Singapore coach Ogura unveils youthful first squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against China
The Lions will face China at the National Stadium on Mar 21 and again in Tianjin on Mar 26.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s new head coach Tsutomu Ogura announced on Friday (Mar 8) a relatively youthful squad for the Lions’ 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches against China later this month.
This is the first squad unveiled by Ogura since he took over the reins of the national team from compatriot Takayuki Nishigaya, who was sacked on the back of a string of dismal results.
Eleven members of Ogura’s 26-man squad are aged 24 and under, and 10 of them, including four uncapped players, have 10 caps or fewer.
The squad has no shortage of stalwarts, however, with captain Hariss Harun set to line up alongside Hassan Sunny and Safuwan Baharudin – the three each having played for the Lions more than 100 times.
Tampines Rovers’ Faris Ramli, meanwhile, will return to the national team fold after missing out on the last two call-ups. The 31-year-old winger has 77 caps to his name.
“Coach Ogura has gone with a mixture of experience and youth in the crucial matches at the National Stadium and Tianjin, China,” the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a media release on Friday, adding that he had spent several weeks meeting Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs and watching training and matches at the ongoing SPL Interim Tournament.
The match at the National Stadium will take place on Mar 21, while the return fixture in Tianjin will be played on Mar 26. The Lions are currently in 156th place in FIFA’s men’s ranking, while China are ranked 88th.
“The local-based players will join up with Ogura and his coaching team on Mar 11 while the overseas players will return to Singapore on different dates once they have completed their club commitments,” FAS said.
For two of the four uncapped players named in the squad – defenders Jared Gallagher and Fairuz Fazli – this is a first senior call-up.
Gallagher, 22, who currently plays for Tampines Rovers, represented Singapore at the 2022 and 2023 Southeast Asian Games and in two Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup qualifying campaigns. He also played for the Young Lions from 2021 to 2023.
Current Young Lion Fairuz, 19, who has featured in under-19 and under-22 Singapore squads, also participated in the 2023 SEA Games and in qualifiers for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup last year.
The first two rounds of AFC qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are also the first two rounds of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
The Lions advanced to the second round of qualifying after beating Guam 3-1 over two legs last October.
However, this was followed by a crushing 5-0 defeat against South Korea in Seoul on Nov 16.
They would then lose 3-1 to Thailand at home five days later, with the results placing them at the bottom of their qualifying group.
BACKROOM ADDITIONS
On Thursday, FAS announced that Ogura will be adding former Kashima Antlers assistant coach Kosei Nakamura to his backroom staff as he looks to intensify preparations for the upcoming qualifiers.
Tampines Rovers head coach Gavin Lee was also invited to join Ogura’s team for the March international window.
Nakamura, who will join the Lions set-up as Ogura’s assistant coach, “brings forth a wealth of experience alongside a host of qualifications”, FAS said in a media release.
The 42-year-old, who also hails from Japan, began his coaching journey at Kashima Antlers in 2007 as a football academy coach, rising through the ranks to become assistant manager of the club’s professional side in April 2023.
Nakamura had a stint in Singapore during his playing days, making 15 appearances and scoring seven goals for Albirex Niigata during the 2005-06 S.League season.
FAS said that Lee “made history” in 2019 as the youngest-ever coach in the Singapore Premier League. He was 28 at the time.
Under his leadership, Tampines Rovers secured consecutive second-place finishes in the Singapore Premier League and clinched the Singapore Cup in his debut season, FAS added.
“I am very encouraged that everyone has come together to work towards a common goal of improving our national team. I have met all the SPL coaches and look forward to working with all of them,” Ogura said in a statement.
Nakamura and Lee are set to join the national team in their preparations on Mar 11 when centralised training begins.
SINGAPORE MEN’S SQUAD FOR MARCH 2024
Goalkeepers: Hassan Sunny, Syazwan Buhari, Zharfan Rohaizad
Defenders: Anumanthan Mohan Kumar, Fairuz Fazli, Jared Gallagher, Jacob Mahler, Irfan Fandi, Nazrul Nazari, Safuwan Baharudin, Ryhan Stewart, Lionel Tan, Zulqarnaen Suzliman
Midfielders: Joel Chew, Hariss Harun, Glenn Kweh, Shah Shahiran, Harhys Stewart, Song Ui-young, Zulfahmi Arifin
Forwards: Daniel Goh, Faris Ramli, Hafiz Nor, Ikhsan Fandi, Ilhan Fandi, Shawal Anuar
