By Paul Masefield, ESPN Star Sports (philstar.com)
SINGAPORE — The first semi-final of this year’s edition of the Suzuki Cup has thrown up a surprise. I have to be honest and say that I didn't think Singapore would top group B and as for the Philippines, to finish runners-up in group A ahead of Vietnam was somewhat of a surprise to me as well.
It means that the first leg of this encounter will be held in Manila. And if you look back over this year and the friendly games played between the two teams, it is a slight advantage to the Azkals.
Just a couple of days before this tournament started, the Azkals beat Singapore 1-0 in Cebu. When a tournament of this magnitude gets to the semi-finals stage, home advantage is everything. This was epitomized when Malaysia took on and defeated Indonesia in front of a packed crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.
The Rizal Memorial Stadium can only hold about 13,000, but I can tell you the stadium will be packed out and the fans will be behind their team.
It's a very close game to call, as for me the Philippines have so far managed to get the job done. It was the gritty 1-0 victory over Vietnam in their second game that set them up to progress to the semi finals. They then looked very comfortable against Myanmar in the final group game and emerged 2 – 0 winners. Their only loss to Thailand was an under par performance but they have grown and got better as the tournament goes.
Their back line is a pretty solid one. They have experience and managed to stop threats that occur throughout the game. Ray Jonsson, Dennis Cagara, Rob Gier and Juan Guirado have proved themselves to be stubborn at the back and can still offer things going forwards. For me the key element to the success of Michael Weiss’ side was the introduction of Jason De Jong in the second game. This tightened them up defensively and also allowed the more attacking players to be even more creative.
Patrick Reichelt has looked promising but out of the most attack-minded players, Angel Guirado has made the biggest impact. He looks comfortable on the ball and works hard for the team. He started the first game but has been used to great effect as a substitute in the last two matches and will be the one to pose a real threat to Singapore. With Phil Younghusband finally opening his scoring account in the tournament, confidence will be high and having already beaten Singapore in that friendly, Philippines will feel that they can do it again.
Singapore though will be no walkover. After the opening victory against Malaysia, it went slightly wrong for Raddy Avramovic and his troops against Indonesia. They managed to restore the balance against Laos, but I do have to say it was very nervy, and after getting the starting line up completely wrong in the final group game, he made two changes before half time that turned the match in favor of the Lions.
The hero in the Singapore team is undoubtedly Sharil Ishak who is currently the leading goal scorer of the competition. He has just become a member of the prestigious 100-cap club and it was a true inspirational performance against Laos. He single handedly turned the game around and once again scored two goals in a game.
With Kharil Amri providing a real threat as well, Singapore will need to have that fighting spirit to overcome the Azkals. The introduction after injury of Shaiful Esah showed that his left foot could help Singapore go all the way to the final. His quality of delivery from wide positions is what helped Singapore piled the goals in the second half against Laos. But while they have threats going forwards, the Lions are usually quite stable at the back. However, they weren’t in the final group game. They will need whoever is going to start for them in defense to really step up and defend for their lives.
The two teams have options especially going forwards, which is why this first game is very hard to call. I do expect Singapore to regroup themselves at the back and make themselves difficult to beat. The Philippines will want to push especially as it’s the first leg and this could leave them slightly open at the back and allow Singapore to score on the counter attack.
For me, this game is too tight to call which is why I think we will have a cagey, tense affair that will end up in a 1 – 1 draw, with all to play for in the second leg.
Former professional footballer Paul Masefield has previously played in England and Asia and is ESPN STAR Sports’ football pundit and commentator. Catch him on the LIVE coverage of the AFF Suzuki Cup when the Philippines takes on Singapore on Saturday 8 Dec on STAR Sports at 7.30pm HKT.
Showing posts with label Team Azkals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Azkals. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2012
Azkals out to protect turf vs Singaporeans tonight
By Cedelf P. Tupas (INQ)
THE ROAD back to the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals was a long and tough one for the Philippines.
The Azkals earned a home match for reaching the Final Four again, one that means so much, having been deprived to host in 2010 because of the lack of a suitable venue.
Determined to rewrite history, the Azkals hope to make the most out of their advantage when they battle three-time champion Singapore in the first leg today of their home-and-away duel at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The second leg is slated Dec. 12 at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, but the Azkals would love nothing more than an edge that will put the Lions under pressure.
The semifinals will be decided on aggregate scores, with the away goals rule used to break the tie.
“We look at this as a 180-minute match,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami. “But we also want to take advantage early.”
Having won the last two meetings with Singapore, both friendly matches, the Azkals are brimming with confidence against the proud and defiant Lions, whose fiery coach Radojko Avramovic reminded the tournament upstart what they are up against.
“I think the Philippines should respect us more because we are three-time champions,” said Avramovic yesterday at the prematch press conference. “We can make them wait two more years to dream of the finals again.”
Coach Michael Weiss fanned the flames of brewing rivalry, saying the Azkals are not just going to give away that opportunity for playing the title easily.
“Why would I respect an opponent only because he has titles in the past? For what?” an apparently piqued Weiss said when sought for comment on Avramovic’s statement.
While Singapore has been a familiar figure in the biggest stage of the tournament, the Philippines continues to fight for recognition. And it’s this thought that has motivated the Azkals even more.
“We will not be complacent,” Palami vowed. “We intend to write our own history. We want to continue making an impact in this tournament.”
Led by captain Shahril Bin Ishak, Singapore will come into the game as the highest-scoring team in the tournament with its attack that has yielded seven goals in three games.
The Lions also have veteran Aleksandar Duric, who has scored twice against the Azkals in their last four meetings.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Azkals likely to miss 3 key aces in semis opener
BY: Written by BONG PEDRALVEZ (MALAYA)
EVEN before returning to Manila shortly after the Philippine Azkals’ successful stint in the AFF Group A tournament in Thailand, German coach Michael Weiss was seen fretting about the availability of three overseas-based players: defenders Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena and striker Angel Guirado.
Cagara, Guirado and Lucena had to return to their respective clubs after playing pivotal roles in the tourney where the Azkals finished second in the group behind host Thailand and advanced to their second straight semifinals against Group A topnotcher Singapore.
The two sides open the home-and-away semifinal series this Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Lucena, brilliant as a midfield maestro in the National’s pivotal 1-0 win over Vietnam, had to return to action for the the Danish Superliga club Esbjerg and was non-committal about his availability for the semis.
Bouncing back from forgettable performances in the 1-2 loss to the War Elephants, Cagara and Guirado were vital cogs in the team’s back-to-back triumphs over Vietnam and Myanmar (2-0), but also had to return to German Third Division club SC Karlsruher and Indian club Salgaocar, respectively.
Cagara stood as the defensive demon of a sturdy Azkal backline that closed down Vietnamese striker Le Coc Vinh and Burmese scoring midfielder Kyi Lin.
The hardworking Guirado set up Chieffy Caligdong’s winning marker against Vietnam and scored in the victory over Myanmar.
Guirado and striker Phil Younghusband, who scored the first goal against Myanmar, have emerged as the team’s one-two scoring punch up front.
“We need to have Lucena, Cagara and Guirado back with us because they will play important roles in our match against Singapore,” Weiss said. “They were vital in our success in Thailand.”
National team liaison officer Ace Bright yesterday said he talking to Guirado and Cagara last night to find out if they would be available for the semifinals against the Lions.
“I will know by tonight (Monday) if they can play on Saturday,” Bright said.
With defender Ray Jonsson sidelined with a torn right quadricep muscle, having Cagara back takes on an even greater importance in the face of the devastating offense of Singapore, which is keen on snapping a three-game losing streak to the Philippines and continue its own quest of entering the finals.
The good news is that Fil-Spanish defender Juani Guirado and Fil-Dutch midfielder Paul Mulders returned with the squad last Saturday and will be available for Saturday’s game.
“Because of his slow recovery from jet lag, Mulder decided to return to Manila with us while Juani has been with us even before we left for Thailand,” Palami said.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Azkals chase record semis vs Tajikistan
By Olmin Leyba - (The Philippine Star)
KATHMANDU – Either the Philippine Azkals book a storied place in the AFC Challenge Cup semifinals or, as in past national teams, be consigned to its dustbin.
The Azkals try to rewrite history as they face 2006 winners Tajikistan in a do-or-die elims match for the second semis berth in Group B at the Halchowk Stadium here.
The Azkals, the obvious underdogs in the Group B competitions that featured champions of the first three editions, stayed in the running for a historic Last 4 appearance by bundling out 2008 titlist India, 2-0, tying Tajikistan at second with three points (1-0-1). Phl XI earlier bowed to defending champion North Korea, 0-2.
“Our goal is still the same – reach the semis – and to do, that we have to beat Tajikistan,” Azkals team manager Dan Palami said on the eve of the crucial match set 3 p.m. at the Halchowk Stadium in this chilly mountain nation (5:15 p.m. in Manila).
The Azkals and the Persian Lions are disputing the second and last semis berth in Group B with the Chollima already in the Last 4 with six points (2-0-0). With the same card and goal difference, Phl and Tajikistan will have to settle the issue via a victory today, a penalty shootout set if they end up with a draw.
“It’s going be a do-or-die. Not the first time we’re in this position and I know the players can pull through with it. I know we have the talent to get to the semis and I just hope we are able to find the rhythm much earlier in the game so that we won’t be as threatened like we were last night,” Palami said, referring to the India game, where the Blue Tigers managed to threaten the defense with some good shots.
The Azkals are on a high after beating India, moving on the brink of a cherished semis slot.
“I hope the team can get confidence from this victory,” said coach Michael Weiss, adding they need to play smart against Tajiskistan. “The smart team in this matchup will succeed to next round.”
The Azkals are in the AFC Challenge Cup Final-8 for the first time ever after hurdling the qualifying playoffs and qualifying group eliminations last year. They look to rewrite history by advancing the semis of the meet, and possibly the championship itself.
“We’re confident,” said ace striker Phil Younghusband, who scored a brace in the win over India, a result the Azkals view as a confidence builder.
“It’s going to be a difficult and tough game. But we have our confidence on the team that we can get a good result and (take) another step in Phl football, a history maker. It’s a big, big deal so we’ll prepare the same we did for the other game,” he added.
Standing in their way is Tajikistan, a team ranked nine notches higher than 156th-ranked Phl. The Persian Lions’ Bosnian coach Kemal Alispahi, through an interpreter, expressed confidence they can overcome the “unsophisticated” Azkals.
“Both team have shown quite a good performance but I believe we’ll be able to beat the Philippines and achieve the result we want,” said Alispahi, only on his 20th day as coach of Tajikistan after leaving Syrian club Al-Ittihad Aleppo.
“I would say Phl team, they’ve not played sophisticated system much but the coach uses what he has actually,” he observed. “The problem which they face is mostly playing defense but in offense they have a couple of good players. Definitely, we could face a lot of problem because of offense but I hope we can manage it.”
Phl custodian Neil Etheridge, who had made a number of fantastic saves against both North Korea and India, expressed confidence on the Azkals’ defense.
“I think the whole back four played well. I was very impressed. I knew coach wants to put Juani (Guirado) in holding midfield and Rob (Gier) back in defense. Rob is a great addition, picking up and knocking, he keeps a great line. Him and (Jason) Sabio are great team because Rob can dictate and tell Sabio where to go. And Sabio’s done really well,” Etheridge said.
“I just wish to improve the midfield. At points, we got a lot better, we kept the ball a lot better. Still at times we looked for pass that wasn’t really on or a pass that’s no 100 percent (precise),” he added.
Palami said their chances look good.
“We just have to play our game but establish the rhythm much earlier on so that we’re able to convert our chances and can create opportunities for the team. Our defense has been holding very well against other teams so far, even against North Korea. It will be tested again tomorrow (today) but hopefully our offensive threat can be converted into actual goals,” he said.
KATHMANDU – Either the Philippine Azkals book a storied place in the AFC Challenge Cup semifinals or, as in past national teams, be consigned to its dustbin.
The Azkals try to rewrite history as they face 2006 winners Tajikistan in a do-or-die elims match for the second semis berth in Group B at the Halchowk Stadium here.
The Azkals, the obvious underdogs in the Group B competitions that featured champions of the first three editions, stayed in the running for a historic Last 4 appearance by bundling out 2008 titlist India, 2-0, tying Tajikistan at second with three points (1-0-1). Phl XI earlier bowed to defending champion North Korea, 0-2.
“Our goal is still the same – reach the semis – and to do, that we have to beat Tajikistan,” Azkals team manager Dan Palami said on the eve of the crucial match set 3 p.m. at the Halchowk Stadium in this chilly mountain nation (5:15 p.m. in Manila).
The Azkals and the Persian Lions are disputing the second and last semis berth in Group B with the Chollima already in the Last 4 with six points (2-0-0). With the same card and goal difference, Phl and Tajikistan will have to settle the issue via a victory today, a penalty shootout set if they end up with a draw.
“It’s going be a do-or-die. Not the first time we’re in this position and I know the players can pull through with it. I know we have the talent to get to the semis and I just hope we are able to find the rhythm much earlier in the game so that we won’t be as threatened like we were last night,” Palami said, referring to the India game, where the Blue Tigers managed to threaten the defense with some good shots.
The Azkals are on a high after beating India, moving on the brink of a cherished semis slot.
“I hope the team can get confidence from this victory,” said coach Michael Weiss, adding they need to play smart against Tajiskistan. “The smart team in this matchup will succeed to next round.”
The Azkals are in the AFC Challenge Cup Final-8 for the first time ever after hurdling the qualifying playoffs and qualifying group eliminations last year. They look to rewrite history by advancing the semis of the meet, and possibly the championship itself.
“We’re confident,” said ace striker Phil Younghusband, who scored a brace in the win over India, a result the Azkals view as a confidence builder.
“It’s going to be a difficult and tough game. But we have our confidence on the team that we can get a good result and (take) another step in Phl football, a history maker. It’s a big, big deal so we’ll prepare the same we did for the other game,” he added.
