Janeo: Azkals need Long-Term Preparation

THE 2-1 setback suffered by the Philippine Men’s Football National Team-Azkals last Thursday night and the 3-nil upset on an away game last Saturday in the hands of the much stronger Kuwait-Al Azraq squad only justified that the nationals are less prepared in the bid for the 2014 World Cup.

For a team with players playing together in less than a year, expectation should not be that high, compared to a squad that has bonded for several years. This was clearly seen during the match between the Azkals and Azraq.

The lack of familiarization among the Azkals has caused the squad’s numerous unsuccessful run during the match.

These were the observations of PFF-Suzuki U23 National Cup champion Negros-Ceres Team assistant coach Ramon Janeo.

He said that the Azkals lacked communication during the match.

“Hindi nila masyado kilala ang isa’t isa. Ito marahil ay dahil sa maiksing panahon sa pagbuo ng team,” Janeo theorized.

“So dapat ang gawin ng Philippine Football Federation is to plan a long term team preparation. Hindi ‘yong isang buwan na lang ang game o tournament, doon pa lang tayo mag-start sa pagbuo ng team,” Janeo stressed.

But Janeo commended the efforts of the Azkals during the Thursday match. “With regard to the team’s performance, ok naman kahit natalo because they played hard together,” he said.

On the other hand, Azkals media officer Rick Olivares disclosed that national team head coach Michael Weiss admitted during the post-game press conference that they have given Kuwait lots of space to score. Likewise, they were also concerned with Kuwait’s speed all series long.

Olivares further shared Weiss’ notes that if Phil Younghusband scored early and if Angel Guirado nailed that header, that would have been a very big boost. But they were unable to finish properly.

However, if Weiss was sparing in his praise, Kuwait was more effusive, Olivares said.

He reiterated that Kuwati forward Hamad Al-Enezi said that if the Azkals keep what they are doing, the Filipinos will be an Asian power in two or maybe four years. He said that the Azkals have the skills and the players and only need to keep them together.

The media officer also added that Kuwait coach Goran Tefugdzic admitted that it was a challenge playing the Philippines, adding, that the nationals gave them trouble in both Legs but their experience brought them to victory.

As of the moment, the focus of the national team will be the Under-23 squad which will compete in the Southeast Asian Games this coming November in Indonesia and the next phase of the AFC Challenge Cup.

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on July 30, 2011.

More Friendlies To Toughen Azkals PFF Plans 4-Country Tourney

MANILA—Like Philippine Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss, the country’s football top honcho, Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, longs for the day when the national team will have the best available players, particularly the standouts based in Europe.

That’s why the Philippine Football Federation president wants more friendlies for the Azkals that also follows the International Football Federation (Fifa) calendar.

Araneta told the Inquirer yesterday that he plans to invite Asian countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong and China to play against the Azkals late this year or early next year.

Player availability has always been a problem for the Azkals as some of their best players like Stephan Schrock, Ray Jonsson and Neil Etheridge ply their trade in European leagues.

The trio played in the second round World Cup Qualifying duel against Kuwait last night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium after they were allowed by their European clubs at the last minute.

Araneta feels the current squad can still get better with the infusion of Europe-based players like Paul Mulders, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara, whose availability are always in doubt because of club commitments.

“We really want to have the best available players for the team to have time to play together because that’s the only way we can improve,” said Araneta, who was also a national player in the late 70s until the early 80s.

“Those friendlies with our best players are the only way we can really gauge how good our team is and how good they can become.”

Araneta said that the only way to have the squad together is to set friendlies that are in line with the Fifa calendar.

The Azkals were in Myanmar for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers when international friendlies were held.

They were in training camp in Germany during the international break last June and Araneta said the team missed the chance of playing friendlies against teams in the Middle East because they were in Germany.

Weiss said the current Azkals squad is still two to three years away from reaching its full potential.

“Our development has been fast, but in reality the process is longer,” said Weiss, who has three wins, three draws and two losses in his first six months in charge of the Azkals.

