watched the game told me the boys played exceptionally well but they must take their chances when they come along. Another lesson to learn." Dary took ten youngsters to Singapore for the two-day competition, though only nine actually played any game-time as Phoeun Sopheak is still recovering from his knee injury. The nine were: Svang Samnang, Men Piphop, Seut Baraing, Orn Chanpolin, Chhuot Senteang, In Sodavid, Yeu Muslim, Ken Chansopheak, Pov Ponvuthy. They were keen to better their third place from the previous year's competition and did exactly that, though they will kick themselves for not bringing back the winners trophy. There's a possibility of a trip to Thailand later this month for a series of games but more pressing is a match against a Banteay Meanchey representative team tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at RSN Stadium.

On the first day of the Soccer Sixes competition, Crown began like a runaway train. Playing two seven minute halves and six-a-side for each of the group matches, they met the Hevea MK Palembang team from Indonesia in the 1st game and led with two early goals from Seut Baraing before wrapping up the 4-0 win through Ken Chansopheak and Yeu Muslim. Next up was the Muhammadiyah Association from Singapore and they were easily dispensed 6-0. Muslim started the rout, Orn Chanpolin and In Sodavid both chipped in with two goals each before Pov Ponvuthy added the icing on the cake. Sodavid made an immediate impression in the third match with two goals in the first two minutes. He netted his hat-trick after Ponvuthy and Chansopheak had also scored in a 5-0 success over the Youth Football Home team from Phuket in Thailand. So far so good. The next morning the Rumah Faith Home from Malaysia were easily brushed aside in the 18 minute semi-final, with Crown winning 6-0 and looking on course for the trophy. Chanpolin, Ponvuthy, Chansopheak (2), an own goal and Sodavid were the goalscorers and Crown were through to the U-14 Charity Cup final where they would face last year's champions, Bali Sports Foundation from Indonesia. Two lapses of concentration handed the edge to Bali early doors only for Chanpolin and Ponvuthy to score and level the final tie. Rueing a few missed opportunities, the match went into three penalty-kicks per team and with two misses, Crown lost out 2-1 on sudden death spot-kicks.

Cup Final Heartache

Pov Ponvuthy celebrating one of his goals in last year's Soccer Sixes

It hurts to lose any match by way of a penalty shoot-out but it hurts even more when it's a cup final. Now the Phnom Penh Crown Academy know exactly how that pain feels after going down 2-1 on penalties in the final of the Singapore Cricket Club International Soccer Sixes U-14 Charity Tournament earlier this afternoon at the Padang cricket ground. Coming into the final the Academy boys had swept all before them with 21 goals scored in four matches and none conceded. That is until they faced last year's U-14 Singapore cup winners, Bali Sports Foundation from Indonesia. Bali took a quick two-goal lead in the final and led at half-time. The Academy youngsters recovered in the second period, pulling the game level with goals from Orn Chanpolin and Pov Ponvuthy to make it 2-2 at the final whistle, but it was the sudden-death penalties that finally undid the Academy. They lost 2-1 in the shoot-out and had to settle for second place, an improvement on last year's performance, but still a bitter pill to swallow after showing so much promise leading up to the final. Coach Bouy Dary and his ten-strong squad will return to Phnom Penh tomorrow, when I'll bring you a full report from the tournament.

Best possible start

The Phnom Penh Crown Academy boys are overseas again. Well, ten of them are anyway, in Singapore, invited by the organizers to take part in the Singapore Soccer Sizes 2012 tournament, more specifically in the U-14 Charity Cup involving teams from at least seven nations. Yesterday they were in a football clinic with ex-Arsenal star Ray Parlour. This morning they played three games in a mini-group and won all three matches, rather convincingly, to move through to the semi-finals of the cup, which will be played tomorrow (Sun) morning just after 9am. Their results this morning were as follows:
PPCFC 4-0 Hevea MK, Palembang (Indonesia)
PPCFC 6-0 Muhammadiyah Assoc (Singapore)
PPCFC 5-0 Youth Football Home, Phuket (Thailand)
Last year the Crown youngsters did well to finish third in the U-14 competition but they are one year older and wiser this time around and it certainly showed in today's group games. Head coach Bouy Dary is in charge of the boys and sent me the results by sms as the internet connection in the hotel is so poor. I should have more information tomorrow.
Sunday update: This morning the Academy boys continued their winning way in the semi-final meeting with Rumah Faith Home from Malaysia. A 6-0 win puts the Academy through to this afternoon's final, where they will meet Bali Sports Foundation from Indonesia, who were last year's champions. So far so good, four matches, 21 goals scored and none conceded.

Academy jet-setters

The PPCFC Academy celebrate 3rd place in the 2011 Singapore Sixes competition

Many of the youngsters in the Phnom Penh Crown Academy squad will be jet-setting around Asia this month and next. On Sunday next week they head for Kinabalu in Malaysia to take part in the AFC Festival of Football as part of the Cambodian U-14s national football squad. The final make-up of the 22-strong squad will be announced tomorrow. They will be rubbing shoulders with eleven other Southeast Asia nations at the festival, designed to promote everything that is good about the game at a young age. They will return home on 4 June. Following on from their Malaysian adventures, half of the Academy group will then be heading to Singapore for the weekend of 30 June-1 July to once again take part in the prestigious Soccer Sixes 2012 tournament, hosted by Singapore Cricket Club. With ex-Arsenal star Ray Parlour as the guest of honour, the PPCFC Academy will join seven other U-14 teams in the Charity Tournament, a competition which they took part in last year, and finished a very creditable third against charitable institutions from Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Singapore. The Soccer Sixes is now becoming a major event in the Asian football calendar and PPCFC are very pleased to be invited back again, after the youngsters impressed everyone with their footballing talent last time around. The Tournament website had this to say about the Academy boys: 'Phnom Penh Crown Academy finished third overall with a technical display of football that is well beyond their years and became the talking point throughout the weekend with the fans.' Whenever and wherever the youngsters have represented Cambodia and the Academy, they have been a real credit to themselves and their coaches and I have no doubt this will continue. 

Pov Ponvuthy celebrates in style after another PPCFC victory in the 2011 Sixes tournament