More Azkals and a national stadium

CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren (The Philippine Star)

Ireceived a lot of e-mails from readers regarding the “First Azkal” article a few weeks ago. Majority were excited to find out about Paulino Alcantara and his exploits at FC Barcelona. Another sent a picture of a local 1920s “football star” J. Melendez but his biography is missing. One of the most recent to reach me is of great significance to Philippine football and was sent by the grandson of another Azkal, who apparently played ahead of Alcantara.

First, from the excited fans of Philippine football. From Rafa Rodrigues, MD, assistant manger, Union FC, “Kudos for your recent article in Philippine STAR. We have been trying to drum up support for Paulino Alcantara, one whose name remains buried in oblivion; if you are interested we are actually in communication with one of the younger Alcantaras who also want recognition for his grandfather. To date, and you are correct, he holds the record for FC Barcelona as the highest goal scorer ever with 357 goals. Thank you also for your support for Philippine football. Articles like these will put us back on the world map of the world’s beautiful game.”

Thanks Rafa. The Azkals are already putting the Philippines on the world map. The task is to put football in the maps of our own people, corporate sponsors and government (basketball courts are a favorite politico project, but very few if any football fields are built). I will touch on this issue at the end of this article.

Setting records straight

The next e-mail is from Jonathan, “I really appreciate your article in STAR. I share the same deep love for the sport as I, too, was a varsity football player from grade 5 until 4th year high school at La Salle Greenhills. But I never knew that the greatest player of FC Barcelona, Paulino Alcantara, was a Filipino! Mabuhay! What an ultimate testament to our natural ability for the game. I agree that Sen. Drilon should erect a monument to honor him in Iloilo, and that his story must be told again and again, so that his name is etched in the halls of great Filipino athletes, maybe even bigger than the big names in Filipino basketball.

“I also share the same deep belief and sentiment that Filipinos are more suited to playing football than basketball. There are many theories why football declined in popularity but I guess one of the reasons could be the rise in popularity of basketball because of the Crispa-Toyota rivalry in the 1970s. But the epitome of the irony was last year, 2010. When the whole world was enraptured by the World Cup Finals in South Africa, and intense close-fought games were witnessed, when big name countries lost to other smaller nations in the Group Stage (Spain included), Filipinos were more enraptured by Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals.

“I do remember, too, that by the time I graduated from high school in 1985, football’s popularity was really on a decline as the school leagues that used to be big before (e.g. RIFA & PRADA) started closing down. RIFA didn’t continue after 1983. PRADA followed suit I think after 1985 (I’ll have to confirm that). But the fact is that by my senior year in high school (1984-85), our school opted to just compete in the American High Schools league, and briefly in PRADA.

“So, I’m really happy that our national team is having good success in the international arena, and that local leagues, like the United Football League, are sparking a return to the love for the sport. Let’s help in fanning the flames of interest in football, and I believe in time, as our children take on the sport, that there will be a growing love for it and in time, our country will qualify for the World Cup Finals (just like Japan and Korea).”

Thanks, Jonathan. First, I never was good enough to play at varsity level, just the intramurals. Not that I didn’t want to. Basketball also became more popular also because less and less space has been available in cities and towns as our urban population has exploded (no thanks to the Philippines’ lack of population management — or PM as opposed to RH or RP …potato, potatoe).

An earlier Azkal!

Then I got this e-mail from Jonah Amechazurra, a great-grandnephew of another Filipino football player of yore, “I read your article in STAR, and it was great but there are some flaws and is kind of misleading. To set the record straight, Paulino Alcántara Riestrá was not the first Filipino to play in Europe. Manuel Amechazurra was the first Filipino who joined the Football Club Barcelona from 1905 to 1915. FC Barcelona also won The Pyrenees Cup four times, from 1910-1913, with him. The Pyrenees Cup is the first football international in Europe. But the tournament stopped due to the beginning of World War 1 in 1914. It’s sad because our bisabuelo is not recognized here in the Philippines despite the fact that he brought so much glory to the country.

“Manuel Amechazurra was born in Bacolod City, Philippines. He was called el capitán and played as a defender (compared to striker position that Paulino Alcantara played).

“Manuel Amechazurra had a Basque bloodline. The clan’s roots came from the Basque region of Spain. Cheers and God bless. Embrace the love and more power to our very own Futbol Filipinas.”

Thanks Jonah. And I’m still waiting to hear from any other descendants of Azkals of the pre- and post-war era. Filipinos are a peripatetic race and our Diaspora is continuing. There must be dozens of athletes of Filipino blood who have gained success in sports not too popular with today’s Filipinos.

Field of dreams

Finally, from AN in Manila, “Excellent article! Who says talent does not exist in the Philippines. Japanese and Koreans have shown us that height is no advantage in football…and talk about all the great players, many are of Asian average height. So what if it is true that our Azkals are Fil-fors? I am still 100 percent confident that pure Filipinos, given enough exposure, can do as well. Give them a good field and a ball and what Filipino kid would not like to kick it and run around. All we need is access to field and the game will flourish.”

This brings me to an element necessary to our task of bringing success to Filipino Football in particular and Philippine sports in general. That missing piece is the lack of a modern, fully-functional and well-maintained National Sports Complex. We had the Rizal Memorial complex for close to 80 years but it is now hemmed in by a crowded city. Then we had the University of Life (which has since become the University of Death …remember the Wowowee stampede? But I digress). The UL also sits perilously close to the West Valley fault, its facilities are inadequate, and its buildings are now filled with Department of Education offices or leased out to all manner of private schools.

The only large space that can hold a National Sports Complex, and at the same time benefit its host institution and the city where it is located, are the grounds of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

The UP’s expansive 493 hectares of land is badly planned and underutilized. The university’s sports complex is rundown and its facilities scattered. It is almost totally devoid of the architectural gravitas that a national university campus deserves. Related to this deficiency are the university’s severe lack of student and staff housing, dimly lit streets and open spaces, transport links to the metropolis and an internal transport system that is half and century old.

Creative funds

Of course the main constraint is the usual one. No funds.

A creative way to address these multi-pronged problems is the building of a national sports complex at UP Diliman. But to be feasible, I suggest that it be done within a framework of hosting an important regional sports meet like the South East Asian or Asian Games. The needs of such an event are the same as the needs of the UP — housing, world-class sports facilities, mass transport links to the metropolis, internal circulation systems, landscaped open areas, security and lighting.

We host the SEA games every 10 years or so and spend hundred of millions on temporary facilities or renovations of these that inevitably just go to pot. Come to think of it, we spend tens of millions every few years to host the Palarong Pambansa (PP) in provincial locations. Many PP complexes are white elephants now and are crumbling from lack of use and the absence of maintenance.

Funds for both can be consolidated in a project to build a National Sports Complex at the UP. There are also other sources of funding available. FIFA has wanted to help build a proper football field for the Philippines for the longest time but infighting within the local association/s have reportedly hindered the project. The same is true, I hear, with baseball. Then there are the billions reportedly being raised for a PBA stadium.

