HKFA U-18

Group: C

Seeded: 9-12

Founded: 1909 (HKFA)

Home: HKFA, 55 Fat Kwong Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

 

In preparation for this year’s AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers, HKFA U-18 are making their first appearance in the Soccer Sevens since 2011.

The provisional squad included players from four Premier League clubs – Kitchee and BC Rangers, whose senior sides are also competing in the Soccer Sevens, as well as YFCMD and Sun Pegasus.

In a tough start for the teenagers, they kick off their campaign in Group C against five-time champions Aston Villa, A-League club Wellington Phoenix of New Zealand and Hong Kong Football Club, the hosts’ first team.

In 2011, HKFA U-18 were one of two national age-group teams to participate, along with HKFA U-21.

The U-18s couldn’t have had a much harder introduction to the event, with the teenagers drawn in a tough group with crowd favourites Liverpool, 2009 champions Celtic and Yau Yee League Select.

The young debutants lost of all their group games and then exited in the Plate quarter-finals after losing a penalty shootout against HKFC Captain’s Select, who went on to lift the silverware.

SQUAD

  • MANAGEMENT -
  • Francisco Javier Bravo Gimenez (Spain) - Head Coach
  • Szeto Man-chun (Hong Kong) - Team Manager
  • PLAYERS -
  • 1. Man Wai-sum (BC Rangers; 18) - Goalkeeper
  • 2. Hui Ka-lok (17) -
  • 3. Tsui Wang-kit (BC Rangers; 18) - Defender
  • 4. Wu Chun-ming (c) (Sun Pegasus; 18) - Midfielder
  • 5. Lam Fu-kwai (YFCMD; 18) - Midfielder
  • 6. Remi Dujardin (Sun Pegasus; 18) - Midfielder
  • 7. Matthew Ho Shing-yuen (Kitchee; 17) - Forward
  • 8. Clinton Ng (BC Rangers; 18) - Midfielder
  • 9. Chan Pak-hei (Sun Pegasus; 18) - Forward
  • 10. Ngan Cheuk-pan (Kitchee; 17) - Midfielder

RECORD

  • 2015

    Group C (4th)

    Drew with Wellington Phoenix 0-0

    Lost to Aston Villa 1-0

    Drew with Hong Kong Football Club 0-0

    Plate quarter-finals: Lost to Leicester City 1-0

  • 2011

    Group A (4th)

    Lost to Liverpool 1-0

    Lost to Celtic 2-0

    Lost to Yau Yee League Select 2-0

    Plate quarter-final: Lost to HKFC Captain’s Select 0-0 (3-4 pens)

Wallsend Boys Club

Returning to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens is Wallsend Boys Club, a club that boasts a proud history as one of the most renowned footballing institutions in England. The likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Carrick and Steve Bruce spent their early playing days at the North Tyneside club, while former Premier League stars Michael Bridges, Alan Thompson and Robbie Elliot have all represented their former team at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens. 

One of the side’s most famed graduates, Peter Beardsley, who represented England at the 1990 World Cup and boasts legendary status at both Liverpool and Newcastle United, also turned out for Wallsend in 2014 and 2015. A quarter final appearance on their debut was followed by a runner-up finish a year later. In 2016, the team advanced to the semi-finals but were eliminated by USRC. They made further progress in 2017, this time winning their group before seeing off HKFC Masters in the semi-finals to set up a meeting with Citi All Stars in the final. But Wallsend’s wait for that title continued after an agonizing 3-2 defeat. 

The hunt for that elusive trophy ended in 2019, with the Club managing to win the tournament for the first time. The 2023 tournament will see Wallsend doing their best to retain their title! 

USRC

Local amateur side USRC have appeared in the last three finals at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens Masters event but, after defeating Wallsend Boys Club in the 2015 final, were unable to claim back-to-back titles as Citi All Stars ran out 3-1 victors in last year’s showpiece event.

Nonetheless, the Kowloon side put in another strong showing in 2016 when they topped Group A ahead of HKFC Chairman’s Select, KCC Veterans, Ajax All Stars and Discovery Bay. An impressive 2-1 victory over Ajax to seal top spot in the table and eliminate the Dutch team was among the highlights.

USRC then saw off tournament regulars Wallsend Boys Club 2-0 in the last four, but ultimately fell just short by suffering a 3-1 reversal to Citi All Stars in the final.

A year earlier, Brazilian duo Daniel Lins Cortes and Paulo Enrique each scored as USRC claimed the Masters title following a 2-1 final victory over a Wallsend side that featured former Leeds United striker Michael Bridges and ex-Newcastle United defender Robbie Elliott. They also reached the final in 2014, but lost out 1-0 to Ajax.

