Farhaan, Itofusa, Yousuf make Dooley’s final cut

Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley has named his final 23-man squad for the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, handing call-ups to three overseas-born players as the team looks to solve a long-standing goalscoring problem.

The German-American manager has included English-raised forward Farhaan Ali Wahid, Japanese-born winger Shuki Itofusa, and British-based centre-back Zidane Alexander Yousuf. They join an experienced core that features Jamal Bhuyan, Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome, Tariq Kazi, and Rakib Hossain.

Farhaan, who developed at the Fulham academy in England, is the most talked-about addition. Dooley has been keen on the young attacker from the start, seeing him as the answer to Bangladesh's chronic lack of a clinical "number nine".

Speaking about Farhaan, Dooley said: "The thing I like most about this boy is that he knows how to finish. It's absolutely perfect."

The coach expects the new forward to lead the line, make the right runs into the box, and convert scoring chances. Dooley has been open about the team's striker shortage in the past. He pointed out that because domestic clubs heavily rely on foreign forwards, local strikers are struggling to develop. This has forced him to test different players up front. He had even considered using defender Bishwanath Ghosh as a central striker before an injury ruled him out of the tournament. With Ghosh sidelined, wingers like Rakib Hossain and Shekh Morsalin will also have to shoulder some of the attacking duties in the middle.

Along with Farhaan, Shuki Itofusa offers a fresh attacking option. The winger, who grew up in Japan, recently sorted his Bangladeshi paperwork and joined the national camp. He has impressed the coaching staff during training and his time with local club Fortis FC. Meanwhile, Zidane Alexander Yousuf steps up to the senior side after previously representing the Bangladesh Under-20 team.

Explaining his selection process, Dooley said he preferred to trim his preliminary group of 32 or 34 players early. He argued that keeping a large group makes it difficult to give everyone enough attention, choosing instead to focus his time entirely on the final 23 players who will make the trip to Jakarta.

Drawn in Group A, Bangladesh will face hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The team begins their campaign against Malaysia on 25 September at 3:00pm Bangladesh time. They take on Singapore three days later on 28 September at the same time, before finishing the group stage against Indonesia at 6:30pm on 1 October. All three matches will be played at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The biggest challenge for this blend of fresh faces and seasoned professionals will be making the most of their scoring chances, with Dooley hoping his new-look attack finally puts an end to their struggles in front of goal.

Bangladesh 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Mitul Marma, Sujon Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Srabon

Defenders: Topu Barman, Shakil Ahad Topu, Saad Uddin, Rahmat Mia, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Zayyan Ahmed, Zidane Alexander Yousuf

Midfielders and Forwards: S M Monjurur Rahman, Jamal Bhuyan, Sohel Rana (Senior), Sohel Rana, Md Ridoy, Shekh Morsalin, Rakib Hossain, Minhazul Karim Shadin, Fahamedul Islam, Hamza Dewan Choudhury, Shamit Shome, Farhaan Ali Wahid, Shuki Itofusa