Matt Orr wants the trophy as Hong Kong, China open at Kai Tak

Hong Kong, China forward Matt Orr has told FIFA that his side came into the FIFA ASEAN Cup for the trophy, and that the new ground in his home city is the best he has played on.

A guest team with a trophy in mind

Hong Kong, China are a guest team at the first edition of the tournament, alongside the eleven ASEAN nations, and Orr’s home city is one of its hosts.

Their group holds Laos and Brunei, the two sides who met in the competition’s very first match.

“For all of us in the team, we’re really excited about this new tournament because there is a trophy on the line, and that’s a big part of why we play the game,” Orr told FIFA.

Kai Tak, and the crowds it brought

Both of Orr’s group matches are at Kai Tak Stadium, and he rates it above every other ground he has played on.

“The stadium is obviously world class,” he said, adding that nothing in the Chinese Super League, where he plays for Shanghai Port, compares with it.

The crowds have grown with it. “Typically we would previously get around 10,000 for our matches but in the games we’ve played at Kai Tak suddenly we’re playing in front of 45 or 50,000,” he said.

The two matches in front of him

Hong Kong, China face Laos at Kai Tak Stadium on 27 September, kicking off at 15:00 Malaysian time.

They close their group against Brunei at the same ground on 30 September, at 20:00.

Born in Hong Kong to New Zealand parents, Orr left as a teenager for the IMG Academy in the United States, then came home before joining a club in the Chinese Super League.

He described the coming years as development work under a new coach, with room for young players to come through.

“But we have big expectations for ourselves and being at home there are big expectations too from the fans to deliver the trophy,” he said.

Related

• the tournament’s first match, between Laos and Brunei
• Harimau Malaya’s own opening win in Jakarta
• Hong Kong, China open with a 4-0 win over Laos at Kai Tak