SEA Games: Can the young Lions beat them?

MYANMAR

Coach: Kyi LwinBest result: Gold (1965 - shared with Thailand, 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1973 as Burma)

Last SEA Games: Group stage

Key players: Nay Lin Tun, Chit Su Moe, Ye Win Aung

Recent results: drew 2-2 with Vietnam, lost to Thailand 4-0, lost to Australia 5-1

Team talk: They won five gold medals in the first seven editions of the South-east Asian Peninsular Games, the predecessor of the SEA Games.

Myanmar - or Burma as they were known then - were once regarded as one of the big guns in the region.

Since then, they have faltered but, in recent years, Myanmar football has shown signs that it is nearing its second coming.

They put themselves back on the map by claiming silver and bronze medals at the 2009 and 2011 Games respectively.

Their senior side are posing a tough test for some of the region's heavyweights, even if they are yet to deliver the goods at the Suzuki Cup.

Their young charges' qualification for this year's Fifa Under-20 World Cup, which came after reaching last year's AFC U-19 Championship semi-finals on home soil, suggests that they are on the right track.

For this SEA Games, they will have to do it without stars like Kyaw Ko Ko and Kyi Lin, who are in Raddy Avramovic's senior side preparing for the World Cup qualifiers.

Their absence dents Myanmar's hopes of reaching the last four, but don't be surprised if they deliver another statement of their impending resurgence.

INDONESIA

Coach: Aji Santoso

Best result: Gold (1987, 1991)

Last SEA Games: Silver

Key players: Evan Dimas, Manahati Lestusen (right), Muchlis Hadi

Recent results: Lost 4-0 to South Korea, beat Brunei 2-0, beat Timor Leste 5-0

Team talk: Indonesia surpassed all expectations at the last SEA Games in Myanmar two years ago when they charged to the final, where they were pipped 1-0 by Thailand.

After advancing from the group stage only due to their better head-to-head record against Myanmar, they beat Malaysia on penalties in the last four, before falling at the final hurdle as Sarawut Masuk scored the only goal of the final to hand the Thais the gold medal.

It's hard to gauge where the Indonesians stand, as they have often been inconsistent at major tournaments.

On their day, they remain one of the region's powerhouses, as shown by consecutive silver medals in 2011 and 2013.

However, they are also capable of producing a complete meltdown like they did in 2009, when they finished bottom of a group comprising Laos, Singapore and Myanmar, with just one point from three games.

With the likes of rising star Evan Dimas and combative midfielder Manahati Lestusen - both of whom represented the senior side at last year's Suzuki Cup - there is no shortage of talent and experience for Aji Santoso to call upon.

Throw in up-and-coming striker Muchlis Hadi and they certainly have a line-up capable of causing problems.

Perhaps their biggest foes are themselves, as their rivals wait to see which Indonesia team turn up.

CAMBODIA

Coach: Lee Tae Hoon

Best result: Group stage

Last SEA Games: Group stage

Key players: Chan Vathanaka, Prak Mony Udom, Sok Chanrasmey

Recent results: lost 1-0 to South Korea, lost 3-2 to Malaysia, drew 3-3 with Malaysia.

Team talk: One team Singapore will be very familiar with are Cambodia, who were in town for a couple of friendlies in March.

Considering the Cambodians have historically failed to cause any problems for the Lions at any age category, it was therefore a major upset when their U-22s recorded a shock 3-1 win over the Singapore U-23s at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Under South Korean coach Lee Tae Hoon, who is also in charge of the senior team, Cambodia have not only steadily improved in results and rankings, but also adopted a new style of play that is a distinct breakaway from the old-fashioned tactics of yesteryear.

Gone is the route-one football, which never genuinely threatened the region's stronger sides.

In its place, Lee has demanded his charges employ a quick-passing game that allows them to make the most of their speed.

This served them well last year in the Suzuki Cup qualifiers, when they finished third behind only Myanmar and Laos, and the U-23s also produced a creditable showing in Thailand in the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers in March, when they lost 2-1 to the Thais and were beaten 4-1 by North Korea before finishing with a 3-1 triumph over the Philippines.

And, as they showed against Aide Iskandar's charges last month, the gap between the Cambodians and South-east Asia's big guns is rapidly diminishing.

PHILIPPINES

Coach: Marlon Maro

Best result: Fourth (1991)

Last SEA Games: Did not participate

Key players: Gerardo Valmayor, Arnel Amita, Paolo Bugas

Recent results: lost 3-1 to Cambodia, lost 5-1 to Thailand, lost 4-0 to North Korea

Team talk: For a basketball-crazy nation that count Manny Pacquiao as one of their sporting sons, the Philippines have come a long way from regional minnows to establishing themselves as a real force to be reckoned with.

The senior team have delivered the goods with three successive semi-final appearances in the Suzuki Cup, as well as coming agonisingly close to qualifying for this year's Asian Cup, after losing 1-0 to Palestine in the final of last year's AFC Challenge Cup.

But, for all the improvement the Azkals have made in recent years, they have still been unable to impress at age-group level, where they have often been unable to call upon the services of their foreign-born contingent.

This year, however, they are looking to set that straight, having named a 20-man roster completely comprising locally born-and-bred Filipinos.

They will be guided by coach Marlon Maro, who is one of the few from his country to possess an AFC "A" Licence.

While this means they will be without full internationals like Manny Ott, Daisuke Sato and Mark Hartmann, it will be a chance for them to gauge how successful their youth development is with the entire squad coming through the college ranks.

Having opted not to send a team to Myanmar for the last SEA Games, it does look as though the Philippines could be raring to show what they are capable of this time around - and shed the unwanted "whipping boys" tag.

This article was first published on June 2, 2015.
Get The New Paper for more stories.