Why not gather all these funds and pour them into a complex that can be built on the former UP golf course along Commonwealth Avenue? A regional event would also require housing for athletes (up to four or 5,000 beds would be needed, which is about what the UP needs for a campus of its size).

With proper management the National Sports Complex at UP (NASCUP) can be a viable source of recurring revenue for the UP. Funds for its maintenance can be generated by its regular hosting of the PP (possibly alternating with provincial venues to reduce any complaints), and the SEA Games every 10 years. A new media center needed for these events can serve to bring the university’s mass communications college into the 21st century (apparently some of its broadcast equipment are still from the ’70s). Hosting PBA, NCCA, football and baseball leagues would keep it in the black.

Ancillary facilities like food courts and mini retail complexes would also improve the campus’ overall functionality and add to its bottom line (the complex should be run by a professional company — a PPP arrangement).

Iconic location, Iconic architecture

The complex with its location can also serve as a buffer to encroaching urbanization. The LRT 6 line is already planned to pass along Commonwealth and the NASCUP can serve as link to the rest of the campus. In fact, the complex’s car parking facility can be part of a UP park and ride system that can ensure that internal combustion vehicles can be left at the fringes and the rest of the campus can be serviced by EJeepneys (and they could now be called E-kots or E-tokis).

Build it and they will come; goes the famous saying. The field of dreams for Philippine sports, be it in football, baseball, track and field. And, yes, even basketball, can be created and housed in just one-fifth of the UP’s extensive campus.

A lot of the campus’ planned new facilities can also fit into the complex (this is very green in terms of planning and architecture), so there cannot be any opposition to the idea. The continuing loss of green open space in the campus is mainly the function of inefficient planning and sprawl-based development anyway.

The NASCUP can also help boost Quezon City. Come to think of it. The city can and should contribute to this project because the complex — especially if the architecture is iconic — will help define it for the future.

Ultimately the NASCUP benefits the whole country as well. We will need a national stadium for when the Azkals play the deciding home game at a Suzuki Cup or an even larger competition in the near future. It’s not only a question of if, but how soon…and most importantly, where?

De Jong still wants to wear Azkals uniform

GMA NEWS

Former Philippine Azkals member Jason De Jong is still interested in playing for the national men's football squad, said team manager Dan Palami.

"He (De Jong) told me that he is still interested in joining the team. He apologized for not participating with the Azkals because he is playing with his Indonesian club," said Palami, who added that De Jong personally talked to him.

But Palami said De Jong's Indonesian club, Persiba Balikpapan, would not release the Filipino-Dutch midfielder because the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup is not part of the FIFA calendar.

De Jong, however, played in the first leg of the Challenge Cup in Bacolod.

"We love to have him on the team but it will still be depending on his performance," said Palami.

There are reports that De Jong was dropped from the team for lack of discipline. Also according to a report from Indonesia, his squad fined De Jong for leaving the stadium after being benched by his coach.

Azkals target SEA Games medal

The Azkals will be aiming to win a Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) medal in the coming edition of the biennial meet this November in Palembang province in Indonesia.

"Winning the gold is the best dream, but we are setting our sights on a medal maybe because we have better preparation," said Palami.

Though the SEA Games football competition is an Under-23 event, some members of the Azkals are still eligible to play including goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

There is also the ongoing national Under-23 tournament, which hopes to find members of the national team that will play in the SEA Games.

"After the Under-23 tournament, we will get some players there that will compose the national pool," said Palami. - Reuben Terrado, JVP, GMA News

Azkals’ prospects of landing SEA Games football medal high, says Palami

By Cedelf P. Tupas, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines could end its long wait for a men’s football medal in the Southeast Asian Games late this year in Indonesia.

Dan Palami, the Azkals manager who also serves as chair of the national teams’ committee of the Philippine Football Federation, is confident that the Under-23 squad in the SEA Games will put up a creditable performance.

“So far, we achieved what we set our sights on, like in the AFF Suzuki Cup and in the AFC Challenge Cup,” said Palami, who bankrolled the national team when support was hard to come by two years ago. “I hope our luck will continue and our success is tangible when it comes to the medal.”

Some members of the senior team are eligible for the SEA Games including goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, Yannick Tuason, David Basa, Jason de Jong and Manny Ott.

The standouts from the ongoing Suzuki Cup Under-23 Championship will also be considered for team.

Several more prospects have emerged for the Under-23 side after Azkals coach Michael Weiss scouted players with Filipino lineage in Germany during the Nagold Blitz Football Tournament last week and Azkals captain Aly Borromeo and Anton Del Rosario held tryouts in Daly City, California early this month.

The Philippine team finished second in the four-team tournament, finishing with a win, a draw and a loss against Under-19 squads from Stuttgart, Reutlingen and Nagold.

Weiss said among the standout players were Patrick Reichelt, a striker from the Cottbus second team, who scored five goals in the tournament, and central defender Oliver Poetschke. Also impressing Weiss was Kevin Ingreso, the skipper of Hamburg’s Under-19 squad.

“I might invite them to come to Manila to our camp,” Weiss said in an e-mail.

Del Rosario said the players that impressed in the US tryouts that could beef up the Under-23 squad were OJ Porteria and James Rochilitz.

Azkals to field stellar roster vs Sri Lanka

By Olmin Leyba, The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals team is leaving no stone unturned even if they feel they have “more than a fair chance” against Sri Lanka in their upcoming 2014 Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers first round match up.

Azkals team manager Dan Palami said during yesterday’s PSA Forum that the squad is preparing to form the best possible lineup and has set an intensive training program highlighted by a camp in Germany for their June 28 away game and July 3 home game against Sri Lanka.

He said the new additions are Fil-Danish fullback Dennis Cagara, Fil-Germans Stefan Schrock and Michael Ott, and two Fil-Ams from the US, whom co-skipper Aly Borromeo said could well be starters for the team. Fil-Danish midfielder Jerry Lucena and Fil-Spanish striker Angel Guirado, who both suited up in the Azkals’ AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers campaign, will be back, according to Palami.

The Azkals will begin training on May 9-23 at the Alabang Country Club, then head off to Cebu City for a team building camp on May 25-31, and hold practice at the Rizal Memorial pitch. They will hold camp in Duren, Germany for two weeks (June 12-26) with five tuneup games with second and third division German clubs up, before heading to Colombo for the first leg.

Palami said the Azkals also tapped Fulham FC’s Swiss goalkeeping coach Pascal Zuberbuhler to beef up the coaching staff and help train the goalies.

“I think with the way the team’s being formed, the quality of players coming in and the training we’ve prepared, we we will have more than a fair chance against Sri Lanka,” Palami said.

He reported they’ve been studying tapes of Sri Lanka’s latest games and felt good about the Azkals’ chances.

“Sri Lanka is better than Bangladesh,” Palami said, referring to the Bangladeshis whom Phl beat 3-0 in the Challenge Cup. “But we will also have a stronger lineup than when we played Bangladesh. There will be a 150 percent improvement in our lineup.”

The Sri Lanka football team is beatable.

(Tempo)

MANILA, Philippines – National football team manager Dan Palami echoed this sentiment after watching the videos of the South Asian side, which the Philippine Azkals will face in the firstround of the qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“I’ve seen the tapes in the Challenge Cup and we have more than a fair chance,” Palami said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Pizza restaurant UN Ave. branch.