Standing in their way is Tajikistan, a team ranked nine notches higher than 156th-ranked Phl. The Persian Lions’ Bosnian coach Kemal Alispahi, through an interpreter, expressed confidence they can overcome the “unsophisticated” Azkals.
“Both team have shown quite a good performance but I believe we’ll be able to beat the Philippines and achieve the result we want,” said Alispahi, only on his 20th day as coach of Tajikistan after leaving Syrian club Al-Ittihad Aleppo.
“I would say Phl team, they’ve not played sophisticated system much but the coach uses what he has actually,” he observed. “The problem which they face is mostly playing defense but in offense they have a couple of good players. Definitely, we could face a lot of problem because of offense but I hope we can manage it.”
Phl custodian Neil Etheridge, who had made a number of fantastic saves against both North Korea and India, expressed confidence on the Azkals’ defense.
“I think the whole back four played well. I was very impressed. I knew coach wants to put Juani (Guirado) in holding midfield and Rob (Gier) back in defense. Rob is a great addition, picking up and knocking, he keeps a great line. Him and (Jason) Sabio are great team because Rob can dictate and tell Sabio where to go. And Sabio’s done really well,” Etheridge said.
“I just wish to improve the midfield. At points, we got a lot better, we kept the ball a lot better. Still at times we looked for pass that wasn’t really on or a pass that’s no 100 percent (precise),” he added.
Palami said their chances look good.
“We just have to play our game but establish the rhythm much earlier on so that we’re able to convert our chances and can create opportunities for the team. Our defense has been holding very well against other teams so far, even against North Korea. It will be tested again tomorrow (today) but hopefully our offensive threat can be converted into actual goals,” he said.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Azkals blank Indians, boost semis bid
By Olmin Leyba - (The Philippine Star)
The Philippine Azkals pounced on their best chance for a victory in the AFC Challenge Cup group stages, gaining from Phil Younghusband’s brace in a 2-0 conquest of India to boost their semis bid last night at the Dashrath Stadium.
Younghusband struck off a throw-in by Jason Sabio in the 10th minute and fired a looper off a feed from brother James in the 73rd as the Azkals (3 points on 1-0-1) forced a virtual KO match with Tajikistan (3 points, 1-0-1) for the second semis berth in Group B.
Defending champion North Korea took the first seat to the semifinals after thumping Tajikistan, 2-0, for six points on 2-0-0, over at the Halchowk Stadium in the Bagmati Zone.
“I’m very, very happy with the result although I feel we can play much, much better,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss, who took the W on his 52nd birthday.
The Azkals will gun for a dreamed-about Last-4 berth tomorrow as they cap their eliminations campaign against 2006 titlist Tajikistan.
“We are in the same position (with Tajikistan) and it might come to a shootout. So we have to be very careful and play smart against them,” said Weiss.
“I think we’ll have slight psychological advantage because Tajikistan came off a very challenging match (in a loss to North Korea) while we’re coming off a win (over India),” he added.
Working in tandem with teammates in two crucial sequences, Younghusband scored his 19th and 20th international goal for Phl in a morale-boosting triumph over the 2008 winners but currently rebuilding Blue Tigers.
“Fantastic, cool in front of the goal. That’s how we want him to be,” said Weiss of Younghusband.
It all started when Jason Sabio set up the first goal with a monster delivery that Younghusband wasted no time finishing.
Finding the ball in his area, Younghusband gamely rolled it in past Karanjit Singh, then danced into the sidelines as cheers from over 100 Filipinos engulfed the 56-year-old stadium surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
The star striker struck and danced anew in the 73rd after finishing a sequence started by Misagh Bahadoran from the left to his brother James, who gave a backpass that Phil made good on.
Weiss said a key adjustment in putting veteran defender Rob Gier in the back and Juani Guirado and Paul Mulders at holding midfield helped the Azkals’ cause.
Notes: Azkals coach Michael Weiss was presented with a mini-cake by the team in celebration of his 52nd birthday yesterday. Asked about his birthday wish, Weiss said: “You know what I want - to win the AFC Challenge Cup.”. If only that’s something the Azkals can get from a gift shop... Left in Manila as he’s still yet to fully recover from ACL, Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo is ding rah-rah for his teammates via social media. “Game day! Leave everything on that pitch today and take it to em boys!” he twitted on the day the Azkals faced a must-win situation against India. Borromeo is working as special analyst for Studio 23’s coverage of Phl XI’s campaign. “Sucks being injured and not playing but commentating with @bhobg333 (Bob Guerrero) is the closest I can get to being with the boys!”...To this day, Lydia de Vega still enjoys legend status in India. An Indian journalist asked about de Vega’s present whereabouts, recalling her exploits in the tracks and rivalry with Indian sprint queen PT Usha in the 1980s.
The Philippine Azkals pounced on their best chance for a victory in the AFC Challenge Cup group stages, gaining from Phil Younghusband’s brace in a 2-0 conquest of India to boost their semis bid last night at the Dashrath Stadium.
Younghusband struck off a throw-in by Jason Sabio in the 10th minute and fired a looper off a feed from brother James in the 73rd as the Azkals (3 points on 1-0-1) forced a virtual KO match with Tajikistan (3 points, 1-0-1) for the second semis berth in Group B.
Defending champion North Korea took the first seat to the semifinals after thumping Tajikistan, 2-0, for six points on 2-0-0, over at the Halchowk Stadium in the Bagmati Zone.
“I’m very, very happy with the result although I feel we can play much, much better,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss, who took the W on his 52nd birthday.
The Azkals will gun for a dreamed-about Last-4 berth tomorrow as they cap their eliminations campaign against 2006 titlist Tajikistan.
“We are in the same position (with Tajikistan) and it might come to a shootout. So we have to be very careful and play smart against them,” said Weiss.
“I think we’ll have slight psychological advantage because Tajikistan came off a very challenging match (in a loss to North Korea) while we’re coming off a win (over India),” he added.
Working in tandem with teammates in two crucial sequences, Younghusband scored his 19th and 20th international goal for Phl in a morale-boosting triumph over the 2008 winners but currently rebuilding Blue Tigers.
“Fantastic, cool in front of the goal. That’s how we want him to be,” said Weiss of Younghusband.
It all started when Jason Sabio set up the first goal with a monster delivery that Younghusband wasted no time finishing.
Finding the ball in his area, Younghusband gamely rolled it in past Karanjit Singh, then danced into the sidelines as cheers from over 100 Filipinos engulfed the 56-year-old stadium surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
The star striker struck and danced anew in the 73rd after finishing a sequence started by Misagh Bahadoran from the left to his brother James, who gave a backpass that Phil made good on.
Weiss said a key adjustment in putting veteran defender Rob Gier in the back and Juani Guirado and Paul Mulders at holding midfield helped the Azkals’ cause.
Notes: Azkals coach Michael Weiss was presented with a mini-cake by the team in celebration of his 52nd birthday yesterday. Asked about his birthday wish, Weiss said: “You know what I want - to win the AFC Challenge Cup.”. If only that’s something the Azkals can get from a gift shop... Left in Manila as he’s still yet to fully recover from ACL, Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo is ding rah-rah for his teammates via social media. “Game day! Leave everything on that pitch today and take it to em boys!” he twitted on the day the Azkals faced a must-win situation against India. Borromeo is working as special analyst for Studio 23’s coverage of Phl XI’s campaign. “Sucks being injured and not playing but commentating with @bhobg333 (Bob Guerrero) is the closest I can get to being with the boys!”...To this day, Lydia de Vega still enjoys legend status in India. An Indian journalist asked about de Vega’s present whereabouts, recalling her exploits in the tracks and rivalry with Indian sprint queen PT Usha in the 1980s.
Phil Younghusband scores two, Etheridge shines as Azkals shut out India Phil Younghusband scores two, Etheridge shines as Azkals shut out India
ROY MOORE - AMD/HS, GMA News
In Katmandu, Nepal, the Azkals overcame the distraction of a raging sexual harassment controversy involving the daughter of a former Philippine president to boot India out of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup and advance to a do-or-die match against favored Tajikistan.
Phil Younghusband provided a poweful demonstration of the Azkals' "brother act."
The younger of the ballyhooed English-Filipino sibling duo scored on both sides of halftime in the Azkals' 2-0 win over India, Sunday at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu. Both goals were assisted by his Kuya James.
Now the Philippines and Tajikistan will compete for the second spot in the group to reach the semifinals. After beating India 2-0, Tajikistan lost to North Korea 2-0, the same scoreline as the Azkals. North Korea has won the group, whatever happens between them and India, while Tajikistan and the Philippines have exactly the same results against India and North Korea, crafting a do-or-die moment between the two countries on March 13.
A win for either nation would put them through while a draw would see both countries finish with four points. As they would end with the same goal difference too, the game would be decided by penalties and whoever advances will likely face the winner of Group A’s clash between Palestine and the Maldives.
The AFC Challenge Cup is known as a tournament for lower-ranked Asian national teams. Thus, traditional powerhouses Japan, South Korea, and China are not playing. The Philippines is ranked 156 by FIFA, India is at 158, and Tajikistan at 145. Defending champion North Korea is currently 111, while it's arch-enemy South Korea is at 30.
Phil's goals for the Philippines
The Philippines took control of the India match in the 10th minute with a Jason Sabio long throw being flicked on by James Younghusband to his brother Phil, who found the back of the net.
The trick was almost repeated soon after when Sabio threw in another long ball, and it fell kindly for Phil Younghusband but he blasted it this time. Usually playing on the wings for the Philippines, Chieffy Caligdong returned to the starting lineup in a more central role for the Azkals, as he fashioned the next chance.
Playing a great through ball for Phil Younghusband, the Loyola Meralco Sparks forward in the UFL raced onto the ball. Pitted against Karanjit Singh in the India goal, Younghusband shot low, the Indian goalkeeper pulled off a great save with his legs, knocking the ball wide. However, the referee didn’t see it and gave a goal kick instead of a corner.
India, meanwhile, looked a bit sluggish and couldn’t find their rhythm. Their best chance of the half came when Joaquim Abranches was found with a nice pass and he turned and shot at goal from the edge of the area. It was too close to Etheridge in goal though, and the Fulham keeper held the shot, mopping up all of India’s other chances afterwards.
In the second half, India started brighter and began passing the ball well, looking for quick attacks. Both sides though seemed to threaten most from the long throws, with Sabio and his Indian counterpart taking on a big role.
India’s best chance then fell just after the hour mark when a free-kick close to the Azkals’ area on the left wing was curled in. Joaquim Abranches glanced a header at goal but it just went wide.
Shortly afterwards the Azkals threatened with Misagh Bahadoran, who came on to protect the still-recovering Chieffy Caligdong, crossing for James Younghusband who controlled the ball but fired over from just inside the area. Minutes later, Paul Mulders went on a long surging run and ended up in India’s box from an acute angle, but he could only blast over as well.
The Azkals made the pressure count moments later when the Younghusband brothers combined again, playing a one-two which sent Phil Younghusband in on goal. Phil faced an acute angle but slotted into the top corner to double the Azkals’ lead in the 72nd minute, also becoming the joint-top tournament scorer at the same time with his brace.
Angel Guirado could have sent the Philippines further ahead when he was found on the edge of the area but his low shot was parried by the Indian goalkeeper before his next shot was deflected for a corner.
India almost pulled a goal back in the 87th minute when captain Sunil Chettri was fed a cut back from the right wing after the Indian winger beat his man. Chettri could only fire with the goal gaping though and the move summed up India’s campaign in the Challenge Cup as they limped out of the competition. The Azkals saw the game out to record their first ever win the final stage of the Challenge Cup to set up an all or nothing clash with Tajikistan.
It will be a tall order for the Philippines to draw or beat Tajikistan, a side that recently drew with North Korea 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier. The Central Asian side is eleven places above the Philippines (156) in the latest FIFA rankings at 145 in the world.
In Katmandu, Nepal, the Azkals overcame the distraction of a raging sexual harassment controversy involving the daughter of a former Philippine president to boot India out of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup and advance to a do-or-die match against favored Tajikistan.
Phil Younghusband provided a poweful demonstration of the Azkals' "brother act."
The younger of the ballyhooed English-Filipino sibling duo scored on both sides of halftime in the Azkals' 2-0 win over India, Sunday at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu. Both goals were assisted by his Kuya James.
Now the Philippines and Tajikistan will compete for the second spot in the group to reach the semifinals. After beating India 2-0, Tajikistan lost to North Korea 2-0, the same scoreline as the Azkals. North Korea has won the group, whatever happens between them and India, while Tajikistan and the Philippines have exactly the same results against India and North Korea, crafting a do-or-die moment between the two countries on March 13.
A win for either nation would put them through while a draw would see both countries finish with four points. As they would end with the same goal difference too, the game would be decided by penalties and whoever advances will likely face the winner of Group A’s clash between Palestine and the Maldives.
The AFC Challenge Cup is known as a tournament for lower-ranked Asian national teams. Thus, traditional powerhouses Japan, South Korea, and China are not playing. The Philippines is ranked 156 by FIFA, India is at 158, and Tajikistan at 145. Defending champion North Korea is currently 111, while it's arch-enemy South Korea is at 30.
Phil's goals for the Philippines
The Philippines took control of the India match in the 10th minute with a Jason Sabio long throw being flicked on by James Younghusband to his brother Phil, who found the back of the net.
The trick was almost repeated soon after when Sabio threw in another long ball, and it fell kindly for Phil Younghusband but he blasted it this time. Usually playing on the wings for the Philippines, Chieffy Caligdong returned to the starting lineup in a more central role for the Azkals, as he fashioned the next chance.
Playing a great through ball for Phil Younghusband, the Loyola Meralco Sparks forward in the UFL raced onto the ball. Pitted against Karanjit Singh in the India goal, Younghusband shot low, the Indian goalkeeper pulled off a great save with his legs, knocking the ball wide. However, the referee didn’t see it and gave a goal kick instead of a corner.
