January 2026 – SailorFanTalk

[Preview] Nam Dinh FC vs Lion City Sailors – In the Balance

Leave a Comment / Match Previews / Joseph Chin

Regional flights can be a mixed bag at times, however much they are mainstays of our continental exploits. While we wait to get drawn to our next autumn destination later on this year, for now we would have to make do with those short getaways in ASEAN. Shopee Cup action returns for the final installment of the Group Stage action, and while our chances to reach the semis are at best an outside long shot, we are afforded the chance of an early tune-up for next season in the early stages of the post-Lestienne era. We ain’t got no history! While the provincial club was first founded in 1965, its journey from obscurity only began after the pandemic when Vu Hong Viet ushered in a new era of dominance since a 2008 Cup win. Shedding a reputation of being a yo-yo team across divisions, Nam Dinh will look to cement their dominance and ensure a reliable supply of Asian football for future seasons to come. Continental Exploits Tampines Rovers must have hated the sight of them when they let slip a 2 goal lead last season to lose 3-2 in their away fixture. While Nam Dinh play decently against regional rivals, having managed to get results against Bangkok United and Ratchaburi at home, and are notably unbeaten against both of Hong Kong’s finest (Lee Man and Eastern), their limitations can be painfully obvious when the likes of Gamba Osaka, Sanfrecce, Beijing Guoan and Kashima Antlers come to town. This is the step up in quality our Sailors will require when dealing with regional rivals keen to outwit and outlast us. Home Comforts Thien Truong Stadium is a typical throwback of late 90s roof-less stadiums that still keep the running track surrounding the pitch. Depending on perspective, the stadium is either in need of a thorough renovation, or it is an antidote to the slick modern stadiums built at great expense across the region by upwardly mobile clubs. Even so, it is a stadium too big for a club of high stature but with low attendances this season even for the big ACL Two matches against Gamba Osaka. The Man on the Hot Seat Mauro Jeronimo is supposed to be the hire that is a cut above their championship winner manager Vu Hong Viet and former player Nguyen Trung Kien (both of whom have since been redesignated into backroom roles). The young Portuguese (38) is a quintessential modern style tactician with no playing career to speak of, much like Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas Boas. Having started out as a youth coach with Benfica, his work with the Taiwan U19s was the catalyst for a prolonged stay in Vietnam, working up the leagues towards an eventual stint on the hot seat. Being familiar with local conditions, but also bringing in a decent amount of overseas work experience, the Portuguese is expected to eventually promote youth players into the main squad while also gaining results with greater resources at his disposal. Squad Lowdown Big Shot Nguyen Xuan Son. The Samba Wizard known as Rafaelson has been a constant scourge for our Lions in the squad. More so when all his 5 goals this season have been scored in the Shopee Cup. Surprisingly though, he has been used rather sparingly outside of this context, Percy Tau and Brenner helming the attack to not much success. Safe Pair(s) of Hands There seems to be a clear division of labour, with former NT keeper Tran Nguyen Manh preferred for domestic action and Caique Luiz using his 4 caps with the Brazil U20 to his advantage in continental competition. Tran Liem Dieu has had to bide his time in this instance. Backend matters The half-Vietnamese Frenchman Kevin Pham-Ba is the mainstay at right back alongside Tran Van Kien, one of the few players tasked to run the season across all competitions besides Lucao Alves. With Lucao’s fellow Brazilian centreback Walber reserved for continental action, the left back slot also sees keen competition with both Nguyen Van Vi and Nguyen Phong Hong Duy being both capped for Vietnam at various times. Duong Thanh Hao, Dang Van Toi and Ngo Duc Huy can be called from the bench to close off the game In particular, Kevin offers a stability in defence forged from stints in France’s lower divisions, a semifinals appearance in the Coupe de France with Versailles being his personal highlight. Lucao also brings a wealth of experience from Europe and Arabia, being a Swiss Cup winner with Luzern and also part of faded Bucharest giants Dinamo. Midway into Midfield Brazilian duo Romulo and Caio Cesar fulfill the typical role expected of the Brazilians popular in this league, being the key cogs who connect the dots in the middle. Complementing each other with their contrasting styles, Romulo offers a defensive solidity in midfield to allow former Kawasaki and Nagasaki midfielder Caio Cesar to orchestrate attacks in his favoured attacking midfield position. Proving that the foreigners are the ones to beat, both of them have two goals each in the ACL Two behind the irrepressible Brenner Marlos (more on him later) For this season two of their locals stand out: Lam Ti Phong and Ly Cong Hoang Anh, as they are also entrusted with shouldering various responsibilities in midfield most often across all competitions. More so when their inputs in goal have been helpful in a team which tended to be goal shy this season despite their wealth of talent. Tran Van Dat has also been quite dangerous in midfield when rotated in. It is a testament to how competitive the battle for places is in former Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang Sik’s Vietnam that only two players from Nam Dinh are selected, and none of the trio were in contention at all. All this means the vastly experienced Nguyen Tuan Anh, To Van Vu and Tran Van Cong have to make do with roles on the bench, while A Mit will be one to watch for the