Two weeks ago, Sri Lanka competed in the AFC Challenge Cup Group D qualifier, where it failed to win a single match, bowing to 2010 World Cup qualifier North Korea (0-4) and Afghanistan (0-1) while forcing a scoreless draw opposite Nepal.

The Azkals joined a similar qualifying tourney in Myanmar, and managed to advance to the finals after finishing second in Group A with two draws and a win.

Azkals beef up for 2014 Fifa World Cup

(sunstar)

MANILA -- The Philippine National Football Team is forging its strongest team in Philippine football history for its 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier versus Sri Lanka.

The first leg will be in Colombo, Sri Lanka on June 29 and the return leg will be at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

Azkals team manager Dan Palami said this is the best preparation for the Azkals.

Palami admitted that Sri Lanka is better than Bangladesh but assured they will have stronger lineup now.

Danish Superliga player Dennis Cagara, Fil-Germans Stephan Schrock and Manny Ott, and two players from the tryouts conducted by Aly Borromeo and Anton Del Rosario in San Francisco, California, will buff up the lineup. (Sunnex)

Forward Phil Younghusband will be back in the lineup after not included in the AFC Challenge Cup in Myanmar due to injury.

The Azkals will spend almost P15 million for the two qualifying legs against Sri Lanka. Palami said that with this value, the Azkals will need more sponsors.

Trainings will start May 9 at Alabang Country. In June 12-26, more intense training will be done in Germany, as the Azkals will face German football clubs.

Azkals popularity draws growing interest in football

AFTER draining at least 18 hours of training, some 125 enrollees in the Milo Summer Sports Clinics (SSC) are expected to receive certificates of training on Thursday, April 28, at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center in Cagayan de Oro City.

"This is a significant increase in enrollees (over that of last year) considering that we still have the second batch of trainees next month," said Milo SSC organizer Megdonio R. Llamera.

Llamera said this year's sports clinics will be undertaken in two batches, the first kicked off on April 11 and will wind up on Thursday. The second batch will start on May 17 and end on May 31.

"Noticeably, there is a growing interest in football. Thanks to the Azkals," the veteran sports organizer told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, adding that football is the latest addition to the sports disciplines the summer clinic is into.

Other than football, the other sports disciples that attracted enrollees in the first batch are in dance sports, table tennis, taekwondo, swimming and basketball, admittedly the country's most popular sports.

Llamera said the best performing trainees will receive gold, silver and bronze medals, depending on the evaluation of the trainers.
By Uriel C. Quilingguing (Sun Star CDO)

He said he is thankful to the Misamis Oriental Provincial Government for providing the venue for the sports clinics, and to the parents for allowing their children to get engage in sports.

"They are aware that sports instill the values of hard work, discipline, patience and teamwork," he said.

"We must continue training the young if we intend to produce champions and ultimately capture the elusive Olympic gold," said the indefatigable sportsman and former pitcher of the Philippine baseball team.

Meanwhile, Adelina G. Barros, who heads the training secretariat, said that of the 125 enrollees in the first batch, swimming has the most number of students with 53.

Barros said training sessions in swimming, dance sports, basketball and football are being conducted inside the sports center while table tennis and taekwondo are being conducted at the second floor of Carmen public market and at George Arcenal's gym, respectively.

Phil ready to join Azkals in training

BY BONG PEDRALVEZ (Malaya Business Insight)

STRIKER Phil Younghusband is now "70 percent" recovered from a torn right hamstring and should be ready to join the national men’s football team fitness camp that kicks off early May, according to conditioning coach Joseph Malinay.

"Phil is 70 percent fit and he will be ready to join our fitness camp next month," said Malinay, who was tasked by team manager Dan Palami to monitor the rehabilitation of the popular 24-year-old forward.

"He is still undergoing treatment with St. Luke sports doctor Randy Molo but everything is on track," Malinay added.

Younghusband suffered the injury during the second leg of the Azkals’ Asian Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia in Ulan Bator last March 15 which they lost 1-2. They still managed to reach the group stage in Myanmar a week later with a 3-2 aggregate score.

As a result, Younghusband was sidelined during the Myanmar competition where the Filipino booters finished second behind group champion Palestine to earn a ticket to the main tournament next year.

Since then, the younger of the Younghusband siblings on the national team– the other being midfielder James—has been undergoing rehab under the watchful eyes of Malinay, who saw Phil’s performance in last week’s Smart Club competitions as a positive sign in his recovery.

"He (Phil) told me that he wasn’t really pushing himself in the tournament. Laru-laro lang. But it’s a good indication that he’s regaining his shape," he said.

In his first outing for a local club, Younghusband scored the opening goal in Rizal’s 10-0 romp over Laguna last Wednesday to cap the team’s four-game sweep of the North-South-Central Luzon cluster eliminations of the Smart Club Championship.

Malinay said the coaching staff hopes the striker would be "80 to 90" percent fit when the fitness camp opens "and 100 percent ready when we begin our World Cup qualifying series against Sri Lanka on June 29."

After a five-day respite, Younghusband will resume his rehab tomorrow as he continues with his agility and flexibility workouts, Malinay said.

Malinay said national coach Han Michael Weiss, who is in Germany to scout and recruit more team hopefuls, is set to return on April 28. On his arrival, the venue for the training camp will be decided.

The Alabang Country Club inside the plush Ayala Alabang subdivision in Muntinlupa City and the International School of Manila at the Fort in Taguig City are being eyed as possible sites of the camp.

Azkals get Swiss goalkeeper coach

By Cedelf P. Tupas (PDI)

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine football team is strengthening its coaching staff with the hiring of Swiss World Cup veteran Pascal Zuberbuhler as goalkeeper coach for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers.

The Azkals will play Sri Lanka on June 28 in Colombo while the second leg is set at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 3.

The winner of the showdown will meet Kuwait on the third week of July.

A teammate of Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge at Fulham, Zuberbuhler is expected to link up with the Philippine squad in Duren, Germany, where the Azkals will undergo a two-week camp starting June 12.

The 40-year-old Zuberbuhler brings with him an impressive resumé as a player, having been capped 51 times by Switzerland, which he represented in the European Championship in 2004 and 2008 as well as the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

“We’re not taking any chances that’s why we tapped him for the World Cup qualifiers,” said team manager Dan Palami. “His experience as a player will help our squad of goalkeepers get to the next level.”

Aside from Etheridge, the Azkals have three other goalkeepers in their pool, including Eduard Sacapano, who saw action in the 1-2 defeat to Mongolia in the AFC Challenge Cup, and teenagers Christopher Camcam and Paolo Pascual.

The 16-year-old Camcam is currently in Germany attending a training camp, which was facilitated by Azkals coach Michael Weiss.

Edzel Bracamonte, one of the members of the Azkals coaching staff, has been helping out in training the goalkeepers in previous tournaments.

“Zuberbuhler will not just train our goalkeepers but also our coaches,” said Palami. “It will be a transfer of technology.”