“The team has a lot of potential, but it will take time.”

Azkals Kiss World Cup Bid Goodbye

For one fleeting moment, Filipino-German Stephan Schrock gave the Filipino nation something to celebrate and more reasons to continue believing in the Philippine national men's football team, despite the 1-2 loss (1-5 on aggregate) against Kuwait last night in the second leg of their second round World Cup Qualifying at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila .

Everyone who saw the match, those who watched it live in Rizal and those who were glued to their television sets, stood up in their seats and cheered as Schrock's powerful strike went inside the goal just before the referee whistled the end of the first half.

Twice beaten by the Kuwaitis and down by four goals on aggregate, the Azkals bidded their World Cup bid goodbye, at least for now.

The intense display of determination, much improved defense and exposure to high-level game fortified the Azkals for upcoming matches. The team is set to see action in the Long Teng Cup in Taipei this September against Hongkong, Macau , and host Chinese Taipei.

In last night's game, Kuwait showed its dominance with Al Sulaiman's equalizer in the 62 nd minute and Jumah's attack in the 84 th that resulted to an own-goal by Ray Johnnson.

The Kuwaitis controlled the tempo in the first half, getting two corners in the first four minutes but the Azkals aggressively defended their side and were awarded the early free kicks.

Phil Younghusband had an opportunity to score in the 15 th minute as he chase the ball down against Kuwaiti's defenders but his marker was anticipated by Al Khaldi.

Neil Etheridge also pulled off outstanding saves, deflecting Kuwait 's shots several times, including the one from Al Ataiqi in the 33 rd minute which he tipped onto the goal post.

Despite the loss, the Azkals' persistence and dogged defense strengthened the Filipinos faith in them as the overflowing crowd at the Rizal Stadium cheered them one even after the final whistle was blown.

“We believe signs” were seen in the bleachers as the fans gave the Azkals a standing ovation as they leave the pitch.*NAB

Azkals Fall Short In Gallant Attempt To Upset Kuwait

The Azkals stunned heavily favored Kuwait with a spectacular first-half goal, but again suffered second-half defensive breakdowns to allow the visitors to squeak by with a 2-1 victory at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

With their win at home, Kuwait advanced to the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on a 5-1 aggregate while eliminating the Philippines.

Yousef Sulaiman and Ahmed Jumah scored the goals for Kuwait in the 61st and 85th minute.

But those came after the Philippines gave them a scare by striking first, when midfielder Stephan Schrock received a perfect pass from Chieffy Caligdong and slammed home the Azkals' first and only goal in two matches, just before the half. The capacity crowd erupted.

The euphoria extended into halftime as a sold-out stadium began smelling a historic upset against an opponent ranked 67 places higher in the FIFA rankings.

But to move on to the next World Cup qualifying round, the Azkals not only had to win but beat Kuwait by four goals, after losing in the away leg, 3-0.

Up tempo match

With a three-goal deficit, the Azkals played a high defensive line to push forward and pressure the Kuwaitis from the start.

Both teams had numerous chances to score with Kuwait looking to counter-attack the Azkals pressing game in the high tempo match.

Both teams also played the ball quickly and effectively behind some crisp passing. The Philippines also abandoned their old long-ball tactics.

Kuwaiti Fahad Al-Ebrahim was ejected midway in the second half after a dangerous challenge against Chieffy Caligdong, giving the Azkals a golden opportunity to pad their lead.

However, the Azkals' playing so high up the pitch enabled Kuwait to counter with a fast break and score soon after the red card to momentarily silence the pro-Filipino crowd.

Down to 10 men, Kuwait played the ball well to the left, with Jumah finding the back of the net.

Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge was tenacious in goal, but the Kuwaitis' better coordination and even conditioning shone in the two late goals.

