TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian U-23 national team is preparing for the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship (formerly the AFF U-23 Cup), which will be held in Jakarta starting July 15. Amidst their preparations, two players, Achmad Maulana and Cahya Supriadi, share their hopes and aspirations.
Arema FC midfielder Achmad Maulana expressed his strong motivation to take the Indonesian national team to the highest level possible. He is determined to lead Indonesia to play in the World Cup someday, with himself being part of the squad.
"My target in the national team is always to give my best. If given the opportunity, I want to take Indonesia to the World Cup and be part of the squad," he said on the Kita Garuda page.
Born in Bandung on April 24, 2003, Achmad is currently training with the Indonesian U-23 national team in Jakarta under the guidance of Gerald Vanenburg. The training took place from June 20 to July 14 in preparation for the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship, which starts on July 15.
Achmad is a versatile player who is also known for his discipline and hard work. He began playing soccer in kindergarten and honed his skills at several youth soccer academies, including SSB Locomotive FC, Saint Prima Bandung, and SSB UNI. After that, he joined the Bandung City student team and played in Liga 3 with SSB Roksi FC, before being recruited by the elite team, Persija Jakarta U-20.
"I started playing football since kindergarten, and I always dreamed of becoming a professional player," said Achmad. "Alhamdulillah, my family has always been supportive. That's what keeps me going," he added.
Achmad, who made 26 appearances for Singo Edan in the Indonesian Liga 1 last season, has played for three different age groups in the national team, including the U-20 national team (11 caps), the U-22 national team (1 cap), and the senior national team (2 caps).
Currently, he is preparing to represent the U-23 national team in the upcoming ASEAN U-23 Championship, which starts on July 15th in Indonesia. This is a new age group for him.
Cahya Supriadi's Hopes
The 22-year-old goalkeeper, Cahya Supriadi, hopes to continue being trusted as a goalkeeper in the Indonesian national team, whether at the youth or senior level. Cahya has played in three different age groups in Indonesia. He played five times for the U-19 national team, six times for the U-20 national team, and three times for the senior national team.
Currently, he is looking forward to his new journey with the U-23 national team under the guidance of Gerarld Vanenburg, who will soon compete in the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship starting in the middle of this month.
"I want to continue to be trusted in the national team, both at the youth and senior level. That's my target, to continue to progress, develop, and give my best for this country," said Cahya, as quoted from the official Kita Garuda page, Wednesday.
Born in Karawang, the goalkeeper shared the most memorable moments of his football career. Starting his professional career at Persija Jakarta, Cahya was thrilled to be on the same team as his idol, Andritany Ardhiyasa.
"It was a dream come true. I used to watch him a lot when I was young. Being on the same team and competing with him is one of my greatest achievements," said the goalkeeper, who is reportedly set to join PSIM Yogyakarta.
His name then caught the attention of the Indonesian national team in the youth age group, with the U-20 national team, to play in the 2022 Toulon Tournament in France was a competition in which Indonesia faced strong teams such as Algeria, Venezuela, Mexico, and Ghana.
Cahya said that playing in the tournament was an unforgettable experience. "It was an incredible experience that I find hard to forget. We gained valuable lessons from matches against big nations," he said.
Cahya is one of the 30 players called up by Vanenburg to undergo training in Jakarta for the ASEAN U-23. There are four other goalkeepers alongside him. The four names are Daffa Fasya, Erlangga Setyo, Muhammad Ardiansyah, and Putra Sheva.
In the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship, Indonesia is grouped in Group A with the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. Garuda Muda's first match is against Brunei on Tuesday (July 15), then the Philippines on Friday (July 18), and finally Malaysia on Monday (July 21).
All of Garuda Muda's matches are held at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta at 8:00 PM local time. Indonesia previously won this tournament once, in the 2019 edition in Cambodia. At that time, under the guidance of Indra Sjafri, Indonesia defeated Thailand in the final with a score of 2-1.
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