MANILA — Bracing for what could be the most
competitive season yet in the United Football League, Global FC and Kaya FC
have tapped members of the Philippine football team to beef up their roster for
the UFL Cup kicking off Oct. 2.
Global,
the defending UFL Cup champion, snapped up Fil-Spanish striker Angel Aldeguer
Guirado to strengthen its squad that already includes Azkals forward Misagh
Bahadoran.
Already
formidable with Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo and defender Anton del Rosario in
the fold, Kaya FC shored up its defensive line with the acquisition of Jason
Sabio and added more attacking teeth by tapping Nate Burkey.
Kaya
has also hired former national team mentor Juan Cutillas as head coach.
“The
competition will be very strong this season,” said Football Alliance chair
Santi Araneta, who also owns Kaya FC.
“We expect better quality and exciting games.”
Araneta
said talks with a television network are near completion to pave the way for
the UFL games to be aired live for the first time in history.
“This
will change the landscape of Philippine football,” said Araneta.
The
26-year-old Guirado has been without a club since last June after his contract
with CD Ronda in the Spanish third division expired.
Guirado,
who agreed in principle to join the team after meeting with manager Dan Palami,
sees playing in the UFL as an opportunity to help raise the profile of the
fledgling league, which has been riding high on the success of the Azkals.
“I
am happy with the direction of the team that Mr. Palami is putting up,” Guirado
said through his cousin and interpreter, Rafa Garcia.
Financial
terms of the deal were not disclosed and Guirado said this was only secondary
when he made his decision.
“What’s important is I could help and be able to experience playing in the Philippines,”
said Guirado, who has already scored three goals in five matches for the Azkals.
Middle East teams dominated Round 2 of the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers in matches all over Asia Thursday including the Philippine Azkals' home game versus Kuwait, who have marked the Filipinos as a future football powerhouse in Asia.
Of the 15 Asian contingents that advanced to Round 3, 10 were West Asian countries. China leads the pack of 15 with a 13-3 aggregate score against Laos. Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore are the Southeast Asian countries that also moved forward into Round 3.
Coach Goran Tufegdzic and other officials of the Kuwaiti side were gracious victors at the post-match news conference. They said, judging by the "very good team" who foiled most of their goal attempts throughout the match, the Philippines will be "one of the top ten teams in Asia" in decades.
But Azkals coach Michael Weiss, undaunted after the loss, said the Philippines can be "a contender for the World Cup" in just four years with intensive training and support from all sectors. He has charted out a path.
Weiss said the national team can bring home a medal from the Southeast Asian Games later this year, follow-through on earlier wins in the AFC Challenge Cup, and try to secure a berth to the Asian Cup.
Team manager Dan Palami told GMA News Online the Azkals will have little time to rest because some of the Europe-based players have matches there in the coming months, the rest of the team will also join more tournaments.
The Azkals will have tune-up matches with several of their country's neighbors prior to the SEA Games in November. In September, the Philippines will compete in the Long Teng Cup to be hosted by Taiwan. Other competing teams are Macau and Hongkong. In October, four Southeast Asian nations meet for the Manila Beer Cup.
Palami said the Azkals will try to sneak in some downtime so they can relax a bit, probably with an out-of-town trip.
Weiss said the team will likely return to Bahrain for more training. He said he will also return to Germany soon to scout for players and entice more sponsors. He also expects the Japan Football Association (JFA) to help the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
World-class football
It is not everyday that a world-class match of football gets played on Philippine soil.
Kuwait showed their Filipino foes and Rizal stadium spectators their battle-honed, training-polished moves and physical conditioning befitting a team that is in the top 100 of the world ranking. Kuwait is 95th in the latest FIFA ranking.
Even when they lost midfielder Fahed Al Ebrahim, who got sent off with a red card in the 60th minute, Kuwait played like they were not one player short.
Though the Azkals got eliminated, they did display some flashes of brilliance, the brightest of which was that rocket Stephan Schrock launched many yards from the left flank of their attack. The solitary goal made the 13,000 spectators at the Rizal Stadium roar, jump for joy and send shock waves via television to viewers nationwide and fans following the match via Facebook and Twitter.
Co-captain Emelio "Chieffy" Caligdong and Phil Younghusband tried several times to punch through the Al-Azraq defense line. Team captain Aly Borromeo and Angel Guirado also came close but missed their chances.
