The Cambodian team surprised everyone when it called up 7 naturalized players to participate in the 2024 AFF Cup (new name is ASEAN Cup). These faces are mostly not of Cambodian origin but have competed in the national championship of this country for many years.
There are 3 players from Japan: Yudai Ogawa (born in 1996), Takaki Ose (1991) and Hikaru Mizuno (1995). The remaining players are Coulibaly Abdel Kader (Ivory Coast, 1993), Rafael Andes Nieto Rondon (Colombia, 1996) and Mohammed Faeez Khan (South Africa, 1996). In particular, Nick Taylor (1998) is an American citizen, has a Cambodian mother, and has played for the national team since 2022.
Among them, Yudai Ogawa, Hikaru Mizuno, Mohammed Faeez and Nick Taylor have previously played for the Cambodian national team. Takaki Ose, Nieto and Coulibaly will debut for the national team in the upcoming AFF Cup.
Coach Koji Gyotoku and his students will be determined to compete in the 2024 ASEAN Cup. In 10 tournaments, they have never advanced beyond the group stage.
In this year's group stage, they will face Malaysia (December 8), Singapore (December 11), Timor Leste (December 14) and Thailand (December 20). With quality players in the squad, Cambodia's strength will be significantly improved.
