Ahead Of The Slovakia Kontra Match, The U-20 Indonesian National Team Gets A New Cup

New inauguration of the Indonesian U-20 national team. (Photo: Twitter/@PSSI)

JAKARTA - The U-20 Indonesian national team will face Slovakia in the second test match in Murcia, Spain, Saturday, November 19, 2022. Facing this match, Garuda Nusantara has the arrival of two new players.

The arrival team of two Dutch players is of Indonesian descent, namely Zico Jamai Soree and Rafael William Struick. Both are believed to be played immediately in the match against Slovakia later.

Uploaded to the PSSI Twitter account @PSSI, Friday, November 18, the two players have been training with Marselino Ferdinand and his friends.

The presence of Zico and Rafael will increase Indonesia's U-20 break-in power. The reason is, the two players do position as strikers and wingers.

Zico Jamai Soree is a 19-year-old striker and now plays for the U-21 PEC Zwolle team in the Netherlands. While Rafael Struick (19 years old) is a winger for ADO club The Hague, a team competing in the Dutch second tier league.

Previously, Indonesia U-20 had been strengthened by Ivar Jenner and Justin Hubner. They are being targeted for naturalization in order to strengthen Garuda Nusantara in the 2023 U-20 World Cup.

Ivar and Justin have tasted three test matches with the Indonesian national team. Zico and Rafael could have had a similar experience if coach Shin Tae-yong played in the match versus Slovakia.

The friendly matches of the Indonesian U-20 national team in Spain, which were held on the sidelines of TC, are one of the preparations for the U-20 Asian Cup and the 2023 U-20 World Cup. Previously, Indonesia underwent TC in Turkey.

During the TC in Turkey, which took place from 16 October-13 November 2022, coach Shin Tae-yong's squad conducted seven test matches, of which three ended in wins for Indonesia.

The 2023 U-20 Asian Cup will be held on March 1-18, 2023 in Uzbekistan. The 2023 U-20 World Cup will take place on May 20-June 11, 2023 in Indonesia.