Singapore women’s national team head coach Mihoko Ishida heads to the July 17-26 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Cup, her first major tournament since taking charge in April, with a relatively young squad in tow.
The squad, which has an average age of 21, includes four 17-year-olds: IMG Academy trio of goalkeeper Chantele Lamasan (1 cap), defender Seri Nurinsyirah (4) and winger Yuvika Suresh (2), as well as Geylang International forward Naureen Qadriyah, who earned her first senior call-up after bagging 11 goals in this year’s Women’s Premier League.
Also making her first involvement in the senior team is FK Partizan left winger Mulan Ayliffe, who is chomping at the bit to contribute to an already impressive frontline that boasts the likes of Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza striker Danelle Tan (28 caps) and experienced forward Farhanah Ruhaizat (52 caps).
The 18-year-old, a “massive Liverpool fan since young”, models her game after former Scouse star Trent Alexander-Arnold, regularly watching videos of the attack-minded right-back, who now plays for Spanish giants Real Madrid.
“My playing style comes from him. I try to play like how he does, see the game how he does. I look up to him, and I want to be able to play like him.”
“His boldness to make those passes. They are not always 100 per cent accurate, but he takes those chances, and as long as one of the passes gets through, it is a great opportunity for the striker.”
It was this “aggression and positive play” that caught Ishida’s eye as she selected the left-footed winger for the trip to Kuala Lumpur, where the former Nippatsu Yokohama FC Seagulls head coach has set the target of reaching the final.
“It was my first time seeing Mulan. She’s very aggressive… She’s also left-footed, which gives us more options. She’s also shown us she is hard-working and I am looking forward to seeing the same effort be applied on the pitch in Malaysia.”
Mulan, who made the switch from cross-city rivals Red Star to Partizan in the winter transfer window in search of regular playing minutes, is hoping to make a difference on the pitch when she makes her senior debut.
“I have a very attacking mindset, good at crossing, being able to find the man in the box, playing those through balls, and taking on my man one-on-one. Being left-footed and on the left wing, I think what Coach expects from me is to send those crosses in,” she said.
With Singapore opening their campaign with Group A matches against Laos on Monday (Jul 13) and Malaysia on Thursday (Jul 16), the teenager admits to feeling no nerves, only excitement at the chance to “show people what I can do”.
Seasoned campaigner Farhanah, who has featured in three AFF Women’s Championships (2018, 2019 and 2022) – for which the AFF Women’s Cup serves as a qualifier – was also effusive in her praise for the youngster.
“She is an incredible player… delivers balls in the box. She puts in a lot of effort during training, and we are looking to train together more with everyone to improve our team chemistry,” the 27-year-old said. “There are a lot of younger players joining the team; the growth in women’s football has accelerated, even in the grassroots, and there are a lot of players with good potential out there.”
Mulan, who represented the Under-20 women’s team in their AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign last August, playing against the likes of Vietnam, Kyrgyz Republic and Hong Kong, China, also credited Farhanah for sharing valuable words of advice with her ahead of her first senior international tournament.
“Farhanah has been very helpful for me. She’s very supportive, and very good at giving me advice. She told me not to be nervous and to keep my head up. I’m quite an emotional player, so I get frustrated easily. Having those senior players help me manage my emotions better.”
And with Ishida emphasising the importance of having a strong, positive mentality throughout the tournament, those words might just prove invaluable as Singapore look to make their mark in the second running of the tournament, having finished in third in the 2024 edition behind Indonesia and Cambodia.
“The mindset is something we have been working on,” Ishida said. “What we are trying to do is to bring the best out of the players and show the best possible performance.”