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[Post-Match Thoughts] Singapore Cup Final – Third Time’s The Charm

Leave a Comment / Post-Match Thoughts / Ernest Cheong

Photo Credit: @kyoga_nakamura via Instagram Hang it in The Louvre. After losing 2 Singapore Cup finals during his time with the Stags, Kyoga Nakamura made a triumphant return to Singapore football. His move to the Sailors shaped the narrative of 2026’s showpiece event, only threatened by an administrative farce. This trophy was the first of Kyoga’s career, and the achievement vindicates his latest career move. The Homecoming Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with this sentiment. Boos rang out from the yellow faithful whenever Kyoga touched the ball. The jeers were picked up by the broadcast, and the commentators made ample notice of it. Even with the competitive rivalry in mind, it was disappointing from a sporting perspective. Nonetheless, it did not deter Kyoga from putting in a composed performance. We saw him deployed in an inverted role on the right, constantly shifting to his left foot to make line breaking passes. His delivery from both set pieces and open play created key chances that added a dimension to our attack. Despite the differences in playstyles, Kyoga’s encouraging display hinted at how the Sailors may set up post-Maxime Lestienne. His playmaking was on show throughout the 120 mins, and could be the catalyst for a successful second half of the season. One trophy down, Kyoga’s going for the treble this season. We saw another debut for Luka Adžić, who came on in the dying moments of regulation time to provide fresh impetus. His first touch from a free kick was almost the stuff of dreams, demanding a save from Syazwan Buhari to deny a first goal in white. Luka was then immediately put on corner duty to provide inswinging deliveries from the left. It is refreshing to see our new additions integrating into the squad and taking on important roles from the get go. The January signings could prove to be a coup, along with depth in the form of Lucas Agueiro and Benjamin Žerak. Luka eventually delivered for the Sailors in extra time, finding Diogo Costa with a deft outside foot pass. That set our Portuguese left back free to find Hami Syahin who finished with aplomb. A brilliant goal from fellow substitute Anderson Lopes that left Dylan Fox wishing he stayed home settled things on the pitch. But the outcome of the match was not quite decided… Administrative Error This is the second instance whereby the Sailors have “benefited” from administrative errors. We famously received a 3-0 bye against J-League giants Sanfrecce Hiroshima after they fielded an ineligible Valère Germain. It was comical that he was even selected in the matchday squad, after it was revealed post-match that he had an ongoing AFC suspension from his Macarthur FC days. This time around things were less clear cut. After all, BG Tampines Rovers started the game with 5 locals on the pitch. This was definitely honouring the quota of having 4 locals on the pitch at any given time. What eventually transpired was perhaps an overzealous sequence of substitutions. Dylan Fox came on for Raoul Suhaimi on the hour mark, which preceded a debut for Yuki Kobayashi 20 minutes later. This meant Tampines went from 5 locals to 3 in one fell swoop. Joel Chew seemed to be the only one who noticed, taking some time to explain his concerns to the officials and coaching staff. The Australian referee was having none of it, choosing to expedite the change as it was not within his purview to police such errors. Within a few minutes, everyone caught on and this led to a hurried stopgap, with Ong Yu En coming on for Koya Kazama. Too little too late, Tampines had already fallen foul of the rules. When the whistle went for the end of regulation time, dissatisfaction was rife in the stands. There was an assumption the game could be called off, which increased tension when the break dragged on. Eventually, extra time kicked off in the midst of confusion. Despite the scoreline finishing 2-0 to the Sailors, an official verdict was expected to come from FAS. An official statement was released 5 days later confirming the forfeiture of the match by Tampines and awarding LCS a 3-0 default victory. In hindsight, it was wise from the match committee to allow the game to reach its natural conclusion considering the circumstances. A 3767-strong crowd turned up to witness the event and would have been sorely disappointed to leave the match with 0 goals scored had the game been called off after 90 mins. Three-Peat Despite the controversy, the Sailors were largely convincing and rightfully retained the cup. This was our third Singapore Cup trophy on the trot, and bodes well for the rest of our season. It also stunts Tampines’ progress, at least on the domestic front. There have been some suggestions Coach Ranko could be feeling the heat after ACL Two elimination, but these doubts are shelved for now as we begin 2026 on a winning note. A convincing victory over our resurgent rivals is a good indicator for where we are at this point of the season. But we cannot rest on our laurels, with the SPL and Shopee Cup still in the balance. Could we achieve a treble that includes the ASEAN Club Championship? For a season that has felt underwhelming at times, it would arguably be our greatest achievement to date. The rest of the month will be crucial for our treble chances, resuming our league campaigns with away games against Geylang and Hougang before a daunting away day in Nam Định. Win all three and the treble might well be on the cards. Critics may point out regional giants like Buriram and JDT are still in the competition, but if recent history has taught me anything, a fan can dream (of more administrative errors and byes)… Here’s to a great 2026, and I’ll report back after we (hopefully) win in Vietnam. Written by Ernest If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk,

