Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Warriors FC midfielder Suria Prakash announced his arrival in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League in style when he made his full debut for Alex Weaver’s side in their 1-0 win over Brunei DPMM in May.

The midfielder then caused lots of trouble to DPMM’s defence as he whizzed past his markers with flashy footwork and sent in wicked crosses into the penalty box.

Since that match, Suria has been a permanent fixture in Weaver’s set-up and now, his consistent performances has been rewarded with a call-up to Singapore Under-23 national team squad for their training stint to Austria from 7 to 23 July, as part of their preparations for next year’s Southeast Asian Games.

For Weaver, he was first pointed out to Suria’s talent by his assistant Kevin Wee who had brought the midfield wizard with him to Warriors from Balestier Khalsa.

“He’s an exciting talent. We have to make sure he keeps his feet on the ground now. He’s come in and started in a big game,” expressed Weaver who does not think twice about putting faith in young talent from the club’s Prime League squad and throwing them into the deep end.

“Suria has played in the S.League teams before at Balestier, Kevin Wee was keen to point it out to me. But we need to make sure we do things right with him and work with him on the field, guide him.”

Singapore U23 is coached by Courts Young Lions tactician Aide Iskandar and he appreciates the chance to bring his charges to Austria.

“Playing against top teams like Borussia Dortmund will help our players understand where we are at this early stage of their development,” said Aide.

“Hopefully, they will be inspired to improve themselves after this trip. I know my boys will be up for it and this will be a golden opportunity for them to show what they can do. I’m looking forward to it,” added the former national skipper.

The U23 team will play three friendly games in Austria, the first against FC Pribram (Czech) on 11 July before taking on Germany’s Borussia Dortmund U23 four days later. Their last opponent on 20 July will be announced at a later date.