August 2025 – SailorFanTalk

[Specials] AWCL Preliminary Stage Preview

Leave a Comment / Specials / Joseph Chin

Given how bland our away trips in the ACL2 are going to be (Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and probably Bandung which will be a heavily secured affair), this SFT writer’s upcoming trip to Malacca will be a wildly unpredictable experience, given how uneven women’s football is developed even within regional associations, never mind the AFC. Prelude First, we at SFT would like to wish our LCSWT alumna Danelle Tan all the best with NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza (nevermind my torn allegiances between Urawa Reds for their tifos and Sanfrecce Hiroshima because my kind SFT colleague Chin Heng blessed me with the fan edition of their Regina (Women’s Team) jersey from their infamous Germain away day). Being the only foreigner in a team otherwise full of locals, mirroring the situation of their men’s team vice-captain Matheus Vidotto, Danelle’s work ethic and application would be key in fighting for a place within a team with fully capped Nadeshikos and even seasoned professionals who wouldn’t look out of place in European teams. Which brings us to how women’s football and its development are viewed by wildly varying viewpoints within various nations. While our fledgling league contains teams that are mostly tied to clubs with well established men’s football sections, similar to Japan, Australia and continental Europe, others have to contend with limited funding and attention due to their amateur status and a disinterest towards women’s football in general by potential sponsors and well-resourced men’s clubs (out of all the K League clubs, only Suwon FC has a fully integrated women’s team within its club setup) It is also worth noting that some clubs may choose to have women-only teams due to desire for independence, forging their own organic developmental paths instead of being beholden to their male counterparts in an uneven power balance, with Still Aerion being the standard bearers of this approach in our leagues. This is particularly so when there is apathy (if not outright resistance) to the idea of organized women’s football within certain FAs, amounting to piecemeal initiatives to conform to the barest minimum that the AFC recommends. Snapdragon’s snappy Teamviewer (Glory Glory to the Hot Mess!) With the withdrawal of the Abu Dhabi CC from the group stages, the best runner up out of the 5 groups will join the 6 already qualified teams from the strongest confederations to play in the group stages. That presents a rare opportunity for the Sailors to make a strong claim for the best runner up, as 2 wins is the minimum to provide a buffer in case of a weak start against Etihad. Al Nassr, Kitchee and Naegohyang (North Korea) might also be aiming for the group stage, so a lot might boil down to fine margins, goal differences and shock draws by unheralded teams. Etihad Club Somehow, our Lionesses have a knack of drawing Jordan for both club and country, and while we may moan at the way we get beaten soundly, credit