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[Specials] Half Cup Full

Leave a Comment / Specials / Ernest Cheong

SailorFanTalk with the GOAT. And with that, the 2025 season comes to an end. Not quite, though it may feel like it for some fans. For the longest time we’ve been accustomed to SPL seasons ending around December, with the recent football calendar shift only coming into effect last season. After the highs of 24/25, this season has been underwhelming to most observers. Mixed Feelings For starters, we are out of the ACL Two, unable to replicate the high of reaching the final. This was despite drawing an easier group on paper, comprised of ASEAN sides. It was fair to consider the Sailors’ squad as one of the strongest in the group, especially after the acquisitions in the summer. Unfortunately, football rarely plays out the way we expect it to. Persib Bandung managed to improve their fortunes, finishing top after convincingly being the better side in most matches. We managed to earn 4 points against them but it was not enough as their imperious home form ensured their progress to the next round. It was a particularly tough pill to take considering the online banter that follows Persib everywhere they go, but we can take solace in our improved results against the Indonesian side. Our campaign was instead undone by our regional nemesis Bangkok United. 0 points out of 6 against our direct H2H rival was catastrophic, especially in the manner we lost the games. A single point/goal in those games would have seen us qualify ahead of them, which we belatedly managed to do in the Shopee Cup. In a funny turn of events, we have since signed Luka Adžić who scored the decisive goal in our home loss against the Bangkok Angels. Oh and a certain Kyoga Nakamura… Selangor was this group’s whipping boys, managing a solitary point against Bangkok away. This probably foreshadowed the weak showings of both clubs in MD-6. I had this to say in my previous article: Lion City Sailors beats Selangor. Bangkok United beats Persib Bandung. We brushed past the Malaysian side with relative ease, but the same could be said about Persib’s endeavours against Bangkok. It was not to be in the end, as we crashed out of the competition despite being level on points with Bangkok. Could we have done better than an early exit? Most definitely. But finishing on the same amount of points as last season is nothing to be ashamed of, as echoed by Bailey Wright on this Sports Minutes episode. The best we can do now is channel this disappointment towards future success, and that starts with the Singapore Cup final on the horizon. Allez Maxime The future successes will have to be achieved without our magician Maxime Lestienne, who left the Sailors after a fruitful 4 years. This inevitable goodbye was tough to take, especially as Max has been around for the majority of LCS’ history. I am sure many fans came to support the Sailors partly because of his excellence. I recall posting a Maxime Lestienne rap as part of my giveaway entry for our away day against Jeonbuk. That video has since been relegated to the archives of internet history. But it also led to me writing my first SailorFanTalk article back in 2023. Anyway, it is evident that Maxime has left a huge impact on everyone involved with the club. It was heartwarming to see the reception he received in his final game, with a tifo revealed before kickoff, an honour befitting of our legend. Truth be told, the game was rather uneventful in retrospect, with an early goal from Shawal taking the sting out of the two-legged tie. It would have been romantic to see Maxime register a goal involvement, and the Belgian had the best chance of the game with a penalty in the second half. Alas, he fluffed his Panenka attempt. It was indicative of his propensity to entertain, and ultimately the miss proved inconsequential. Maxime signed off with 70 goals and 97 assists, truly the best we’ve ever seen. Fans would have loved to see him continue playing till the end of the season, but given all that he has given to the Sailors over the years, it is hard to begrudge him his wish to spend more time with his family at home. It is time to look ahead and build on his legacy. We love you Maxime, we do! Mid-season Musings We are now at the most critical juncture of the season. Despite being 6 months in, the domestic league is in its relative infancy. Teams have only played 4-5 games, which means there is still 75% of the season to be decided. It is however blatantly obvious that only two teams are in contention to compete for the title, which just so happens to be the Cup final teams as well. Detractors may complain about LCS and Tampines receiving byes into the semis, but it was clear for all to see the increasing gap in quality between them and the rest of the league. Whoever wins the Cup will carry great confidence into the rest of the domestic season. For Tampines, it would embolden them on the great run of form they have been on, which includes impressive results in the ACL Two. For LCS, victory will capture the narrative and provide optimism for the games to come. Another cause for optimism is the Shopee Cup, where we still have a chance of qualification to the next round. Our main obstacle is Nam Định FC, who we are due to face in our next away game. As long as we win both our final two games, we should be able to finish in second. After all, their final fixture is against the inevitable JDT. There are also possible sanctions against JDT that could be in the picture soon… That being said, we did lose 5-0 against our previous Vietnamese opponent CAHN last season. It will not be an easy away day, but with the squad