India, meanwhile, looked a bit sluggish and couldn’t find their rhythm. Their best chance of the half came when Joaquim Abranches was found with a nice pass and he turned and shot at goal from the edge of the area. It was too close to Etheridge in goal though, and the Fulham keeper held the shot, mopping up all of India’s other chances afterwards.
In the second half, India started brighter and began passing the ball well, looking for quick attacks. Both sides though seemed to threaten most from the long throws, with Sabio and his Indian counterpart taking on a big role.
India’s best chance then fell just after the hour mark when a free-kick close to the Azkals’ area on the left wing was curled in. Joaquim Abranches glanced a header at goal but it just went wide.
Shortly afterwards the Azkals threatened with Misagh Bahadoran, who came on to protect the still-recovering Chieffy Caligdong, crossing for James Younghusband who controlled the ball but fired over from just inside the area. Minutes later, Paul Mulders went on a long surging run and ended up in India’s box from an acute angle, but he could only blast over as well.
The Azkals made the pressure count moments later when the Younghusband brothers combined again, playing a one-two which sent Phil Younghusband in on goal. Phil faced an acute angle but slotted into the top corner to double the Azkals’ lead in the 72nd minute, also becoming the joint-top tournament scorer at the same time with his brace.
Angel Guirado could have sent the Philippines further ahead when he was found on the edge of the area but his low shot was parried by the Indian goalkeeper before his next shot was deflected for a corner.
India almost pulled a goal back in the 87th minute when captain Sunil Chettri was fed a cut back from the right wing after the Indian winger beat his man. Chettri could only fire with the goal gaping though and the move summed up India’s campaign in the Challenge Cup as they limped out of the competition. The Azkals saw the game out to record their first ever win the final stage of the Challenge Cup to set up an all or nothing clash with Tajikistan.
It will be a tall order for the Philippines to draw or beat Tajikistan, a side that recently drew with North Korea 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier. The Central Asian side is eleven places above the Philippines (156) in the latest FIFA rankings at 145 in the world.
Full-strength Azkals still a dream
By Cedelf P. Tupas - Philippine Daily Inquirer
KATHMANDU—The Philippines still longs for the day when it will have all the best available talent in the team for a major tournament.
It didn’t happen here at the AFC Challenge Cup in this laidback city in the Himalayas. And team manager Dan Palami fears it may not happen soon.
The Azkals were scheduled to play against a tough India side last night at the Dashrath Stadium, hoping to keep their semifinal hopes alive after dropping their first assignment against North Korea, 0-2.
“Up to now, that has always been the biggest challenge,” said Palami of getting the likes of standouts Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara released from their respective foreign clubs to don the country’s colors.
“The players are actually willing to play, but the clubs will not let them,” said Palami, who remains hopeful that the Europe-based standouts will suit up for the next major tournament, the Suzuki Cup, late this year.
Schrock, who scored a memorable goal in the 1-3 home loss against Kuwait in the World Cup Qualifier, is one of the stars of Greuther Furth in the German second division.
The team is in a good position to vie for promotion to the prestigious Bundesliga and also made the semifinals of the German Cup.
Lucena is attached with Danish club Aarhus, which told the Philippine Football Federation in early February that they will not release the midfielder for the Challenge Cup.
Cagara recently signed with FSV Frankfurt, making his debut for the German second division club last Saturday.
Striker Denis Wolf plays in the fourth division in Germany and, although he could have been available for this tournament, he wasn’t able to participate because he didn’t get his Philippine passport before the deadline.
Clubs are only inclined to release players for Fifa international dates, and the Challenge Cup does not fall in the calendar.
Neil Etheridge of Fulham and Paul Mulders of ADO Den Haag in the Dutch first division were released for the tournament, boosting the Azkals’ artillery.
“The significance (of our tournaments) is sometimes lost in the clubs,” said Palami. “But we are taking steps so that they will be able to join tournaments that are actually in the Fifa calendar.
“We just have to resort to getting on the good side of the clubs to release players.”
Because of this problem, Palami said it is important to form a strong local-based core.
“We always have to work on the assumption that they are not coming (for major tournaments),” he said.
Another option is to convince Filipino players based abroad to play in the United Football League.
Palami signed up Rob Gier and the Spanish trio of Juan Luis Guirado, Angel Guirado and Carli de Murga to his UFL club, Global FC, so it can spend more time training with the national team.
“It’s difficult to absorb the costs,” Palami said. “I talked to (UFL chair) Santi (Araneta) about distributing the (European-based) players to different clubs so it would be easier for us to gather the core together.”
KATHMANDU—The Philippines still longs for the day when it will have all the best available talent in the team for a major tournament.
It didn’t happen here at the AFC Challenge Cup in this laidback city in the Himalayas. And team manager Dan Palami fears it may not happen soon.
The Azkals were scheduled to play against a tough India side last night at the Dashrath Stadium, hoping to keep their semifinal hopes alive after dropping their first assignment against North Korea, 0-2.
“Up to now, that has always been the biggest challenge,” said Palami of getting the likes of standouts Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara released from their respective foreign clubs to don the country’s colors.
“The players are actually willing to play, but the clubs will not let them,” said Palami, who remains hopeful that the Europe-based standouts will suit up for the next major tournament, the Suzuki Cup, late this year.
Schrock, who scored a memorable goal in the 1-3 home loss against Kuwait in the World Cup Qualifier, is one of the stars of Greuther Furth in the German second division.
The team is in a good position to vie for promotion to the prestigious Bundesliga and also made the semifinals of the German Cup.
Lucena is attached with Danish club Aarhus, which told the Philippine Football Federation in early February that they will not release the midfielder for the Challenge Cup.
Cagara recently signed with FSV Frankfurt, making his debut for the German second division club last Saturday.
Striker Denis Wolf plays in the fourth division in Germany and, although he could have been available for this tournament, he wasn’t able to participate because he didn’t get his Philippine passport before the deadline.
Clubs are only inclined to release players for Fifa international dates, and the Challenge Cup does not fall in the calendar.
Neil Etheridge of Fulham and Paul Mulders of ADO Den Haag in the Dutch first division were released for the tournament, boosting the Azkals’ artillery.
“The significance (of our tournaments) is sometimes lost in the clubs,” said Palami. “But we are taking steps so that they will be able to join tournaments that are actually in the Fifa calendar.
“We just have to resort to getting on the good side of the clubs to release players.”
Because of this problem, Palami said it is important to form a strong local-based core.
“We always have to work on the assumption that they are not coming (for major tournaments),” he said.
Another option is to convince Filipino players based abroad to play in the United Football League.
Palami signed up Rob Gier and the Spanish trio of Juan Luis Guirado, Angel Guirado and Carli de Murga to his UFL club, Global FC, so it can spend more time training with the national team.
“It’s difficult to absorb the costs,” Palami said. “I talked to (UFL chair) Santi (Araneta) about distributing the (European-based) players to different clubs so it would be easier for us to gather the core together.”
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Philippine Azkals improve ranking to 156
ABS-CBNnews.com
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals improved their rank a notch higher in the latest FIFA world rankings.
The Azkals are now ranked No. 156, which is an improvement from their No. 157 rank last January.
They accumulated a total of 139 points and are ranked ahead of No. 157 Bangladesh (138 points).
Spain remained on the No. 1 spot with a total of 1566 points.
The Azkals’ recent 3-1 victory over Qatar professional football club Al Ahli may have hiked the Nationals’ standing in the FIFA list.
The Filipino squad are currently training in Dubai as part of their preparations for the 2012 Challenge Cup this coming March.
They are set to face Australia’s Qantas Under-23 team in a friendly match on Thursday.
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals improved their rank a notch higher in the latest FIFA world rankings.
The Azkals are now ranked No. 156, which is an improvement from their No. 157 rank last January.
They accumulated a total of 139 points and are ranked ahead of No. 157 Bangladesh (138 points).
Spain remained on the No. 1 spot with a total of 1566 points.
The Azkals’ recent 3-1 victory over Qatar professional football club Al Ahli may have hiked the Nationals’ standing in the FIFA list.
The Filipino squad are currently training in Dubai as part of their preparations for the 2012 Challenge Cup this coming March.
They are set to face Australia’s Qantas Under-23 team in a friendly match on Thursday.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Things looking up for Azkals - Weiss
By Olmin Leyba, The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - Unlike the last time when his wards took a beating from a high-profile visiting club, coach Michael Weiss was in a much better mood after Azkals United's 2-4 loss on penalties to Korean third division club Icheon Citizen FC.
The German mentor sees positive things from the game, particularly how the young turks and new faces played and ably filled in for the veteran Azkals who were unavailable for Saturday night’s KIA Rio Cup charity match at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
One was Fil-Italian Marwin Angeles, a member of the Under-23 SEA Games team who came in as sub and delivered the equalizer for an Azkals United side that was firing blanks most of the way.
Angeles found the back of the net off a corner by Misagh Bahadoran, himself an Azkal senior who usually lurks under the shadows of the more illustrious booters like the Younghusband brothers, at the 89th minute, forcing the 1-1 tie after regulation and the ensuing shootout that eventually went Icheon's way.
"I'm happy that Marwin took the opportunity to show what he's already, in some parts shown in Indonesia during our unsuccessful (Southeast Asian Games) campaign but I think the good proof that we've done good work even if we didn't get the results (there) is that we got a pool of young, interesting players," said Weiss.
Weiss used a practically different starting 11 that included U-23 mainstay Jerry Barbaso who hooked up with seasoned Fil-British Rob Gier in defense, and seldom-used Nestorio Margarse and Roel Gener.
He also tried a fresh recruit in Fil-German Denis Wolf who made a good impression playing up front with regulars Ian Araneta, Angel Guirado and Chieffy Caligdong along with second stringer Bahadoran.
"The team showed good spirits; no negative gestures, no negative movements in the face, stuff like that which happens sometimes in the seniors team. We should show this tape to some of the senior players and show them how a team can work, how fantastic a team can help each other and show very nice fighting attitude and never-say-die spirit," he said.
The last time Weiss called the shots for the Azkals, the hosts got sideswiped by David Beckham and LA Galaxy, 1-6, last December, their fall hastened by what he felt was lack of full concentration from his starstruck crew.
It seems Weiss liked this unit so much he considers bringing some of them along to Dubai for the Azkals' training camp next month and possibly the AFC Challenge Cup itself in Nepal in March.
"Honestly, I was a little bit worried ahead of the game because our preparations were close to zero. But I'm extremely proud of this team, who performed (up to par) against a good opponent," he said.
"Most of these players will get a reward, we'll be taking them to the camp in Dubai and we'll give them another exposure. It might be a case of only a few of the (Europe-based) professionals being able to come to the Challenge Cup so we'll likely rely on our homegrown players and support them," he added.
The Azkals have started training for the Challenge Cup but club commitments here have limited the nationals' time for sessions under Weiss.
"With this preparation, I'm a little bit worried with the results in the Challenge Cup, it will be very difficult. We as a team, we showed today that we’re always trying our best."
MANILA, Philippines - Unlike the last time when his wards took a beating from a high-profile visiting club, coach Michael Weiss was in a much better mood after Azkals United's 2-4 loss on penalties to Korean third division club Icheon Citizen FC.
The German mentor sees positive things from the game, particularly how the young turks and new faces played and ably filled in for the veteran Azkals who were unavailable for Saturday night’s KIA Rio Cup charity match at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
One was Fil-Italian Marwin Angeles, a member of the Under-23 SEA Games team who came in as sub and delivered the equalizer for an Azkals United side that was firing blanks most of the way.
Angeles found the back of the net off a corner by Misagh Bahadoran, himself an Azkal senior who usually lurks under the shadows of the more illustrious booters like the Younghusband brothers, at the 89th minute, forcing the 1-1 tie after regulation and the ensuing shootout that eventually went Icheon's way.
"I'm happy that Marwin took the opportunity to show what he's already, in some parts shown in Indonesia during our unsuccessful (Southeast Asian Games) campaign but I think the good proof that we've done good work even if we didn't get the results (there) is that we got a pool of young, interesting players," said Weiss.
Weiss used a practically different starting 11 that included U-23 mainstay Jerry Barbaso who hooked up with seasoned Fil-British Rob Gier in defense, and seldom-used Nestorio Margarse and Roel Gener.
He also tried a fresh recruit in Fil-German Denis Wolf who made a good impression playing up front with regulars Ian Araneta, Angel Guirado and Chieffy Caligdong along with second stringer Bahadoran.
"The team showed good spirits; no negative gestures, no negative movements in the face, stuff like that which happens sometimes in the seniors team. We should show this tape to some of the senior players and show them how a team can work, how fantastic a team can help each other and show very nice fighting attitude and never-say-die spirit," he said.
The last time Weiss called the shots for the Azkals, the hosts got sideswiped by David Beckham and LA Galaxy, 1-6, last December, their fall hastened by what he felt was lack of full concentration from his starstruck crew.
It seems Weiss liked this unit so much he considers bringing some of them along to Dubai for the Azkals' training camp next month and possibly the AFC Challenge Cup itself in Nepal in March.
"Honestly, I was a little bit worried ahead of the game because our preparations were close to zero. But I'm extremely proud of this team, who performed (up to par) against a good opponent," he said.
"Most of these players will get a reward, we'll be taking them to the camp in Dubai and we'll give them another exposure. It might be a case of only a few of the (Europe-based) professionals being able to come to the Challenge Cup so we'll likely rely on our homegrown players and support them," he added.
The Azkals have started training for the Challenge Cup but club commitments here have limited the nationals' time for sessions under Weiss.
"With this preparation, I'm a little bit worried with the results in the Challenge Cup, it will be very difficult. We as a team, we showed today that we’re always trying our best."
