YOUTH The Belgian Soccer Federation is organizing its first activities for the 2011 age group in early November. Having missed out on the U15 national team, the country's top young players born in 2011 have been called up for their first training camp with the new U16 national team. Boasting a promising 2011 cohort, the Neerpede Academy is, once again, well represented with five players selected.
For this first training camp of the 2011 cohort, here are the five Anderlecht players included in this initial selection.
First, the two players who have been playing at a higher age level for several seasons and are currently playing for the U18s this season:
Kana Cresus
Adado Silas
And the three players who are still playing in their age group at Neerpede:
Bulembi Daevon
Coosemans Maycon
Lambrechts Joshua
The U16 national team, which has been in camp since Sunday, will play its first match this Wednesday against Luxembourg. Held in Tubize, this opening match will take place behind closed doors.
There could have been more players from Neerpede, including Daniel Deldicq and Salim Ben Ali, but due to the Belgian Federation's decision to no longer field a U15 national team, these two promising players took the opportunity last season to represent other national teams based on their heritage. As a result, Deldicq joined Portugal, his mother's homeland, and Ben Ali accepted Morocco's invitation. When contacted by the Belgian federation, they have so far declined to play for the Belgian national team.
In an effort to cut costs, the federation has also decided to disband the Futures team—the squad for “late bloomers”—which had proven successful in the past. Talented players who develop more slowly could have been eligible for this team, such as Tiago De Vincentis, Giel Van Hoeylandt, Loïc Ngassa, and Basile Magosse.
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