All too often two, three or four opponents surrounded Caligdong and the younger Younghusband or blocked their path. At other instances, no teammate was at the receiving end of their passes for the finishing header or kick near the goal.
Weiss said the most crucial point, in his view, was Younghusband's attempt in the 52nd minute of the match. The German coach said if that had gone through, it would have changed the complexion of the match.
Guirado tried not to show it but he was obviously not at 100 percent fighting form. He was the first Weiss substituted, though late in the second half. Weiss sent Misagh Bahadoran in Guirado's stead. Weiss said Schrock was also trying to shake off some jet lag, having planed in from Germany only two days before.
It was apparent that part of the strategy of Kuwait was to slow down the pace of the match since they already had a three-goal cushion from their home game last July 23.
That buffer widened further at the 63rd minute when midfielder Yousef Naser sneaked in a goal and when another midfielder Walied Ali lured Neil Etheridge away from the goal so his shot could slip by. Ray Jonsson tried to keep that shot from going in but he was several steps behind.
Tectonic Shift
Before 2011, only the sports of boxing, billiards and basketball had the proven drawing power and wide public appeal in the Philippines.
Football has joined their ranks as evidenced by capacity crowds and sold out tickets in Bacolod last February, the last two matches in Manila and the away game at the Qadsia Stadium in Kuwait.
The tectonic shift began when the Azkals shocked Vietnam in the Suzuki Cup of the ASEAN Football Federation. Vietnam was the higher-ranked team and defending champion.
Coach Weiss said it is crucial that various sectors come together to sustain the momentum football now has in the Philippines. He stressed the importance of having good infrastructure and strengthening of the country's grassroots program for homegrown talents.
While that endeavor waits for fruitful harvests, Weiss, Palami and the PFF will scout the globe for foreign-based Filipino talents. Weiss said the national team needs young and fast players.
The Azkals coach said recent discovery OJ Porteria, who had some playing time in the Middle East, is "fantastic" and will be part of the team the PFF will send to the SEA Games.
The PFF has two boys' teams, the Teen Azkals and Little Azkals, and the Under-23 junior men's national team training pool. There are also two women's teams, christened the Malditas.
Unlike other football nations in Asia, the Philippines has yet to formulate its national vision and strategic plan for the "beautiful game." Palami said he has an "initial draft" tucked away that he will review soon. - JVP, GMA News
FOR the AZKALS
head coach Hans Michael Weiss, July 15 cannot come soon enough.
The date is
when the national squad departs for Bahrain for a pair of friendly matches with
the host nation’s Olympic football team—aside from a training camp designed to
help the Azkals acclimatize themselves to the heat and humidity of the Middle
East when they face Kuwait on July 23 in the second round of the Asian
Qualifiers of the 2014 World Cup.
The time away
will also be used as a breather, as in the last few days the Azkals have had to
fend off allegations of rape and rumors of discontent within the squad.
“I think it’s
good that the team will concentrate on playing football,” hoped Weiss, who
noted that the training camps abroad have done much for the nationals’
confidence and experience.
“There will be
far less distractions, however, there are always challenges. When we played in Mongolia, we
had to worry about the cold weather. And now it’s the heat of Kuwait.”
More than the
changes in climate, the Azkals face the daunting task of playing a much
higher-ranked foe in Kuwait
minus key players.
Skipper Aly
Borromeo and midfielder Stephan Schrock were suspended following the
accumulation of two yellow cards in the home-and-away series with Sri Lanka a few
weeks ago. Furthermore, the injuries to strikers Phil Younghusband and Angel
Guirado, and midfielders Jerry Lucena and Paul Mulders have the coaching staff
worried.
“Jerry has
played at a high level of football for the last 10 years,” expounded the German
who is now on his sixth month with the Azkals. “He’s 30 years of age and when
you suffer injuries at that age, they do not heal as fast. So as of the moment,
Jerry will be unavailable for the away leg.”
“As for
Mulders, he has an infection in his knee although he is taking antibiotics.”
But it isn’t
all gloom and doom for the Philippine team.
Left back Ray
Jonsson will be on hand for the Kuwait
matches after missing the Sri
Lanka series, while Fil-Dutch midfielder
Jason de Jong is back in harness and has made a good impression during the
team’s recent training and should form a nice partnership with Manuel Ott in
the middle third with Schrock out.