Monday, December 5, 2011
From Vietnam to the Galaxy
By Sid Ventura | Sportsaholic
A year ago today, the Philippine football renaissance began.
It was on this day in 2010 that the Philippine Azkals sent shock waves across the Southeast Asian football landscape by upsetting heavily favored Vietnam, 2-0, in the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, a big win that sparked renewed interest in football in the country. The result was so big it eventually made SI.com's yearend list of the 10 biggest football stories of 2010.
The 365 days that followed took the Azkals on a magic carpet ride and carried them and the sport to unprecedented heights. Suddenly, kids wanted to be like Younghusband or Caligdong. Fans lined up to watch the Azkals play Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Kuwait. Azkals jerseys became hot commodities as the names on their backs became celebrities. Filipino football players becoming celebrity endorsers? What was the world coming to?
But no one could have foreseen that it would all culminate in a match against David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and the rest of the 2011 MLS champions LA Galaxy.
As Caligdong said while seated next to Beckham, "Parang panaginip lang. Hindi mo inaasahan na andito ang idolo mo na nakikita mo lang dati sa TV. Ngayon, katabi ko na."
And this from Younghusband: "We always say, 'Who would've thought this would happen?' Hopefully we will continue and we will progress. The exposure is there now and the attention to football is there, and it's important we sustain it."
So as we mark the first anniversary of the Dec. 5, 2010 win over Vietnam, let's pause for a while and look back at how the sport's popularity grew exponentially after that magical night in Hanoi, and how, almost a year after the fact, Phil Younghusband played against his boyhood idol Beckham at the Rizal Football Stadium.
Dec. 2, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — Chris Greatwich scores a goal in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw for the Philippines against Singapore in the AFF Suzuki Cup group stage. If the Azkals had lost this match, then the win over Vietnam would not have had as much impact because they still would have been eliminated. The highlights are here.
Three days before the match, another crucial development took place back in Manila after Jose Mari Martinez was ousted as PFF president and replaced on an interim basis by Iloilo Football Association president Mariano "Nonong" Araneta.
Dec. 5, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — In front of 40,000 fans at the My Duhn Stadium in Hanoi, the Philippines battles host Vietnam, which is coming off a murderous 7-1 demolition of Myanmar. Once again, Greatwich stars for the Azkals, scoring on a header that bounces just clear of the Vietnamese keeper and into the goal in the 38th minute. In the 78th, Phil Younghusband completes the upset with a left-footed strike inside the box. Afterwards, Vietnam coach Henrique Calisto is so incensed that he refused to shake the hand of then-Azkals coach Simon McMenemy. Back home, the match was shown only on cable, something unthinkable today. Relive the highlights here.
Dec. 8, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — The Philippines plays Myanmar to a goalless draw, assuring itself of second place in Group B and its first-ever appearance in the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals. Ian Araneta has several chances to give the Azkals a win, but is thwarted each time. The match is broadcast live back home on free TV on Studio 23, a first for the Azkals.
The Philippines advances to a two-leg semifinal showdown against Group A topnotcher Indonesia. It's supposed to be a home-and-home series, but the AFF decides there's no suitable venue in the Philippines that can host such a high-profile game. The PFF cannot do anything about it, because obviously, no one was expecting the Azkals to make it to the semis. As a result, both legs will be played at the enormous Gelaro Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Dec. 16, 2010. Jakarta, Indonesia — This is supposed to be the Philippines' "home" match. Instead, it's played in front of 70,000 rabid football fans at the Gelaro Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Indonesia's naturalized striker Christian Gonzales scores the match's lone goal in the 32nd minute off a header from a long ball after Neil Etheridge and Ray Jonsson collide. Since Gonzales's score counts as an "away" goal, the Azkals must now beat Indonesia by at least two goals in the second leg to advance to the finals.
Dec. 19, 2010. Jakarta, Indonesia — Gonzales again scores the lone goal from a cracker of a strike from way out in the 43rd minute that curls into the upper corner. Indonesia advances to the finals against Malaysia. Meanwhile, the Azkals return home to a hero's welcome.
Dec. 30, 2010. Manila — ABS-CBN Sports and the United Football League announce the launching of the UFL: It's Our game, a weekly 30-mintue football show about the UFL that will air on Balls Channel. According to UFL marketing head Javy Mantecon in an interview with Yahoo! Phils., they idea for a weekly football show was presented to ABS-CBN as early as middle of the year, following the successful telecast of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The network giant initially wasn't convinced yet about the viability of such a program, but the Azkals' success combined with the high ratings of their matches bring about a change of heart.
Jan. 14, 2011. Manila — The PFF announces the appointment of Hans Michael Weiss as the new coach of the Azkals, replacing McMenemy.
February 9, 2011. Bacolod — The Philippines hosts the first leg of a two-leg qualifier for the 2012 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup against Mongolia right in the hotbed of local football — Panaad Stadium in Bacolod. An overflow crowd watches Chieffy Caligdong, who missed the AFF Suzuki Cup due to injury, announce his return with a beauty of a goal in the 43rd minute and Phil Younghusband add another one in injury time to give the Azkals a 2-nil win.
March 15, 2011. Ulan Bator, Mongolia - Amid freezing temperatures, Mongolia beats the Philippines, 2-1. However, the Philippines wins on aggregate, 3-2, to win the series and advance to the Challenge Cup Qualifying group stage.
March 21, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar. The Philippines is in Group A of the Challenge Cup Qualifying group stage together with Palestine, Bangladesh, and host Myanmar. The top two teams will advance to the tournament proper in 2012. A James Younghusband penalty kick in the 76th minute gives the Azkals a 1-0 lead, but Myanmar scores on a set piece in the third minute of injury time to salvage a draw.
March 23, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar — The Philippines draws with Palestine, 0-0. The Azkals must now beat Bangladesh to advance.
March 25, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar — The Azkals rout Bangladesh, 3-0. Araneta scores in the 41st, while new recruit Angel Guirado adds two more in the second half. The Philippines advances to the final tournament of the Challenge Cup for the first time.
March 30, 2011. Los Banos, Laguna — The first-ever under-23 national tournament, called the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup, is launched in UP Los Banos with Nonong Araneta, Weiss, Dan Palami and Azkals Caligdong, Ian Araneta, Guirado, and Roel Gener, among others, in attendance. Twenty-seven teams from all over the country join the three-month-long tournament.
Later in the day, at Baker Hall just across the university's football field, Araneta, Weiss and Palami join the media in watching the live draw of the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. There is jubilation in the large room after Sri Lanka is drawn as the Philippines' first-round opponent. But the celebration is muted after the Azkals draw a much tougher opponent, Kuwait, in the second round in the event they get past Sri Lanka.
June 29, 2011. Colombo, Sri Lanka — The Brave Reds of Sri Lanka draw with the Azkals, 1-1. Nate Burkey salvages the draw with a header in the 50th minute.
July 3, 2011. Manila — In the first FIFA World Cup Qualifying match played on Philippine soil in 10 years, the Azkals rout Sri Lanka, 4-0, before a jampacked crowd at the Rizal Stadium to advance to the second round of the World Cup Qualifying for the first time in history. Caligdong, Younghusband (twice) and Guirado are the goal scorers for the Philippines. But there's little time to celebrate. Kuwait, ranked over 60 notches higher in the FIFA rankings, is waiting in the second round.
July 23, 2011. Kuwait City, Kuwait — Welcome to high-level Asian football. Playing their highest-ranked opponent in years, the Azkals absorb a clinical 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Kuwait. Skipper Aly Borromeo misses the match after incurring a second yellow card in the qualifiers against Sri Lanka.
July 28, 2011. Manila — The Azkals need to win by at least four goals to offset Kuwait's three-goal advantage. Stephan Shrock, the immensely talented Fil-German midfielder, gives the home crowd something to cheer about with a spectacular strike from way out in the second minute of first-half injury time. The Kuwaitis genuinely look stunned; the nerve of these Filipinos, they must be saying, to score against us. Phil Younghusband almost makes it 2-0 early in the second half after he eludes two Kuwaiti defenders for a clean shot, but the Kuwaiti keeper comes up with a brilliant save. Minutes later, Kuwait is reduced to 10 men following a red card. Everything is looking good, until Yousef Naser catches the defense napping and somehow scores on a long strike. The goal knocks the air out of the stadium. Kuwait adds one more goal in the 85th to eliminate the Azkals.
August 17, 2011. Manila — The UFL and TV5 announce a five-year, P150 million deal that calls for the live broadcast of selected UFL matches over TV5's AKTV channel. It's a major development for the local league.
September 30-October 4, 2011. Kaohsiung, Taiwan — The Azkals compete in the Long Teng Cup and finish runner-up to Hong Kong with one win and two draws. Caligdong wins the Golden Boot award with four goals. Coach Weiss gives some exposure to select members of the U-23 team that will be seeing action in the SEA Games in Jakarta.
October 7, 2011. Singapore — The Azkals lose to Singapore, 2-0, in an international friendly.
October 8, 2011. Manila — The United Football Cup opens its 2011-12 season with a record 28 teams. Several Azkals are playing for different teams. The Cup's first two matches are broadcast live over AKTV.
October 11, 2011. Manila — The Azkals thrash Nepal, 4-0, in an international friendly at the Rizal Stadium. Phil scores two goals, brother James one, and Matt Hartmann one. For the senior Azkals, this is supposed to be their last international match of the year.
October 16-21, 2011. Vientiane, Laos — The Malditas, the Azkals' female counterparts, compete in the AFF Women's Championships. Coached by Ernie Nierras, the team finishes third in their group with one draw and two losses. It is a marked improvement from their 2009 campaign, when they lost all their three matches and were outscored 30-1.
October 27, 2011. Makati — In a press conference, LA Galaxy president Thomas Payne and PFF president Nonong Araneta jointly announce the December 3 match between the Azkals and the Galaxy.
November 3-15, 2011. Jakarta, Indonesia — The Philippines returns to the Southeast Asian Games football competition for the first time in six years. Backstopped by standouts from the U-23 national championships and some members of the Azkals, the team stumbles badly, losing four of its five matches. After losing to Timor Leste, team captain Matt Harmann abruptly leaves the team following a dispute with Weiss and returns to Manila.
December 3, 2011. Manila — Before another huge crowd at the Rizal Stadium, the LA Galaxy put on a display of topnotch football and win, 6-1. Beckham scores the game's first goal, while Younghusband is the lone scorer for the home team.
A year ago today, the Philippine football renaissance began.
It was on this day in 2010 that the Philippine Azkals sent shock waves across the Southeast Asian football landscape by upsetting heavily favored Vietnam, 2-0, in the AFF Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, a big win that sparked renewed interest in football in the country. The result was so big it eventually made SI.com's yearend list of the 10 biggest football stories of 2010.
The 365 days that followed took the Azkals on a magic carpet ride and carried them and the sport to unprecedented heights. Suddenly, kids wanted to be like Younghusband or Caligdong. Fans lined up to watch the Azkals play Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Kuwait. Azkals jerseys became hot commodities as the names on their backs became celebrities. Filipino football players becoming celebrity endorsers? What was the world coming to?
But no one could have foreseen that it would all culminate in a match against David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and the rest of the 2011 MLS champions LA Galaxy.
As Caligdong said while seated next to Beckham, "Parang panaginip lang. Hindi mo inaasahan na andito ang idolo mo na nakikita mo lang dati sa TV. Ngayon, katabi ko na."
And this from Younghusband: "We always say, 'Who would've thought this would happen?' Hopefully we will continue and we will progress. The exposure is there now and the attention to football is there, and it's important we sustain it."
So as we mark the first anniversary of the Dec. 5, 2010 win over Vietnam, let's pause for a while and look back at how the sport's popularity grew exponentially after that magical night in Hanoi, and how, almost a year after the fact, Phil Younghusband played against his boyhood idol Beckham at the Rizal Football Stadium.
Dec. 2, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — Chris Greatwich scores a goal in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw for the Philippines against Singapore in the AFF Suzuki Cup group stage. If the Azkals had lost this match, then the win over Vietnam would not have had as much impact because they still would have been eliminated. The highlights are here.
Three days before the match, another crucial development took place back in Manila after Jose Mari Martinez was ousted as PFF president and replaced on an interim basis by Iloilo Football Association president Mariano "Nonong" Araneta.
Dec. 5, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — In front of 40,000 fans at the My Duhn Stadium in Hanoi, the Philippines battles host Vietnam, which is coming off a murderous 7-1 demolition of Myanmar. Once again, Greatwich stars for the Azkals, scoring on a header that bounces just clear of the Vietnamese keeper and into the goal in the 38th minute. In the 78th, Phil Younghusband completes the upset with a left-footed strike inside the box. Afterwards, Vietnam coach Henrique Calisto is so incensed that he refused to shake the hand of then-Azkals coach Simon McMenemy. Back home, the match was shown only on cable, something unthinkable today. Relive the highlights here.
Dec. 8, 2010. Hanoi, Vietnam — The Philippines plays Myanmar to a goalless draw, assuring itself of second place in Group B and its first-ever appearance in the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals. Ian Araneta has several chances to give the Azkals a win, but is thwarted each time. The match is broadcast live back home on free TV on Studio 23, a first for the Azkals.
The Philippines advances to a two-leg semifinal showdown against Group A topnotcher Indonesia. It's supposed to be a home-and-home series, but the AFF decides there's no suitable venue in the Philippines that can host such a high-profile game. The PFF cannot do anything about it, because obviously, no one was expecting the Azkals to make it to the semis. As a result, both legs will be played at the enormous Gelaro Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Dec. 16, 2010. Jakarta, Indonesia — This is supposed to be the Philippines' "home" match. Instead, it's played in front of 70,000 rabid football fans at the Gelaro Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Indonesia's naturalized striker Christian Gonzales scores the match's lone goal in the 32nd minute off a header from a long ball after Neil Etheridge and Ray Jonsson collide. Since Gonzales's score counts as an "away" goal, the Azkals must now beat Indonesia by at least two goals in the second leg to advance to the finals.
