The first Head to Head for 2018 would be something on the Southeast Asian's sports arena. This might be an introduction to more greater comparison stories, but herewith we highlight first on two young squads from two nations of the region, Malaysia and Indonesia.
HARIMAU MUDA (YOUNG TIGERS)
# Malaysia’s Harimau Muda squad is the national team for the under-23 and 22 level, representing Malaysia in the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games as well as any other under-23 international football tournaments including the AFC U-23 Championship
# It is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). The team is considered to be the feeder team for the Malaysia national football team.
# This football team began its journey when the FAM formed a squad known as Olympic 2000 with a combination of 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship youth squad and other under 23 players.
# After years, Harimau Muda project was disbanded as FAM needed a fresh start for the U-23 team where a new set of players was brought in for the team with the creation of SEA Games Project 2017 team.
# The jerseys for this squad, so far, are as follows:
# Some fun facts on matches for this Malaysian squad are as interesting as these facts below:
| Subject | Score | Match/Games |
| First International | Malaysia (1) - Japan (1) | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / December 1990 |
| Biggest Win | Malaysia (11) - Timor Leste (0) |
Vientiane, Laos / 2 December 2009 |
| Biggest Defeat | Thailand (9) - Malaysia (0) |
Bangkok, Thailand / November 1998 |
|
Asian Games |
3 appearances (first in 2002) |
Best Result: Round of 16 (2010) |
|
AFC U23 Championship |
1 appearance (first in 2018) |
Best Result: Quarter-finals (2018) |
|
Southeast Asian Games |
9 appearances (first in 2001) |
Best Result: Winners (2009, 2011) |
GARUDA MUDA (THE YOUNG GARUDA)
# Indonesia's national under-23 football team also known as Indonesia Sub-23 or Garuda Muda, is considered to be the feeder team for the Indonesia national football team, Merah Putih (The Red and White).
# It is controlled by Football Association of Indonesia.
# There are two jerseys' colors for this squad and it is shown in the picture below:
# The fun facts on matches for Garuda Muda squad are as simplified in the following table:
| Subject | Score | Match/Games |
| First International | South Korea (5) - Indonesia (0) | Masan, South Korea / 24 March 1991 |
| Biggest Win | Indonesia (9) - Brunei (0) | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / 11 September 2001 |
| Biggest Defeat | South Korea (7) - Indonesia (0) | Seoul, South Korea / 29 May 1999 |
| Asian Games | 2 appearances (first in 2006) | Best Result: Round of 16 (2014) |
| Southeast Asian Games | 8 appearances (first in 2001) | Best Result: Runners-up (2001, 2013) |
While doing H2H columns is best displayed as putting them side by side, herewith are more quick and must-know facts that Seasia has compiled for dear readers (for the diehard fan of these squads, facts below wouldn’t be that new to them, the author presume).
Note: We used the data from ASIAN Games 2014 in Incheon, South Korea to compare :
TOPSCORERS
| Malaysia U23 | G | PG | Indonesia U23 | G | PG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohd Aidil Zafuan | 1 | 0 | F. Sinaga | 6 | 1 |
| Muhammad Ferris Danial | 1 | 0 | F. Utomo | 2 | 0 |
| Mohd Norfarhan | 1 | 0 | R. Lestaluhu | 1 | 0 |
| Mohd Fandi | 1 | 0 | B. Sanggjawan | 1 | 0 |
| N. Setiawan | 1 | 0 | |||
PLAYERS
| Squad | Malaysia U23 | Indonesia U23 |
|---|---|---|
| Average age squad | 20.7 | 26.1 |
| Youngest | 17 (Hadi Fayyadh) | 22 (M. Zaenuri) |
| Oldest | 23 (Mohammad Nor Azam) | 32 (V. Igbonefo) |
| Players under 21 | 14 | - |
| Foreign players | - | - |
| Non-EU players | 23 | 20 |
Source : Various sources including Wikipedia and Soccerway.com
