Azkals Dream Team in the works

PHIL STAR

RANGOON – Watch out for the Azkals Dream Team.

Yes, very soon, the Azkals will come to their full potential, with the possible arrival of more recruits, including Fil-German Stefan Schrock and Fil-Danish Dennis Cagara.

The Azkals are also looking at the Toronto-born De Guzman brothers, Jonathan and Julian, to be part of the team when they vie in the World Cup qualifiers starting in June.

Angel Guirado, the Fil-Spanish hitman, assured the team of his availability, as well as Jerry Lucena, who flashed his own brilliance in three matches here over the week.

Team manager Dan Palami feels like he’s got the final pieces to the puzzle in his hand.

“For the World Cup qualifiers, I’m hoping that we will be able to form our Dream Team,” he said yesterday inside his Yangon Hotel room.

As he talked about the Dream Team, the Azkals were busy packing their things for the trip back home, fresh from their victorious stint in the AFC Challenge Cup group stage here.

With a team beaming with talent and cohesion, the Azkals drew their matches against Myanmar and Palestine before beating Bangladesh, 3-0, to make it to the 2012 Challenge Cup main tournament.

But Palami said the current team is not yet the team he had dreamed of.

“This is just 60 percent of the full potential that I have in mind,” said Palami.

From here, he said the Azkals will get a much-needed break. For a month, they can attend to their families, loved ones, their work or respective football clubs.

But while the players rest, the coaches will be as busy as before.

Palami said the local coaches will be looking out for under-23 talents to be fielded for the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November.

Head coach Michael Weiss, on the other hand, will be flying home to Germany soon, not to rest but to scout for other Fil-foreign talents waiting to be tapped.

Palami said Rob Gier will help Weiss in the scouting.

Team captain Aly Borromeo, Anton del Rosario and Simon Greatwich will leave for the United States to conduct tryouts in the East and West coasts beginning April 8.

“By March 30 we will know who our opponent will be in the World Cup qualifiers,” said Palami.

And by the time the Azkals try to do what’s never been done before, there’s hope that the Dream Team is there to compete.

Palami said dreams come true.