Jordan regroups to face Columbia

AMMAN –– The national football team regrouped on Monday following the end of most matches on the local agenda.

The national team  is slated to play Columbia in their first high level friendly in Buenos Aires on June 6 in preparation for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Asian Cup 2015 in Australia. 

Technical director Hosam Hassan has named the preliminary lineup who trained on Monday to face the world's 5th ranked team. Jordan is 64 in the latest FIFA rankings, and sixth among Asian Football Confederation teams.

Jordan Football Association (JFA) Secretary General Fadi Zureiqat said the match is set to give the players "competitive  experience against leading teams". 

Hassan excluded team star Amer Shafie, league top scorer Hamzeh Dardour, Amer Deeb and Ahmad Samir. 

Missing from the squad due to injury and other personal reasons were Shadi Abu Hashhash, Khalil Bani Atiyeh, Anas Jbarat and Thaer Bawab.

Hassan said the match against Columbia would be vital ahead of other matches aimed at getting the team ready for their third participation in the Asian Cup. 

The JFA announced that Jordan would play South Korea on November 14 after facing Uzbekistan and China in September, as well as the UAE and China in January 2015 ahead of the kickoff in Australia.

Jordan advanced to the Asian Cup finals after finishing second in Group A qualifiers behind leaders Oman.