has to be given for the visionary leadership of the Jordanian Prince Ali in pushing for reforms that allow an inclusive game both domestically and within FIFA, someone who was ahead of his time in strengthening the women’s game within the Arabian peninsula. Playing away from Amman this time round after hosting the Sailors to a 5-0 defeat last season, the reigning Jordanian champions have hired English Managing Director Lizzie Fluke and Dutch trailblazer Mary Willemsen as their Manager and Technical Director. Having first started FC Twente’s women’s section and pioneering various initiatives to promote mixed team participation in the Netherlands, while mentoring future professionals via the Holland Football University, the Jordanians have laid down a marker by utilising their first mover advantage as one of the more progressive nations within the AFC for women’s football to borrow some European expertise in development. One of their more eye-catching foreign signings is young Nepalese international midfielder Preeti Rai, who has been given a rare opportunity to develop her skills in a far more competitive setting than the local league dominated by teams from the uniformed services. Mozambique international striker Cidalia Cuta will also be expected to deliver the goods in tandem with Jordanian star players Mai Sweilem and Enas al-Jamaeen, who plundered a goal each in our Lionesses’ 5-0 defeat at the AFC Women’ s Cup Qualifiers. Other than that, Etihad Club’s status as a springboard for Jordanian players past and present to aim for the bigger leagues has also borne out in their recent callups, from former striker Maysa Jbarah who is Jordan’s all time top scorer to her successor Leen Al-Btoush who will be expected to lead the line for Etihad. Meanwhile the keen competition for slots have also seen both goalkeepers Malak Shannak and Shireen al Shalabi being capped for club and country (in mirroring our situation with Beatrice Tan and Izairida Shakira), while experienced WNT campaigners Alanoud Ghazi and Zaina Hazem will be expected to feed a steady stream of chances for star finishers Mai Sweilem and Rouzbahan Fraij. As a key building block for the Jordanian WNT, Etihad will look to qualify for the Group Stages after their creditable, if ultimately futile attempt to qualify for the Asian Cup (an agonizing loss to Iran allowing their Persian rivals to take the tournament slot) Kelana United Truth be told, looking at Kelana United’s team sheet reminds us of how good we get when it comes to a functioning league, however flawed its execution. For 6 of the Indonesian WNT players who featured in the recent MSIG Cup that we declined to participate in, joining the Malaysian league in its infancy is better than not having any league action at all back home. As is endemic amongst many of our regional associations in promoting women’s football, the voices of big promises by the powers-that-be ring hollow when the willing hearts and minds cannot keep up with the physical effort required to maintain consistent engagement and gameplay. What these ladies lack in skill, they make up

