MANILA, Philippines — In an effort to improve the Philippine football team’s world ranking, team manager Dan Palami said they plan to play four superior teams in friendly matches beginning next month.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) has set aside dates from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11 for international friendly matches, and Palami said they will take advantage of it by playing three senior national teams from the Gulf region before hosting a game against either India or Pakistan at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The Manila game is tentatively set Oct. 11.
“Our intention right now is to play as many friendlies as possible so our rankings can go up,” said Palami who hosted a dinner for the newly-formed Azkals Press Corps on Thursday.
The Azkals are ranked 162nd while India is at 153rd and Pakistan 171st.
Palami said a selection from the Under-23 pool preparing for the Southeast Asian Games in the Indonesia in November will join the Azkals during the friendly matches “so that they will have more international exposures.”
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta Jr. had earlier said the Azkals will be at full strength during these international exhibition matches since Filipino-foreign players will be released by their professional clubs in Europe.
Before the friendly matches, the Azkals, alongside a selection from the SEA Games pool, are set to compete in the Long Teng Cup, a four-nation competition set Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Taiwan.
MANILA, Philippines – As far as Azkals team manager Dan Palami is concerned, coach Hans Michael Weiss has done a good job in handling the national football team.
“I think I'll give him a passing grade in one sentence,” Palami said in an interview on ANC’s Hardball sports show. He said the German football coach has done a lot in improving the Azkals’ game. “He has introduced a different system,” explained Palami. “Sometimes the players have yet to understand why this has to be so but again we see now how they play.”
Weiss was criticized by some after the Azkals bowed out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
They took particular notice on Weiss’ alleged over-reliance on the Nationals' starting unit.
Palami, however, pointed out that the Azkals’ football skills progressed under the tutelage of Weiss.
“It's more European style rather than the long ball,” he said.
He added that another plus for Weiss is his behavior outside the pitch.
“I don't see him being controversial, he knows how to handle himself,” said Palami.
Meanwhile, the team manager believes local football fans understand that Philippine football is still in its infancy stage.
He saw this after the Philippine team’s recent loss to Kuwait.
“Judging by their response, I mean if they didn't understand, they would have gone off the stadium knowing that 2014 World Cup is over,” said Palami.
“We couldn't help but shed tears, not because we lost, but because the fans were there even after we lost the game,” he added.
MANILA, Philippines - A fast-rising goalkeeper being eyed by the Philippine Azkals as their next marquee player, could become the first Filipino to see action in the French top flight football.
Alphonse Areola, who was tagged by Azkals manager Dan Palami as one of the team's possible future members, is expected to be named on Paris St. Germain's (PSG) starting XI when they face Lorient in their season-opening home match Saturday.
The 18-year-old, who has Filipino parents, is currently second-choice goalkeeper in the club but was thrust into the spotlight after PSG's new shotstopper, Nicolas Douchez, was injured.
FIFA.com confirmed Friday that Douchez remains sidelined by his ankle injury and is unavailable for the Saturday clash, which will allow the teenager Areola to make his French Ligue 1 debut.
The Clairefontaine-trained Areola had an impressive pre-season with PSG, notching clean sheets in the team's wins over other clubs such Italian side AS Roma (3-0) and Argentinian giants Boca Juniors (3-0).
Although Areola also has played for France's national youth football teams, the 6'2" wonderkid has the choice to play for the Philippine Azkals, as long as he is not yet capped for the French senior team, according to FIFA rules.
PSG has offered to extend the youngster's contract to until 2015, even as Areola is allegedly a transfer target for English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
PSG are being tipped as one of the title favorites in the French top league in the coming season.
The club was recently bought by Qatar Sports Investments, which has brought in cash and 7 new players including the 42-million-euro Argentinian playmaker Javier Pastore.
Football, thanks to the Azkals, is fast becoming the country’s obsession, replacing basketball as the Filipinos’ favorite sport.
But in order to preserve football’s emergence as the game best suited for the Filipinos and, at the same time, sustain the newfound popularity of the Azkals, the sport needs the continuous support of both the government and the private sector.
It’s truly a yeoman’s job in seeing the program through.
“TV, print and radio must continue to support football so that the interest will always be there,” said former soccer great Vic Sison, the goalie of the Philippine team that beat powerhouse Japan, 1-0, in Tokyo during the 1954 Asian Games.
