Singapore winger Faris Ramli named May's FA Cup heroics as his 'best LionsXII memory' after the Singaporean outfit exited Malaysia unceremoniously on Saturday.
Despite a 2-0 home win against Pahang, the LionsXII were knocked out of their Malaysia Cup quarterfinal after a 4-1 first leg loss, which ended the tie 4-3 on aggregate in favour of the Elephants.
Christopher Van Huizen's opener was followed up swiftly by a second from Faris -- his 11th goal in all competitions this season -- but Fandi Ahmad's charges could not muster a third goal that would have sent them through to the last four.
"This game was a tough one mentally and physically for the whole team," a despondent Faris told ESPN FC.
"I told myself to focus on this game and nothing else. Thinking back about LionsXII, personally, the best memory has to be my goal in the FA Cup final -- LionsXII beat Kelantan 3-1 to win the FA Cup in May
"Having said that, it was always about my teammates. They made my LionsXII journey such an enjoyable one. Also, to have worked with two good coaches in Fandi and V. Sundramoorthy helped my career a lot. I hope one day, I get to play for both of them again."
The talented winger will now have to decide on his future, after the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced on Tuesday that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Football Association of Singapore (FAS) which was to expire in December will not be renewed.
As a result of the non-renewal, the entire LionsXII squad could be disbanded, with Singapore's premium tournament, the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League serving as the most viable option for the players.
There are however, talks that FAS will keep the LionsXII together and play in the S.League next season, with the ASEAN Super League -- a new tournament to be launched in 2017 - in mind.
Faris, who began his professional career with the Courts Young Lions back in 2010 to 2012, has urged his teammates not to rush into decisions until the FAS reveals their plans for the team.
"To have been able to play with these teammates has been a pleasure of mine for the last four years," Faris said.
"While all of us don't know what the future holds, I know some have already spoken to clubs but we will also wait for the FAS to tell us what they have planned for the team before moving on.
"Whatever and wherever each and every one of them goes, I wish them all the best and I can't wait to play with them maybe in the national team again."
Faris himself had an offer from Selangor at the start of the year, but has not put any thought into his next course of action.
He added: "I cannot think of that now. I can't decide because I told myself to focus on the Pahang game. Now that it's over, the next step is something I must think about.
"There are offers both local and overseas but they are just rumours at this stage. Still too early to decide but whichever club I join, I just want to play football and give it my best."
With the LionsXII playing most of their home matches at Jalan Besar Stadium to close to full-house crowds in the past four years, Faris knows the importance of fans as a professional footballer and he issued a plea to the LionsXII fans to channel their support for local football towards the S.League.
"Without the fans, we [players] are nothing," he said. "When I was a young boy, I used to go down and watch as many S.League matches as I can, and I wish the LionsXII fans will do the same and continue supporting Singapore football.
"This exit is not a bad thing and if the fans can give the S.League the same support they gave us when we were in the Malaysia Super League, this will help our football to be better and this is what we need to do."
It is understood that the FAS will be meeting the team sometime next week to discuss and reveal their plans for the players and backroom staff.