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[Post-Match Thoughts] JDT vs Sailors – Shopee Cup Review

Leave a Comment / Post-Match Thoughts / Reuben Gangesh

As I took the roads up North, all I could think about was, “Could we do it on a warm, sunny evening in Johor?”. Sadly, 10mins into kick-off, I knew my answer was a straight-up NO when the referee pointed to the spot for a JDT penalty. As the match progressed, LCS fans in the stands and those watching at home were an emotional wreck. I’ll try my best to summarise all them emotions in the next few paragraphs as we unpack what was an eventful evening at the Sultan Ibrahim stadium. Pre-Game Thoughts Coming into this game, dare I say, 90% of us fans weren’t as optimistic as we should be after the disastrous performance against Tampines over the weekend. Matchday chat predictions ranged from a narrow JDT win to even a 6-1 hammering for LCS. When the lineups were out, seeing JDT field an “ACL Elite”- worthy starting 11 definitely reinforced our pessimism. However, Tsiy Ndenge’s inclusion in the LCS 11 was a potential sign of positive things to come, given his commanding and impressive 2nd half showing against Tampines. The stage was set, the teams were ready, the sun was blazing and the referee blew his whistle at 17:30 sharp. Quick recap 10mins into the game, a long ball over the top, our defence was caught napping and a foul on JDT’s frontman Jairo led to an early penalty scored by Joao Figueiredo. The penalty call seemed soft and fans made their feelings known (lound and clear with the drums for support). All of a sudden, the scorching heat no longer bothered the fans as the referee and his team became public enemy number 1. That set the tone for the rest of the game as they were rained with slightly dubious calls and “non-fouls”. However, we need to acknowledge that the end-result of the game was not down to the referee but more so on our shortcomings, which was perfectly summed up by JDT’s 2nd for the night. Arif Aiman, the poster-boy for Malaysian football who was showcasing his talent throughout the game with his precise wing play, played in a brilliant cross that caught our defence by surprise. The ball was bundling around the box and once again, that indecisiveness to clear the ball gave Figueiredo all the time in the world to slot in the 2nd. JDT’s 3rd came in the second half when a quick freekick was taken and Arif Aiman put the icing on the cake with a low-driven finish. Once again, our defence was caught completely off-guard and we were punished. A stunning Shawal Anuar finish in the 6th minute of added time did give the travelling fans something to cheer about, but it was too little too late. General Thoughts The end-result did not come as a surprise since many of us believed we were playing against a team that were levels above us. We simply wanted to see if the issues observed over the weekend against Tampines were slowly being cut out. However, our defensive incapabilities on dealing with long balls over the top and often being caught out were there to see from the start. We surely appear to be missing Bailey’s leadership and communication at the back, as his absence for both our first 2 games is evident in the goals we are conceding. Fair play to Safuwan for stepping up in both games and providing his experience, although one could see him struggling slightly with the responsibility. Our keeper Ivan was still a nervy figure at the back, with several “beneficial passes” to the opposition and putting our already unsettling defence in danger. As for the men in the middle, Tsiy was definitely a bright spark for us with his driving runs and positive play. His play with Bart, which almost resulted in the sailors pulling a goal back in the second half, was one of a few positive moments for us. Rui, on the other hand, was sadly having a shocker with almost 3 back-to-back-to-back misplaced passes which almost gifted JDT a third, early in the second half. As for our attack, Anderson Lopes cut an isolated figure again, starved of any beneficial service and almost made to run at JDTs defence on his own. Once again, the team definitely showed there was more to work on in the training ground in trying to get the best out of Anderson (perhaps switching away from hoofing long aimless balls into the box and more one-two linkup/interchanges). Overall, it was a slightly improved performance from the Sailors (especially in the second half) in what has been an extremely challenging start to the season. Post Game Thoughts The feeling of being a part of an “away day crew” was surely a unique one. A first for me and I must say all credit goes to every single fan that turned up at the Sultan Ibrahim stadium. From singing the familiar chants to voicing our displeasure at what was happening, it was a truly holistic experience. Members of The Crew (drummers to song leads) brought the passion to the stands and that made the entire evening a special one for everyone who travelled. Hats off to the LCS committee who organised busses to ferry Sailors fans to the game and back smoothly and comfortably. We may have lost the game and lost out in fan numbers, but we surely made our voices heard, loud and proud. Cheers to JDT for a wonderful game, amazing fans, and a stunning stadium), and with that, all I have to say is we are just warming up. Our Sailors’ identity will shine through during this tough period,and the players will return with something to prove. As for us fans, we will continue to fly the LCS flag high, HOME AND AWAY 😉. Written by Reuben If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!