On the other hand, the incumbent president of the Philippine Football Federation Mariano “Nonong” Araneta expressed a rosy future for the sport. He said that his group is talking with the Philippine Sports Commission to see how the PFF can oversee the maintenance of the Rizal Memorial pitch.
The 56-year-old Araneta has estimated the cost of maintenance could reach P900, 000 a year.
But the PSC’s allocation from Congress is not enough to spur a nationwide sports development program, including the promotion of football, which entails an enormous budget needed for the upkeep of foreign-raised booters and a coach from Germany, Hans Michael Weiss.
As a result of this dilemma, the PFF is now depending on the private sector for the crucial backup support.
Renowned sports patron Manuel V. Pangilinan, benefactor of the Smart Gilas national basketball team, leads the cash-rich private individuals and firms who are the chief backers of the football team.
In time, the Philippines will rise again and would no longer be the “Sick Man of Asia” in football.
* * *
In the old days, before we became a consumer-oriented community society, children created their own tools, especially for sports. Footballs or soccer balls were made from old rags, with their cover filled with hair gathered from the barber or hairdressers shop. Because these balls totally lacked bounce, naturally ground football was all that was possible.
In poor African and Asian countries, football shoes were out of the question. As these were not available, soccer players wrapped their feet with rags to prevent injuries.
On the other hand, players from highly developed countries are luckier because they can afford to buy such luxuries like football shoes, playing uniforms and appropriate equipment.
It is also worth mentioning here, that the price of one pair of branded football shoes made in the United States or Europe is more than the monthly salary of a worker in Africa or the other least developed countries.
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Azkals strikers Rob Gier, Anton del Rosario, Simon Greatwich, Nate Burkey and Misagh Bahadoran have no interest in joining show business for now.
In an interview by “Showbiz News Ngayon” taped July 30 after they appeared on “Happy Yipee Yehey” and aired Aug. 2, Gier said, “I'm just enjoying and concentrating on being Azkals at the moment.”
Bahadoran echoed Gier’s sentiment by simply saying, “I just wanna be [an] Azkals player.”
For his part, Greatwich reasoned, “I'm really quite shy and stuff so we're just trying to keep it low key.”
The five football players were in the noontime “Happy Yipee Yehey” last Saturday as contestants of the game, “Tanging Hinga Mo.”
Gier, who emerged the winner, described their guest stint as “a fun experience.” According to the “SNN” report, Gier became a worldwide trending topic on the microblogging site Twitter that day.
“I was really enjoyed by ‘Happy Yipee Yehey,’” Bahadoran expressed.
On the other hand, Burkey said, “It was a lot of fun. A bit disappointed with my performance, though, but it was fun!”
After competing against Sri Lanka and Kuwait in their unsuccessful bid at the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, the Azkals are on vacation and will resume training soon for their upcoming matches. In an interview, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta Jr. said that in September, the Azkals would be competing in the four-team Long Teng Cup in Taiwan.
More, in October, the team will participate in the four-nation invitational competition hosted by the PFF and sponsored by Asia Brewery Inc.
Lastly, in November, the Azkals will compete in the men's football competition of the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia.
Thanking their supporters, Greatwich asked them in the same "SNN" interview to “Continue to cheer us on.”
Del Rosario expressed, “Thank you very much for all your support. We wouldn't be here without you guys. Keep on supporting.”
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine football team manager Dan Palami said German Michael Weiss will stay as coach of the Azkals despite the team’s loss against Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers last week.
Although he declined to rate Weiss’ performance after Kuwait sent the Filipino booters packing with a 5-1 aggregate win, Palami, also regarded as the Azkals’ godfather, believes Weiss is still the wise choice for the national team.
“It’s very unrealistic to gauge him against a team like Kuwait, but in fact, even as it is (elimination), the stride that we have made in football has been considered short of phenomenon not just in Asia but in the whole world,” Palami said.
Weiss, who left for Germany on Sunday for a 10-day break, replaced British Simon McMenemy six months ago and has two-year contract with the Azkals.
Under Weiss, the Azkals became the first national squad to reach the second round of the qualifiers since 1950. Under his guidance, the team also earned a berth to the AFC Challenge Cup finals next year.
Asked if he sees a longer partnership with Weiss, Palami said: “A long time is a very strong word. But at least I know that what he’s doing is working for us. For as long as we get the results that we want, not in terms of the bottom line scores but in terms of how we play, then I suppose he really has a plop in the team.”
