SINGAPORE - The two youngsters sat in the middle, encircled by their team-mates.
Minutes later, with coach Takuma Koga watching a few steps away, Syazwan Radhi and Sunny Ng were serenaded with a loud rendition of Happy Birthday, before the newly-minted 16-year-olds were doused with water.
Nine months after a heady journey to the bronze medal in the under-15 competition at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, the players from the Singapore team, now the country's under-16 side, remain a tight unit. Their next assignment, the Canon Lion City Cup 2011, is just six weeks away and they've spent the last fortnight getting to know their new head coach from Japan.
Despite being in the midst of mid-year examinations, all but two in the 26-strong squad turned up for a 90-minute training session yesterday at the Singapore Sports School.
Many locals fans will be happy to hear that Koga's football philosophy is a positive one. Speaking to MediaCorp, the Osaka native said: "You can have all the good players, but without the ball, they can't do anything.
"I want them to play positively, both in attack and defence. I'd like to see them attacking swiftly but also know how to get back quickly to defend."
The Lion City Cup will be held here from June 18 to 26. The Singapore under-16s have been drawn in Group B, alongside the under-15 sides from Brazil's Flamengo and English outfit Everton.
The Singapore under-15 boys will play in Group A, with the under-15s from Italy's Juventus and England's Everton.
The current examination period has complicated the preparation period of both teams, but Jita Singh, head of game development at the Football Association of Singapore, said: "We've exempted those boys who are having their exams from training.
"Half the squad come from the Sports School, which will have their exams next week, while the rest are from other schools who have their own exam schedules."
Hanafi Akbar, who lit up the Youth Olympic tournament last year with his bright attacking play, has no problems coping. "I just concentrate on the books when it's time to study, and put my full focus on football when it's time for training," he said.
The team could still head overseas for a final training stint, but Jita said: "We're still deciding on this and will announce our decision soon."
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