U.23 Singapore arrives in Phu Tho, Japanese-origin defender is a formidable secret 'weapon'

On the evening of September 1, 2025, the Singapore U.23 team arrived in Phu Tho, ready for the journey to compete in Group C - the qualifying round of the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship.

U.23 Singapore has prepared carefully.

After a flight lasting about 4 hours from Changi Airport (Singapore), U.23 Singapore landed at Noi Bai Airport and traveled by car to Phu Tho . Coach Firdaus Kassim and his team were welcomed with flowers by the Organizing Committee and wished them success in the upcoming matches.

U.23 Singapore brought 24 players to Phu Tho, many of whom are playing in the S-League national championship. Notably, the team has the presence of Japanese-born defender Junki Yoshimura, a player of the Albirex Niigata Singapore club.

Singapore players were given flowers to welcome them at the hotel.

Despite being the latest team to arrive in Vietnam compared to U.23 Bangladesh and U.23 Yemen, U.23 Singapore still had thorough preparation with a training trip to Portugal in early August. This team also had positive results in recent friendly matches: a draw with U.23 Philippines and a win against U.23 Malaysia.

U.23 Singapore just returned from training trip in Portugal

According to the schedule, on September 2, 2025, U.23 Singapore will have their only training session at the Phu Tho Province Sports Complex. Coach Firdaus Kassim and his team will face U.23 Yemen at 4:00 p.m. on September 3, 2025 at Viet Tri Stadium.

For the first time, the homeland has a player wearing the U.23 Vietnam jersey on home ground.

Next, the team from the Lion Island will face the host team U.23 Vietnam on September 6, and U.23 Bangladesh on September 9. This is a group that coach Firdaus Kassim's team assesses to have fierce competition, and they will need to perform at their best to hope to qualify for the next round.

Match schedule in Vietnam

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-singapore-den-phu-tho-hau-ve-goc-nhat-la-vu-khi-bi-mat-dang-gom-185250901222537583.htm