With key
players unavailable, football analysts have postulated that the Azkals will
play a more defensive-oriented game to hold off the Kuwaitis.
“I am not
going to give away our strategy for the game but we will play a little more
defensive than we were in the past,” reasoned out Weiss. “If we can hold them
scoreless or to just one goal, then anything can happen here in Manila for the July 28
match. But of course, we will try to score. If we can go on the attack, then we
will.”
Weiss also
believes that the team being away will allow them to reflect on how life has
changed for them after their phenomenal success in the last nine months.
“Football is
brutal,” pointed out the coach. “Not just how the sport is played but also how
it affects life. We have to be more humble and not go over the edge. If you
look at James Younghusband, he is a quiet competitor.
He’s very low
key and he prefers it that way. But I have never seen anything like this. Not
in Japan, China, Rwanda...I am told that this only
has been reserved for Manny Pacquiao. So I am happy to be a part of it.”
MANILA—The ball is now in the hands of the Asian Football Confederation
as far as the one-game suspension of Philippine Azkals duo Aly Borromeo and
Stephan Schrock in the World Cup Qualifying duel with Kuwait is
concerned.
Responding to the appeal to rescind the away-game ban on the two
players, the International Football Federation (Fifa) yesterday directed the
Philippine Football Football Federation to seek the endorsement of the AFC to
cancel the suspension.
In a July 14 letter to the PFF, a copy of which was obtained by
the Inquirer, Marco Villigel, Fifa director for legal affairs, and Marc
Cavaliero, head of Fifa disciplinary and governance, said the football
governing body can only act on the appeal at the request of the AFC.
The two Fifa officials cited Article 37 of the Fifa Disciplinary
Code, which states that the “FDC may cancel cautions that have not resulted in
expulsions to restore balance among teams that have not played the same number
of matches during the first round of competitions.”
Borromeo, the Azkals skipper, and Schrock, who made a sterling
debut as an attacking midfielder, picked up a yellow card in each of the two
legs in the 5-1 first round aggregate victory over Sri Lanka.
Ranked 102nd by Fifa,
Kuwait, also
known as the Al-Azraq, has already been seeded to the second round of
qualifying.
PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta yesterday said they have
already sought the endorsement of the Malaysia-based AFC on the matter. He
expects to get the soonest response on Monday.
Despite the uncertainty of his status for the first leg in
Hawally, Kuwait on July 23, Borromeo yesterday joined the Azkals on their trip
to Manama, Bahrain, where they will play a couple of matches against the
Bahrain Olympic Under-23 squad.
Also joining the trip to Bahrain
was Filipino-Spanish striker Angel Guirado, who scored in the 4-nil rout of Sri Lanka in
the home leg.
Rafa Garcia, Guirado’s cousin, who also acts as his interpreter,
said the former Spain third
division standout is still nursing a knee injury and might see limited minutes
in the two exhibition matches in Bahrain.
“Angel really wants to be ready for Kuwait,” Garcia said of Guirado,
who already has three goals in five international matches for the Azkals.
MANILA, Philippines – When Bulletin
Entertainment asked Azkals Filipino-Spanish player Angel (pronounced Anghel)
Guirado what he thought about some members of the Philippine Volcanoes
appearing in their underwear for a local clothing brand’s billboard campaign,
he replied—as translated by his manager, Rafael Garcia—with a smile, “No
problem.”
Though nonchalant about it, he did
have a different view with regards to billboards being removed. “If it’s bad
for the eyes of the children, he himself would want it down, because he’s very
conservative,” Garcia interpreted.
In fact, even when the billboards in
question were said to be part of an effort to promote the sport of rugby in the
country, Guirado asserted, “Still, if it’s bad for children… especially
billboards [that are very visible], he would not want to do something like
that.”
Guirado was presented to the media
via a press conference at the Dusit Thani Manila hotel on July 11, in line with
him signing up with PR Asia, the same company behind the recent successful
campaign for a local clothing brand that featured Hollywood
celebrity Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”).
Naturally, Guirado’s association with
the international PR firm is expected to yield possible future endorsement
deals and sponsorships for him.
But for future projects, Guirado
hopes to find those that would be good for him “as an athlete, as a football
player. Although whatever comes, he’s open,” Garcia noted.
