A boys’ soccer team from Taipei representing Taiwan made it past the group stage into the knockout round at an Asian youth tournament in Singapore earlier this month, from which they brought home valuable experience of playing against top-level competition and the thrill of meeting two former England internationals — Paul Parker and Emile Heskey.
The Master Football Academy (MFA) under-12 team were the sole representatives from Taiwan at this year’s Junior Soccer School & League (JSSL) International Sevens competition in Singapore, which took place from April 29 to May 1.
According to the organizers, the event is the biggest international youth soccer tournament in Asia, with 270 teams from 15 nations.
Photo: courtesy of Master Football Academy
“The tournament was very well organized. They had quality soccer fields, great officiating and the teams were of a high standard for each of their age groups,” MFA general manager Michael Chandler said in an interview with the Taipei Times.
“It was quite a thrill for the boys to meet Paul Parker and Emile Heskey, two former England internationals who have played in World Cup tournaments. They also got to watch the professional under-16 academies compete, including [Portugal’s] Sporting, and the youth teams of England’s Fulham and Thailand’s Bangkok United,” Chandler said.
“In the opener we lost to the eventual champions and tournament hosts JSSL Elite 1,” he said.
“Then the boys quickly learned to improve their game by taking two wins against SSCA Singapore and Lee Man Rangers of Hong Kong. Then we earned a draw against AKSIL Shanghai, but suffered two defeats, to Chelsea Singapore and FC Bangkok. The results left MFA in fourth place in the group, claiming the final spot in the Cup knockout round,” he said.
In the knockout round, MFA took an early lead against Rising Star Soccer School of Indonesia, but a couple of lapses in concentration and a deflection sealed a 3-1 victory for their opponents.
Reflecting of the experience, MFA team member Owen Wu said: “We learned a lot by playing in the tournament. It is important to apply our game skills, and we have to practice more at passing and moving positions. We look forward to our next challenge in a big competition.”
“The organizers made excellent arrangements for the teams. For the kids, they gained good exposure for learning from the top players of the JSSL tournament, and also for them to build up team camaraderie to improve collaboration and game play,” Maggie Wu, Owen Wu’s mother, said.
“The kids idolized the former England pro players, and really enjoyed their presence, to be around for photo opportunities and signing autographs. Both of them were on hand throughout the tournament weekend and they handed out the awards to the winning teams,” Chandler said of meeting Parker and Heskey.
Parker, who won two English Premier League titles under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, as well as 19 caps for England, was the official ambassador for the tournament.
Heskey, who played as a forward for Liverpool and won 62 caps for England, was guest of honor.
“I chatted with Parker, who was delighted to host the first team from Taiwan since the tournament started in 2013,” Chandler said. “He said the organizers would continue to expand the competition, where he believes that sport can complement the academic work [of the] kids. Parker said in Singapore and the rest of Asia, this is still a big challenge, but mindsets are changing as the game continues to gain popularity in the region.”
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