Despite the result, the crowd gave the home team a standing ovation after the match as they circled the pitch to chants of "Azkals, Azkals, Azkals," a shirtless and brawny young Etheridge reminding the crowd that this team can only get better. – With reports from Earl Victor Rosero and Roy Moore/JVP/MRT/HS, GMA News

Azkals Lose Anew To Kuwait Al-Azraq, 1-2

MANILA Philippines (July 29, 2011) - Despite being buoyed up by supportive hometown crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last night, the Philippine Azkals lost to Kuwait Al-Azraq, 1-2, In the second match of the 2nd Round of their World Cup 2014 Asian Qualifying series.

The Philippine Azkals drew first blood when Stephan Schrock nailed a goal from 20 yards, ending the first half up 1-0. But the celebratory mood of the Filipinos would soon fade.

In the second half, the Kuwaitis proved too poised and too experienced for the Azkals as they scored 2 goals - one from Yousef Naser in the 62nd minute and another one from Waleed Jumah in the 86th minute - to wind up the match 2-1 and dashing Azkals' World Cup dream at least for now.

Underscoring their strength and proving that they were not 10-time Gulf Cup of Nations champions for nothing, the Kuwaitis were in fact down to 10 players starting in the 58th when Fahad Al Ebrahim was sent off for a hard tackle on Chieffy Caligdong. But this did not matter to the Kuwaitis - nor the wet field due to on and off drizzles and the cheering hometown crowd that were thought to provide advantage to the Azkals.

With this game's result added to the 3-0 sweep by the Kuwaitis in their home court last Saturday, Kuwait wins on 5-1 aggregate score to advance to 3rd round where Japan, Australia, South Korea, Bahrain and North Korea have been seeded, along with 14 other winners of Round 2.

Kuwait Coach Goran Tufegdzic sees his team going all the way through the World Cup this year.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss is still a picture of optimism. “This game and the previous game show how bitter and hard football can be. I think the team can take this defeat. We had to take it fairly and also acknowledge that we went up against a tough opponent,” he said.

RESULTS: 1-2 (1:5 AGG)

Round 2: FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifyer

1^st Leg – Mohammed Al-Hammad Stadium, Hawalli

Kuwait	Matches	Philippines
Yousef AL SULAIMAN (16')	3:0(1:0)
Mesaed AL ENEZI (68')
Fahad AL EBRAHIM (84')

Officials:

Referee: Mohammad ABU LOUM

Assistant Referee 1: Mohammed SALEH

Assistant Referee 2: Waleed ABU HASHISH

Fourth official: Suleiman JABER

2^nd Leg – Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

Philippines	Matches	Kuwait
Stephan SCHROCK (45'+3)	1:2(1:0)	Yousef NASER (61')
		Waleed JUMAH (85')

Officials:

Referee: LIU Kwok Man

Assistant Referee 1: CHUNG Ming Sang

Assistant Referee 2: LAM Chi Ho

Fourth official: NG Kai Lam

AGGREGATE SCORE:

PHILIPPINES	Matches	Kuwait
1	:	5

Azkals Run Out Of Miracles Against Kuwait

Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV

Phil Younghusband and the Azkals' World Cup dream ended at the hands of Kuwait, one of the best teams in Asia. InterAKTV/Hana Grace Belo

The Philippine national men’s football team lost to mighty Kuwait, 2-1, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Thursday, ending the Azkals’ 2014 FIFA World Cup dream.

Al-Asraq advanced to the next round of qualifiers on account of its 5-1 aggregate victory over the Philippines in the tie, buoyed by its 3-0 victory in the first leg in Kuwait on Saturday.

In a deep hole to begin the game, the Azkals came out with guns ablaze, inspired by some 13,000 fans on hand to cheer on the country’s football darlings. But at every turn, the Filipinos were frustrated by the Kuwaitis, who just seemed bigger, quicker, and more skilled on the pitch.

Kuwait made good on coach Goran Tufegdzic’s promise not to play defensive football, keeping their attack up despite their aggregate cushion. Only the heroic goalkeeping of Neil Etheridge prevented the Azkals from getting into a bigger hole early in the game, after the Philippines’ back four had several lapses on defense.