Dec. 19, 2010. Jakarta, Indonesia — Gonzales again scores the lone goal from a cracker of a strike from way out in the 43rd minute that curls into the upper corner. Indonesia advances to the finals against Malaysia. Meanwhile, the Azkals return home to a hero's welcome.
Dec. 30, 2010. Manila — ABS-CBN Sports and the United Football League announce the launching of the UFL: It's Our game, a weekly 30-mintue football show about the UFL that will air on Balls Channel. According to UFL marketing head Javy Mantecon in an interview with Yahoo! Phils., they idea for a weekly football show was presented to ABS-CBN as early as middle of the year, following the successful telecast of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The network giant initially wasn't convinced yet about the viability of such a program, but the Azkals' success combined with the high ratings of their matches bring about a change of heart.
Jan. 14, 2011. Manila — The PFF announces the appointment of Hans Michael Weiss as the new coach of the Azkals, replacing McMenemy.
February 9, 2011. Bacolod — The Philippines hosts the first leg of a two-leg qualifier for the 2012 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup against Mongolia right in the hotbed of local football — Panaad Stadium in Bacolod. An overflow crowd watches Chieffy Caligdong, who missed the AFF Suzuki Cup due to injury, announce his return with a beauty of a goal in the 43rd minute and Phil Younghusband add another one in injury time to give the Azkals a 2-nil win.
March 15, 2011. Ulan Bator, Mongolia - Amid freezing temperatures, Mongolia beats the Philippines, 2-1. However, the Philippines wins on aggregate, 3-2, to win the series and advance to the Challenge Cup Qualifying group stage.
March 21, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar. The Philippines is in Group A of the Challenge Cup Qualifying group stage together with Palestine, Bangladesh, and host Myanmar. The top two teams will advance to the tournament proper in 2012. A James Younghusband penalty kick in the 76th minute gives the Azkals a 1-0 lead, but Myanmar scores on a set piece in the third minute of injury time to salvage a draw.
March 23, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar — The Philippines draws with Palestine, 0-0. The Azkals must now beat Bangladesh to advance.
March 25, 2011. Rangoon, Myanmar — The Azkals rout Bangladesh, 3-0. Araneta scores in the 41st, while new recruit Angel Guirado adds two more in the second half. The Philippines advances to the final tournament of the Challenge Cup for the first time.
March 30, 2011. Los Banos, Laguna — The first-ever under-23 national tournament, called the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup, is launched in UP Los Banos with Nonong Araneta, Weiss, Dan Palami and Azkals Caligdong, Ian Araneta, Guirado, and Roel Gener, among others, in attendance. Twenty-seven teams from all over the country join the three-month-long tournament.
Later in the day, at Baker Hall just across the university's football field, Araneta, Weiss and Palami join the media in watching the live draw of the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. There is jubilation in the large room after Sri Lanka is drawn as the Philippines' first-round opponent. But the celebration is muted after the Azkals draw a much tougher opponent, Kuwait, in the second round in the event they get past Sri Lanka.
June 29, 2011. Colombo, Sri Lanka — The Brave Reds of Sri Lanka draw with the Azkals, 1-1. Nate Burkey salvages the draw with a header in the 50th minute.
July 3, 2011. Manila — In the first FIFA World Cup Qualifying match played on Philippine soil in 10 years, the Azkals rout Sri Lanka, 4-0, before a jampacked crowd at the Rizal Stadium to advance to the second round of the World Cup Qualifying for the first time in history. Caligdong, Younghusband (twice) and Guirado are the goal scorers for the Philippines. But there's little time to celebrate. Kuwait, ranked over 60 notches higher in the FIFA rankings, is waiting in the second round.
July 23, 2011. Kuwait City, Kuwait — Welcome to high-level Asian football. Playing their highest-ranked opponent in years, the Azkals absorb a clinical 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Kuwait. Skipper Aly Borromeo misses the match after incurring a second yellow card in the qualifiers against Sri Lanka.
July 28, 2011. Manila — The Azkals need to win by at least four goals to offset Kuwait's three-goal advantage. Stephan Shrock, the immensely talented Fil-German midfielder, gives the home crowd something to cheer about with a spectacular strike from way out in the second minute of first-half injury time. The Kuwaitis genuinely look stunned; the nerve of these Filipinos, they must be saying, to score against us. Phil Younghusband almost makes it 2-0 early in the second half after he eludes two Kuwaiti defenders for a clean shot, but the Kuwaiti keeper comes up with a brilliant save. Minutes later, Kuwait is reduced to 10 men following a red card. Everything is looking good, until Yousef Naser catches the defense napping and somehow scores on a long strike. The goal knocks the air out of the stadium. Kuwait adds one more goal in the 85th to eliminate the Azkals.
August 17, 2011. Manila — The UFL and TV5 announce a five-year, P150 million deal that calls for the live broadcast of selected UFL matches over TV5's AKTV channel. It's a major development for the local league.
September 30-October 4, 2011. Kaohsiung, Taiwan — The Azkals compete in the Long Teng Cup and finish runner-up to Hong Kong with one win and two draws. Caligdong wins the Golden Boot award with four goals. Coach Weiss gives some exposure to select members of the U-23 team that will be seeing action in the SEA Games in Jakarta.
October 7, 2011. Singapore — The Azkals lose to Singapore, 2-0, in an international friendly.
October 8, 2011. Manila — The United Football Cup opens its 2011-12 season with a record 28 teams. Several Azkals are playing for different teams. The Cup's first two matches are broadcast live over AKTV.
October 11, 2011. Manila — The Azkals thrash Nepal, 4-0, in an international friendly at the Rizal Stadium. Phil scores two goals, brother James one, and Matt Hartmann one. For the senior Azkals, this is supposed to be their last international match of the year.
October 16-21, 2011. Vientiane, Laos — The Malditas, the Azkals' female counterparts, compete in the AFF Women's Championships. Coached by Ernie Nierras, the team finishes third in their group with one draw and two losses. It is a marked improvement from their 2009 campaign, when they lost all their three matches and were outscored 30-1.
October 27, 2011. Makati — In a press conference, LA Galaxy president Thomas Payne and PFF president Nonong Araneta jointly announce the December 3 match between the Azkals and the Galaxy.
November 3-15, 2011. Jakarta, Indonesia — The Philippines returns to the Southeast Asian Games football competition for the first time in six years. Backstopped by standouts from the U-23 national championships and some members of the Azkals, the team stumbles badly, losing four of its five matches. After losing to Timor Leste, team captain Matt Harmann abruptly leaves the team following a dispute with Weiss and returns to Manila.
December 3, 2011. Manila — Before another huge crowd at the Rizal Stadium, the LA Galaxy put on a display of topnotch football and win, 6-1. Beckham scores the game's first goal, while Younghusband is the lone scorer for the home team.
The night Beckham met Pacquiao, and other random stuff
By Sid Ventura | Sportsaholic
Some random musings and quotes from last night's LA Galaxy-Philippine Azkals dream game, which the Galaxy handily won, 6-1, although the final score hardly mattered in the eyes of thousands of starstruck football fans.
A perfect Saturday night
It was a good night for football. There were some threatening rain clouds in the afternoon, but luckily they did no harm. The air was cool and the atmosphere was electric. There were also legitimate concerns about a sparse crowd given the slow pace of ticket sales, but in the end it appeared Filipino fans couldn't resist watching a world-class team like the LA Galaxy, even with ticket prices at first-world rates. The last-minute 35% discount offered by the United Football League must have helped as well. Rizal Stadium was probably 90% full. It wasn't as raucous as the previous crowds that attended the WC Qualifiers against Sri Lanka and Kuwait, and there were noticeably more female fans this time around (gee, I wonder why), but overall it was good.
It would have been better, of course, if the Azkals didn't completely disappear in the second half. Everyone expected the Galaxy to win, but conceding six goals wasn't foreseen by most observers. Aly Borromeo was sorely missed in the backline, which gave up too many shots. But methinks it was the third goal — the one where the Galaxy's Big Three connected with David Beckham nearly bending t it out of bounds from a corner kick before Landon Donovan headed it straight to Robbie Keane for an easy score — that knocked the wind out of the Akzals' sails.
Beckham bends it
The first goal of the game was a treat for the fans and came in the 20th minute courtesy of a vintage Beckham strike. After getting a short pass from Keane, Beckham unleashed the shot from near the top of the penalty box that curled to the left and into the upper right side of the net. Poor Edward Sacapano had no chance, but then again, few keepers have once Beckham bends it like that.
"I haven't done that for a few years," he said. "I was happy with the goal tonight. I'm usually setting them up. But it's nice to get a goal tonight."
Sizing up the Azkals
After the game, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena and team captain Landon Donovan gave their thoughts on the Azkals. Arena said three players stood out for him.
"I thought the numbers 12 (Angel Guirado), 13 (Chieffy Caligdong) and 10 (Phil Younghusband) played well. I thought they did quite well on the break, getting out on the counterattack. We were a little sloppy at times in the first half."
When asked to compare the Azkals to the Indonesian national team, which lost only by 1-0 last Wednesday, Arena still gave the slight edge to the Azkals, and offered an explanation as to why they only beat Indonesia by one goal.
"When I first saw the Philippine team in the first half, I thought they were a little bit better than the Indonesian team. However, I think one of the differences in this trip is that we had a lot of travel right in the beginning. We traveled 18, 20 hours and we had to play the Indonesian team. Oddly enough, if it's possible, it's a little bit hotter and a little bit more humid in Jakarta. And I thought we were physically drained.
"I think as we arrived in the Philippines, we had a few more days of rest. We were a little better prepared to play tonight, and I think that was why the score of the game was different than it was versus Indonesia. But I think that the two teams are fairly comparable."
Donovan, who dazzled the crowd with some nifty footwork, concurred.
"Yeah, I agree with that," said the Galaxy skipper. "I think the players were a little more talented tonight. I thought in the first half, the way they played was more organized, and they threatened us more than Indonesia. I think what happened is, we got our fitness a little bit over the last three or four days and the pace of the game wore out the Philippine team. And we also had the opportunity to make a lot of substitutions, which gives you fresh legs and fresh energy, and that helped a lot. If we were all playing 90 minutes, it would be a lot more difficult."
They All Bow to Pacquiao
When a group of NBA superstars led by Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant hit town last July, almost all of them got starstruck after meeting Manny Pacquiao. The same thing happened last night after David Beckham met the Pacman.
"I couldn't wait to get off the field to talk to him," Beckham said. "I'm a huge fan of him. He's such a talented man and a good person. I know all of the players were excited about him being in the game tonight, and I saw him walk in during the game. I wanted to meet him and get a picture of him. It's exciting."
Pacquiao arrived shortly before the halftime whistle, and as usual caused a commotion. When his presence was announced during the halftime break, some Galaxy players stopped their warm-up routine and peered into the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pambansang Kamao.
Beckham was supposed to play only one half, but when he saw Pacquiao was in attendance, he suited up for additional minutes in the second half. After he was finally substituted, he walked over to where the Pacman was seated and gave him his no. 23 jersey. (In keeping with an earlier promise, Beckham gave Phil Younghusband an autographed jersey during the press conference after the game.)
Who's Next?
Bringing in the MLS champions here to play against the Azkals was one of the biggest coups of the year in all of local sports. What could possibly top this? Phil Younghusband may have the answer.
"I just had a chat with MVP (Manny Pangilinan)," Younghusband revealed during the post-game press conference. "He wants to bring in Real Madrid. He said to mix the teams up so it would be more exhibition, not Real Madrid vs. the Azkals."
If you ask Chieffy Caligdong, though, he prefers another legendary Primera Liga club.
"(FC) Barcelona, siyempre," he said, referring to the team of Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi. "Iyon iyong pinakahinahangaan ko sa lahat ng club teams. Sana matuloy, kahit iyong Real Madrid, 'diba?"
If these plans push through, then it's safe to say the football craze isn't just a passing fad, but something that's here to stay. In which case, I think now would be a good time for the football movers and shakers to start investing in a world-class football stadium.
Some random musings and quotes from last night's LA Galaxy-Philippine Azkals dream game, which the Galaxy handily won, 6-1, although the final score hardly mattered in the eyes of thousands of starstruck football fans.
A perfect Saturday night
It was a good night for football. There were some threatening rain clouds in the afternoon, but luckily they did no harm. The air was cool and the atmosphere was electric. There were also legitimate concerns about a sparse crowd given the slow pace of ticket sales, but in the end it appeared Filipino fans couldn't resist watching a world-class team like the LA Galaxy, even with ticket prices at first-world rates. The last-minute 35% discount offered by the United Football League must have helped as well. Rizal Stadium was probably 90% full. It wasn't as raucous as the previous crowds that attended the WC Qualifiers against Sri Lanka and Kuwait, and there were noticeably more female fans this time around (gee, I wonder why), but overall it was good.
It would have been better, of course, if the Azkals didn't completely disappear in the second half. Everyone expected the Galaxy to win, but conceding six goals wasn't foreseen by most observers. Aly Borromeo was sorely missed in the backline, which gave up too many shots. But methinks it was the third goal — the one where the Galaxy's Big Three connected with David Beckham nearly bending t it out of bounds from a corner kick before Landon Donovan headed it straight to Robbie Keane for an easy score — that knocked the wind out of the Akzals' sails.
Beckham bends it
The first goal of the game was a treat for the fans and came in the 20th minute courtesy of a vintage Beckham strike. After getting a short pass from Keane, Beckham unleashed the shot from near the top of the penalty box that curled to the left and into the upper right side of the net. Poor Edward Sacapano had no chance, but then again, few keepers have once Beckham bends it like that.
"I haven't done that for a few years," he said. "I was happy with the goal tonight. I'm usually setting them up. But it's nice to get a goal tonight."
Sizing up the Azkals
After the game, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena and team captain Landon Donovan gave their thoughts on the Azkals. Arena said three players stood out for him.