Etheridge has been quick to vouch for Zuberbuhler, saying he is known at Fulham for his professionalism and work ethic.

“Zubi (Zuberbuhler) has been more of a father figure guiding me,” said Etheridge.

Zuberbuhler, who spent the early part of his career with Grasshopper Zurich where he played for 187 times, actually signified his interest to join the Azkals coaching staff through Etheridge, who recently signed a two-year deal with Fulham.

Azkals coach begins tryouts in Germany

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO (Manila Bulletin)

MANILA, Philippines — The tryout for the Philippine football team in Germany begins today as a bevy of Filipino-foreigners strut their wares in the Nagold International Football tournament in Nagold, Germany.

Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss said the competition, where the Fil-foreign booters compete as a Philippine side, will serve as the tryout at the Eugene Breitling Stadium.

Five other teams, including the A-youth of the Stuttgarter Kickers and SSV Reutlingen will see action in the tourney held to celebrate the 100 years of football in Nagold, a town in southwestern Germany, according to a story posted at the www.schwarzwaelder-bote.de

“Tryouts will be in Nagold during a short tournament on Monday (today),” the German mentor told the Bulletin.

While the tryout is meant to strengthen the Azkals for future international tournaments, including the coming World Cup qualifying match against Sri Lanka, Weiss said he has no plans of recruiting many players.

“Not too many. The backbone of the team deserves trust. (We will) only (get) real quality players,” Weiss, 46, said. “If the new ones are better, they will play.”

The German newspaper said the competition also serves as the Philippine U-20 selection, and that only two Filipino players came directly from the Philippines to play.

It also mentioned Hoffenheim Bundesliga player David Alabi as a possible recruit.

Costly World Cup buildup for Azkals

Cedelf P. Tupas (PDI)

MANILA—The Philippine football team’s buildup and participation in the 2014 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers won’t come cheap.

Azkals team manager Dan Palami said the team will need about P15 million for the first two rounds of the qualifiers, including the two-week training in Duren, Germany, in June.

“It’s a different level, that’s the reason why it will really cost us,” Palami told the Inquirer.

Palami, who has been bankrolling the squad since late 2009, hopes more backers will support the squad’s campaign for a place in football’s centerpiece event in Brazil.

The bulk of the expenses will be for the training camp in Germany, where the Azkals are expected to face second and third division clubs.

From Germany, the Azkals will fly straight to Colombo for the first leg duel with the Sri Lankans on June 29. The second leg is set July 3 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I’m sure the training in Germany will give us the necessary preparation for Sri Lanka and hopefully, Kuwait, in the next round,” said Palami.

“Our June camp will be crucial for our team in terms of cohesion,” said Azkals German coach Michael Weiss.

The winner of the Philippines-Sri Lanka duel will move to the second round opposite Kuwait in the third week of June.

Palami is confident that the Azkals will be at full strength for the World Cup qualifiers with highly touted rightback Stefan Schrock, who has recovered from a knee injury recently, and leftback Dennis Cagara, who signed up with a Danish first division side, expected to make the squad.

Azkals not taking Sri Lanka for granted

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO (Manila Bulletin)

MANILA, Philippines — Overconfidence has no place in the national football team.

With a little over two months to go before an important match, coach Hans Michael Weiss is leaving no stone unturned to prepare the Philippine Azkals.

The German mentor said he will start watching the tapes of the Sri Lanka football team so that he can map out his strategy for the Azkals who are set to meet the Sri Lankans on June 29 in the first-round World Cup qualifying match.

Sri Lanka has announced that the first leg of the home-and-away series will be held at the 25,000-seater Sugatahdasa Stadium in Colombo with the return leg set five days later in Manila at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium which will undergo a facelift.

“We will get the tapes from recent AFC Challenge Cup group qualifier in Nepal,” Weiss told the Bulletin.

Two weeks ago, Sri Lanka saw action in the Challenge Cup Group D qualifier, where it failed to win a single match, bowing to 2010 World Cup qualifier North Korea (0-4) and Afghanistan (0-1) while forcing a scoreless draw opposite Nepal.

The Azkals joined a similar qualifying tournament in Myanmar last month, and managed to advance to the finals next year after finishing second in Group A with one win and two draws.

Sri Lanka is 18 spots lower than the Philippines at 173 in the latest FIFA rankings, but Weiss has no plans of taking the South Asian team for granted.

In fact, the 46-year-old Weiss is in Germany scouting for promising players who could strengthen the Azkals. He will hold a two-day camp starting today before conducting a tryout on Monday at Nagold, a town in southwestern Germany.

Weiss said “two interesting players are now trying to present themselves.”

They are 18-year-old Kevin Ingreso and 19-year-old Brian Hoffman whose mothers are Filipinas.

Ingreso plays as an attacking midfielder for Hamburger SV (Sport-Verein) Under-19 squad while Hoffman comes from the youth academy in VFB (Verein für Bewegungsspiele) Stuttgart, which plays in Bundesliga.

The 5-foot-10 Ingreso has scored four goals in 21 games he played in North Regionaliga under Hamburger SV second team and U-19 Bundesliga North/Northeast.

The Azkals will be reinforced by a Fil-German in Markus Stephan Schrock, who has already secured a Philippine passport.

Azkals goalkeeper Etheridge to sign new deal with Fulham

By Cedelf P. Tupas
PDI

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-British goalie Neil Etheridge is expected to sign a fresh deal this week that will keep him with English Premiere League side Fulham for the next two years.

It will be the longest contract in the budding career of the 22-year-old Azkals keeper, who rose from the Fulham Academy ranks to break into the first team this season when he was an unused substitute for several games last October and January.

“I’m happy to be signing a new two-year deal at Fulham,” Etheridge said in a message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“I have been working for this all year, now I have more stability in my contract, which allows me to go out on loan and experience other routes.”

Etheridge played 11 times for the national team over the past six months and was a standout performer in the Suzuki Cup in 2010 and the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying tournament last month.

Based in London, Fulham, owned by British businessman Mohammed Al-Fayed and managed by former Manchester United star Mark Hughes, has been accommodating to Etheridge’s request to extend his stints with the national side, especially last December during the Suzuki Cup.

“Fulham have always been good to me and now I can slowly repay the favor by being a larger part of their first team,” Etheridge added.

Azkals manager Dan Palami welcomed the development in Etheridge’s career, saying the goalkeeper’s stay at Fulham would only develop him further and benefit the national team.

2 Fil-Germans eyed for Azkals

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO (Manila Bulletin)

MANILA, Philippines — The tryouts for the Philippine football team in Germany has yet to start, but coach Hans Michael Weiss has already spotted two promising Filipino-Germans who could boost the team’s bid in future international tournaments, including their looming World Cup qualifying match against Sri Lanka.

The 46-year-old coach will be working despite the Holy Week break as he scheduled a two-day camp beginning Saturday before conducting the tryouts on Monday in Nagold, a town in southwestern Germany.

“(There are) two interesting players who are now trying to present themselves,” Weiss told the Bulletin in an e-mail yesterday.