The Azkals are hot property these
days, despite a negative issue that broke out recently, but not everyone on the
team is happy to be hogging showbiz headlines. In fact, when asked if he has
considered joining showbiz, the 6’3” rugged-looking Guirado only smiles and
says he has no plans to do so.
Guirado’s relatives, who had joined
the gathering, also expressed their opposition by loudly exclaiming “No!”
several times from their table while the athlete was being interviewed.
According to Garcia, Guirado
responded, “Right now, he wants to focus on football…”
“He may play in the Philippines, outside the Philippines… so
he’s just waiting. There are offers for him to play in Manila. There are other countries taking a
look at him right now. So the game against Kuwait—both
legs—will be vital to his football career outside the Philippines,” Garcia said, noting that there’s
interest in his client in Indonesia,
Japan, United Arab Emirates, China.
Calling it a dream to be playing for
a national team (“Because all football players, they all dream to play for a
national team,” Guirado said), the Spanish-speaking striker relates that
language barriers have no adverse effect to the team. In fact, Guirado himself
scored the third goal in the Azkals’ game against Sri Lanka last July 3, but not
without the help of his teammates.
On the Azkals’ upcoming match, Garcia
noted, “Kuwait is really a
good team and they’re going to Bahrain
for a one-week training camp.” And so, for now, the team has put all other
concerns aside—be it showbiz or their love lives—in order to focus on the goal
at hand.
As to the future of football in the
country, Guirado says he does not mind people’s opinions against foreigners,
even those with Filipino blood, playing for the national team. “But he believes
that, if they don’t want a mix of Filipino and foreigners in the team, it’s
better to [already] start [teaching football to] children here—the younger, the
better. For the future, if they don’t want to get Filipino-foreigners, at least
they [would] already have full-blooded Filipino players in the team.”
But Guirado noted an advantage to
having Filipino-foreigners in the team. “One way or the other [their presence]
creates noise like what’s happening right now.”
But while his other teammates have
been making various “noises” of their own, Guirado has remained low-key for
now. For once, fans certainly cannot expect to see Guirado being linked to
showbiz personalities because he has admitted, with a big smile, to already
having a Spanish girlfriend.
Guirado is also very close to his
family. In fact, he lives in the same house as his niece, “Showtime” guest
judge Coleen Garcia, and her mother. He also spends a lot of time with his
nephews when he is not playing or practicing.
The influence of his parents is also
pretty evident. Had Guirado not been a football player, Garcia noted him
saying, “He may be working for a bus company like his father in Spain.”
Guirado also plans to take Filipino
and English lessons. “Filipino, because he likes how it is spoken; and also
[because] the mom speaks in Filipino,” Garcia explained.
For now, Guirado only knows a few
Tagalog words, including “kamusta ka,” “saan ka pupunta” and, more importantly,
“maganda”—very useful, indeed.
MANILA, Philippines - Football is back - and with a bang - thanks to the Philippine Azkals, who may force basketball into oblivion.
In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday, Amando Doronila said “the revival of football means so much for sports-minded Filipinos. It means we are breaking away from the dominance of basketball—a syndrome that has stunted us from developing athletic prowess in other sports…”
Anthropologist Michael Tan agreed, saying “I like this new focus on football. For decades we have been too fixated on basketball but in terms of international competitiveness, we just don’t have it.”
He went on to say that football very much fits a Filipino’s temperament, like that of the Latin Americans.
He said this temperament is “passionate and ebullient, but also modulated by introspection and constant strategizing.” More importantly, there is more of team play, he averred.
In contrast, in basketball, the player should have a lot of “diskarte” and make do with a small court. Sometimes, “basketball players convert the court into a stage…often ending up so engrossed with individual performance that they lose sight of team play.”
The Azkals' win on Sunday brings the country to the second of six qualifying rounds of the World Cup. The team will face the more-experienced Kuwait on July 23 and 28.
Tan said even professional football player Neko Lambey is “gung-ho” about the team reaching Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where the 2014 World Cup will be held.
Doronila said the country is finally starting to demonstrate that Filipinos can play, and even win, on the playing field where they are not physically handicapped.
“In basketball, we are born losers and we are likely to be doomed to remain a basket case and waste our energies. It is a sport whose only function is to encourage puerile intercollegiate athletic competition, where pride rests on performance in basketball games,” he said.
Achieving the “goal”
To be able to achieve such goals, however, Tan said there is a need for support both from the government and the private sector.