The Gulf Cup and West Asian Cup champions seemed about ready to sit on a nil-nil score going into half-time, but the Azkals kept charging late in stoppage time in the first half. Chieffy Caligdong battled two defenders to keep the possession alive for Stephan Schrock, who blasted a 25-yard bomb that hit the back of the net, bringing the house down.

The Azkals looked visibly energized after the break, pressing on the attack. They caught a lucky break at the 58th minute when Kuwaiti midfield Fahad Al-Ebrahim was sent off after getting his second yellow card, leaving Al-Asraq with just ten men on the field.

But hopes of a Philippine comeback were dashed by Kuwaiti star Yousef Naser, who struck a long bomb past Etheridge just three minutes later.

Needing to score four goals to win, the Azkals tried to move forward with the attack, but repeatedly came up empty-handed. The strategy backfired on the Filipinos as Kuwait’s Waleed Jumah scored on a counter-attack to put the game out of reach.

Despite the loss, the Azkals acquainted themselves well, hanging with one of the best teams in Asia and nearly pulling off a draw.

“I want to congratulate my team on a fantastic effort,” said Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss. “The Philippines has a lot of potential. Give us a little more time.”

The Rizal Memorial crowd seemed to agree, and continued to shower their players love long after the final whistle sounded, ready to cheer on the Azkals once more in their next outing.

Azkals Look To Bounce Back

By PATRICK SALOMON

THE Philippines’ senior men’s national football team, known as ‘the Azkals’, are set to turn it up a notch tonight when they play their second friendly match in three days  against Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic team.

Their first meeting on Saturday, held at the National Stadium in Riffa, ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts, with Sayed Dhiya Saeed scoring the winning goal early in the second half.

‘The Azkals’ will be looking to turn the tables on their rivals this time around, and give what is expected to be a capacity crowd of Filipino supporters an evening to remember at the Muharraq Club stadium in Arad.

Head coach Hans Michael Weiss admitted, however, that ‘the Azkals’ will be far from full strength for the game, which kicks off at 7pm. Several ‘Azkals’ players have been unable to make it to Bahrain and are also expected to miss the Philippines’ match against Kuwait on Saturday in the all-important first leg of their second round qualifying clash for a 2014 Fifa World Cup berth.

 “We are missing five or six players; we are here with a young team and not our first squad,” Weiss told the GDN. “Even against Kuwait we will not be complete. It will be this team along with one or two additional players, and that’s it.”

“A STUNNING crowd of more than 12,000 supporters packed the National Stadium in Riffa on Saturday for the first friendly match between ‘the Azkals’ and Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic team, the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) clarified yesterday. The total in attendance was far more than the close to 5,000 which was reported yesterday in these columns. The BFA confirmed that more than a quarter of the 35,000-capacity facility was filled. Filipinos both from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia attended the match”

Despite this, ‘the Azkals’ went right back to work in preparation for tonight’s friendly, which will be a second opportunity for them to  adapt to the region’s sweltering summer temperatures and gauge their level of readiness before flying off to Kuwait tomorrow.

“Playing these games here against Bahrain are really a big help to our team,” said ‘Azkals’ co-captain Emelio Caligdong, who scored their lone goal on Saturday with a spectacular rocket from 30 yards out.

Challenge

“This is a good challenge for us. It is our first time to play a Middle East team, and it is helping us get ready for Kuwait,” Caligdong added. “We are also very happy with the great reception we have had from the fans here; we would like to thank everyone for that.”

‘The Azkals’ trained for over an hour early yesterday evening at tonight’s match venue. They capped it off with a scrimmage against the varsity football team from AMA International University Bahrain, who are the major sponsors of their visit. The game, which featured shortened halves, ended tied 1-1.

Right after their workout, Bahrain’s Olympic squad took to the pitch. Coach Salman Shareeda said that he too is looking forward to tonight’s clash.

“These matches are like a high form of training for both teams,” Shareeda said yesterday. “I am very happy to be playing these friendly games and we welcome the Philippine team to Bahrain.

