RI goes Dutch ahead of Asian Cup

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian national soccer team will leave for Holland on Monday for a two-week stint ahead of the Asian Cup finals in Lebanon in mid-October.

Head coach Nandar Iskandar announced on Saturday that his team would play Dutch first division leader Vitesse Arnheim on Sept. 28, first division A side Dordricht on Oct. 4 and NAC Breda, which is currently ranked third in the first division, on Oct. 6.

"We go to the Netherlands to improve teamwork between players, test our playing order and to try our new tactics and strategy before picking up the best ones," he said.

Nandar's 22-strong team will go directly to Beirut after its Dutch outing. Nine officials will accompany Nandar during the overseas trip.

The coach has allowed four PSM Makassar players -- Hendro Kartiko, Aji Santoso, Bima Sakti and Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto -- and PKT East Kalimantan player Jet Donald Laala to skip the opening friendly and join their teammates on Sept. 29 because of club commitments. Both PSM and PKT will play Thai teams in the second leg away match of the Asian Champions League and Winners' Cup respectively on Sept. 27.

In the Asian Cup finals, Indonesia joins the continent's soccer giants South Korea, China and Kuwait in Group B. The national team will meet Kuwait in the first group match on Oct. 13 in Tripoli, Lebanon.

Indonesia qualified for the Asian Cup finals for the first time in 1996. It then finished at the bottom of the group after a draw and two defeats.

The national squad had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Kuwait after leading 2-0 in the opening match. Lack of experience was blamed for Indonesia's 2-4 and 0-2 losses to South Korea and host United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia won the final after beating the host.

Learning from its modest debut four years ago, national team manager Muhammad Zein said he set a realistic target of improving his squad's ranking in the upcoming finals.

"We just don't want to finish last in the group," he said.

Nandar said that his team was prepared to face the other three countries in the Cup.

"Any country or group provide Indonesia with equal challenge. Our team has not played China and South Korea for a long time, so we don't know their current strengths," he said.

Zein said on Saturday that he had difficulties in arranging an international friendlies with China and South Korea. The two countries were invited to the Independence Cup soccer tournament last month, but refused, giving tight schedules as their main reason.

"In my opinion, they might think that playing with us was a waste of energy and money," he said.(ivy)

List of players:

Goalkeepers: Hendro Kartiko, I Komang Putra, Sahari Gultom

Defenders: Aji Santoso, Eko Purjianto, Ismet Sofyan, Jet Donald Laala, Nuralim, Slamet Riyadi, Sugiantoro, Warsidi

Midfielders: Bima Sakti, Eduard Ivakdalam, Imran Nahumarury, I Putu Gede, Seto Nurdiantoro, Uston Nawawi, Yaris Riyadi

Strikers: Bambang Pamungkas, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, Gendut Doni, Rochy Puttiray