"I thought the numbers 12 (Angel Guirado), 13 (Chieffy Caligdong) and 10 (Phil Younghusband) played well. I thought they did quite well on the break, getting out on the counterattack. We were a little sloppy at times in the first half."
When asked to compare the Azkals to the Indonesian national team, which lost only by 1-0 last Wednesday, Arena still gave the slight edge to the Azkals, and offered an explanation as to why they only beat Indonesia by one goal.
"When I first saw the Philippine team in the first half, I thought they were a little bit better than the Indonesian team. However, I think one of the differences in this trip is that we had a lot of travel right in the beginning. We traveled 18, 20 hours and we had to play the Indonesian team. Oddly enough, if it's possible, it's a little bit hotter and a little bit more humid in Jakarta. And I thought we were physically drained.
"I think as we arrived in the Philippines, we had a few more days of rest. We were a little better prepared to play tonight, and I think that was why the score of the game was different than it was versus Indonesia. But I think that the two teams are fairly comparable."
Donovan, who dazzled the crowd with some nifty footwork, concurred.
"Yeah, I agree with that," said the Galaxy skipper. "I think the players were a little more talented tonight. I thought in the first half, the way they played was more organized, and they threatened us more than Indonesia. I think what happened is, we got our fitness a little bit over the last three or four days and the pace of the game wore out the Philippine team. And we also had the opportunity to make a lot of substitutions, which gives you fresh legs and fresh energy, and that helped a lot. If we were all playing 90 minutes, it would be a lot more difficult."
They All Bow to Pacquiao
When a group of NBA superstars led by Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant hit town last July, almost all of them got starstruck after meeting Manny Pacquiao. The same thing happened last night after David Beckham met the Pacman.
"I couldn't wait to get off the field to talk to him," Beckham said. "I'm a huge fan of him. He's such a talented man and a good person. I know all of the players were excited about him being in the game tonight, and I saw him walk in during the game. I wanted to meet him and get a picture of him. It's exciting."
Pacquiao arrived shortly before the halftime whistle, and as usual caused a commotion. When his presence was announced during the halftime break, some Galaxy players stopped their warm-up routine and peered into the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pambansang Kamao.
Beckham was supposed to play only one half, but when he saw Pacquiao was in attendance, he suited up for additional minutes in the second half. After he was finally substituted, he walked over to where the Pacman was seated and gave him his no. 23 jersey. (In keeping with an earlier promise, Beckham gave Phil Younghusband an autographed jersey during the press conference after the game.)
Who's Next?
Bringing in the MLS champions here to play against the Azkals was one of the biggest coups of the year in all of local sports. What could possibly top this? Phil Younghusband may have the answer.
"I just had a chat with MVP (Manny Pangilinan)," Younghusband revealed during the post-game press conference. "He wants to bring in Real Madrid. He said to mix the teams up so it would be more exhibition, not Real Madrid vs. the Azkals."
If you ask Chieffy Caligdong, though, he prefers another legendary Primera Liga club.
"(FC) Barcelona, siyempre," he said, referring to the team of Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi. "Iyon iyong pinakahinahangaan ko sa lahat ng club teams. Sana matuloy, kahit iyong Real Madrid, 'diba?"
If these plans push through, then it's safe to say the football craze isn't just a passing fad, but something that's here to stay. In which case, I think now would be a good time for the football movers and shakers to start investing in a world-class football stadium.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Galaxy wins over Azkals, 6-1
By JONAS TERRADO - Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines — Two of the most iconic figures in global sports last night converged in a place where the Beatles once tore the house down.
David Beckham displayed the skills that made him a football icon while boxing champion Manny Pacquiao delighted the audience by just showing up, highlighting the LA Galaxy's 6-1 mastery of the Philippine Azkals at the jampacked Rizal Memorial Stadium.
In front of an approximate crowd of 12,000, Beckham made a lasting impression with his superb passing skills while scoring an effortless opening goal in the 20th minute.
After playing 75 minutes, Beckham came out in place of Jovan Kirovski then approached Pacquiao to give his game jersey. A smiling Pacquiao showed Beckham's gift like it was a world title belt.
"I couldn't wait to get off the field and talk to him," said Beckham, who briefly chatted with Pacquiao after the final whistle. "I'm a huge fan of him and he's a good person."
Beckham noticed Pacquiao arriving amidst cheers from the crowd in the 44th minute. At halftime, the England captain smiled at the Sarangani congressman then gave a thumbs up sign.
It was an expected win for the 2011 MLS champions, but the Azkals made it interesting in the first half when Phil Younghusband cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 40th minute off a splendid goal from the right side of the penalty box and over keeper Josh Saunders.
From there, it was pure dominance by the Galaxy.
Not minding flashbulbs and giggling fans, Beckham's corner kick set up Robbie Keane's goal in the 47th minute for a 3-1 advantage. Two more goals by Adam Cristman and another from substitute Gregg Berhalter later sealed LA's second win in the Asia Pacific Tour.
But the score hardly mattered at all.
Seeing Beckham and Landon Donovan, who had two passes that set up goals by Mike Magee and Cristman's first goal, and the rest of the Galaxy's superior skills coupled with Younghusband's goal was well enough for fans to have their money's worth.
Despite the expensive ticket prices, the crowd exceeded what organizers projected. Afterwards, the match further enhanced the legacy of a stadium that weathered the wrath of World War II.
"We would love to come back," said Donovan, who made his promise by exchanging uniforms with Azkals' injured captain Aly Borromeo.
Except for a worker who was doing a welding job at a constructed building near the stadium, all were glued for this so-called Dream Cup.
There were long lines outside the venue, Galaxy and Azkals jerseys were selling like hotcakes and a scalper even offered a P1,000 ticket for the bleacher seat that is legally pegged at P2,000.
Other prominent figures from various sectors were in attendance, from Manila mayor Alfredo Lim to actress Dawn Zulueta to Pacquiao's wife Jinkee, who arrived late with his three sons.
When she got into her seat, Beckham scored a long strike from the left side of the box. Goalkeeper Eduard Sacapano of the Philippine Army attempted to save it but his efforts went in vain as the ball hit the right side of the net.
Beckham's goal silenced a festive crowd, perhaps awed with how the English captain and former Manchester United and Real Madrid star did the trick.
"I haven't done that in years," Beckham described.
Magee made it 2-0 in the 38th minute off a counter attack that was aided by a short pass by Donovan. Two minutes later, Younghusband put the Azkals on the board.
"I'm happy that I scored a goal on the same game where David Beckham also scored a goal," said Younghusband, who personally received an autographed jersey from his idol during the post-match press conference.
Minutes after Keane's goal, a short shot that mesmerized Sacapano, the so-called "Blue-Haired Guy" named Ebong Joson announced that there was a missing kid named Vincent Ferrer.
After the announcement, Ferrer was found, the crowd was delighted but Cristman made it 4-1 in the 62nd minute off a Donovan pass.
Cristman added a second goal, 13 minutes later before Berhalter settled the final count in the 86th minute.
MANILA, Philippines — Two of the most iconic figures in global sports last night converged in a place where the Beatles once tore the house down.
David Beckham displayed the skills that made him a football icon while boxing champion Manny Pacquiao delighted the audience by just showing up, highlighting the LA Galaxy's 6-1 mastery of the Philippine Azkals at the jampacked Rizal Memorial Stadium.
In front of an approximate crowd of 12,000, Beckham made a lasting impression with his superb passing skills while scoring an effortless opening goal in the 20th minute.
After playing 75 minutes, Beckham came out in place of Jovan Kirovski then approached Pacquiao to give his game jersey. A smiling Pacquiao showed Beckham's gift like it was a world title belt.
"I couldn't wait to get off the field and talk to him," said Beckham, who briefly chatted with Pacquiao after the final whistle. "I'm a huge fan of him and he's a good person."
Beckham noticed Pacquiao arriving amidst cheers from the crowd in the 44th minute. At halftime, the England captain smiled at the Sarangani congressman then gave a thumbs up sign.
It was an expected win for the 2011 MLS champions, but the Azkals made it interesting in the first half when Phil Younghusband cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 40th minute off a splendid goal from the right side of the penalty box and over keeper Josh Saunders.
From there, it was pure dominance by the Galaxy.
Not minding flashbulbs and giggling fans, Beckham's corner kick set up Robbie Keane's goal in the 47th minute for a 3-1 advantage. Two more goals by Adam Cristman and another from substitute Gregg Berhalter later sealed LA's second win in the Asia Pacific Tour.
But the score hardly mattered at all.
Seeing Beckham and Landon Donovan, who had two passes that set up goals by Mike Magee and Cristman's first goal, and the rest of the Galaxy's superior skills coupled with Younghusband's goal was well enough for fans to have their money's worth.
Despite the expensive ticket prices, the crowd exceeded what organizers projected. Afterwards, the match further enhanced the legacy of a stadium that weathered the wrath of World War II.
"We would love to come back," said Donovan, who made his promise by exchanging uniforms with Azkals' injured captain Aly Borromeo.
Except for a worker who was doing a welding job at a constructed building near the stadium, all were glued for this so-called Dream Cup.
There were long lines outside the venue, Galaxy and Azkals jerseys were selling like hotcakes and a scalper even offered a P1,000 ticket for the bleacher seat that is legally pegged at P2,000.
Other prominent figures from various sectors were in attendance, from Manila mayor Alfredo Lim to actress Dawn Zulueta to Pacquiao's wife Jinkee, who arrived late with his three sons.
When she got into her seat, Beckham scored a long strike from the left side of the box. Goalkeeper Eduard Sacapano of the Philippine Army attempted to save it but his efforts went in vain as the ball hit the right side of the net.
Beckham's goal silenced a festive crowd, perhaps awed with how the English captain and former Manchester United and Real Madrid star did the trick.
"I haven't done that in years," Beckham described.
Magee made it 2-0 in the 38th minute off a counter attack that was aided by a short pass by Donovan. Two minutes later, Younghusband put the Azkals on the board.
"I'm happy that I scored a goal on the same game where David Beckham also scored a goal," said Younghusband, who personally received an autographed jersey from his idol during the post-match press conference.
Minutes after Keane's goal, a short shot that mesmerized Sacapano, the so-called "Blue-Haired Guy" named Ebong Joson announced that there was a missing kid named Vincent Ferrer.
After the announcement, Ferrer was found, the crowd was delighted but Cristman made it 4-1 in the 62nd minute off a Donovan pass.
Cristman added a second goal, 13 minutes later before Berhalter settled the final count in the 86th minute.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Azkals battle LA Galaxy in friendly match today
Dyan Castillejo and Raffy Santos,
abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals and the Los Angeles Galaxy will play in an exhibition match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium today.
It will be the last game of the year for the Azkals -- a fitting end to a year that saw a rise in the popularity of football in the Philippines.
The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, are coming off a successful season that saw them win the 2011 Major League Soccer Cup.
They will be bannered by superstars David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane.
The Azkals will be led by homegrown players Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta, Edward Sacapano, and Phil and James Younghusband.
The Philippines will be missing the services of Europe-based players who still have commitments to their professional football clubs.
They include goalkeepers Neil Etheridge and Roland Muller, as well as midfielder Stephan Schrock.
Asia-Pacific Tour
The Philippines is the Galaxy's second stop in their 2011 Asia-Pacific Tour.
They won 1-0 in their first game against a selection from the Indonesia national team.
Galaxy players arrived in Manila Thursday afternoon.
Aside from playing in the friendly, LA Galaxy also held a football clinic for kids and had a practice session at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Friday.
At least 200 kids joined the clinic.
Galaxy players led by Beckham showed children passing and dribbling techniques.
Beckham enjoyed himself, frequently giving the kids high-fives and engaging them in conversation.
"The children out here today are incredible... it's amazing hoe positive the energy the children have. they're so happy," said Beckham.
Galaxy players proceeded with their own training after the football clinic.
Idols
For the Azkals, the exhibition game will be a chance to play against their idols, but they maintain they will be professional during the game.
"Pagkatapos ng game, pwedeng magpa-autograph, magpa-picture. During the game, kailangan professional," said striker Phil Younghusband.
Caligdong is looking forward to finding himself matched against Beckham, and says he hopes to learn a lot from the experience.
"Malaking challenge para sa amin. Maraming matututunan mula sa team ng Galaxy, especially David Beckham," he said.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami is hoping that the PH XI will be able to give the MLS Cup champions a tough test.
"Hopefully for the Team Azkals, we give them a good fight, para yung ibang teams, they will want to play against us kasi they will get a good session," Palami said.
Europe-based Azkals Rob Gier and Ray Jonsson arrived in Manila late Wednesday evening, and both said they were excited to face the LA Galaxy.
"It's just an unbelievable opportunity," Gier said. "If you told me a few months ago that we would be playing against David Beckham here in Manila, I would've laughed at you," Gier said.
Jonsson said that a win was possible, "if we play good defense."
The Azkals head coach Michael Weiss urged Filipino football fans to fill the stadium and cheer during the match.
"I hope they will come in masses. I hope the stadium will be sold out," Weiss said.
Discounted tickets
The ticket prices for the Azkals-LA Galaxy exhibition game range from P2,000-P15,000.
The United Football League (UFL) has offered fans a 35% discounts on all tickets.
People who still want to buy tickets to the game need to give the code #6987 when buying at Ticketworld outlets. The discount is not available when buying online.
abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals and the Los Angeles Galaxy will play in an exhibition match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium today.
It will be the last game of the year for the Azkals -- a fitting end to a year that saw a rise in the popularity of football in the Philippines.
The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, are coming off a successful season that saw them win the 2011 Major League Soccer Cup.
They will be bannered by superstars David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane.
The Azkals will be led by homegrown players Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta, Edward Sacapano, and Phil and James Younghusband.
The Philippines will be missing the services of Europe-based players who still have commitments to their professional football clubs.
