And Indra and his team have no reason not to aim for more silverware to place beside to their new trophy.
The next challenge — a bigger one to be sure — comes in the form of the Asian Football Confederation U-19 Championship qualification round, starting on Oct. 8 at Sidoarjo’s Gelora Delta Stadium.
Indonesia has drawn a spot in Group G, along with South Korea, Laos and the Philippines. Looking at all four teams’ recent form, Merah Putih has a good chance to qualify and move into the final round.
Sixteen teams will qualify for next year’s finals, scheduled for October 2014 in Myanmar. The winner of each of nine groups will book a berth to the final round, alongside the six best second-place teams and host country Myanmar.
Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and China are hosting the group stage, involving 40 countries across the continent, plus a handful of Asia-Pacific nations.
Indra said he had wasted no time bringing his victorious players back to earth and back to training at the stadium.
“Another big job is waiting for us. I gave them a few days’ break before getting back into training again this week. It is important for them to have an early preparation while the spirit of victory is still there. We don’t want to lose this opportunity to bring out the best in them,” Indra said.
Besides the 20 players from the AFF-winning squad, 11 more players will join the training camp. By the end, however, only 23 players will have been named to join the squad.
The U-19 team was praised for its solidity and outstanding performances during last week’s tournament. Their apogee came when they sustained a full 120-minute attack during their final match against Vietnam, before claiming the 7-6 win in a penalty shootout.
It was reported that the players’ average VO2max, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, reached 60 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram body mass per minute, an excellent figure for football players.
“It would have been impossible for them to play a 120-minute game if their VO2 max was only 45. Physical fitness is one of the keys to success,” Indra said.
He shared the secret behind his success in maintaining his players’ stamina.
“The physical training is exactly the same as any other coach provides. I only manage things to ensure they use their stamina at the optimum time, which is in the final,” he said.
Indra said that some local professional clubs, impressed by his team’s performance during the AFF Cup, had contacted him to propose signing up some of his young players. Indra said he was happy with the offers, but had doubts about whether such moves would be in the players’ best interests.
“These kids are still young. I’m just afraid they would not be able to adjust to playing with their seniors. Evan Dimas (the U19 team captain) is an outstanding player in his age group, but it does not necessarily mean he can do as well in a senior age group as he does now,” he said.
“Instead of playing in the first team, I’m afraid they will end up sitting on the bench after joining pro clubs.
“These clubs must guarantee they’ll get to play in the first team. If they don’t, it will only harm the progress we have been working for all this time. We need to have further discussions with the clubs’ coaches.”
That concern is also why Indra turned down a proposal by U-23 team coach Rahmad Darmawan to recruit some of U-19 players to join his training camp for the Southeast Asian Games to be held in Myanmar this December.
“It’s too early for them to play in this year’s SEA Games. I think they can play for the squad in the 2015 Games,” Indra said.
He added he did not regret taking on the job of coaching the national youth team.
“A few clubs have offered me their coach’s seat. I said, ‘Thank you very much but I have to turn it down.’ Because I still have so many dreams to achieve with this young team.”
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