Northwood student Joshua Lee Baker ’27 represented Hong Kong’s U-20 national team in Asian Cup qualifying matches during the first week of September.
Hong Kong traveled to Qatar to compete against Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
“The feeling of arriving at the stadiums is something I’ll never forget,” Baker said as he reflected on the experience.
Baker and his teammates played on high-quality grass fields during the competition.
“I prepared for the games by optimizing my recovery to make sure I was physically ready to compete with older professionals,” Baker said.
He used acupuncture, cupping and NormaTec recovery boots as part of his preparation. Baker also meditated to help himself enter the competition in the right frame of mind.
Baker believes the work he completed away from the field gave him an advantage over his opponents.
This was Baker’s schedule during his International Commitments:
Monday, august 31st 2026 at Hamad Bin Khalifa stadium vs Saudi Arabia. 7:00 pm (Qatar local time)
Thursday September 3rd 2026 at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium vs Qatar. 7:00 pm (Qatar local time)
Monday September 6, 2026 at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium vs Oman. 7:00 pm (Qatar local time)