Sports analyst Boyet Sison agreed, saying that upgraded facilities, funding for players and good coaches could finally push the sport back into the Filipino’s senses. Sison is also the host of ANC’s Hardball.
He disagreed, however, that football can overshadow basketball in a country that relies heavily on “visuals.”
“I think, for now, that football is experiencing a resurgence...It helped that the Azkals are fueling the imagination of the public now because they’re making history,” he said.
There may be a downtrend in the ticket sales for certain basketball leagues, but the Filipinos’ love for basketball will always be there, he said.
“Basketball and football can coexist. In terms of training, a football player can do as well in basketball because of [his or her] stamina,” he said.
On one hand, basketball and football should not even be compared, he said. “For one, you’re also talking about pitch conditions…In basketball, they’re always up to standards.”
For football to co-exist with basketball, the private sector should already come in, he said.
Sison said the sport is ready for “commercialization,” which would provide better television and print mileage as well as “create a profession, livelihood for players.”
Already, television is bombarded with advertisements of the Azkals: brothers Phil and James Younghusband are promoting a clothing line as well as a fast-food chain, team captain Aly Borromeo for an underwear line, and striker Chieffy Caligdong for a food supplement.
The advertisements are also wide-ranging, with the Azkals even promoting a brand of condiments.
MANILA, Philippines – Kuwait isn’t taking any chances against the Philippines in their second round qualifying tie late this month for the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Already fancied to prevail because of their international pedigree, the Kuwaitis are also relentless in their preparations, undergoing an extensive 10-day training camp in Lebanon before seeing action in a four-nation tournament in Jordan in the middle of this month.
Bader Abdul Jalil, the secretary of the Kuwait FA technical committee, actually watched the two legs of the first round showdown between the Azkals and Sri Lanka, which ended in an impressive 5-1 aggregate win for the Filipinos.
“They’ve been preparing against us for the past two months,” said former national coach Aris Caslib, also the PFF’s technical director, who had a brief chat with Jalil at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, where the Azkals fashioned out a 4-nil triumph in the second leg last Sunday.
The Kuwaitis, ranked 102nd by the International Football Federation and a 10-time Gulf Cup of Nations champion, bared their attacking teeth in a 6-0 dumping of Lebanon last July 2.
The match, however, was marred by a bench-clearing brawl that forced military to fire warning shots.
“Kuwait is at a different level,” said team manager Dan Palami. “We cannot afford to make the same mistakes against Sri Lanka because they have the ability to really punish us.”
The key stretch of Kuwait’s preparation will be in Amman, Jordan, where the Kuwaitis will play Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The first leg will be played at the 22,000-seater Mohammad Al-Hammad Stadium in Hawally, Kuwait, at 7:30 p.m. on July 23 (12:30 a.m., July 24 in Manila), according to the Kuwait FA website with the return match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 28.
The Philippine Azkals continue to march on after defeating the Sri Lanka Brave Reds in the second leg of the 2014 FIFAWorldCupqualifiersat the Rizal Memorial Football and Track and Field Sunday, 4-0. An overflow crowd of about 14,000, the largest at the football stadium in years, braved the mid-afternoon downpour and the humidity that followed the rains. It was the first time for the Philippines to win a World Cupqualifier.
With the Philippines having played the Sri Lankans to a 1-all standoff in Colombo a week ago, the aggregate score was 5 to 1.
Breaking the ice for the Filipinos in the 19th minute was the diminutive left wing midfielder/forward Emelio (Chieffy) Caligdong from about 15 feet of the goal mouth. A few minutes later, a Sri Lankan was showed the yellow card by one of the four Korean officials assigned to keep order in a game which was marked by some physical contact and verbal exchanges. At the end of the game, four fouls were called against the Filipinos compared to the Sri Lankans three. The Azkals, who attempted 27 times, and the Brave Reds were each shown the yellow card twice.
Some 20 minutes into the second half, Caligdong was down on the pitch and taken out on a stretcher. Four minutes later, the scrappy Caligdong got back into the game to the delight of the crowd. Both squads played aggressively with the Sri Lankans obviously feeling the pressure especially after Fil-British Phil Younghusband made it 2-0 for the Filipinos on the 42nd minute of the first half. The Sri Lankans protested Younghusband’s goal to no avail.