The German coach was referring to Kevin Ingreso, 18, and Brian Hoffman, 19. Ingreso plays as an attacking midfielder for Hamburger SV (Sport-Verein) Under-19 squad while Hoffman comes from the youth academy in VFB (Verein für Bewegungsspiele) Stuttgart, which plays in Bundesliga.

The 5-foot-10 Ingreso has scored four goals in 21 games he played in North Regionaliga under Hamburger SV second team and U-19 Bundesliga North/Northeast.

Earlier this month, a similar Azkals tryouts in the United States, conducted by Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo and defender Anton Del Rosario, drew 37 aspirants.

To prepare for their home-and-away World Cup qualifying series which begins June 29 in Colombo, the Azkals will camp out in Germany in the second week of June.

“The Azkals camp will be held in Duren on the Dutch border near Cologne,” Weiss said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Football Federation is eyeing the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City as a new site for the construction of a football pitch which FIFA will finance through a $500,000 (P21.7 million) grant.

PFF chief Mariano “Nonong” Araneta Jr. had earlier proposed to FIFA that the pitch be built in the parcel of land in Parañaque City which was donated by El Shaddai’s charismatic leader Bro. Mike Velarde.

But FIFA officials Jeysing Muthia and Markus Keller inspected the site two weeks ago and were not too sold to the idea of building the pitch too close to the airport.

Azkals visit Pacquiao in training

By Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North American Bureau

MANILA, Philippines – The Pacman had some special visitors at training camp on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Philippine soccer sensations Azkals met and watched Manny Pacquiao train for his upcoming fight against “Sugar” Shane Mosley over the weekend.

The Pacman sparred 11 rounds against 4 boxers during his Saturday’s training session.

"He's one intense character. The guy is nonstop all day. I got a new respect for him," said Azkals defender Anton del Rosario.

When the Pacman is not concentrating on his game, he follows the Azkals, hoping they, too, can bring national pride to the Philippiness.

"I have to support them and pray lagi manalo sa bout, laban at laro. And it's an honor nandito sila sa training ko today," the Fighter of the Decade said.

Team Pacquiao even showed the Azkal players a few training and conditioning tips.

"It was great watching him train and even his footwork, he can probably step on the pitch with us," Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo said.

The Azkals just hosted an open tryout in the Bay Area.

After their weekend meeting, the football players went back to Northern California to play some club games. They will return to the Philippines later this month.

In the meantime, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach--fresh of ward Amir Kahn's victory--is expected to rejoin Team Pacquiao on Monday (Tuesday, in Manila).

For the Azkals, it was a dream come true to watch their idol practice. They are hoping the Pacman's winning ways can rub off on them when they begin their quest for a World Cup in June.

German training for Azkals

by: Cedelf P. Tupas (PDI)

MANILA—The 2014 Fifa World Cup Qualifying match against Sri Lanka may be more than two months away, but Philippine football team manager Dan Palami yesterday said preparations have already begun with the decision to have the Azkals train in Germany.

Palami said the Azkals will train in Germany for two weeks starting June 12 in preparation for the first leg showdown with Sri Lanka on June 29 either in Colombo or in Kalutara and the return leg five days later at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

The training camp could be the toughest yet for the Azkals as Palami, with the help of the German Football Association (DFB), is eyeing at least five tuneup matches against several German clubs, including a team playing in the second division.

“We’re not treating Sri Lanka lightly that’s why we will have the best possible preparation,” said Palami. “We should still prepare and play like we haven’t achieved anything.”

The Azkals reached the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup for the first time last December and qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup main tournament this year after finishing second in their group in Yangon, Myanmar.

Palami is confident that he can have all of the players available for the training camp as well as for the two matches against Sri Lanka.

Stephan Schrock and Dennis Cagara are among the key additions to the squad which already boasts of Aly Borromeo, Phil and James Younghusband, Neil Etheridge, Anton del Rosario, Ian Araneta, Chieffy Caligdong, Roel Gener, Simon Greatwich, Jason Sabio, Jerry Lucena and Angel Guirado.

Schrock, an aggressive rightback, whose team Greuther Furth is close to cracking the German Bundesliga, has promised to join the squad for the Sri Lanka match.

Palami said Jason de Jong, the Filipino-Dutch midfielder, who has fallen out of favor with coach Michael Weiss, will be given another chance as long as he joins training camp and explains his absence during the second leg of the Mongolia match and the group stage in Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Sports Commission has approved the proposal of San Miguel to install grandstand seats and the LED scoreboard at the Rizal Memorial for the Azkals-Sri Lanka clash.

In return, San Miguel is asking branding on all VIP seats, on the stadium scoreboard, non-camera facing banners and streamers on the stadium.

“That really is our target, to improve the standard of the stadium so we can also host other big events in the future,” said PSC commissioner Chito Loyzaga at the SCOOP sa Kamayan weekly session.

The Rizal Memorial Stadium, which could accommodate up to 25,000 spectators, has not hosted an international football match since the 1991 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines reached the semifinals.

“It’s about time we play in Manila,” said Palami. “This will be a litmus test if the popularity of football has gone beyond the Visayas region.”

Unlike the match against Mongolia last February 9 when tickets were free, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the PFF will be selling tickets for the match through a third-party firm.

Basketball, football to attract Pinoy viewers in November SEA Games

GMA News

Basketball's return and football's popularity could attract Philippine television networks to finally broadcast the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) again to Filipino viewers.

Philippine chief of mission Chito Loyzaga said that one television network had met with them and discussed the possibility of airing of the 26th SEA Games in November in Palembang, Indonesia.

Loyzaga, who is also a Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) commissioner, added that Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) secretary general Steve Hontiveros has already inquired with the Indonesia SEAG organizing committee about the television coverage.

"I took the initiative and we are now preparing a letter through POC to the Indonesian organizers about the television coverage," said Loyzaga.

"It's a blessing that there is a lot of interest in sports right now. Maybe the return of basketball and football spurred up the interest," he added.

The 2009 SEAG and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games in China were not shown to Filipino homes for various reasons.

Philippine television networks found the 2009 Laos SEAG unattractive as basketball was scrapped from the calendar due to lack of a suitable venue in Vientiane, while paying a hefty sum of money for the broadcast rights.

While Pilipinas-Smart Gilas competed in the 2010 Asiad, it was also not aired in the country as well, because of the huge price of obtaining the broadcast rights.

But basketball, a sport closest to the Filipino's hearts, is back in the calendar of events with a predominantly collegiate squad led by Ateneo coach Norman Black looking to reclaim the gold medal the Philippines won in the 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand edition of the SEAG.

Another sport could also bolster the chances of a SEAG broadcast in the Philippines.

Football has received renewed interest after the Azkals’ performance in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, capturing the hearts of a predominantly basketball country.

The Azkals continue to rake in the support of many Filipinos after emerging victors against Mongolia in the recent AFC Challenge Cup, one game of which was held in Bacolod City.

Interest in football is expected to grow even more as the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Sri Lanka are slated to be held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on July 3.