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[Preview] JDT vs Lion City Sailors

Leave a Comment / Match Previews / Chin Heng Tan

Trying to bounce back from a painful defeat is always difficult. This time round though, things are particularly challenging as we look to recover while going into arguably our toughest fixture of the season. While fans and players alike are still hurting because we hate losing to Tampines,as Ernest alluded to in his post match article, perhaps we need to let our emotions settle down and avoid the knee jerk reactions and placing blame on the coach or specific players. Sure, it would have been incredibly enjoyable to beat Tampines en-route to silverware, but we need to remember that this game was still essentially a pre-season game. The underlying numbers at the Community Shield also pointed towards a solid performance and a closer game than the scoreline suggested, with the xG simulations showing that Sailors would have won the game 44.5% of the time (with Tampines winning 31.5% and a draw 24.0% of the time). While this was perhaps skewed by the fact that Tampines took a comfortable lead early on and sat back a little and thus conceding more xG, it still showed that we were very much capable of creating an attacking threat going forward, and standout performances of new boys Tsiy and Safuwan were also positives to take away from the game. Will these positives be enough against one of the best teams in Southeast Asia? The JDT lowdown As usual, I’ll leave it to Joseph Chin to take us through the latest about our rivals from across the causeway: ————————————————- The Sultan Ibrahim Stadium ticks all boxes for a modern European experience, at an impressive scale and size that few teams in the region are willing to surpass, and a fairly successful pre-season in Spain has brought a fresh crop of Spanish players who will form the backbone of their foreign contingent, with enough personnel to ensure squad rotation. Accordingly the likes of Farizal Marlias, Izham Tarmizi and Safiq Rahim has opted to retire on a high, while MSL teams are awash with JDT alumni on loan terms. The popular Jordi Amat has also been put to pasture at Persija Jakarta, which means there will be even more foreign players on ever increasingly shorter term contracts where competition will be intense and even bigger names like Jonathan Viera missing out. Players to watch While Jese has since been filed under the flop section together with the likes of Aaron Niguez, the Spanish manager has decided to inject a particularly Spanish flair into the team. Samu Castillejo is the obvious marquee player here since the former AC Milan winger and current captain is a versatile flanker in the mould of his manager (more on that later). But most of this Spanish bunch are players who have stepped out into their first overseas stint for the first time in their careers, where the expectations rise a notch and multiple continental actions keep them busy. Iker Undabarrena (DM), Antonio Glauder (CB) and Nacho Mendez will be expected to form the backbone when called upon to complement the likes of Eddy Israfilov, Bergson, Jairo and the naturalized Romel Morales. Meanwhile for the locals, a small but fine selection of players have been stalwarts for quite a few seasons, with little change in the makeup of core team comprising of the likes of Hong Wan, Arif Aiman, Shahrul Saad and La’vere Corbin-Ong, making for multiple permutations to slot in when needed against ASEAN opponents of varying abilities Andoni Zubiaurre will be challenging current Malaysia no1 Syihan Hazmi for the goalkeeper role. While it is unlikely Syihan will be dislodged anytime soon, the trend of top ASEAN teams looking to field foreign keepers might be an interesting subplot in calls for teams and league authorities to restrict foreign talent for goalkeeping (as is customary for most of the Asian leagues until recent market liberalizations). Man on the hot seat Xisco Munoz. At once both a household name and an unknown, the La Liga and UEFA Cup double winner in 2003 with pre-Peter Valencia was an underrated, if reliable winger for the Spanish teams he played for (Valencia, Betis and Levante). But his true destiny lay outside of the big time in the top European leagues, starting from being Dinamo Tbilisi’s marquee signing (and future title winning manager) in the Georgian league, to managerial spells at places as diverse as Watford, Cyprus and Slovakia While TMJ would expect high standards from Pablo Aimar’s former team mate, dealing with limited resources in Tbilisi and Anorthosis, and trigger happy owners who preside over short-termism in Watford and Sheffield would stand in good stead when blessed with more generous resources to maintain their domestic domination. ——————— Form While the Sailors have never played against JDT in a competitive game, we have played a few friendlies in recent years, but have never beaten them. JDT have also started their season in ominous form, with 2 wins in the league as well as a 5-0 thrashing of a University team in the Malaysia FA Cup. The manner of one of their victories though, may give us some insight to a potential route to an upset, as Joseph suggests: “The recent 5-3 win over Negeri Sembilan flattered themselves given how their opponents were able to race into a 2-0 lead inside 12 minutes before the normal economic order resumed with a powerful second half performance led by Arif Aiman and Bergson. Their ability to start badly but end strong will require our defence to be kept on their toes while keeping their constantly rotated XI wondering using a fluid game plan to win individual battles. A dominant midfield is also needed to ensure that excessive space is not needlessly exposed and exploited.“ Conclusion With this much talent at their disposal and a great start to their domestic season, JDT will surely be odds-on favorites to win the tie. However, many fans will be making their way up North, either on their own transport or with the bus organized

