Herdman Reshapes Indonesia: Four Local Strikers Out, the Foreign-Born Era Begins

On September 14, 2026, at the PSSI headquarters in Jakarta, John Herdman put pen to paper on the 23-man squad for the ASEAN Cup. No Hokky Caraka. No Ramadhan Sananta. No Septian Bagaskara. No Eksel Runtukahu. Four local strikers once regarded as the future of Indonesian football, names that used to shake the Gelora Bung Karno stands, simultaneously left the national team boat.

At the same moment, on another side of the world, Ole Romeny was preparing for his club's weekend match in Europe, unaware that he was about to gain a new rival for the centre-forward position. Mitchell Baker, a name appearing for the first time on an official Indonesia squad list, will compete directly with him. This marked the turning point that VIVA itself called "a farewell to local strikers."

I have followed Southeast Asian football for many years, through trips between Shanghai, Hanoi, and Jakarta, and I recognise that the changes in this squad list are not merely about selection. It is a reshaping of philosophy, a milestone forcing Indonesian football to choose: continue committing to domestic resources, or accept a bet on foreign-born talent to close the gap with Thailand and Vietnam.

The context of the restructuring

The 2026 ASEAN Cup arrives at a time when regional football is undergoing an unprecedented shift. Thailand remains the traditional power with Thai League 1 boasting the highest commercial revenue in Southeast Asia. Vietnam stays committed to youth development through the PVF and Hoang Anh Gia Lai systems, where domestic generations are methodically honed. Indonesia, sitting in the "challenger" tier by expert classification, has chosen a different path: tapping the Indonesian community in the Netherlands and Europe.

John Herdman was appointed with a dual mandate. First, guide Indonesia past the ASEAN Cup group stage, into the semi-finals or final. Second, prepare the foundation for the next World Cup qualification campaign. The 23-man list reflects both objectives, and his handling of the striker position shows he has chosen to sacrifice short-term gain for long-term structure.

I have witnessed similar restructurings during my career. In 2026, when Vitor Pereira applied a 3-5-2 at Shanghai SIPG, young forward Chen Binbin lost his bearings for seven rounds. But a tactical revolution never begins with players; it begins with the far-sighted eyes of the coaching staff. Herdman is at that exact moment with Indonesian football.

The attack: a deliberate purge

The most striking point in the list is the striker department. Hokky Caraka, Ramadhan Sananta, Septian Bagaskara, and Eksel Runtukahu are all absent. These are four names that have been pillars of Indonesia's attack at various levels, from the U23s to the senior team. Dropping four local strikers at once is no random decision.

The technical profile of Indonesia's domestic strikers is typically associated with nimble technique, quick footwork in tight spaces, but a lack of the physical foundation to withstand continuous pressing intensity and off-the-ball movement in the European mould. In the ASEAN Cup context, where matches come thick and fast at high intensity, Herdman clearly prefers a striker profile that is physically stronger, more mobile, and experienced in demanding environments.

Mitchell Baker was called up as a direct competitor to Ole Romeny. This signals that Herdman does not want Romeny monopolising the centre-forward role, but wants to create internal pressure to stimulate competition. Romeny, who has established his position in previous camps, will have to prove his worth with concrete goals, not reputation alone.

The flanks: the arrival of Luke Vickery

Luke Vickery is projected as an option on the wings, alongside Ragnar Oratmangoen. Oratmangoen can play across the entire front line, from left wing to right wing to attacking midfield. Adding Vickery suggests Herdman leans toward a wide-attacking setup built on pace and one-on-one ability.

This hints Indonesia may operate in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, with the flanks serving as the spearhead in rapid transitions. The absence of domestic wing options in the list also indicates a preference for direct play over slow circulation and control of tempo.

This is a point worth questioning, however. Southeast Asian football, with its hot, humid climate and pitches that often fall short of European standards, sometimes punishes high-tempo play. If Indonesia relies too heavily on wing sprints, they may struggle in matches where opponents sit deep. I have seen this with many East Asian teams when they import a European model without accounting for local conditions.

The economics of the naturalisation strategy

Dion Markx and Luke Vickery are in line for their Indonesia national team debuts. Together with Ole Romeny, Thom Haye, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Dean James, and Mitchell Baker, they form a significant group of Europe-based players in the squad. This is the fruit of the naturalisation programme PSSI has pursued for years.

The transfer market is where promises are signed in ink, and trust is signed in blood. With the naturalisation strategy, PSSI pays not only for legal procedures and FIFA eligibility paperwork. They also face opportunity costs: resources earmarked for domestic academy development are shared with a shorter-term path.

Each naturalised player requires ancestry verification, association confirmation from the original federation, and sometimes training compensation under FIFA's solidarity mechanism. At the current scale, this is a substantial investment PSSI must weigh, especially since returns depend on on-pitch results.

There is a notable detail the media rarely mentions: young naturalised strikers Jens Raven and Mauro Zijlstra were not called up. If Herdman is building for the next World Cup cycle, omitting them from a regional tournament could be a way to shield them from premature media pressure. But it also reveals a gap in the backup striker system: if Romeny or Baker gets injured, Indonesia has no proven replacement.

