PSSI focuses on helping U22 Indonesia compete for the 33rd SEA Games gold medal
PSSI temporarily suspended the domestic tournament, called up 30 players (3 are playing in Europe) and scheduled 2 friendly matches with U22 Mali before finalizing 23 players, aiming to compete for the gold medal with U22 Vietnam and U22 Thailand.
The PSSI's toughest decision shows the level of priority: suspending domestic professional tournaments so that coach Indra Sjafri has full time to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. The goal is stated directly: to compete fairly for the men's football gold medal with U22 Vietnam and U22 Thailand.
Comprehensive investment: stop domestic tournaments, gather personnel for coach Indra Sjafri
In the latest gathering, U22 Indonesia gathered 30 players. PSSI mobilized maximum resources, prioritized training conditions and working time for the coaching staff. More importantly, they proactively handled the international personnel problem: SEA Games is not included in FIFA Days, so PSSI had to negotiate with foreign clubs to have the best number of players.
Three players currently playing in Europe have been included, including Ivar Jenner, Mauro Zijlstra and Dion Markx. In addition, PSSI continues to try to convince clubs to release Marselino Ferdinan, Adrian Wibowo and Tim Geypens.
The attack is the mainstay: Zijlstra, Arjuna and a squad of strikers with many options
The strength of U22 Indonesia is currently expected to be the most in the front line. Mauro Zijlstra – who started in the World Cup qualifiers – is considered an important explosive force. Alongside Zijlstra is Rahmat Arjuna, creating a pair of outstanding attacking options in the hands of coach Indra Sjafri.
- Mauro Zijlstra
- Rahmat Arjuna
- Rafael Struick
- Hokky Caraka
- Ricky Pratama
- Jens Raven
The depth of personnel in the front line opens up the ability to rotate and adjust the match plan according to the opponent. That is the foundation for Indonesia to nurture the ambition to step up to the group of gold medal candidates.
Two friendly matches with U22 Mali: heavyweight test before final list date
To “calibrate” the squad, U22 Indonesia scheduled two key friendly matches with U22 Mali, an opponent considered a heavyweight test. The results and performance of these two matches will be the basis for coach Indra Sjafri to shorten the list from 30 to 23 players before flying to Thailand to attend the 33rd SEA Games.
The goal of this stage is not only to select players, but also to clearly assign roles to the strikers on the attack line and build coordination in the attacking combinations - a factor that is often decisive in short-term tournaments.
Opponent scouting: enough data on group, lack of information on Vietnam and Thailand
The Indonesian coaching staff has collected a significant amount of data on U22 Myanmar, U22 Singapore and U22 Philippines. However, according to coach Indra Sjafri, the team still does not have enough information on U22 Vietnam and U22 Thailand – two opponents considered as reference standards for the gold medal ambition.
This data gap requires flexible adaptation right at the tournament, and forces Indonesia to optimize the components it controls: physical condition, transitions and finishing quality.
Impact and expectations: real challenges for the HCV candidate group
After the disappointment in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, PSSI chose to react by investing heavily in the U22 team. With a rich attacking line, three players playing in Europe and two tough friendly matches to screen, U22 Indonesia has a good enough foundation to become a real challenger to U22 Vietnam and U22 Thailand.
The rest depends on how coach Indra Sjafri selects the optimal 23 names and the ability to convert preparation advantages into performance when entering SEA Games 33.