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[Post-Match Thoughts] One to Fourget: Sailors Stumble in the Shield

Leave a Comment / Post-Match Thoughts / Ernest Cheong

Photo Credit – Lion City Sailors Well that was grim. LCS were behind for more than 90 minutes and never looked like getting back into the game at any point. Pre-match expectations were much more positive, with a thrashing of the Stags a common theme in our SailorFanTalk prediction league. Much was made of Sailors’ new signings, and they featured prominently in this game. Tampines’ squad arguably underwent a greater revamp, with 5 new faces in the starting 11 and a debut off the bench. It also marked the start of Akbar Nawas’ second stint, under the stewardship of new Chairman Shungo Sakamoto. Many of The Crew (and SailorFanTalk contributors) expected continuity at the back, with the probable inclusion of Safuwan Baharudin as 1 of 3 centre backs. Instead, fan favourite Bailey Wright had to sit out of the game due to a knock from pre-season. Akram Azman was also given an opportunity from the start, and that made up a new look defence along with a debut for the 6’ 8” Ivan Sušak. Further up the field Anderson Lopes was preferred, with the prolific Maxime Lestienne and Bart Ramselaar providing width. Slow Start – And We Never Got Going The Sailors were coming off the back of a sensational season, with fast starts becoming something of a trademark in our historic ACL Two campaign. Shawal’s goal after 18 seconds at the Thunderdome will live long in the memory. On Saturday though, we were victims of a similar setback within 2 minutes, with Trent Buhagiar racing through on goal after a perfectly weighted pass from Koya Kazama. The earlier concession of possession was comical to say the least, with Lionel Tan lifting the ball into the chest of an unexpecting Rui Pires. Our No.5 was then beaten for pace by Tampines’ new No.12 who calmly placed his shot past a stranded Sušak. Captain Hariss Harun echoed the sentiment post match, acknowledging the team were not ready from the first minute. No matter, there was still plenty of time to right our wrongs. This proved to be difficult against a new-look Tampines that employed a more direct approach than what was prevalent in Gavin-ball. Indeed, LCS dominated in the stats department, winning on xG (1.94 to 1.66), recording 20 shots to their 9, significantly more possession and passes. This was an entirely different ball game to the contests we had last season. However, Tampines were more efficient with their chances and deserved the result. This new tactical identity was on show again for their second goal, with a cross field pass from deep eliminating the entire defensive line, resulting in Trent ghosting behind Akram and finishing in the same bottom corner. It has to be questioned how Seiga Sumi was given so much time on the ball to pick his pass. We knew of Trent’s pace but could not deal with him all night. Ironically, I had this to say in the SPL Preview. A new squad did struggle to perform right out the blocks, unfortunately it was the team in white. Those comments have come back to haunt us, with the eventual MOTM Trent Buhagiar proving to be a major nuisance. The signings from the Japanese football ecosystem played their part too, racking up goal involvements left right and centre. A Way Back Into The Game? LCS went into the break 2-0 down. How does that saying go? 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline. We sensed an opportunity to make changes, and we brought on Hariss and Hami Syahin to shore up the defence. As alluded to before, Tampines are a different entity this season and were happy to frustrate the home side. Shoutout to all the fans who were unperturbed, continuing to cheer on the boys in white. Tsiy Ndenge was then given his debut on the 60th minute, and he provided dynamism and industry into the midfield. It was his graft that provided an assist for Lennart Thy, our domestic top scorer for last season who also came on to make an impact. Tsiy muscled the ball off Jacob Mahler in a battle of the No.6s, before setting up Thy in a dangerous position. Tsiy’s cameo was really encouraging and with time he will feature more prominently in a winning Sailors team. Unfortunately, this came after conceding from an inch perfect freekick – Koya Kazama again. It was a deflating moment to go 3 goals down against our rivals. When 12 minutes of added time was announced an air of expectation filled the stands. Though that quickly came crashing down again within 2 minutes. This time, Trent turned provider and released Hide Higashikawa to run through on goal with Toni Datkovic in his wake. Susǎk came off his line but was left stranded again. 1 – 4 Game Over. Post-Game Reactions I would like to dedicate this section to talk about the negative knee-jerk reactions online. It is expected that a loss against our big rivals and nearest challengers would be disappointing to fans. However, to individualise mistakes and call for radical change is not helpful, especially for those with a bigger platform and respected opinions. Here at SailorFanTalk, we are constantly reminded of our privilege and opportunity to share our thoughts with fellow LCS fans. Presenting our opinions in a tactful manner (other than an obvious bias against other teams) contributes to footballing conversations constructively. Here’s a friendly reminder to be more mindful with our comments online – players and coaches are human after all. Looking at the positives, it was the first chance for fans to see our new signings in action. Conceding 4 goals would have been a baptism of fire for Susǎk, and I’m sure he will want to improve in the upcoming games. Having started in the curtain raiser, it might suggest we will see him in goal for the foreseeable future as well. Lest we forget, this is a keeper who was named in the SuperSport HNL’s Team of the Season. There

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[Specials] The 2025/26 SPL Preview