Club-versus-country conflict: the Persib Bandung case

One reason the Indonesia squad is missing familiar names is Persib Bandung's schedule in the 2026/2027 AFC Champions League 2. Persib players were not released to the national team because the club prioritises its continental campaign.

This is not a rule violation. If the ASEAN Cup falls outside FIFA's international match calendar, clubs are under no obligation to release players. Persib is acting entirely rationally economically, as prize money and media value from AFC Champions League 2 bring important revenue to the club.

But the consequence is a capability gap for the national team. The cases of Beckham Putra and Marc Klok were widely discussed among fans, especially Marc Klok's absence. Klok is a Dutch-born naturalised player who had been a stable pillar. His omission may signal Herdman is shifting away from older naturalised players toward younger, more athletic profiles. This is a bold squad-management decision, and it will be judged by results.

The Persib issue also reflects a broader trend: Indonesian clubs are becoming financially stronger and more willing to protect their continental ambitions. In the long term, this could reshape the power balance between clubs and the national team in Indonesia.

Jay Idzes and the leadership vacuum

Indonesia will enter the ASEAN Cup without captain Jay Idzes. He was injured while playing for Sassuolo against Juventus. This is a loss not only in footballing terms but organisationally.

Idzes is a key centre-back and the captain, the emotional anchor of the team. His absence creates a double gap: the team loses its defensive commander while also needing to find a new leader in a collective with many first-time internationals.

I stood among the crowd and understood that tears are also a language of love. On empty-stadium days, I can hear the team breathing – and it still beats. But when a leader is lost, that breathing can become laboured, fragile. Herdman must decide who wears the armband, and that decision could affect the entire defensive structure.

Dean James and the comeback story

Dean James was recalled after nearly a year away. The specific reason was not disclosed, but his return suggests either Indonesia lacks personnel in his position, or the issue behind his earlier absence has been resolved.

The return of a player long away from the national team always has two sides. On one hand, he can bring experience and stability. On the other, he needs time to reintegrate into the tactical system and new teammates. In a tournament with little preparation time, this is a genuine risk.

Tactics: paper and grass

The 23-man list does not specify a formation. This is an important information gap. The presence of several versatile players such as Oratmangoen, who can play anywhere across the front line, and Thom Haye, a deep-lying playmaker, suggests Herdman may use a flexible system capable of shape-shifting in-game rather than a fixed formation.

A team has more than victories; it has its own heartbeat, and I am the one who records that rhythm. For Indonesia right now, that heartbeat is being adjusted by an incomplete integration process. Newcomers like Markx and Vickery have never played together in a competitive international. They come from different clubs, bring different tactical habits, and need time to build shared reflexes.

In modern football, integration time is a genuine tactical variable, not just a psychological slogan. A high-pressing team needs precision synchronisation down to the second in duels. Without enough training time, a pressing system is easily broken by long balls over the top. And the ASEAN Cup, with its congested schedule, rarely gives teams much preparation time.

A counterintuitive angle: the local-versus-naturalised border is artificial

The story Indonesian media is telling is one of the end of the local striker era and the rise of a naturalisation wave. This narrative frame is compelling, but it oversimplifies a far more complex issue.

Herdman dropping four local strikers is not necessarily a rejection of domestic football. It may simply reflect the specific tactical needs of a tournament with particular characteristics. Hokky Caraka and Ramadhan Sananta remain young players with potential, and their absence from one ASEAN Cup does not mean they are excluded from long-term plans.

Notably, Herdman himself stressed the players' commitment when wearing the Indonesia jersey. He said: "I think we must promise that we will give everything we have. That is the only thing we can promise to the fans."

This phrasing is classic pre-tournament expectation management. It lowers the bar from "win the tournament" to "give maximum effort," showing Herdman is acutely aware of the squad's integration risks. It is the mark of a coach who understands results on grass will judge every personnel decision.

If Indonesia performs well, the story will be rewritten as a triumph of vision. If they fail, the same decisions will be blamed. The local-versus-naturalised border constructed by the media exists only in stories, not in the dressing room, where players share one goal and one pressure.

Risks and variables to watch

Taken together, Indonesia enter the ASEAN Cup at medium risk. Newcomers need integration time. The captain is injured. Schedule conflicts with clubs deplete the squad. Media pressure over the local-versus-naturalised story is high.

At the same time, squad quality in theoretical terms has been raised. Europe-based players bring higher physical intensity and tactical discipline, something Southeast Asian football often lacks. If Herdman manages integration time and defines roles clearly, this team's potential is real.

Before the goal, after the goal, and between those two moments – a whole life has flowed through. For Indonesian football, the moment before the ASEAN Cup is one of difficult choices and unanswered questions. After the tournament, they will know whether this restructuring is a turning point or just another chapter in the old cycle.

An open thought

Southeast Asian football is at a stage where every federation must choose between two paths: long-term domestic development or short-term naturalisation. Indonesia has chosen the second at unprecedented scale. The ASEAN Cup will be the first test. There are trophies you cannot lift, yet they remain heavy in the heart – those are the titles of those who stay. And those who stay this time, whether born in Jakarta or Rotterdam, will all have to prove they deserve the red-and-white shirt.