“For tomorrow, we have 26 players who are fit and ready. I gave a chance to some players in the first game on Saturday, and tomorrow I hope to give an opportunity to others. It will be a good game.”

Meanwhile, coach Weiss acknowledged that the level of football in the Gulf is on a higher level than in the Philippines, where, largely because of ‘the Azkals’, the game is now experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity.

“Football is much more developed here; it is a religion here and they focus on it at a very young age,” Weiss said. “The game is definitely highly advanced, and right now we cannot compare it with that in the Philippines, where it is now only growing.

“We rely on strong character and on Filipino players from outside to help football develop and bring it to a different level. But to be really being established in the football world, it will take another three to five years at least.”

Tonight’s match caps the first ever Bahrain-Philippines Friendship Games which have been organized by Creator Marketing Consultancy, in partnership with the Bahrain Football Association and Philippine Football Federation.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the venue.

Also yesterday, ‘the Azkals’ met with Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Maria Corazon Yap-Bahjin during their visit to the Philippine Embassy. 

The Other Azkals In The Spotlight

Dinna Chan Vasquez

During the press conference for Suzuki Philippines' Hometown Heroes campaign early this week, the media was requested not to ask the guests questions about the other Philippine Azkals team members who were not present.

It was the day after the television stations aired the story alleging that four Azkals assaulted a woman and videotaped the whole thing.

Cousins Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta, Roel Gener, Paolo Pascual and Yannick Tuason are used to the media focusing on the other Azkals’ players, those who were born abroad and/or those who have foreign blood.

‘‘Dati walang pumapansin sa amin. Ngayon, kilala na kami ng lahat kaya nakatulong ang pagdating ng ibang players sa Azkals (Nobody paid any attention to us before. Now, everybody knows us so in a way, the other players helped in generating attention for the whole team,’’ says winger/striker Chieffy Caligdong, who comes from Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo where it is said that boys learn how to play football the day they begin to walk.

“Masaya kami kasi ito na ang pinaghirapan namin (We’re happy because this is what we have worked,’’ says Gener, who is also from Barotac Nuevo.

Like Caligdong and Gener, Araneta believes that without the ‘‘foreign’’ players, the Philippine football team would not get this much attention.

‘‘Ang attention para sa isa ay attention para sa buong team (The attention being showered on one person is being enjoyed by the whole team),’’ he shares.

Pascual and Tuason are two of the team’s younger members.

‘‘We practice and train and we play because we love football,’’ says Tuason, an architecture student at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Goalkeeper Pascual started playing football at the age of seven. He was a striker until his coach saw that given his height (he's now 5'11"), he had the chance to become a good goalkeeper. He is now a member of the under-23 team.

“Lahat may chance. Mas maganda kung wag mo na ikumpara ang sarili mo sa iba. Naipapakita naman namin na may naitutulong kami sa team. Malaki nagagawa namin (Everybody will get his chance. It is better not to compare yourself to the others. We have shown that we can play well),’’ explains Caligdong.

Suzuki Philippines was one of the team’s staunchest supporters during the team’s journey to the 2010 AFC Suzuki Challenge Cup. Suzuki Philippines sponsored the first-ever PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup which gathered players from the different member federations and pitted them against each other, a format similar to the AFF Suzuki Cup. The champions were given the chance to try out for the national team.

Hometown Heroes is an extensive campaign that will highlight the roots of the five Azkals players as they are from the Visayas and Mindanao. All of them are motorcycle riders. Araneta is, in fact, a racing enthusiast. Each player was given a Suzuki Skydrive 125 motorcycle.

The campaign will include billboards and print ads in the cities of Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao.

“This is part of Suzuki’s support for football and the national team. This will also promote our brand in areas where football is very popular. We are already strong in Luzon so we wanted to focus on Visayas and Mindanao as these areas are very crucial in achieving our sales target. We find football to be an effective tool in penetrating these areas. These hometown heroes are the best icons to represent local football,’’ says Suzuki Philippines president Satoshi Uchida.

Philippine Azkals 1 - 2 Bahrain (Highlights)