Meanwhile, Palami is not letting up in further improving the lineup. He is set to leave for Europe this month to recruit possible reinforcements for the Azkals.
The national team is seriously considering on tapping French-born Alphonse Areola, a 6-foot-2 goalie who plays for French First Division side Paris St. Germain.
The 18-year-old Areola, whose parents are Filipinos, is seen to be an able replacement for Fil-British keeper Neil Etheridge, who is expected to have limited time with Azkals following his scheduled promotion as main reliever for his club Fulham in the English Premier League.
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
There is no denying the immense pride that the Philippine Azkals have when they play for flag and country. Regardless of where they have grown up or come from, they are one in expressing their heartfelt desire to see the country’s success in international football, regardless of how people label them according to their heritage.
What most people don’t know is that many of the so-called Fil-foreign players only belatedly came to know about the national team of their motherland, and sought out the Philippine Football Federation, offering their services.
“When I found out about the Philippine national team, I sent them an e-mail, with my resume, if you will,” says 30-year old fullback Rob Gier, who was already an experienced pro in his early 20s. “Not to brag or anything, but I was playing at a good level in England, and would they be interested in having me? I actually wish I had found out when I was a spring chicken.”
“I didn’t even know the Philippines had a national team, to be honest,” admits United Football League All-Star Nate Burkey, who is now based in the Philippines and headed in the lone goal against Sri Lanka. “But when I heard about it, I wanted to play, no question. It was a good chance to follow my roots.”
For the Greatwich brothers, it was their grandmother’s funeral seven years ago that provided the impetus for the three brothers Cris, Phil and Simon to all join the Azkals in turn. Simon, the youngest of the three and part of the Philippine under-23 team, even takes public transportation to get around.
“It’s a great feeling to have all this support,” says midfielder Greatwich. “I think the fans in the Philippines are great, and they’re behind us, no matter what.”
One niggling little notion that the mixed-race players want to dispel is the feeling that they are “less Filipino” than their teammates who grew up in the country and labored in obscurity for years, or that there is a discrimination in the treatment between them. To a man, they are adamant about their identity.
“I don’t understand when people ask us how ‘Filipino’ we feel,” explains Gier, who is expecting his first child in five weeks. “The blood that runs through us runs through our “homegrown” teammates. Just because we were born in another place or grew up in a different country doesn’t make us less Filipino. We feel Filipino every second of our lives.”
After a two-week break, the work continues, as the Azkals prepare for two tournaments in the last quarter of the year. They will also play big brothers to a fired-up under-23 team, and gear up for a return bout in the Suzuki Cup and other major tournaments next year.
“I hope that in the future, we will be able to field a starting line-up that is half homegrown and half Fil-foreigners,” says TV commentator Bob Guerrero. “The seeds have been planted. This team has brought the game to a whole other level. They’re a great bunch of guys.”
Perhaps the most touching comment was made by Gier, who recalls the years when he started with the Azkals and “nobody cared” about the team. His statement carries a lot of weight considering the fact that he has tasted high-level soccer in Europe.
“It was an unbelievable feeling (against Kuwait) for the fans to be supporting us because of football, not because we were famous, or good-looking or anything,” Gier declares. “The goal against Singapore was my proudest moment as a footballer. But that was eclipsed when Schrocki (Stephan Schrock) scored that goal against Kuwait, for us to be going into the half up 1-nil – and we deserved to be up 1-nil – against a team that is ranked 70 places higher than us in the world is a tremendous achievement.”
SMALL consolation, perhaps, but Goran Tufegdzic, the Serbian coach of Kuwait’s national football squad, which beat the Philippine Azkals, 2-1, gave the nationals high marks for their gritty stand last Thursday during their rain-soaked match at the Rizal Memorial football stadium.
The Azkals, who also bowed to the Kuwaitis in the first match of their two-game series for the second round of their 2014 World Cup qualifying match, 0-3, played their guts out before 13,000 screaming fans but failed to keep pace with the more skillful Kuwaitis.
“As you see, there were many chances for scoring (for the Philippines) in the first half. They made it tough for our team,” said Tufegdžic, who steered the Kuwaitis to the third round with an aggregate of 5-1.
A total of 14 countries throughout Asia made it to the next round during simultaneous matches played during the day, with Thailand and Singapore joining Indonesia as the only football squads from Southeast Asia making the grade.
