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)