With 50 minutes into the match, rightwing midfielder James Younghusband passed the ball to midfielder Angel Guirado Aldeguer who zigzagged his way into scoring territory and eluded several Sri Lankan defenders to score another goal to make it 3 to zero. The Fil-Spanish Guirado was easily one of the most outstanding players in the Azkals side as he performed his midfielder role of providing the link and the spark in the team’s transition from defense to offense.
Some six minutes after Guirado’s spectacular goal, Phil Younghusband, who was reported to have suffered from severe cramps after the match, scored on a penalty kick to make it 4-0. The Filipinos had clearly mastered the Sri Lankans, ranked per the FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings as of June 29, 2011, 171 in a field of more than 200 countries. The Philippines is ranked 159.
Kuwait, ranked 102, will be the highest ranked team that the Philippines will meet in recent times. Mongolia is at 179 while Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia are ranked 123, 132, 140, 142 and 144, respectively.
The matches in the second round against Kuwait will definitely be much tougher. To begin with, the Kuwaitis have been in one World Cup Finals appearance, the 1982 tournament in Spain which was won by Italy over West Germany, 3-1. The World Cup in Spain marked the first time the finals expanded from 16 to 24 teams thus providing a break for African and Asian teams.
The Kuwaitis, entered in Group 4, battled Czechoslovakia to a 1-1 draw but lost to England and France, which eventually landed in fourth place.
The game between France and Kuwait was, according to reports, a tumultuous one which saw Sheik Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, brother of the Kuwaiti Emir and president of the Kuwaiti FootballAssociationconfront Russian referee MIroslav Stupar who allowed a French goal after the Kuwaitis stopped play after they allegedly heard a whistle from the stands. The French played on and scored a goal prompting Al-Sabah to confront Stupar who, surprisingly, disallowed the goal. The decision infuriated the French who promptly scored another goal a few minutes later. The French won, 4-1 while Stupar lost his international refereeing credentials. Al-Sabah was meted a fine of US$10,000.
The Kuwaitis eventually crashed out of the eliminationgroupstagetogether with the Czechs with a goal difference of -4: two goals scored for versus six goals against. Kuwait drew one game and lost two games: to England and France.
Unsuccessful in World Cup football, the Kuwaitis fared better in theAsianCupreaching the finals in 1976 and winning the title in 1980. It has also the upper hand in terms ofgoaldifferenceversus ASEAN teams like Singapore (+12), Thailand (+10), Malaysia (+21), Indonesia (+5) and Vietnam (+1).
The Kuwaitis competed in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Kuwait’s 20-0 victory over tiny Bhutan was, for a time the biggest winning margin ininternationalfootball. That record was broken when Australia mangled Tonga, 22-0.
Surely, against Kuwait, the Azkals have their work cut out for them.
MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Spanish striker Angel Guirado said yesterday he’s not renewing his contract with Spanish league Third Division club Ronda, opening the door to set up base in Manila and play in Asia where at least five countries, including the Philippines, are showing interest to sign him up.
Guirado, 26, has played five games so far for the Philippine football team, scoring three goals. The 6-2 forward is unbeaten as an Azkal. He suited up for the Philippines in wins over Bangladesh (3-0) and Sri Lanka (4-0) and draws with Palestine (0-0), Myanmar (1-1) and Sri Lanka (1-1).
Last Sunday, Guirado booted in the Azkals’ third goal over Sri Lanka after outmaneuvering the defense and eluding the goalkeeper in a display of ball wizardry. Teammate Chieffy Caligdong celebrated the marker by simulating a bull with two forefingers pointed up like horns on his temples and dancing around Guirado. At the end of the match, Caligdong rode Guirado’s back to start the victory parade – a display of camaraderie between a homegrown Filipino and one of several Fil-foreigners in coach Michael Weiss’ squad.
Guirado leaves for Spain tomorrow and will be back here Monday with his Spanish girlfriend Rocio. The Azkals are scheduled to leave for Bahrain to open training camp on July 13 and will play Kuwait in a two-game World Cup qualifying series on July 23 in the Kuwaiti suburb of Hawalli and 28 in Manila.
Guirado’s cousin Rafa Garcia, who acts as his agent and interpreter, said he has received reports that scouts from Indonesia, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates are closely monitoring the striker’s progress with the Azkals. There are offers to play for United Football League clubs in Manila but at the moment, Guirado is keeping his options open.
