Previously, I wrote a three-part article looking at what the Singapore national team looks like with zero caps (links are at the end of the article).

Besides players with zero international caps, there is a slew of other players that have represented the Singapore national team before but have been frozen out of the team for some time. Others have been called by Tatsuma Yoshida in the previous World Cup Qualifying fixtures in 2019 but have been overlooked in the recent national team selection.

Yet, we must remember these players as well. Often Singaporeans tend to only remember players that regularly feature in the national team, but we need to change this. Attention needs to be given to players who play weekly for their local teams and those that make meaningful contributions when fielded.

So here is another challenge I presented myself – naming a team with no more than 50 caps shared amongst them. It also provides me with an opportunity to select over-23 players that deserve some praise and recognition for their efforts thus far.

Players Spotlight

Who makes the defense?

Joey Sim may not always be your starting goalkeeper, but he is like Sergio Romero. The veteran might not always play but is always reliable when brought into the fold. Joey made his solitary Singapore appearance against Pakistan, where he came on as a substitute for Izwan Mahbud for the last 5 minutes of regulation time. He may have only played once this campaign before recently being released by the Jaguars, but I hope that another team snaps him up because he does offer a wealth of experience.

Fadli Kamis has been a mainstay at Balestier Khalsa since 2016, and for the past five years, he has helped bail the Tigers out on numerous occasions. He was featured for the Lions in a 2-1 victory over Papua New Guinea in 2014. Always with a never say die spirit, Fadli Kamis is an important member of the Balestier squad. In fact, after a good spell of form, he returned to the national team fold during the Lions match against the Solomon Islands in 2019.

Anders Aplin is the model offensive CB. He isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and will match any towering forward’s physicality. He was excellent for Hougang last season, scoring crucial goals for the Cheetahs amidst a striker crisis after Stipe Plazibat’s departure. This season, he continues where he left off last campaign and has troubled opposition forwards with his commandeering presence.

Delwinder Singh is truly Captain Charisma. The man is one of the nicest guys in the Singapore footballing landscape and is a leader both on and off the field. He simply leads by example. Do not for a second think that he is easy to get past in the field. He is a hard tackler and has excellent positioning to snuff out dangerous offensive plays. How he has not played overseas is truly puzzling and hopefully, a move abroad materializes soon.

Darren Teh is a role model figure for any budding Singaporean. Geylang may have not had the best starts to the season and Darren may have looked rusty at times during the initial stages, but he is making a U-turn. His pace allows him to support the counter-attack and track back to defend, which makes him the ideal modern-day full-back for Singapore. Always with an excellent work ethic, Geylang needs him to be at his best now more than ever to save their season.

And that wraps up the defence of this team. Interestingly, none have more than a handful of caps, with Delwinder having the most with 5 national team appearances to date. The defence has a grand total of 13 caps. It leaves me with 37 caps to select my midfield, attack, and bench. Who did I choose? Well, you’ll find out in due time.

Till then, stay tuned.