Cambodia Football League: 2017 Season Preview

Cambodian League 2017: Season Preview

With the expanded Metfone Cambodian League getting under way next weekend a timely opportunity to identify a number of the interesting talking points and story-lines for the upcoming season.

All Change At the Champions

The Prodigal (provincial governor’s) son has departed as CV11 begins the 2017 season in Japan as Kampot’s most prestigious export since the pepper. After a stunning 116 goals in 90 league games for the Rubbermen Chan Vathanaka will be trying his luck with J3 side Fujieda MYFC. Also departing from Boeung Ket Angkor the coach, Prak Sovannara perhaps the best respected Cambodian manager in the game.

Despite this flux things appear to be relatively rosy for the Champions. An impressive qualification for the AFC Cup Group Stage and two foreign players who may be amongst the best in the league. Japanese attacker Tomoki Muramatsu, signed from Cambodian Tiger for whom he scored 15 goals last season, was excellent in the 2-leg victory over Laos’ eponymously named Toyota FC whilst Brazilian striker Maycon is a former golden boot winner in the Belarussian league albeit arriving via the Thai Second Division. And whilst he looked a little off the pace in the home draw against Lao Toyota it will be intriguing to see how Maycon, one of 3 Brazilians apparently registered for the upcoming season across the league, performs.

Can Crown Compete

Almost certainly yes and a repeat of last years nightmare season seems unlikely. Shane Booysen, too good for the Cambodian league, is back and seems likely to be the top scorer in the division. Combined with a good spine of Cambodian talent, many including the impressive Seut Baraing and In Sodavid products of the youth academy, they will surely compete. But foreign recruitment, key to success in the league, appears perplexing poor. Three players released just a week before the start of the season is not ideal preparation – albeit if at least two of the players Chiharu Kosuge and Volodymyr Ordynskyi looked well out of their depth even at this level. A good Asian scouting network would seem to be a sensible use of the clubs resources.

Asian Pivot

The days when a Cambodian league team’s foreign contingent represented a big African at the back and another up top are long gone. The top three goal scorers in in the league last season were all Asian and there is a strong argument that two of the three best foreign players this season are from the East not the West – Boueng Ket Angkor’s Muramatsu and Army’s sensation the Asian Ronaldo Choe Myong-ho. Less than half of the foreign players registered for this season are African and beyond Booysen it is perhaps difficult to see them being the difference for a teams fortunes.

Prak Mony Udom vs Keo Sokpeng vs Khoun Laboravy

With CV11 gone the battle for the best and most influential Cambodian player in the league is open. Whoever wins the battle between Svay Rieng’s Prak Mony Udom, Crown’s Keo Sokpeng and Boeung Ket Angkor’s Khoun Laboravy to emerge as the most potent attacking force will strongly position their team to push for the title. All three players are talented and are worth watching: both by fans of the game and scouts from neighboring leagues.

How will the Angkor Warriors do?

Since their disappointing (8 matches played 8 defeats 27 goals conceded and 1 scored) World Cup Qualifying group the national team has improved in both fortunes and popularity. They made the final stages of the AFF Suzuki and were not disgraced taking the lead in matches against both Malaysia (twice) and the host Myanmar whilst playing, at times, some engaging attacking football. They now find themselves in an AFC Asian Cup qualifying group where, if things go right, qualification is not totally out the question. Matches against Afghanistan (a foe in the World Cup Qualifiers as well), Jordon and a likely highly charged local derby against the Youn Vietnam. With the top two teams qualifying the opening home match in June vs Afghanistan (who narrowly won 1-0 at the Olympic Stadium in the World Cup) is critical.

Predicted Final League Positions

1.       Boueng Ket Angkor

2.       Phnom Penh Crown

3.       National Defense

4.       Svay Rieng

5.       Nagaworld

6.       Cambodian Tiger

7.       National Police

8.       CMAC United

9.       Western Phnom Penh

10.   Kirivong Sok Sen Chey

11.   Asia Euro Utd

12.   Electricite du Cambodge