Leave a Comment / Specials / Chin Heng Tan

The SPL season finally starts in a few days with the Community Shield, and just like most teams in the SPL, the SailorFanTalk squad has had a bit of a revamp too, with several writers, editors, and interviewers coming onboard. To kick off the SPL season, I invited each of our new writers to weigh in with their own SPL preview, including a short writeup discussing each team and their end-of-season SPL table prediction. Let’s hear what Ernest, Joseph Chin, Bryan, and Reuben have to say! Ernest The 25/26 season will witness many firsts, none more prominent than the foreigner matchday quota being increased to 7. This leaves 4 starting spots for our local players, and it remains to be seen how this change will impact the league and National Team set up. That being said, taking a look at how the squads are shaping up, we can make an educated guess as to how the season will pan out. Below are my thoughts, in the order of my predicted 25/26 table: 1st: Lion City Sailors FC No surprises here. The team with the most resources are likely to run away with the title, perhaps with an even bigger gap to the nearest challenger. The marquee signing on everyone’s radar is Anderson Lopes. His CV trumps most, having been the top scorer in J1 for the past 2 seasons and helping Yokohama F. Marinos to reach the 2024 ACL final. He would likely repeat his scoring antics in Singapore, but I do not foresee Tomoyuki Doi’s frankly ridiculous golden boot record being broken any time soon. LCS are less reliant on a focal centre forward to score goals, and we could well see Lopes deployed on the wings at times (with a certain Maxime Lestienne leaving in January as things stand). He can also rotate with Lennart and Shawal, more than capable of wrecking havoc in the league. We are competing on multiple fronts and minutes will inevitably have to be shared. The signing that really excites me is Tsiy Ndenge. It is acknowledged that football games are won and lost in the midfield. With Ndenge’s arrival, we have secured a player profile that promises to be game-changing. A quick google search of his name will pull up YouTube highlight reels of his time at Grasshopper Club Zurich. Capable of performing multiple roles, the German has played down Pogba comparisons. I am sure we will be proud of having our very own Ndenge. LCS should aim to be the best defence in the league again, and let our attacking talents do their thing. An expected professional job, nothing less. 2nd: Geylang International FC No Doi, no problem. Despite losing their scoring talisman, Geylang have strengthened on multiple fronts, and will likely benefit from their Eastern rivals having a transitional year. Noor Ali’s team have gone from strength to strength, finishing a respectable 3rd last season, something that has not been achieved by the club for some time now. The reason I see them pipping Tampines this year? The Eagles have chosen to recruit tried-and-tested SPL stalwarts who are upgrades on their previous personnel (bar the magnificent Doi). In comes Riku Fukashiro, Shodai Yokoyama, Kaisei Ogawa and Shuhei Hoshino. Sure, they are not capable of scoring 44 league goals each, but with the new foreigner rule in place the team should see an increase in quality on the pitch. Geylang will surely benefit from a shorter season, no continental nor regional football to contend with. Their thin squad will likely survive the season and mark an improvement on last season. 3rd: BG Tampines Rovers FC Perhaps I’m bold for predicting a bronze medal for Tampines, which essentially constitutes another trophyless season for them. Yes, LCS are sweeping the domestic treble. But why third? Transitions rarely go well at the start, and losing their head coach and marquee foreigners will hurt immediately. Even the most fervent of haters will acknowledge Gavin Lee is one of Singapore’s best coaches. Reappointing Akbar Nawas seems to be taking a few steps backward. Add to the unsavoury mix the foreign core being dismantled and I foresee a long season ahead for the Stags. Tampines really trailed off during the new year, and that was after their unceremonious ACL2 elimination. With the added distraction of the ACC Club Championship – affectionately known as the Shopee Cup, this new squad will likely struggle to perform right out the blocks. Is my bias speaking against them? Probably. But logic dictates fundamental changes will take some getting used to, and by the time this happens the other 2 clubs would have pulled clear. Trent Buhagiar would be a familiar name to A-League observers, and will definitely add a new dimension to their fresh attack with his pace and dynamism. Looking elsewhere, they have recruited from the Japanese football ecosystem to plug the gaps left by Seia, Kyoga and Milos. Quality players they might be and become, but the multitude of factors mentioned above will contribute to their slight regression this year. 4th: Albirex Niigata (S) It was not too long ago that the Japanese feeder club dominated Singaporean football. Then they went “local” and went through a slump and drop in standards, even culminating in the dismissal of the popular Kazuaki Yoshinaga. It has been an entire season since, the dust has settled, and the foreign outfit has learnt the effects of parity. The additional foreign starting spot next season should provide a welcome boost to the six-time SPL champions, who have once again recruited from Japanese outfits. This formula has worked wonders for them throughout their prolific stint in Singaporean football, and the White Swans seem to be one of the teams that would benefit most from the rule changes. A competitive Albirex can only be a good thing for the league. 5th: Tanjong Pagar United FC Disclaimer: this preview was written after Aaron Evans’ feature on Sports Minutes. He spoke of the Jaguars’ ambitions to finish second

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[Specials] All Hands on Deck, we’re Running It Back – ACL2 Group Stage Draw

