National soccer team needs polishing

National soccer team needs polishing

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian team bound for the Asian Soccer Championship Zone Four matches is getting better at creating goal opportunities but continues to have trouble cashing in on them.

Head Coach Danurwindo said yesterday that "they have been successful in creating, say, up to ten or twelve opportunities but have only scored four goals."

The national team won three of its four home tryout games. In the first tryout on Jan. 31, they clinched an easy 3-0 win against Tunas Jaya Jakarta. On Feb. 3 they were held 1-1 by another Jakarta team, Persija. They then routed Persita 4-0 on Feb. 7 and beat Mastrans Bandung Raya 2-0 on Feb. 14.

Danurwindo spoke to reporters yesterday after seeing the team off to Bangkok. They will play Bangkok Bank on Feb. 18 and the Thai national team on Feb. 23.

"They now understand pretty well how and when to launch direct attacks to score goals," Danurwindo said.

"But the team's defensemen still find it difficult to play as a team," he said.

"Perhaps because most of the backs are new. Only one of them, Aples Tecuari, played on the team fielded at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai last December," he said.

Danurwindo disclosed that the team had only been able to train in the evening at Lebak Bulus stadium in South Jakarta because most of the team's members were fasting. The team started training on Jan. 26.

Meanwhile, All-Indonesia Soccer Federation chairman Azwar Anas said that India finally caved into pressure from Indonesia and Malaysia to comply to the Asian championships schedule.

India wanted the Asian Football Confederation to postpone its Asian championships matches against Indonesia and Malaysia from early March to early April. Indonesia and Malaysia rejected India's request.

Indonesia is scheduled to take on Malaysia on March 2 and to face India on March 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Host Malaysia is scheduled to lock horns with India on March 6. (arf)