The eagerly awaited inaugural edition of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ is just around the corner with the first set of group stage fixtures set to take place on August 21 and 22.
Twelve clubs from eight nations will be
participating in Southeast Asia’s brand new club competition as fans can expect
to witness top-quality action featuring some of the finest players in the
region.
Ahead of the Group A kickoff, ASEAN United FC picks one player from each club who could prove to be pivotal for their respective teams in the group stage.
Chanathip Songkrasin (BG Pathum United)
One of the biggest superstars in Southeast
Asian football, Chanathip Songkrasin is a name that reverberates in any
discussion regarding football in the region and he returned to his homeland
last season, recording nine goals and seven assists in all competitions and
adding silverware in the form of Thai League Cup in his first season for BG
Pathum United.
The winner of a record three AFF Championship Most Valuable Player awards, Chanathip had a successful six-and-a-half-year spell in the J.League for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Kawasaki Frontale and the 30-year-old attacking midfielder remains as hungry as ever to deliver more trophies for his current BGPU employers.
Safawi Rasid (Terengganu FC)
From a star in Thailand to one in Malaysia
and Safawi Rasid is one of the biggest names to emerge from the nation in the
last decade, having won multiple domestic titles for Johor Darul Ta’zim and
also finished as the joint top-scorer at the 2020 AFF Championship for the
national team.
Earlier this year, Safawi made the switch to Terengganu FC on loan from JDT in a bid to regain his old form, already scoring six goals in all competitions at the early stage of the 2024-25 season and helping the Turtles reach the Malaysia FA Cup semi-finals. The 27-year-old will now target a memorable outing in the upcoming Shopee Cup.
Yuran Fernandes (PSM Makassar)
With PSM Makassar currently going through a transformation, one man who remains a pivotal figure in the squad is centre-back Yuran Fernandes. Of the four PSM players who were selected in the club’s triumphant 2022-23 Liga 1 Team of the Season, Yuran remains the only one still at the club and played 2877 minutes, the most by any PSM player, last season.
The 29-year-old from Cape Verde is gradually becoming a symbol of loyalty with head coach Bernardo Tavares appointing him captain for the recent Indonesia President’s Cup as his leadership and solid presence at the back in addition to his goalscoring instincts are set to make Yuran a threat to any opposition in the Shopee Cup.
Rimario Gordon (Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC)
Since arriving in Vietnam in 2018, Rimario Gordon has become one of the most lethal forwards in V.League 1, finding success wherever he’s been and scoring more than 50 league goals for various clubs in the country. The 2022 V.League 1 top scorer made the switch to Thanh Hoa last season and has seamlessly transitioned into new surroundings once again.
The Jamaican hit double digits for league goals and also lifted the Vietnamese National Cup and the Vietnamese Super Cup at his new home. The Lam Son Warriors will now hope that Gordon can be at his very best when they face even bigger challenges this season.
Pablo (Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC)
Talking about a new signing hitting the ground running and Svay Rieng have a strong case in the form of Brazilian forward Pablo, who only arrived at the club last month and has already scored the club’s most crucial goals this season including an eye-catching four goals in the second leg of the Shopee Cup qualifying round play-offs against Laos’ Young Elephants FC.
Pablo has had a nomadic career having plied his trade in his native Brazil, Japan and Malta. And barely one and a half months since making Cambodia his new home, he has already lifted his first trophy when he was on target in Svay Rieng’s 2-1 Cambodian Super Cup victory against Phnom Penh Crown last week.
Mark Sekyi (Shan United FC)
Mark Sekyi has been one of the key players for Myanmar’s Shan United this season with his versatility in midfield an invaluable asset to the club. Sekyi netted the club’s opening league goal this season in a 1-0 victory against Myawady followed by starting both of their playoff matches versus Kasuka FC of Brunei DS.
With Shan’s incredible 60-match unbeaten streak seemingly set to be ended by perennial rivals Yangon United recently, Sekyi once again stepped up with a Man of the Match performance, scoring two second-half goals to rescue his side and endear himself to the fans of the Myanmar National League champions.
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