“It’s not just the money that I’m looking at,” said Guirado whose mother Angela Aldeguer traces her roots to Isabela. “My priority is to play in a high-level league where I can improve my game. I’m open to the idea of relocating to Manila where I have many relatives. I’ve always loved the Philippines and I’m looking forward to visit Boracay, Palawan and Isabela where my grandfather (Adolfo Aldeguer) lives.”
Guirado said it’s special to play for the Azkals. “You can’t imagine the feeling when I play for the Azkals,” he said. “I’m motivated to play harder because I’m playing for the Philippines. That’s why at the end of our game last Sunday, I kept kissing the Philippine flag on my shirt.”
Guirado said the Azkals’ hard work in a recent two-week camp in Germany to prepare for the Sri Lanka series paid off. “We’re a team and that’s how we win – as a team,” he said. “It’s important for our team to be cohesive, for the players to know and trust each other. I know it’s difficult to expect instant chemistry with players coming and going because of international commitments. But little by little, we’re getting to where we want to be. We’re jelling. Our team is becoming firmer and more compact as a unit.”
Guirado said the Azkals’ latest recruits have raised the level of talent in the team. He singled out Stephan Schrock, Manuel Ott, Nate Burkey and Paul Mulders as key contributors in the recent Sri Lanka series.
Against Kuwait, Guirado said the Azkals must be prepared to play a tough, physical series. Aly Borromeo and Schrock are barred from playing in the first match because of drawing two yellow cards each in the Sri Lanka series but Guirado said the Azkals will adjust.
“We’ll miss Aly and Stephan but we’ve got to compensate,” said Guirado. “Stephan has commitments in Germany so I don’t think he could’ve played anyway. But I remember Rob Gier couldn’t play a few games before and even if he’s an important player for us, we adjusted. We’re getting Ray Jonsson and Jerry Lucena back for Kuwait so I think we’ve got enough players to fill in.”
Guirado shrugged off reports that Kuwait will try to use physicality to overpower the Azkals. Kuwait’s players are strong and muscular. Last Saturday, Kuwait crushed Lebanon, 6-0, in a friendly in Beirut and after the match, players from both teams engaged in a free-for-all that was stopped only after security forces fired gunshots into the air. “We won’t back down,” promised Guirado.
With over 30 relatives in the gallery and a huge Fil-Spanish community cheering, Guirado played hurt and dished out a no-relief job last Sunday. He’s been quietly nursing injuries. His right eye took a direct hit from the ball at camp in Germany and for a while, his vision was blurry. His inner right thigh has a black-and-blue bruise the size of a small plate and his left knee is banged up. The pain and discomfort didn’t stop Guirado from scoring one of the most memorable goals in his career.
“Before Sunday’s match, coach Weiss reminded us to work together in defense, to play as a team,” he said. “Coach motivated us to play hard for the fans. I am overwhelmed by the fans’ show of support. I truly appreciate their faith and confidence.”
Guirado said while he often jokes with Caligdong, he has no best buddy on the team because everyone is a close friend. After Sunday’s match, the Azkals celebrated with friends, relatives and fans at the Manila Diamond Hotel then partied until 4 a.m. at the Robot Bar near the Manila Peninsula Hotel.
Guirado said he’s slowly learning words in Pilipino and English. Some of his favorites are “I don’t know” “maganda” “saan ka pupunta” “mabuti” and “salamat.” Of course, he has also been taught the naughty words.
Guirado’s older brother Juan Luis, 31, may join the Azkals for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup Finals in Myanmar next March. He lives in Spain and is unable to take a long vacation from work. Juan Luis is still under contract with a Spanish league club. Next year, he hopes to accumulate enough days off to play for the Azkals.
Garcia said he’s negotiating endorsement contracts for Guirado and Caligdong so they’re able to put money in the bank for the future.
At a time when our senses are bombarded by everything Azkals, it may seem easy to forget what they really do. They’re everywhere, endorsing food, shoes, credit cards, mobile phones, and everything else in between. Last Sunday, the Azkals showed us what they are about- what they are really about. Last Sunday, we laid down the foundation towards the road to the World Cup.
Decisions
Just when the game started, therain started to pour. It wasn't a shy drizzle. It poured hard. People were still trying to flood into the coliseum. At the gate, we were all asked to choose: stay here half-dry with our umbrellas or leave our umbrellas and be allowed in. I asked if we could leave our umbrellas outside, and if there is an item depositing system similar to malls. They said no. So if you leave your umbrella, you may never see it again.