USRC won Hong Kong’s top amateur league, Division One of the Yau Yee League, in 2008, 2009 and 2014. They will return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens as one of the favourites to lift a second Masters crown.

SQUAD

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Singapore Cricket Club Masters

Established 1852, the Singapore Cricket Club is one of the premier sports clubs in Singapore. SCC is represented by two teams in the HKFC Soccer Sevens 2023, SCC Singapore Football League (SFL) team for the main tournament and SCC Masters team in the masters tournament. SCC has been in this tournament for over 5 years.

The SCC Masters team, which competes in several domestic football leagues, comprised ex-professional footballers and players who were formerly from the SCC SFL team.

Kitchee All Stars

Group: A

Seeded: 5-10

Founded: 1931

Home: Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

 

As they make their Soccer Sevens debut, Kitchee All Stars are expected to continue a tradition of strong local sides in the Masters Tournament, embodied by the crowd-pleasing possession football embodied by Eastern Salon Top Class, who aren’t competing in 2015.

The introduction of the Kitchee All Stars has even raised the possibility of Kitchee winning a Main and Masters ‘double’, likely to be out of reach for amateur outfits like hosts Hong Kong Football Club and Singapore Cricket Club, who also field teams in both tournaments.

Kitchee All Stars are expected to challenge the top four seeds for a place in the Masters Cup semi-finals, especially if the final squad lives up to its early promise.

Roberto Losada, Kitchee’s star striker when they won the back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012, helped the first team win the 2011 Soccer Sevens and was being lined up for the All Stars along with outgoing Kitchee coach Jose Molina and his former Spain teammate Vicente Engonga. Former Hong Kong international Ricky Cheng was also included in a provisional squad.

Kitchee’s first team won the Main Tournament in 2011 and even led last year’s Cup final before losing to Manchester City. Founded in 1931, Kitchee have usurped South China as Hong Kong’s strongest club in recent years and recently won the league for the fourth time in five seasons.

SQUAD

  • MANAGEMENT -
  • Wilson Ng - Manager
  • PLAYERS -
  • 1. Jose Molina (Spain; 44) - Forward
  • 6. Alex Chu Chi-kwong (Hong Kong) - Defender
  • 9. Paul Foster (Australia; 47) - Midfielder
  • 10. Ricky Cheng Siu-chung (Hong Kong; 42) - Defender
  • 15. Vicente Engonga (Spain; 49) - Midfielder
  • 17. Xiao Guoji (China; 36) - Midfielder
  • 20. Roberto Losada (Spain; 38) - Forward
  • 25. Feng Ji Zhi (China; 38) - Goalkeeper
  • 28. Bikas Curung (Nepal; 49) - Defender

RECORD

  • 2015

    Group A (5th)

    Drew with HKFC Veterans 0-0

    Lost to USRC –BTS 2-0

    Lost to KCC Veterans 1-0

    Lost to Wallsend Boys Club 2-0

Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans

Tournament regulars KCC Veterans return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens once more, since the last edition of the competition in 2019. They have a long-established history in the event and this year have signed-up the Leicester City Premier League Winning Defender, Danny Simpson, who joins KCC for the 2023 edition. Danny follows a long list of former players including Chelsea, West Ham and England International Carton Cole, Liverpool and England International legend John Barnes, ex-Scotland International and Everton forward Pat Nevin and former Northern Ireland International and Wimbledon striker Lawrie Sanchez, all who have represented the Club. The KCC Veterans reached the final of the Plate competition in both 2015 and 2016, losing to HKFC Chairman’s Select and Discovery Bay in respective years. KCC have also previously won the second-tier competition in 2009, by defeating Yau Yee League Masters 2-0 in the final. Their best-ever performances were in 2008 and 2011 when they advanced beyond the group stage to make the Cup quarter-finals. This year the team will be coached by the Hong Kong National Team Asst. Coach, Wolfgang Lussier and KCC are excited to be involved again in Hong Kong’s best Football 7’s Tournament.

HKFC Masters

The HKFC Masters team is honoured to be one of the two teams representing the Hong Kong Football Club in the upcoming annual seven-a-side event. Following a four-year break, the team has been working tirelessly to prepare for the tournament and is excited to represent the club once again. Although the results didn’t go their way in 2019, the players are optimistic that this year’s competition will be both enjoyable and successful.