Leave a Comment / Specials / Chin Heng Tan

While Sailors won the domestic League and Cup double just a few months ago, there is no doubt that it was our fairytale ACL2 run that captured the imagination of football fans in Singapore, and perhaps even in the rest of Asia as well. Could we defy all odds yet again to run it back and make another final, or even go one step further in this year’s edition? As we approach the ACL2 group stage draw happening on 15th Aug, I thought this ACL2 preview article would be a good time to run through our potential opponents in this tournament, as well as the draw mechanics and rules for newer fans who may not be familiar with how this competition works. ACL2 Tournament Rules and Draw Mechanics Previously known as the AFC Cup, the second-tier AFC continental competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) in 2024. Unlike the AFC cup, the ACL2 includes clubs from the top nations in Asian Football such as Japan and Korea, and features 32 teams, the most number of teams across AFC club competitions. The tournament is split into East and West regions, with 16 participating clubs each, and the competition remains separated by region until the final where the East and West finalists will meet. The 16 clubs of each region will be seeded into 4 Pots, and 4 groups of 4 teams will be drawn with each group having 1 team from each Pot. 14 of the 16 teams in the East have been confirmed, with the last 2 slots going to the losing team in the ACL Elite qualifying playoff (between Chengdu Rongcheng and Bangkok United) and the winner of the ACL2 qualifying playoff (between Manila Digger and Persib), to be played on 12th and 13th August respectively, just before the ACL2 draw on 15th August. Sailors are rumoured to be in Pot 3 despite our heroics in last season’s ACL2, as the seedings are mostly based on AFC club competitions rankings, which assigns points to each country based on results in the last 8 years, with more recent seasons holding a higher weightage. While Singapore outscored the likes of Vietnam, China, and Australia last season, the lack of success in previous years mean that we are still ranked 15th among AFC member associations. Hopefully, with consistent performances in the coming seasons, we’ll be able to see Sailors in a higher seeding or even get an ACLE slot in the not-too-distant future. For now though, Sailors will probably be the team every other team is looking to avoid out of Pot 3. The full (rumoured) Pots are as follows: Country protection is in place for the group stage draw, meaning no 2 teams from the same country can be drawn into the same group. This has some implications on our chances of drawing certain teams in other Pots, as we’ll cover in the next section. Upon completion of the ACL2 draw on 15th Aug, our 6 group stage games will be played on the following dates: According to the AFC Competition Operations Manual, our match sequence for the 6 matchdays should be: vs Pot 2 (H), vs Pot 4 (A), vs Pot 1 (A), vs Pot 1 (H), vs Pot 2 (A), and vs Pot 4 (H). However, take this with a huge pinch of salt as there seems to be some discretion in the scheduling, and AFC does not always follow this format. Furthermore, Straits Times also recently reported that FAS is in discussions with AFC for our first group stage game to be an away game, since Bishan Stadium would not be ready in time. Potential Group Stage Opponents Our potential group stage opponents are listed below, sorted by Pots and listed according to their Opta ranking, which should give a rough sense of the relative team strength. Tampines as well as teams from Pot 3 are excluded as it is not possible to draw them in the group stage. For reference, LCS are currently ranked 1172 in the Opta rankings (as of 2 Aug 2025), with a rating of 69.9 (nice), and an estimated team value of €9.15 million according to Transfermarkt. Pot 1 The Pot 1 teams represent the biggest threat to our knockout stage hopes, not just because they are the strongest teams in the competition, but partly also due to potentially harsh weather conditions of away games in China/Japan/Korea. This is especially so if the game happens to be on Matchday 4/5/6, when the weather starts to get cold in these countries as winter approaches. If Bangkok United ends up losing their ACLE qualifier, the probability of us drawing them will be marginally higher compared to the other teams in Pot 1, as they cannot draw Ratchaburi in Pot 3 due to country protection, so Sailors are 1 of their 3 possible opponents out of this Pot. Gamba Osaka On paper the hardest team we can possibly draw for the group stage, Gamba Osaka will be heavy favorites to make the ACL2 final on the East side of the bracket (although the favorites to win ACL2 will no doubt be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Yes, playing in the same tournament as LCS).Currently mid-table in the J League and already knocked out of the Emperor’s Cup, winning the ACL2 represents their best chance of getting back into continental competition next season. The club has 2 J1 titles and an Asian Champions League win, and has an experienced squad featuring several players that have made the step up to the Japanese National Team, including forward and club captain Takashi Usami, center back and vice-captain Shinnosuke Nakatani, and 39-year old veteran goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi. Avoiding Gamba Osaka in the draw will significantly boost our chances of getting out of the group, although drawing them also represents an opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the best in East Asia (and also a fantastic away day destination, heh). Pohang Steelers The Steel Yard is home to former

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