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[Preview] Singapore Cup Final – Lion City Sailors vs Tampines Rovers

Leave a Comment / Match Previews / Chin Heng Tan

After being awarded byes into the Cup semi finals based on ‘sporting merit’, there was never any doubt that the Singapore Cup Final was going to be between the 2 biggest clubs in Singapore. Tampines will be looking to ride the momentum from their near-perfect record in the ACL2 and Shopee Cup, while the Sailors can accept nothing less than a trophy in their hands this Saturday night after getting knocked out of the ACL2 group stage last month. Form Both teams are heading into this cup final on the back of a decent run of results, with the Sailors unbeaten in 6 (scoring 14 and conceding 7 during this run), with the last loss more than 2 months ago on 6th November to Bangkok United, which eventually proved to be the result that knocked us out of the ACL2. Tampines meanwhile fell to their only defeat in the last 10 games during the semi-final 2nd leg against Albirex, when they were already 4-0 up from the first leg. They averaged 2.4 goals scored per game during this period, which included the famous victory against Pohang Steelers at Bishan and the draw during the reverse fixture in Pohang. Tampines’ Signings Tampines have announced a number of new additions to their squad in the past week, including 3 young signings in Ong Yu En, Raoul Suhaimi, and Rae Peh from Young Lions, though none of them are expected to walk straight into the starting lineup. The big announcement that would have caught everyone’s attention though, was the addition of Japanese midfielder Yuki Kobayashi. On paper, Kobayashi is a signing from the 4th tier of Japanese football, the typical level from which we SPL clubs generally scout their Japanese players. However, if we go a little further back, Kobayashi actually arrives with an impressive resume (and equally impressive tattoos), as a former Japanese international with 8 caps to his name, as well as spells in the Eredevisie, J league, and K league, last featuring for J1 side Consadole Sapporo as recently as 2024. You don’t pick up a handful of caps for Japan by accident, and Kobayashi will surely be a quality addition looking to hit the ground running is his first game in Tampines colors. In his first interview for Tampines, he acknowledged the pressure that comes with joining a new team, and will be looking to ‘score as soon as possible’ to take some of that pressure off. If you can’t beat them, sign them The signing of Luka Adzic from the team that has been giving us nightmares appears to be an opportunistic move, with the Serbian winger arriving at the Sailors without much fanfare after a mutual agreement to part ways with Bangkok United. Given his profile as a European winger with Eredivisie experience, as well as the timing of his arrival, there will inevitably be comparisons with our Belgian club legend. Luka will surely be eager to ditch the label of ‘Maxime’s replacement’ and establish himself as a great attacker in his own right, and perhaps even earn a contract extension beyond the initial 6 months. Much like Yuki Kobayashi, Luka will be looking to win silverware in the first competitive game at his new club. If rumors are to be believed, Luka Adzic will not be the only player to swap a red and black shirt for the blue and white this January. Incredibly exciting news if true, since there are very few quality local players that don’t already play for Sailors at this point, and Kyoga is one of them. Conclusion After such a dominant season in 2024/25, winning the Singapore Cup and the SPL was always going to be the bare minimum for this Sailors team. I still remember the emotions at the final whistle during the last Singapore Cup final, it was a feeling of relief, rather than joy. Unfortunately, we are up against a Tampines side that has put together an excellent team this season, with a perfect blend of youth and experience, and they will be hoping that their unstoppable form in continental competitions will translate into results in domestic fixtures as well. This Cup final is very much about getting the job done, and it is definitely going to be a close one. Written by Chin Heng 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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