Chile beat Singapore 2-1 in warm-up

Two goals by Vincent Martin (CHI) carried Chile to a 2-1 win against Singapore in a boys' hockey warm-up game at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
The hosts squandered an early lead provided by Muhd Fadhil Muhd Rizaini’s (SIN) goal as Chile took control of the game that was split into two sessions of 20 minutes apiece. “I am not at all happy with our performance,” said Singapore team coach Gerard Dankar. “I expected much more from the boys. We were composed in the first half, but in the second-half we lost our organisation leading to confusion in the defence.”
Jorge O’Ryan, Chile team’s assistant coach said: “We had a bad first half and we couldn’t get into the game. But in the second half we played better and created more scoring options as we got into a rhythm.” O’Ryan said he was pleased at the fitness levels of his players and expected the team to improve in the days ahead. “We needed this game to get into the flow of the tournament and we have another couple of training sessions to prepare for the Youth Olympic Games competition,” said O’Ryan.
Dankar felt his team committed too many unforced errors, especially in the second half, that led to the opening up of the defence for Chile to exploit. “Chile was given a lot of space at the back, which they capitalised on," the Singapore coach said.
"Our unforced errors, of which there were far too many, also contributed to our defeat. But I can say that the boys have a desire to win and we will work on our game in the next few days before the competition begins.”
Dankar asserted that there was no pressure on the team due to expectations from home supporters. “Absolutely no pressure at all," he continued. "I know we have some top teams to play in the competition. Our first game is against the top seed Australia, but we are confident of doing well.”
Dankar, taking a long-term perspective, said: “Next year, we are hosting the under-18 Asia Cup, and we will have the same group that is playing at the Youth Olympics. From there, we move to the 2013 Junior World Cup. So, in that context, the Youth Olympics competition has a lot of significance for us.”
Chile's first match of the Games is on Tuesday against Belgium, while Singapore open their account against Australia on the same day.

Source: SYOGOC

Dharma challenges his charges

PROJECT 2013 coach K. Dharmaraj will disband his squad after the India Tour, and has challenged his players to preform in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) to warrant a re-call.
The Project boys, in training for the 2013 Junior World Cup, will head to India to train and play in a tournament in October.
“I will disband the Project squad after our India Tour and let them play for clubs in the MHL. And my challenge to them is that if they want their spots back in the Project side, they must show me that they can shine when pitted against the best in the country,” said Dharmaraj.
“Many of my players performed exceptionally well during the Europe Tour, and four of them have even received offers to play in German and Netherlands Clubs.
“However, since some players and coaches have ap proached me and said that so-and-so also warrants a place in the 2013 squad for performing in the Junior League and other smaller domestic tournaments, I throw them a chal lenge to show me what they have in the MHL.”
In the last MHL season, the majority of Project boys played for UniKL: “This year, I have been told that many other established clubs are also looking to sign up Project boys.
“This is a good sign that the MHL is progressing because in the past years, clubs were not keen to hire junior players and relied in former internationals who had retired more than 10 years ago.
“Now, with younger players in the MHL, it will become more competitive and with no clear favourites like in the JHL, everyone has a chance to show off their skills and be spotted for national training,” said Dharmaraj.
Dharmaraj, a former international together with his broth er Embaraj, lamented the fact that current Malaysian players are not recognised in the world of hockey.
“In the past, we had many players who terrorised strong opponents and their names were remembered and feared among hockey playing nations.
“Sad to say, out present batch are not only almost un known, they are also not feared in tournaments, and that is why we find it even difficult to beat lower ranked teams.
“However, I believe some of the Project boys have the capabilities to become household names away from our shores.”