So many Manilenyos got free umbrellas that day
Wet and excited, everyone ran through the rain, giggling, even screaming. At the back of their minds, I knew these people running with me were prepared to miss work or school the next day. I also thought that a paracetamol company should have sponsored this event. We were all soaked in the middle of Manila. Going up the bleachers to see the pitch, we were treated to such a glorious sight. We were reminded what we were all doing it for. As in a society where divisions define, this single game made us all want to be one.
Bleachers
The bleachers had a different atmosphere. Anyone with 200 pesos to spare could enjoy the game. There were students, families, messengers, and bums. Women screamed "outside!" when the ball touched the line, while young men basked in the attention of being able to explain what the offside rule is all about. Several had the remnants from last year's World Cup. Vuvuzelas were present, and were used as an accompaniment to the chants. It was a festive experience, something very foreign to the people around me.
We had nothing in common, and everything at the same time
With the umbrella ban enforced, some people wisely "borrowed" the tarpaulins displayed around to use them in the pouring rain. Whole families used plastic and garbage bags, while some mothers frantically tried to cover their children's heads with anything they could find.
The rain would have been our ultimate equalizer. But as the giant flag, covering six rows of people, made its way around the bleachers, we realized that it wasn't the rain. It was football.
Kaholeros
Football is a very emotional spectator sport. In huge arenas, people are given a lot more liberty to lose themselves. This concept has yet to be adapted by the Filipino football fan. Tens of thousands of people were in the crowd with the Kaholeros. The Kaholeros, all three hundred of them, tapped beats into the their aquadrums- five-gallon water jugs converted to play street music for a team whose name is derived from street dogs. They kept it going, especially in the moments between goals. I look forward to the days when the Filipino football fan starts dancing to the beat of the aquadrum. Even better, I look forward to the Filipino football fan bringing his own aquadrum to the games. But for now, the Kaholeros take the lead, cheering for “halfies" and hometown heroes alike.
The Kaholeros, the Azkals' official pep squad, led the cheers in the roofless stands where fans were not permitted to bring umbrellas. The seats remained filled even during the first-half downpour.
Chieffy
One Azkal that emerged as a crowd favorite is Iloilo-nativeChieffy Caligdong. The Philippine Air Force winger went down hard in the 69th minute. He was carried out on a stretcher. It was a tense moment in the field, as Filipino fans have grown to know and love the pride of Barotac Nuevo. He came back to the field after three minutes. Everyone got to breathe again.
In the bleachers, there was a whole section of Chieffy fans. These same fans are the ones who traveled to Panaad Stadium for the AFC Challenge Cup last February, with most of them coming from his hometown.
At the end of the match, Chieffy joined the other players in giving out Azkals shirts to the fans. A policeman on the pitch asked for one. He wasn't successful. For Chieffy, it was all for the fans. It seems that in the end, he decided to keep one for himself. But one man in the Chieffy section of the bleachers shouted something to him. He came back. He didn't throw the last shirt. He personally handed it to the man who now has a story to tell to his children and grandchildren for a lifetime.
Chieffy Caligdonghas arrived. He seems to have evolved to become a symbol. With the influx of half-Filipinos in our national teams, some local Philippine team aspirants may feel that their chances of getting in may be slimmer. But here's Chieffy, proving to everyone that a locally born and raised athlete can come to play, even score the first goal to give his teammates the confidence to pour it on even more. Chieffy started, and his teammates responded,rewarding us all with a 4-0 win.
Appreciation
The boys went around the stadium to thank the crowd. It was a realization of dreams for so many. For the players likeIan Araneta,Aly Borromeo, andChieffy Caligdong, this is what they have waited for all their lives. They've been playing far too long in dusty fields with sub-par upkeep, and now thousands of people cheer for them in an arena minutes away from home. It is a realization of dreams for the "halfies", too, who spent years playing in foreign lands. Now, they earn their international caps in their mothers’ homeland; now, they are heroes. Finally, it is a realization of dreams for the Filipino. In a time where there are so many things to complain about, we finally have something to cheer for.
The fans went home soaked that day. They didn't really care. They patiently wait for July 28, when the Azkals will have their home game against Kuwait. Till then, we go on with our lives. We wait. We look forward to another shared Azkals experience because only then do we become one. --OMG, GMA News