Indonesia beat Turkmenistan, 4-3, in Jakarta and made it via a n a 5-4 aggregate, Singapore drew with Malaysia, 1-1, but the Singaporeans advanced on a 6-4 tally. Thailand also played Palestine to a 2-all draw, but the Thais qualified counting their 1-0 win in the first leg.
Tufegdžic said the Al-Azraqs had a difficult time adjusting to the rains brought by the recent typhoon, but relied on their poise and experience, especially after losing Fahad Al-Ebrahim, who was thrown out after receiving a red card.
The Azkals scored the first goal on Fil-German Stephan Schrock’s grounder at the third minute of injury time at the end of the first half.
But the Al-Azraqs scored two goals in succession, the first courtesy of a looping shot from Yousef Nasser, which sailed past the head of goalie Neil Etheridge in the 61st minute, and the second from Waleed Jumah, who stormed past an approaching Etheridge and rolled in Kuwait’s second marker in the 85th.
Tufegdžic said he hopes to see the Philippines making it past the second round in the next qualifying matches in 2015.
Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss said there were plenty of lessons learned in their series against the Kuwaitis.
“This game has been brutal and it shows how bitter and hard football can be. Hard lessons have been learned and taken. We have young players in the team. We have a good balance here. They can take this defeat. They have to take it because of the fact that we have to acknowledge that we have a very strong opponent,” said Weiss. by Peter Atencio
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.”
Philippines players mob azkals’ midfielder Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong to celebrate after Chieffy scored the first goal against Sri Lanka during their 2014 FIFA world Cup qualifying match in Manila on July 03, 2011. The Philippine Azkals won 4-1.
After the historic 4-0 win by the Philippines over Sri Lanka in first round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Philippine Men’s Football National Team will take a break for a few days while the team’s brain trust maps out their next moves. The next move is another training camp in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain by mid-July for a home-and-away series with Kuwait.
“I think we really need a short break,” said right back Anton del Rosario during the team’s celebratory dinner at the Diamond Hotel in Manila last night. “We were away for a month and while the travel and the training camps abroad are good, you just get homesick after a while. That is why the win against Sri Lanka here at home was so good.”
“Masarap na nandito na ulit sa Pilipinas at lalong lalo na panalo pa,” reinforced Azkals co-captain Chieffy Caligdong.
National Team manager Dan Palami said that acclimatization with the Middle Eastern weather conditions was just as important. “You saw how that was a problem in Mongolia although we had trained in Japan,” said Palami. “That was difficult because of the cold. This time it’s the heat. So it’s extremes. That is why we pay close attention to the players’ conditioning.”
The team manager also said the training camp was made through an invitation by the Bahrain Football Federation and the Filipino community residing in the gulf state.
National head coach Hans Michael Weiss said that it is possible that he will lose some of the team’s top players due to other commitments but he could have defenders Ray Jonsson and Jerry Lucena available for the away match against Kuwait which is ranked #102 by FIFA.
Gaurav Thapa, Competitions Officer of the Asian Football Confederation, confirmed the suspension of midfielder Stephan Schrock, who had a superb series against the Brave Reds, and team captain Aly Borromeo for their next match after accumulating two yellow cards in the Sri Lanka home-and-away series.
“We have to play a different kind of game against Bahrain,” disclosed the German coach. “Now we begin to play more quality opponents and play in quality pitches.”
During the post-match press conference yesterday, Weiss took a dig at the pitch at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, “The pitch in Sri Lanka is normally used for planting tomatoes or potatoes.”
Added Palami, “I was thinking with better pitch conditions we can impose our offense and bring up the ball much better. You saw what happened – four goals.”
Palami added that the tinkering with this team isn’t done yet. “We should have a plan to certain situations where one is off, we have another come in and play quality minutes. We are still in need of a deeper bench. We’re still tweaking some parts and we still have that gaping hole on top of back four.”
The national team manager who during last year’s successful Suzuki Cup run bared his goal of seeing the Philippine ranked somewhere in the 120s said the target is doable and reachable. “I think so you just have to make sure we are not complacent and we have to work hard as a team. We have the talent and we have these regular training camps. We may not achieve the desired results all the time but these are things we have to learn from.”
Notes: Neil Etheridge shed tears for the recent passing of his grandfather. It isn’t only the Philippines’ number one goalkeeper who is grieving. Paul Mulders lost his father two weeks ago while Stephan Schrock is still dealing with his father’s passing a few months ago. Published inBleacher's Brew
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