Although the SEAG football competition is an Under-23 event, some members of the Azkals are still eligible to play, including goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. – Reuben Terrado, JVP, GMA News

Azkals vs Sri Lanka in Manila

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO (Manila Bulletin)

MANILA, Philippines – The Azkals will finally have the chance to strut their wares before Metro Manila fans after the Philippine Football Federation announced that the July 3 World Cup qualifying match against Sri Lanka will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

PFF chief Mariano “Nonong” Araneta Jr. made it official Thursday, marking the first time that the 77-year-old venue to stage an international football competition since the 1991 Southeast Asian Games.

“It’s Rizal Memorial Stadium,” Araneta said before holding a meeting with Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia.

The Rizal Memorial Stadium, which can accommodate 15,000 to 20,000 spectators, beat out Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City which was also hoping to host venue.

The decision to pick the Manila venue was helped in some way by the promise of huge support from San Miguel Corporation which will finance the refurbishment of some areas, including the pitch, score board and locker rooms.

“It’s also more convenient for many to stage the qualifier in the capital,” Araneta said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways has also given the PFF the green light to stage the event at Rizal Memorial, quashing earlier reports that the venue is not safe for the public.

“As early as February, the PSC has already secured a certificate that says Rizal is safe for events,” said Araneta, noting that repairs will start in the next few weeks.

The PFF projects earning as much as P6 million from gate receipts of the game.

Sri Lanka will host the first game of the home-and-away series in Colombo on June 29.

Meanwhile, team manager Dan Palami said three potential Fil-foreign recruits – Fil-Spanish Juan Luis Guirado and Fil-Canadian brothers Jonathan and Julian de Guzman, won’t be able to join the Azkals in the qualifiers because of different commitments.

Azkals focused on game vs Sri Lanka, not FIFA ranking

GMA News

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano "Nonong" Araneta said the men's national football team, more popularly known as the Azkals, is focused on having a strong showing in their World Cup qualifying round match against Sri Lanka and not on the country's FIFA world ranking.

Araneta said the FIFA ranking is the least of their problems.

"They (Azkals) are more focused on building a strong team and in their upcoming match against Sri Lanka," said Araneta.
The Philippines dropped four places in the latest FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football) world rankings, sliding down from 151st spot to 155.

Araneta said the country's 2-1 loss to Mongolia in the second leg of their playoff match in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup and the scoreless draw against Palestine in the group stages could be the reason behind the Philippines' slide to the 155th ranking.

Both Mongolia (179) and Palestine (170) are teams ranked lower than the Philippines. The country jumped to 151st spot last December after beating Vietnam (134) in a Group B match in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

Araneta said the Azkals won't take Sri Lanka lightly, even if it seems to be a weaker team, having failed to win a single match in Group D of the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal. The Philippines will visit Sri Lanka on June 29 for the first leg of their two-game series in Colombo.

The PFF head said that the relative differences in the FIFA world rankings do not guarantee a win, as proven by what happened in the Suzuki Cup when the country defeated a Vietnam side that was so much ranked higher than the Philippines.

SMB willing to help renovate RMSC

Araneta said they are still waiting for the announcement of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on whether the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) is fit to host the Azkals' home game against Sri Lanka on July 3.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be making an inspection before coming up with a report regarding the structural integrity of the grandstand bleachers of the RMSC. The PSC will be making the announcement on the DPWH report on Thursday.

Araneta said San Miguel Corp. has also promised to help refurbish RMSC's seats and score board.

"We prefer to hold the game at RMSC since it has more seating capacity. Logistics wise, it makes for a much cheaper and easier access for the media, as well as financially lighter. Plus it is the chance of the people from Luzon to watch the game here," Araneta added.

3 players out on Sri Lanka game

Filipino-Canadian siblings Jonathan and Julian de Guzman and Filipino-Spanish Juan Luis Guirado, potential additions to the Azkals, may not be around to join the team against Sri Lanka in the Asian qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup.

Jonathan de Guzman, who had stints for The Netherlands' U21 and U23 teams, is reportedly being eyed by the Dutch seniors squad, while Julian de Guzman, who plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, had already played for Canada's men's team.

Guirado, the younger brother of Azkals member Angel Guirado, still has a contract with Spanish Division III Club Lermeno of Burgos covering the duration of the June 29 and July 3 matches pitting the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Co-captains Anton del Rosario and Aly Borromeo are still scouting for new players in the United States. – With reports from Miakka Lim and Adrian Flores, JVP, KY, GMA News

Phl Azkals mull WC buildup in Germany

By Olmin Leyba (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - With a training camp in Qatar and Australia no longer feasible, the Philippine Azkals are eyeing a stint in Germany as part of their preparations for their 2014 Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers matchup with Sri Lanka.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta said team manager Dan Palami and the Azkals’ German coach Michael Weiss are working out a possible session in Germany for their planned foreign training on June 7-17. This after Qatar and Australia could not guarantee available teams for tune-up matches.

“I’ve instructed Dan and coach Michael to check if we can get teams to play for tune-up games if we go to Germany,” Araneta told The STAR.

The Azkals were originally looking at Qatar for their buildup for June 29 away game and July 3 home match with Sri Lanka. Australia was another possible training site.

“Mukhang malabo na yung sa Qatar because according to their football federation, there are no teams available that time. It will be useless if we go without playing practice games there,” Araneta said. “As for Australia, it’s winter in June and off-season so there will be no teams, too. So we have to find another place,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PFF and Philippine Sports Commission will ask the Department of Public Works and Highway for an evaluation on the “structural integrity” of the Rizal Memorial stadium, one of the possible sites for the Azkals’ home game.

“If it’s structurally feasible, then there’s a chance that we’ll hold the game here,” Palami said after a meeting with PSC officials yesterday.

Cracks in same areas of the bleachers section have been noted in the decades-old facility and officials want to know if it can host an expected 20,000 fans. “We have to be sure about their safety,” Araneta said.

Pacman thrilled to have Azkals watch his bout

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao sounded pleased after hearing reports that the Philippine Azkals wanted to watch his upcoming fight this May 7.

The boxing superstar said it's an honor to have the country's booters watch him, as he takes on "Sugar" Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Manonood daw sila. Karangalan ko na nandoon sila, makasuporta sa akin," he told in an exclusive interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Pacquiao is in the US preparing for his match against Mosley. He will be defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt from the American.

Pacquiao stressed that, like what the Azkals have been trying to do in their matches, he will again try to make the country proud during his fight abroad.

"Para sa ating bansa ang bawat laban na ito," he said.

A few members of the Azkals, on the other hand, are in Daly City, California, supervising tryouts for other Filipinos interested to join the team.

They would love to watch Fighter of the Decade Pacquiao inside the MGM Grand if given the chance, they earlier said.

“We can drive down and see him. We haven’t seen him train. We’d like to see him,” Azkals player Anton Del Rosario said. – With report from Dennis Gasgonia, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Fil-German ready to play for Azkals

By Francis Santiago (Manila Bulletin)

Filipino-German Stephan Markus Schrock, a highly-touted right back who plays for the German second division side Greuther Fürth, has recovered from his knee injury and looks ready to play when the Philippine Azkals begin their ambitious quest to qualify in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 24-year-old Schrock, who planed in the country last month to process his passport, was last seen attending the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night while in crutches. But his fast recovery, he said, now allows him to jog and stay fit in time for the World Cup qualifiers this June.

