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One doesn't imagine Ambroise Oyongo is too phased by the waves of bizarre currently washing over the New York Red Bulls' off-season. After all, he just transferred to RBNY for the second time in less than a year, from a club he's never played for - so he knows a thing or two about the weird or downright inexplicable. And he plays his international football for Cameroon, which has its own issues, including a player-age inconsistency brouhaha that cost Jacques Zoua his place in the Indomitable Lions' squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
But none of that matters. Oyongo is preparing for AFCON 2015, which kicks off for Cameroon on January 20.
The team just played the last scheduled friendly of its pre-tournament preparations, against Gabonese club side FC Mounana. Oyongo was in the starting line-up...
#CMRMOU Match amical Les 11 entrants: Ndy, Cheudjou, Nkoulou, Bedimo, Oyongo, Mandjeck, Enoh, Choupo, Kouekeu, Mouandjo, Salli.
— Fecafoot-Officiel (@FecafootOfficie) January 14, 2015
...and was still on the pitch toward the end.
#CMRMOU #AFCON2015 82' Centre d'Oyongo et tête de Kouekeu qui passe à côté du but gabonais #CMR 0- 0 #MOU
— Fecafoot-Officiel (@FecafootOfficie) January 14, 2015
A full account of the match is elusive, but it ended 0-0.
The starting line-up was missing a number of presumptive starters, most notably forward Vincent Aboubakar and goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa. Oyongo lined up at right back, which has been his position under Volker Finke since Henri Bedimo returned from injury midway through AFCON qualifying to reclaim the starting left back position.
We will find out where the young Red Bull fits in Finke's AFCON plans on January 20, when the Indomitable Lions kick off their tournament against Mali.