Rising star Boas looks to foreign fields<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
At 18, Boas Salossa is already a big fish in the small pond of
\nsoccer here, rated one of the best left wingers in the country.<\/p>\n
Local fans dutifully chant the national team player's name at
\nevery game at home. Getting a photo with him and his autograph
\nare prized by supporters who show up at team training sessions.<\/p>\n
Yet Boas knows that moving up a level will mean leaving the
\ncomfort zone of home. In fact, it's his dream.<\/p>\n
\"I wish I could play overseas to develop my skills in a
\ncompetition better than we have at home,\" the Papuan youth said.<\/p>\n
He will be in select company if he does go abroad. Others
\ninclude Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, who once played for FC Lucerne in
\nSwitzerland, Rochi Puttiray in Hong Kong, Ricky Yacobi in Japan,
\nand now Bambang Pamungkas in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Boas has the skills to play abroad, perhaps in Europe. Quick
\nand sharp, with very good individual skills and deft, innovative
\nplays, he strikes fear in the opposing team's defenders.<\/p>\n
Boas' four goals for Indonesia in the 2004 Tiger Cup puts him
\nthird among goal scorers after Ilham Jaya Kesuma (7) and
\nKurniawan (5).<\/p>\n
His fourth goal in the second leg of the Tiger Cup semifinal
\nagainst Malaysia displayed his trademark style.<\/p>\n
Boas got the ball from a midfielder, then flicked it with his
\nright foot to pass a Malaysian defender.<\/p>\n
After beating the defender, he came up against the Malaysian
\ngoalkeeper. Instead of taking a shot, he nimbly dribbled it
\naround the goalkeeper, leaving him wrong-footed, and tapped it
\ninto the empty net.<\/p>\n
His impressive performance has led some newspapers to tip him
\nfor the title of best player of the competition.<\/p>\n
Boas, a nephew of Papua Governor Jaap Salossa, started his
\ninternational career in the Under-20 national team at the age of
\n17.<\/p>\n
He was quickly promoted to the senior team following his
\noutstanding performance in the U-20 Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur in
\nSeptember and October, where he scored two of Indonesia's three
\ngoals.<\/p>\n
National coach Peter Withe acknowledged Boas' talent, but
\nadded that he needed to exercise more self-control.<\/p>\n
\"Boas is a young and very good player, but sometimes he should
\nlearn not to do stupid things in the field that get a yellow
\ncard.\"<\/p>\n
Boas got his second yellow card in the qualifying matches held
\nin Vietnam; it kept him out of the first semifinal match against
\nMalaysia at home, where Indonesia lost 1-2.<\/p>\n
He was also booked in the second leg of the semifinal in Kuala
\nLumpur, which Indonesia won 4-1, for his strong protest to the
\nreferee for issuing a yellow card to another player.<\/p>\n
It's the mix of natural talent and his erratic, emotional edge
\nthat have made him a player to watch among fans.<\/p>\n
\"My male friends and I always talk about Boas, the captain
\nPonaryo Astaman, and top scorer Ilham,\" said Ananda, a 15-year-
\nold North Jakarta junior high school student who watched the team
\npractice on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
She and her friends will be watching for Boas' bag of tricks
\nwhen Indonesia meets Singapore in Jakarta on Saturday, and in the
\nsecond leg match in the island-state on Jan. 16.<\/p>\n
\"I hope Boas could help Indonesia win the Tiger Cup,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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