"My recovery is much faster than I and the doctors first thought," Schrock, whose Filipina mother is from Cebu told the Bulletin in an e-mail yesterday.

"I do jogging for 10 days now although I have to build up some muscles around the right knee because I lost a lot of them in the last 12 weeks of my injury."

A self-confessed Manny Pacquiao fan, Shrock has been playing for Greuther Fürth for 10 years now, seven years as a pro with a total of 153 games in the second division. He also played more than 30 games for Germany’s Under-18 and -20 national football teams and was a member of the U-19 squad when the team ranked third in the European championship.

The injury kept Schrock from playing side-by-side with the Azkals in their Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup games in Myanmar, but with his fast recovery, he said he may join the team’s early preparation for its first-round qualifying match against Sri Lanka on June 29 in Colombo.

The Philippines will host the second match of the home and away series on July 3 at either Rizal Memorial Stadium or Panaad Stadium in Bacolod.

Philippine Football Federation chief Mariano Araneta said they are eyeing a Middle East camp for the Azkals’ World Cup preparation, which could be held either in Qatar or UAE beginning June 7.

The first & future Azkals

CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren (Philippines Star)

Finally, Filipinos realize the futility of trying to compete in basketball. Vertically-challenged but wily, the Filipinos are, pound-for-pound, better suited for football than basketball. This has been made clear by the triumphs of our national team. The Azkals’ success has seen them move up dramatically in Asian and world rankings; spawning football fever in the only country in Asia that has yet to fully embrace “the greatest game in the world.”

Sure, half the team are Fili-fors (Filipino-foreigners) but at least they have Filipino blood. We do not have to resort to “naturalizing” players like we do in basketball…or what the Indonesians did with that fellow who put those two goals against us in last year’s AFC semis.

The Younghusbands, Neil Etheridge, team captain Aly Borromeo, Jason de Jong, Anton del Rosario and the rest of our scrappy national team seem to have come from nowhere and people wonder, why only now? Did football (or soccer, as it is called in America) just blossom because of the fashionable rise in the sport among fuppie (Filipino yuppie) families in the last decade?

The truth is that football has a long history in the Philippines — 115 years give or take a year. Also, Philippine football has produced world-class players as far back as the 1920s — one player, in fact, made it all the way to FC Barcelona!

I stumbled upon these fascinating bits of information from two sources on the history of Philippine football. The first is an article from a brittle copy of the National Almanac and Guide of the Philippine Islands published by Puya and Minton in Manila in 1926, and the other source is the Internet. I typed in “famous Filipino football player” and got the name of Paulino Alcantara from several sources. Alcantara is a product of a Spanish father and an Ilongga mother and is considered one of FC Barcelona’s greatest players.

A Game Played By Half-Mad Foreigners

The article from the almanac section on sports was headlined “A history of soccer football in the Philippine” and was written by Ignacio De Ycaza. He paints a colorful picture of the sport’s progress in the first quarter of the 20th century. I excerpt freely:

“Soccer football was introduced in the Philippines by English sportsmen, members of the Manila Club, two or three years before Dewey fought the battle of Manila Bay (this puts the introduction of football to around 1895). This sport was at first looked upon with a great deal of suspicion by the Filipinos, who considered football as the gamboling of half-mad foreigners.

“But a few members of the younger generation, being highly imitative by nature, very soon began to follow, as closely as possible, the principle or fundamental ideas of the game. …As there were not enough players in the entire city to form two regular teams, they were forced to practice by matching the fire forwards against five members of the defensive line of the same team.

“Some boys that had been sent to college in Hong Kong, China, returned home and taught their friends a little bit about the fine game of soccer or association football. (Within) a year more there were two or three embryonic soccer teams in Manila..”

“(Then) the Spanish-American War broke out, and those two or three little football teams were disbanded and scattered to the four points of the compass. The heads of the different families to which these boys belonged decided to abandon the city, either to save themselves and their families from the bombardment they expected at any moment, or to cast their lot with the Filipino troops outside the city limits.”

The First Official Game

Ycaza continues …”When peace reigned again, and the Americans began to inculcate in the Filipinos their love for all athletic games and sports, these first football teams, whose members had by this time passed from childhood into adolescence, were reorganized and trained.”

“Five or six athletic clubs sprang up almost over night. Among them were the Manila Sporting Club, the Paris Club, and the Manila Jockey Club. These organizations specialized in soccer and actually came to play a very creditable game. (On of these was)…the Sandow football team (which) came into existence in 1906 with some promising new players …”

“The first official football match in the Philippines was held in Manila on the 15th of October, 1907, in celebration of the opening of the Philippine Assembly. The trophy for this contest, a beautiful silver cup donated by the Hon.William H. Taft, then Governor-General of these islands, was won by the Sandow team; which developed into developed into the Sandow Athletic Club in 1909, and branched out into further athletic activities.”

More clubs soon followed, narrated Ycaza. “ “In 1910 the Bohemian Sporting Club was organized and began to train football players with such ability that in a couple of years’ time it became one of the most formidable Filipino soccer teams in the islands, and the most dangerous rival of both the English team called the Nomads, and the Sandow Athletic Club.”

The First Championships

Ycaza outline the quick ascent of the game.” “In 1920 the Circulo Social Deportivo was organized and produced a football team which rapidly graduated from the junior to the senior category. It kept persistently at the heels of the Bohemian Sporting Club and almost neck and neck with the Aurora Athletic Club in the race for the annual football championship of the Philippines…”

“To further propagate the love for this fine sport and to regulate the football championship contests, which take place every year among the various athletic clubs of Manila, all the football teams belonging to such clubs within the city limits banded themselves together and organized the Philippine Amateur Football Association. This Association held its first championship in 1921 under the auspices of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation.

“Casino Español showed interest in soccer football and several matches were played between teams of that organization, to select a team from amongst the members of the club . In 1922 the Casino team and made a very good showing although it could not wrest the championship from the Bohemian Club ...”

The First Azkal

One of the first “local” boys mentioned by Ycaza went all the way to the top of the sport. Paulino Alcántara Riestrá was born in Iloilo City on Oct. 7, 1896. The Spanish, English and French were already in Iloilo at the time because of sugar. In all probability Paulino was introduced to the sport before his father moved the family back to Spain after the turn of the century.

According to sources on the Net, “ Alcantara was a Filipino/Spanish footballer who played for FC Galeno, FC Barcelona, Bohemians of Manila, the Philippines and Spain. Alcántara was (and still is on record) the youngest player to play and score for FC Barcelona in a competitive game. He played for the club between 1912 and 1927, scoring 357 goals in as many matches and remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.”

According to the site All Thigs Pinoy, “Alcántara was the first Asian-born footballer to play for a European club and will go down in history as the greatest Filipino footballer of all time.” The site reports, “He grew up in Barcelona and initially played for FC Galeno before he was soon spotted by Joan Gamper and signed up for FC Barcelona. He made his senior debut at the age of 15 years, four months and 18 days on Feb. 25, 1912 against Catalá SC in the Championat de Catalunya. FC Barcelona won 9-0, and Alcántara scored the first three goals of that match. He went on to help the club win a Copa del ReyChampionat de Catalunya double in 1913 and a Championat de Catalunya in 1916.”