They include goalkeepers Neil Etheridge and Roland Muller, as well as midfielder Stephan Schrock.
Asia-Pacific Tour
The Philippines is the Galaxy's second stop in their 2011 Asia-Pacific Tour.
They won 1-0 in their first game against a selection from the Indonesia national team.
Galaxy players arrived in Manila Thursday afternoon.
Aside from playing in the friendly, LA Galaxy also held a football clinic for kids and had a practice session at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Friday.
At least 200 kids joined the clinic.
Galaxy players led by Beckham showed children passing and dribbling techniques.
Beckham enjoyed himself, frequently giving the kids high-fives and engaging them in conversation.
"The children out here today are incredible... it's amazing hoe positive the energy the children have. they're so happy," said Beckham.
Galaxy players proceeded with their own training after the football clinic.
Idols
For the Azkals, the exhibition game will be a chance to play against their idols, but they maintain they will be professional during the game.
"Pagkatapos ng game, pwedeng magpa-autograph, magpa-picture. During the game, kailangan professional," said striker Phil Younghusband.
Caligdong is looking forward to finding himself matched against Beckham, and says he hopes to learn a lot from the experience.
"Malaking challenge para sa amin. Maraming matututunan mula sa team ng Galaxy, especially David Beckham," he said.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami is hoping that the PH XI will be able to give the MLS Cup champions a tough test.
"Hopefully for the Team Azkals, we give them a good fight, para yung ibang teams, they will want to play against us kasi they will get a good session," Palami said.
Europe-based Azkals Rob Gier and Ray Jonsson arrived in Manila late Wednesday evening, and both said they were excited to face the LA Galaxy.
"It's just an unbelievable opportunity," Gier said. "If you told me a few months ago that we would be playing against David Beckham here in Manila, I would've laughed at you," Gier said.
Jonsson said that a win was possible, "if we play good defense."
The Azkals head coach Michael Weiss urged Filipino football fans to fill the stadium and cheer during the match.
"I hope they will come in masses. I hope the stadium will be sold out," Weiss said.
Discounted tickets
The ticket prices for the Azkals-LA Galaxy exhibition game range from P2,000-P15,000.
The United Football League (UFL) has offered fans a 35% discounts on all tickets.
People who still want to buy tickets to the game need to give the code #6987 when buying at Ticketworld outlets. The discount is not available when buying online.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Complete disaster: 5 things we learned from the U-23 Azkals’ SEA Games campaign
Ryan Fenix, special to InterAKTV
Going into the 26th edition of the SEA Games in Indonesia, expectations were high for our football team and for good reason. With senior players Jason de Jong and Manny Ott bannering the team that was reinforced by MV Duisburg third choice goalkeeper Roland Muller and standouts from the local Under-23 Suzuki Cup, fans had every reason to look forward to this tournament.
However, with only a last gasp victory against Laos to show for itself, the Philippines’ ambitious push for a medal finish in Jakarta turned out to be a complete disaster.
Here are five things we learned from our SEA Games debacle.
1. Coaching staff have to play people in their natural positions
One of the more curious decisions of coach Hans Michael Weiss was naming only five natural defenders to the final line-up, namely Carli de Murga, Raymark Fernandez, Neckson Leonora, Jacques van Bossche and David Basa. It does not take a football genius to underscore the fact that poor form, suspensions and injuries are bound to take its toll on a team, especially in a group stage format. As a matter of fact, coaches normally take eight defenders to tournaments, translating to two players per position.
Therefore, when the suspensions did happen, the coaching staff found it necessary to shoehorn players out of their natural playing position into our defense.
Patrick Hinrichsen, a natural right-footed midfielder, was preferred by the coaching staff to start at left-back against Timor Leste and Brunei — both losses.
Erstwhile captain Matt Hartmann, for instance, was himself deployed out of position in central defense when his best position would have been in midfield.
Jason de Jong, who inherited the captain’s armband, acquitted himself with his performances in central defense. But the question was: Did the midfield lose some steel with his move to the back four?
One could argue that defenders Jerry Barbaso and the 6’1” Lemuel Unabia, both omitted from the final list, may have been better defensive options for the team.
Coach Weiss has a history of preferring “better” technical and more experienced players rather than “riskier” inexperienced players, natural playing positions be damned. This time, this decision backfired on him in a spectacular fashion.
2.) More prep time was needed for the Under-23 Philippine team
The U-23 Azkals were exposed mercilessly by better-prepared and well-coached opponents, and the results spoke for themselves. Last place in the optimistically named “Group of Hope” and virtually finishing the tournament as the 10th placed team out of eleven nations, our involvement in the SEA Games football competition was a complete and total disaster.
At the risk of stating the blatantly obvious, more preparation time and a longer period of training was needed. These kids should not be expected to emulate their senior counterparts, where Azkals based in Europe would arrive three days before a tournament, shake off screaming fans and jetlag, and bedevil opposing defenses with dazzling runs and crucial goals for good measure.
Engaging in proper friendlies in the run-up to the tournament would undoubtedly increase cohesion and understanding within the team, whether or not the team wins in them.
Case in point: The Long Teng Cup in Taiwan could have and should have been utilized exclusively for the U -23 squad’s training. Held over a month before the SEA Games, there was debatably no need for the senior team’s presence in Kaohsiung.
Perhaps management thought it necessary to validate the rise of football with a glorious piece of silverware from Taiwan; perhaps management was afraid that our U-23 Azkals would get blown out in a four-nation tournament featuring international football powerhouses Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong (Editor’s note: Ryan is being ironic). Whatever the reasons were, the Long Teng Cup was a missed opportunity for the U-23 to face challenge and adversity together in a competitive setting.
Jeff Christiaens, who made the left flank his own in the SEA Games, would certainly have found it more difficult to break down more experienced defenses. But knowing that he is the main man on that left wing could’ve spurred him to achieve greater heights in Taiwan, which he could’ve carried to Jakarta. As it turned out, the man whose slot he will almost certainly inherit, Chieffy Caligdong won the Golden Boot. But at what potential lost opportunity for the young Christiaens?
3. There is a legitimate call for a dedicated U-23 Coach.
The SEA Games was always going to be a test for Coach Weiss’ coaching skills. The senior team have arguably achieved a certain level of success before he took over, as the team just reached the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup in 2010.
The U-23 team, on the other hand, is a totally different proposition altogether. Having to build a team from scratch, the team was composed from standouts from the recently held U-23 Suzuki Cup and a smattering of foreign-based Azkals.
A dedicated U-23 coach could’ve watched all the games of the U-23 Suzuki Cup and would’ve taken notice of the standouts in the said tournament.
True, Joshua Beloya, Ojay Clarino and Leonora were eventually drafted into the starting eleven and had big roles to play for Team Philippines. But perhaps, what was missing was watching the games live to know first-hand how to utilize these players in game situations.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: “To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes.”
What is applicable in war, is most certainly applicable in football.
4. The choice of the captain is crucial in a young team.
The role of the captain in football, or any sport, is fairly straightforward. As captain, he is the leader of the team and to a certain extent, an extension of the coach on the field.
When Matthew James Calibjo Hartmann left Jakarta, Indonesia in the middle of the U-23 Azkals campaign in the SEA Games, he not only let his team and teammates down, he let the entire nation down with his actions.
Matt Hartmann was reportedly upset at being substituted midway through the game against Timor Leste and support for him from fellow players was supposedly at an all-time low. Regardless of what happened, no circumstance would justify a captain abandoning his team midway through its journey.
With two losses in its first two games, it was the captain’s duty to galvanize the team and be their strength in the time of crisis. Whether he would do it on the pitch in the next game, or on the bench does not matter, he has to stay on to steady the ship.
Taking the easy way out by abandoning ship is certainly one way of not endearing yourself to the football fans. It is most certainly a shameful display of someone not understanding the weight and responsibility of the captain’s armband.
Credit has to be given, however, to his younger brother Mark Hartmann who stayed on and put on a sterling performance against Laos. Delivering two assists that setup Beloya’s historic late goals, Mark displayed mental toughness to continue playing his game and helping the team get the needed victory.
5. Philippine football has potential with this group of youngsters.
It may not seem apparent at the moment, but there are positives to take out from our calamitous SEA Games campaign. This writer Echoes Dan Palami’s statement that “the Philippines has some of the best individual players in the tournament.”
Roland Muller single-handedly kept the Azkals in the game in our opening match against Vietnam. Jeff Christiaens exploits on the left flank earned plaudits from local fans. OJ Porteria, all 17 years young, displayed explosive pace on the wings.
Joshua Beloya’s two late goals will surely live long into Philippine footballing lore. Carli de Murga’s solid showing on the right side of defense forced opponents to exploit our problematic left flank, the graveyard of Azkals defenders in this tournament.
In the face of all the criticism, we must all remember, this still is a very young team, composed of very young players. Fifteen out of the twenty members of this team will still be eligible to play in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.
The onus is now squarely on the hands of the PFF. We may chalk this failure on inexperience, poor planning and some questionable coaching decisions. Come 2013, these same reasons certainly will no longer be tolerated by an increasingly mature footballing nation.
Going into the 26th edition of the SEA Games in Indonesia, expectations were high for our football team and for good reason. With senior players Jason de Jong and Manny Ott bannering the team that was reinforced by MV Duisburg third choice goalkeeper Roland Muller and standouts from the local Under-23 Suzuki Cup, fans had every reason to look forward to this tournament.
However, with only a last gasp victory against Laos to show for itself, the Philippines’ ambitious push for a medal finish in Jakarta turned out to be a complete disaster.
Here are five things we learned from our SEA Games debacle.
1. Coaching staff have to play people in their natural positions
One of the more curious decisions of coach Hans Michael Weiss was naming only five natural defenders to the final line-up, namely Carli de Murga, Raymark Fernandez, Neckson Leonora, Jacques van Bossche and David Basa. It does not take a football genius to underscore the fact that poor form, suspensions and injuries are bound to take its toll on a team, especially in a group stage format. As a matter of fact, coaches normally take eight defenders to tournaments, translating to two players per position.
Therefore, when the suspensions did happen, the coaching staff found it necessary to shoehorn players out of their natural playing position into our defense.
Patrick Hinrichsen, a natural right-footed midfielder, was preferred by the coaching staff to start at left-back against Timor Leste and Brunei — both losses.
Erstwhile captain Matt Hartmann, for instance, was himself deployed out of position in central defense when his best position would have been in midfield.
Jason de Jong, who inherited the captain’s armband, acquitted himself with his performances in central defense. But the question was: Did the midfield lose some steel with his move to the back four?
One could argue that defenders Jerry Barbaso and the 6’1” Lemuel Unabia, both omitted from the final list, may have been better defensive options for the team.
Coach Weiss has a history of preferring “better” technical and more experienced players rather than “riskier” inexperienced players, natural playing positions be damned. This time, this decision backfired on him in a spectacular fashion.
2.) More prep time was needed for the Under-23 Philippine team
The U-23 Azkals were exposed mercilessly by better-prepared and well-coached opponents, and the results spoke for themselves. Last place in the optimistically named “Group of Hope” and virtually finishing the tournament as the 10th placed team out of eleven nations, our involvement in the SEA Games football competition was a complete and total disaster.
At the risk of stating the blatantly obvious, more preparation time and a longer period of training was needed. These kids should not be expected to emulate their senior counterparts, where Azkals based in Europe would arrive three days before a tournament, shake off screaming fans and jetlag, and bedevil opposing defenses with dazzling runs and crucial goals for good measure.
Engaging in proper friendlies in the run-up to the tournament would undoubtedly increase cohesion and understanding within the team, whether or not the team wins in them.
Case in point: The Long Teng Cup in Taiwan could have and should have been utilized exclusively for the U -23 squad’s training. Held over a month before the SEA Games, there was debatably no need for the senior team’s presence in Kaohsiung.
Perhaps management thought it necessary to validate the rise of football with a glorious piece of silverware from Taiwan; perhaps management was afraid that our U-23 Azkals would get blown out in a four-nation tournament featuring international football powerhouses Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong (Editor’s note: Ryan is being ironic). Whatever the reasons were, the Long Teng Cup was a missed opportunity for the U-23 to face challenge and adversity together in a competitive setting.
Jeff Christiaens, who made the left flank his own in the SEA Games, would certainly have found it more difficult to break down more experienced defenses. But knowing that he is the main man on that left wing could’ve spurred him to achieve greater heights in Taiwan, which he could’ve carried to Jakarta. As it turned out, the man whose slot he will almost certainly inherit, Chieffy Caligdong won the Golden Boot. But at what potential lost opportunity for the young Christiaens?
3. There is a legitimate call for a dedicated U-23 Coach.
The SEA Games was always going to be a test for Coach Weiss’ coaching skills. The senior team have arguably achieved a certain level of success before he took over, as the team just reached the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup in 2010.
The U-23 team, on the other hand, is a totally different proposition altogether. Having to build a team from scratch, the team was composed from standouts from the recently held U-23 Suzuki Cup and a smattering of foreign-based Azkals.
A dedicated U-23 coach could’ve watched all the games of the U-23 Suzuki Cup and would’ve taken notice of the standouts in the said tournament.
True, Joshua Beloya, Ojay Clarino and Leonora were eventually drafted into the starting eleven and had big roles to play for Team Philippines. But perhaps, what was missing was watching the games live to know first-hand how to utilize these players in game situations.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: “To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes.”
What is applicable in war, is most certainly applicable in football.
4. The choice of the captain is crucial in a young team.
The role of the captain in football, or any sport, is fairly straightforward. As captain, he is the leader of the team and to a certain extent, an extension of the coach on the field.
When Matthew James Calibjo Hartmann left Jakarta, Indonesia in the middle of the U-23 Azkals campaign in the SEA Games, he not only let his team and teammates down, he let the entire nation down with his actions.