HKFC Chairman’s Select

The HKFC Chairman’s Select team regularly participates in the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournament. After a disappointing performance in the 2019 event, the team is determined to bounce back and make a strong showing this year. With their sights set on being competitive, the Chairman’s Select team has been working hard to improve their game and is eager to take the field. Along with the other HKFC team, the Chairman’s Select team hopes to represent the club and play some high-quality football proudly.

Ampcontrol Discovery Bay

The lads from Discovery Bay (DB) return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens for the tenth time and this year as Ampcontrol Discovery Bay, having secured a new main sponsor that specializes in high voltage electrical engineering services and following their notable performances in 2017 and 2019 (reaching the plate final) and especially in 2018 (cup winners) the team will be fully charged for an electrifying display in this year’s tournament.

Ampcontrol Discovery Bay consist of local amateur and professional players from Discovery Bay Football Club (DBFC) and the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) league teams, having separated from the previous years of partnership with the boys from Brazil, who this year field their own team in the tournament. Discovery Bay teams from the past have included some star attractions such as former England Internationals Peter Beardsley, Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton. 

Ampcontrol Discovery Bay will be coached again by former Hong Kong star forward and Discovery Bay resident Tim Bredbury and big support will come from the teams main and secondary sponsors’ representatives, who are all Discovery Bay residents.

PFA Citi All Stars

The PFA are delighted to be providing the Citibank Allstars for the Hong Kong Soccer 7s once again.

This partnership has been going for 21 years with many former Professional players from all divisions in the English leagues taking part.

Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix are making their fourth successive appearance at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens after becoming New Zealand’s first-ever representatives in 2015.

Wellington, the only club from New Zealand to compete in Australia’s A-League, reached the semi-finals on their debut at Hong Kong Football Club before losing 1-0 to eventual winners Atletico Madrid. And the New Zealanders again made the last four three years ago when, after topping a group comprising Eastern, Stoke City and Yau Yee League Select, they defeated Leicester City 2-1 in the last eight. Once more, Wellington would lose to the eventual champions in the last four, this time when Aston Villa ran out 2-0 victors.

The 2017 edition saw Wellington reach the final of the Plate competition, where they lost 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen. Domestically, Wellington have participated in the Australian league since being founded in 2007 and have reached the end-of-season Grand Final series on four occasions, achieving a best ever third-place finish in 2010.

Striker Hamish Watson was among the stars of Wellington’s 2016 HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournament and the New Zealander has gone on to become a regular feature in the first-team squad. The club also boast a strong Hong Kong connection having previously been led by former Hong Kong coach Ernie Merrick.

Stoke City

Back for a second successive year after making their debut in 2015, Stoke City will be looking to build on a performance that saw them eliminated in the group stage last year.

The Potters lost their inaugural HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens match 2-0 to Hong Kong’s Yau Yee League Select before going on to claim a 3-0 win over the Hong Kong Football Association U-20 side.

But a 2-2 draw with eventual champions Atletico Madrid was not enough to advance to the quarter-finals before Stoke then lost 2-0 to Hong Kong Football Club Captain’s Select in the quarter-finals of the Plate competition.

Stoke have transformed their reputation in recent times after becoming synonymous with the long-ball game during the Tony Pulis days following promotion to the English Premier League in 2008.

And since Mark Hughes took over in 2013, the style of play at the Britannia Stadium has changed dramatically with talented stars including Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri now components of a new-look, free-flowing side.

With more than 300 appearances spanning two spells at the club, Sir Stanley Matthews is Stoke’s most famous son, while goalkeeper Ben Foster and Glasgow Celtic’s Kris Commons have come through the academy more recently.

RECORD

  • 2015

    Group D (3rd)

    Lost to Yau Yee League Select 2-0

    Beat HKFA U-20 3-0

    Drew with Atletico Madrid 2-2

    Plate quarter-finals: Lost to HKFC Captain’s Select 2-0

Singapore Cricket Club

Established 1852, the Singapore Cricket Club is one of the premier sports clubs in Singapore. SCC is represented by two teams in the HKFC Soccer Sevens 2023, SCC Singapore Football League (SFL) team for the main tournament and SCC Masters team in the masters tournament. SCC has been in this tournament for over 5 years. 

 The SCC SFL team competes in the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Singapore Football League One (SFL 1). In 2022, the Club picked up several accolades at the 2022 FAS Sports Awards Night, including the FAS Recognition Award, Top Goal Scorer Award and Fair Play Award. The former Head Coach and current Club Captain were also one of three nominees for the FAS SFL Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards respectively. In 2023, SCC SFL team kicked off its pre-season campaign by finishing runners-up at the annual Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC) Soccer Sevens and is currently in the midst of its 2023 SFL season. The SCC SFL team, led by Head Coach and former Singapore international Steven Tan, is expected to challenge for honours domestically. The team comprised some of the brightest young talents as well as former professionals.