Alcantara’s fascinating story continues, “In 1916 Alcántara’s parents returned to the Philippines and took their son with them. There he continued his studies in medicine (probably the UP or the UST) and played for Bohemians of Manila. He was selected to play for the Philippine national football team in 1917 to represent the country in the Tokyo Far Eastern Championship Games, where he would lead the country to a 15-2 demolition of host country Japan. He also represented the Philippines at table tennis. Meanwhile, FC Barcelona had failed to win a major trophy in his absence and the club pleaded in vain with his parents to allow him to return to Spain. However, he contracted malaria in 1917 and apparently refused to take the prescribed medication until he was allowed to go back.”

International Play And Retirement

“After returning to Spain with FC Barcelona …the club reached the Copa del Rey final but lost 5-2 to Arenas Club de Getxo. In 1920 the club won another Copa del Rey/Championat de Catalunya double with Alcántara scoring in the 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa final. …This marked the beginning of one of the clubs golden eras and saw them dominating both the Championat de Catalunya and Copa del Rey. …He retired from active play at the age of 31 and became a doctor. On July 5, 1927, FC Barcelona played against Spain in a testimonial in his honour. He later served as Barca’s club director from 1931 to 1934.

“In 1920, Alcántara, Zamora, Samitier and Sesúmaga were all chosen to represent Spain at the Olympic Games that year. However, Alcántara chose to stay at home to take his final medical exams. He eventually made five appearances and scored six goals for Spain between 1921 and 1923. He made his international debut on Oct. 7, 1921 at the age of 25 against and scored both goals in a 2-0 win.”

Alcantara retired from the sport a few years later apparently to practice medicine. The site says he came back to the club in the ’50s and to the service of Spanish football, “In 1951 Alcántara was one of three selectors, along with Félix Quesada and Luís Iceta, that coached Spain for three games against Switerland, Belgium and Sweden.” Alcantara passed away in 1964.


Future Azkals

It should be suggested to Senator Frank Drilon that Alcantara be made a provincial hero of Iloilo. I am helping the good senator with a design for the Iloilo River esplanade — a possible venue for a memorial, although a world-class stadium would be more appropriate.

I started playing football in the ’60s because it was the default game over at Don Bosco. Those Italian (Salesian) fathers and brothers played a mean game — even in their sotanas! My classmate was Bert Honasan, who would go on to play for the Philippines and be named Mr. Football of 1977. I was not as good but still played it all the way up to college intramurals for the College of Architecture at UP Diliman (Bert was our coach).

Philippine football lost its steal in the ’80s and ’90s. The Nomad and Ugarte fields were the urban venues but Ugarte disappeared in the early Eighties. The lack of venues is part of the problem but mostly it was this unexplainable fascination for basketball.

Our youngest Juancho now plays for his school, Keys, and they join others in the 8-10 year group. He is a striker and I’ve seen him make a couple of great goals. All the kids are a sight to see, fearless and inspired. They all now want to be Azkals. Who can blame them? And who knows, among them may be the next Younghusband or even the next Alcantara.

Azkals’ Caligdong inspires young football players

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Azkals footballer Chieffy Caligdong cheered on young football players competing in a tournament held in his home town of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo.

The tournament was participated by children 11 years old and below.

“Ang mabibigay ko na advice, i-enjoy lang nila [ang laro],” said Caligdong, one of the full-blooded Filipino players in the Azkals’ line-up.

Caligdong, who is best remembered for his “nutmeg” goal during the Challenge Cup qualifying tie against Mongolia last February, is one of the local heroes of football crazy Barotac Nuevo.

The 28-year-old Ilonggo, who also plays as a left winger for the Philippine Air Force football club, told the aspiring football players that they also need to be diligent to succeed in the sport.

“Dapat may dedication sa sport at mag training ng mabuti,” he said.

Caligdong and the rest of the Azkals are on a month-long vacation following their successful stint in the Challenge Cup group stage in Myanmar.

The team will regroup again in May to prepare for their World Cup qualifying tie against Sri Lanka on June 29. – With a report from Kenneth Ladigohon, ABS-CBN Iloilo

No free tickets in Azkals home match vs Sri Lanka

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - Bad news for Azkals fans: there will be no free tickets in the Philippine football team's home match against Sri Lanka for the FIFA World Cup 2014 first round qualifiers.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) made the announcement on the ASEAN Football Federation's official website on Sunday, saying that it will have to raise funds to cover for the expenses of hosting the event on July 3.

"What is certain is that there won't be any free seating for the public," said PFF president Mariano Araneta, adding, "We don't know if we can get any subsidy from FIFA for the hosting and we have to rent for the said field and shoulder other expenses."

The PFF is considering 2 venues for the home game -- the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila and the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod. It has until April 15 to decide.

Araneta, Azkals team manager Dan Palami and coach Hans Michael Weiss made an ocular inspection of the 77-year-old Rizal Stadium last week. Except for some minor ground repairs, the 3 didn't see any major problems with the venue.

"We might just play there at around 4 p.m., so the lights would not have to be installed," Araneta said.

The Philippine Azkals will attempt to outpace the Sri Lanka Booters in their home and away matches to boost their chances of joining the FIFA World Cup.

They will take on their foreign rivals in Colombo on June 29 for the first leg before the home game on July 3.

Azkals game vs Sri Lanka at Rizal?

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Football Federation announced Friday that it will decide by April 15 which between the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila and the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City will serve as venue for the Philippines’ 2014 World Cup qualifying first-round match against Sri Lanka on July 3.

But after inspecting the Rizal Memorial field, PFF officials appear inclined to hold the match there.

On Thursday, PFF president Mariano Araneta, Azkals team manager Dan Palami and coach Michael Weiss inspected the 77-year-old Rizal Memorial Stadium and made some observations that seemed to favor playing there.

“We might just play there at around 4 p.m. so the lights would not have to be installed,” Araneta said.

But Araneta hastened to add that “There’s no decision yet,” noting that they still have more than one week left before informing the Asian Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur of their decision.
By FRANCIS SANTIAGO - Manila Bulletin

What is certain, he said, is that there won’t be any free-seating for the public in the venue, whether it is in Manila or Bacolod. He said the PFF needs to raise funds to cover for the expenses of hosting the event.

“We don’t know if we can get any subsidy from FIFA (international football federation) for the hosting so kailangan makabawi man lang tayo sa gastos,” Araneta said. “Siyempre we have to rent for the field and shoulder other expenses”.

When the Philippine Azkals beat Mongolia, 2-0, in the first leg of their AFC Challenge Cup pre-qualifier at the Panaad Stadium last Feb. 9, the PFF allocated 10,000 free game tickets for the public.

Meanwhile, Araneta said he is already coordinating with his counterpart in Qatar for the Azkals’ possible training in the Middle East country which is part of their preparation for the home and away World Cup qualifier. Sri Lanka will host the first leg of the first round on June 29 in Colombo.