On the first day of their stints abroad while on Unleash the Roar! (UTR) scholarships, Singapore's Natasha Naszri, 16, and Chloe Koh, 17, were dealt a reality check.
The duo, who each have two senior caps, were taken aback by the standards required of them in training.
A year on, the teenagers believe that they have improved tremendously and hope to add to the national women's football team, who face Macau in a friendly at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 16.
Natasha, who joined the ESC LaLiga academy in Spain, was hit by fatigue after her maiden session.
"After my first training, I was really tired because the intensity was very high," the midfielder said. "It really affected me, I was like 'oh wow', the level's so different."
Chloe enrolled in the IMG Academy in the United States along with four other players, of which one Kyra Taylor - is also in the Lionesses' squad. Two others, Ardhra Ganeswaran and Irsalina Irwan, are out with injuries.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 16, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
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