Shanghai SIPG

Group: B

Seeded: 9-12

Founded: 2005

Home: Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China

 

Shanghai SIPG – whose first team are managed by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson – are the latest Chinese Super League side to compete in the Soccer Sevens, following Guangzhou Evergrande’s debut in 2014.

Lu Jianjun will coach the side at Hong Kong Football Club, where the visitors will field a team of seven-a-side specialists of players in their 20s and 30s.

Shanghai SIPG’s first team, under Eriksson’s charge, started the 2015 Chinese Super League with four wins and two draws, underlining their reputation as one of the country’s fastest-growing clubs.

Xu Genbao, the former China international and head coach, founded the club in 2005 as an extension of the Genbao Football Base he created in 2000. Xu was inspired by Manchester United’s crop of youth graduates and ‘To Build a Manchester United of China’ was carved in rock at the front gate of the youth facility, which features three full-size pitches.

Featuring several players who had come through Genbao Football Base, Shanghai East Asia enjoyed a spectacular rise to the top tier of Chinese football, winning China League Two in 2007 and China League One in 2012. In 2009, the team moved into their current home ground, the 56,000-capacity Shanghai Stadium.

Before the 2013 season, SIPG (Shanghai International Port Group) signed on as title sponsor of the club. The newly named Shanghai SIPG finished ninth in the 2013 Chinese Super League and fifth the following year, and their investment in hiring Eriksson in November 2014 was another sign that the club is likely to be among China’s biggest clubs for years to come.

SQUAD

  • MANAGEMENT -
  • Lu Jianjun - Head Coach
  • PLAYERS -
  • 1. Zhang Chen (age 33) - Goalkeeper
  • 4. Jiang Weiliang (age 26) - Midfielder
  • 7. Wang Hongliang (age 30) - Midfielder
  • 8. Lin Tao (age 24) - Defender
  • 10. Feng Jing (age 34) - Midfielder
  • 11. Xu Bin (age 25) - Forward
  • 15. Li Cheng (c) (age 26) - Defender
  • 25. Shen Longyuan (age 30) - Forward
  • 26. Cao Jiadi (age 24) - Defender
  • 29. Lin Pei (age 23) - Forward

RECORD

  • 2015

    Group B (3rd)

    Drew with Kitchee 1-1

    Drew with West Ham United 0-0

    Drew with HKFC Captain’s Select 1-1

    Plate quarter-finals: Beat HKFA U-20 2-0

    Plate semi-finals: Lost to Leicester City 1-0

Leicester City

Leicester City’s youngsters are participating in HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens once more, returning to Happy Valley to represent the Club for the intense three-day, seven-a-side competition.

Leicester have been regular participants in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district for a contest which provides Academy graduates with an opportunity to test their skills on a big stage. 

Over previous seasons, the Club’s brightest talents have flown out to Asia to experience a unique and challenging environment which further aids their development.

Some of the Club’s current first team stars have previously featured in the competition over the years, such as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Luke Thomas and Daniel Iversen, as well as loanees Hamza Choudhury and Marc Albrighton – who famously helped the Club win the English Premier League for the first time in 2016. 

The tournament, which began in 1999, took an unscheduled three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is back this year with the Foxes looking to regain the youth trophy they have lifted on two occasions.

Since debuting at the event back in 2012, members of the Club’s Development Squad have enjoyed magnificent success in Hong Kong, notably winning the Main Cup crown twice. 

Firstly claiming the Shield following a 3-2 victory over Chelsea in the 2012 final, during their maiden tournament, the Foxes returned a year later to lift the Cup with a 2-0 win against holders Newcastle United.

Successive Plate finals followed, with victory in 2014 over BC Rangers and defeat on penalties the year after to Hong Kong Football Club. 

In 2016, meanwhile, Leicester advanced to the quarter-finals before going down 2-1 to New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix, only to reach a fifth straight final after defeating Kashima Antlers 6-5 in the Shield Semi-Final. 

A 3-2 victory over Hong Kong Eastern in the final meant Leicester lifted four trophies in five HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournaments and an impressive showing in 2017 extended that record further. 

Claiming the Main Cup title for the second time, defeating Aston Villa 3-0 in the final, City’s side will again come up against an illustrious list of youngsters from across the globe, with fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion and reigning Soccer Sevens champions Newcastle also competing this time around.

In total, 16 teams will take part in the main tournament at Sports Road, including Hong Kong Premier League sides Kitchee and HKU23.



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