KUALA LUMPUR: National team coach Pau Marti Vicente has called up two Under-19 players for training for the friendly match against New Zealand on Oct 14.
However, Selangor winger Faisal Halim has been excluded for the second time from the national camp after he was left out of the Merdeka Tournament last month.
Goalkeeper Haziq Aiman Mohd Esa (Johor Darul Ta'zim II) and Haykal Danish Mohd Haizon (Selangor Under-23), who recently featured in the Under-20 Asian Cup qualifiers, are listed along with Selangor goalkeeper Azim Al Amin Kamaruddin as well as Sabah midfielder Stuart Wilkins, who was omitted from the Merdeka Tournament.
Vicente had previously mentioned that the 26-year-old Faisal is not yet in top condition to be selected, and he needs to focus on his recovery process to regain his lost form. Faisal has recovered from an acid attack by an unknown assailant in May and resumed training recently.
Vicente has retained 23 players from the 26-man squad that won the Merdeka Tournament by beating Lebanon 1-0 in the final on Sept 8.
Two overseas-based players, Dion Cools (Buriram United) and Endrick dos Santos (Ho Chi Minh City), have also been called up to strengthen Harimau Malaya for this assignment.
The national squad will fly out to Auckland on Oct 6 to undergo a week-long training camp ahead of the match against New Zealand at North Harbour Stadium.
This friendly match presents an opportunity for the world No. 132 national team to gain valuable Fifa ranking points, as New Zealand currently hold the 95th position in the world.
The 27-member training squad: Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, Matthew Davies, Feroz Baharudin, La'vere Lawrence Corbin-Ong, Arif Aiman Hanapi, Romel Morales (JDT), Haziq Aiman Esa (JDT II); Safawi Rasid, Akhyar Rashid, Safwan Mazlan, Azam Azmi Murad (Terengganu); Dominic Tan, Daniel Sang Ting, Darren Lok, Stuart John Wilkin (Sabah); Nooa Hamzah Laine, Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar, Azim Al Amin Kamaruddin (Selangor); Haykal Danish Haizon (Selangor U-23); Azri Ab Ghani, Paulo Josue, Haqimi Azim Rosli (KL City); Syamer Kutty Abba, Adib Abdul Ra'op (Penang); Syafiq Ahmad (Kedah); Dion-Johan Cools (Buriram Utd); Endrick Dos Santos (Ho Chi Minh City)