Matt Hartmann was reportedly upset at being substituted midway through the game against Timor Leste and support for him from fellow players was supposedly at an all-time low. Regardless of what happened, no circumstance would justify a captain abandoning his team midway through its journey.
With two losses in its first two games, it was the captain’s duty to galvanize the team and be their strength in the time of crisis. Whether he would do it on the pitch in the next game, or on the bench does not matter, he has to stay on to steady the ship.
Taking the easy way out by abandoning ship is certainly one way of not endearing yourself to the football fans. It is most certainly a shameful display of someone not understanding the weight and responsibility of the captain’s armband.
Credit has to be given, however, to his younger brother Mark Hartmann who stayed on and put on a sterling performance against Laos. Delivering two assists that setup Beloya’s historic late goals, Mark displayed mental toughness to continue playing his game and helping the team get the needed victory.
5. Philippine football has potential with this group of youngsters.
It may not seem apparent at the moment, but there are positives to take out from our calamitous SEA Games campaign. This writer Echoes Dan Palami’s statement that “the Philippines has some of the best individual players in the tournament.”
Roland Muller single-handedly kept the Azkals in the game in our opening match against Vietnam. Jeff Christiaens exploits on the left flank earned plaudits from local fans. OJ Porteria, all 17 years young, displayed explosive pace on the wings.
Joshua Beloya’s two late goals will surely live long into Philippine footballing lore. Carli de Murga’s solid showing on the right side of defense forced opponents to exploit our problematic left flank, the graveyard of Azkals defenders in this tournament.
In the face of all the criticism, we must all remember, this still is a very young team, composed of very young players. Fifteen out of the twenty members of this team will still be eligible to play in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.
The onus is now squarely on the hands of the PFF. We may chalk this failure on inexperience, poor planning and some questionable coaching decisions. Come 2013, these same reasons certainly will no longer be tolerated by an increasingly mature footballing nation.
Monday, November 14, 2011
SEA Games: Myanmar outclass Junior Azkals, 5-0
Roy Moore/OMG, GMA News
Chemistry was what many felt was lacking in the Junior Azkals, the country’s under-23 team competing in the 26th Southeast Asian Games.
On Sunday, it showed.
The Junior Azkals were bamboozled by Myanmar, 0-5, in a match that showed everything lacking in the national team that could be considered as a rag-tag squad that gathered much less attention than their popular elders Azkals.
As result, Myanmar booked itself a seat in the semifinals, tying the three wins as a against a draw record of powerhouse Vietnam in Group B.
A well orchestrated performance from Myanmar condemned the Philippines to a group finish, shattering any lingering dreams of a semi final spot. First half goals from captain Aye San and Kyaw Zayar Win were added to by a double from Kyaw Ko Ko and a fifth goal from Shwe Hlaing Win as Burma dominated the Junior Azkals.
First Half
Before the game the Philippines knew only a win would keep them in contention for qualifying from the group. History didn’t bode well for the Azkals who lost to Burma 4-1 in 1999, the last time the two countries played in the SEA Games.
Any hopes were quickly dampened, however, when Myanmar captain Aye San tapped into an open goal from a corner in the 7th minute. Roland Müller failed to catch the first corner and dropped the ball but was saved when Carli De Murga headed it off the line. The second corner was crossed in and bounced right in front of Müller who let it slip through his fingers and the Myanmar captain Aye San tapped into the open goal.
The Junior Azkals’ only chance of the first half fell to Porteria who was left unmarked at the far post when a well hit cross came in from the left. He skied the volley, though given the position and the difficulty of the technique, it was understandably difficult.
However just a few minutes from half-time Myanmar took a two goal lead when Kyi Lin ran unmarked in the area. He couldn’t control the ball but it bobbled kindly for Kyaw Zayar Win to poke past Müller for his second goal of the tournament in the 41st minute.
Myanmar defender Moe Win then went down awkwardly from the last chance of the half. Jeffrey Christiaens floated in a free-kick from 25 yards rather than shooting and the ball glided out of touch. Moe Win stayed on the floor, however, with commentator Bob Guerrero suggesting he had possibly dislocated or broken his collar bone. His own players immediately signaled for a substitution as the half-time whistle blew leaving the Junior Azkals with another mountain to climb.
Second Half
Mark Hartmann replaced Jinggoy Valmayor at half-time as Coach Weiss looked to Hartmann to cut open the Myanmar side, who only just missed out on the semi finals in the 2009 SEA Games. Just one point behind both Laos and Singapore last time this win takes them a step closer to the Semis.
It was Burma who started the second half sharpest, dribbling directly through the Junior Azkals line and passing through the central defenders for Kyaw Ko Ko to blast the ball past Müller in the 46th minute. The goal put Myanmar three ahead, adding peaks to the mountain.
Myanmar continued to dominate and the defensive problems compounded. Coach Weiss substituted Neckson Leonora for another defender, Reymark Fernandez, something unusual for coaches to do while losing. With only five defenders named for the twenty-three man squad the team conceded their eleventh goal of the campaign when Kyaw Ko Ko lifted the ball over one defender, then a second, before slotting past Müller to give Myanmar an unassailable 4-0 lead in the 55th minute and become the joint top scorer of the tournament so far.
Minutes later the hero from the Laos game, Joshua Beloya, came in for Jeffrey Christiaens who had previously looked the most likely to score for the Philippines. But Beloya had little chance to make an impact as Manny Ott was soon sent off for his second yellow card ten minutes from the end. Though his tackle of the Myanmar player from behind wasn’t that dangerous it was simply one foul too many from Ott and he received his marching orders.
Adding insult to injury, Myanmar scored a fifth and wrapped up the win in injury time as Min Min Thu burst past the defense to collect a through ball. His attempted cross was tipped away by Müller but only into the path of Shwe Hlaing Win who slotted into the open goal in the 92nd minute.
Only Brunei left
This heavy loss confirms that the Philippines will not qualify for the semi-finals. Manny Ott and Roland Müller will also miss the final game of the Junior Azkals’ tournament agaist Brunei as Ott was sent off and Müller picked up his second yellow card of the tournament. Brunei is probably the weakest side in the tournament, though, and the Junior Azkals will be playing for pride on Tuesday, November 15th, 8pm.
Chemistry was what many felt was lacking in the Junior Azkals, the country’s under-23 team competing in the 26th Southeast Asian Games.
On Sunday, it showed.
The Junior Azkals were bamboozled by Myanmar, 0-5, in a match that showed everything lacking in the national team that could be considered as a rag-tag squad that gathered much less attention than their popular elders Azkals.
As result, Myanmar booked itself a seat in the semifinals, tying the three wins as a against a draw record of powerhouse Vietnam in Group B.
A well orchestrated performance from Myanmar condemned the Philippines to a group finish, shattering any lingering dreams of a semi final spot. First half goals from captain Aye San and Kyaw Zayar Win were added to by a double from Kyaw Ko Ko and a fifth goal from Shwe Hlaing Win as Burma dominated the Junior Azkals.
First Half
Before the game the Philippines knew only a win would keep them in contention for qualifying from the group. History didn’t bode well for the Azkals who lost to Burma 4-1 in 1999, the last time the two countries played in the SEA Games.
Any hopes were quickly dampened, however, when Myanmar captain Aye San tapped into an open goal from a corner in the 7th minute. Roland Müller failed to catch the first corner and dropped the ball but was saved when Carli De Murga headed it off the line. The second corner was crossed in and bounced right in front of Müller who let it slip through his fingers and the Myanmar captain Aye San tapped into the open goal.
The Junior Azkals’ only chance of the first half fell to Porteria who was left unmarked at the far post when a well hit cross came in from the left. He skied the volley, though given the position and the difficulty of the technique, it was understandably difficult.
However just a few minutes from half-time Myanmar took a two goal lead when Kyi Lin ran unmarked in the area. He couldn’t control the ball but it bobbled kindly for Kyaw Zayar Win to poke past Müller for his second goal of the tournament in the 41st minute.
Myanmar defender Moe Win then went down awkwardly from the last chance of the half. Jeffrey Christiaens floated in a free-kick from 25 yards rather than shooting and the ball glided out of touch. Moe Win stayed on the floor, however, with commentator Bob Guerrero suggesting he had possibly dislocated or broken his collar bone. His own players immediately signaled for a substitution as the half-time whistle blew leaving the Junior Azkals with another mountain to climb.
Second Half
Mark Hartmann replaced Jinggoy Valmayor at half-time as Coach Weiss looked to Hartmann to cut open the Myanmar side, who only just missed out on the semi finals in the 2009 SEA Games. Just one point behind both Laos and Singapore last time this win takes them a step closer to the Semis.
It was Burma who started the second half sharpest, dribbling directly through the Junior Azkals line and passing through the central defenders for Kyaw Ko Ko to blast the ball past Müller in the 46th minute. The goal put Myanmar three ahead, adding peaks to the mountain.
Myanmar continued to dominate and the defensive problems compounded. Coach Weiss substituted Neckson Leonora for another defender, Reymark Fernandez, something unusual for coaches to do while losing. With only five defenders named for the twenty-three man squad the team conceded their eleventh goal of the campaign when Kyaw Ko Ko lifted the ball over one defender, then a second, before slotting past Müller to give Myanmar an unassailable 4-0 lead in the 55th minute and become the joint top scorer of the tournament so far.
Minutes later the hero from the Laos game, Joshua Beloya, came in for Jeffrey Christiaens who had previously looked the most likely to score for the Philippines. But Beloya had little chance to make an impact as Manny Ott was soon sent off for his second yellow card ten minutes from the end. Though his tackle of the Myanmar player from behind wasn’t that dangerous it was simply one foul too many from Ott and he received his marching orders.
Adding insult to injury, Myanmar scored a fifth and wrapped up the win in injury time as Min Min Thu burst past the defense to collect a through ball. His attempted cross was tipped away by Müller but only into the path of Shwe Hlaing Win who slotted into the open goal in the 92nd minute.
Only Brunei left
This heavy loss confirms that the Philippines will not qualify for the semi-finals. Manny Ott and Roland Müller will also miss the final game of the Junior Azkals’ tournament agaist Brunei as Ott was sent off and Müller picked up his second yellow card of the tournament. Brunei is probably the weakest side in the tournament, though, and the Junior Azkals will be playing for pride on Tuesday, November 15th, 8pm.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Beloya’s two late goals lift U-23 Azkals over Laos
By Sid Ventura | Sportsaholic
On an 11/11/11 playdate, it was perhaps fitting that the player wearing jersey no. 11 would rescue the Philippines from another loss.
Down a man and a goal and just minutes from elimination, the U-23 Azkals turned to substitute Joshua Beloya, who scored two goals in the last three minutes to give the Philippine side a pulsating 3-2 win over Laos in the football competition of the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.
It was the first win for the U2-3 Azkals in Group B, giving them three points to leapfrog over their victims and Brunei, who now both share the cellar with one point apiece. But for majority of the second half, Laos was seemingly on its way to notching its first win and moving up to four points. That is, until fate, luck, the power of the number 11, or whatever you want to call it intervened.
Manny Ott gave the Philippines an early lead, gathering a pass from Jinggoy Valmayor to slot home a goal in the seventh minute. But Laos, showing better form in the midfield, equalized in the 38th off a cross from Soukhaphone Vongch that found captain Lamnao Singto, who easily found the back of the net. Singto gave Laos the lead in the 46th, his fourth goal of the tournament, and it looked like the Philippines' campaign in Jakarta was headed to a premature end.
Things only got worse for the U-23 Azkals after defender Patrick Hinrichsen was sent off in the 61st minute for drawing two yellow cards in succession. Down to 10 men and needing to score, Coach Hans Michael Weiss sent in Mark Hartmann in the 61st minute for an ineffective OJ Clarino, in hopes of improving the Philippines' attack.
The move paid off as Hartmann breathed new life into the Azkals' attack, and nearly scored the equalizer in the 66th with a low free kick that was on target but was batted out at the last possible second by the Laotian keeper.
Laos kept its defense solid and nearly scored a couple of times on counter-attacks, and with the match approaching injury time, it seemed the Philippines was going to absorb its third straight setback. But in the 90th minute, Hartmann beat the offside trap and, barely onside, had only the keeper to beat. The Loyola Meralco Sparks mainstay waited for the keeper to commit before passing off to Beloya, who easily tapped the ball in for the equalizer.
With three minutes of injury time added, a stunned Laos tried to salvage a win and stepped up its attack. But the Philippines held firm, and a perfect long ball from Hartmann found Beloya advancing from top of the box. The substitute striker gathered the pass perfectly, juggled the ball a bit to shake off his defender, then found the back of the net from a strike from close range in the 93rd minute.
Moments later, the referee blew his final whistle, and the U-23 Azkals incredibly found themselves still in contention.
The team badly needed this win, not only to avoid elimination but to also lift their sagging morale, which had hit rock bottom following their 1-2 loss to Timor Leste and reports that captain Matthew Hartmann was sent home as a disciplinary measure.
For Laos, it was a bitter loss. They controlled the tempo of the match, and had a 55-45 advantage in possession. Yet despite being a man up and facing a depleted Philippine back line, they just could not find an insurance goal and seemed to relax in the end game.
The Philippines is not yet out of the woods, though. Vietnam and Myanmar share first place in Group B with seven points, while Timor Leste isn't far behind at solo third with six. The junior Azkals, now at fourth with three points, face Myanmar in Sunday, and obviously need to win again. Myanmar thrashed Brunei, 4-0, and also came from behind to beat Laos, 3-2. They drew with Vietnam.
On an 11/11/11 playdate, it was perhaps fitting that the player wearing jersey no. 11 would rescue the Philippines from another loss.
Down a man and a goal and just minutes from elimination, the U-23 Azkals turned to substitute Joshua Beloya, who scored two goals in the last three minutes to give the Philippine side a pulsating 3-2 win over Laos in the football competition of the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.
It was the first win for the U2-3 Azkals in Group B, giving them three points to leapfrog over their victims and Brunei, who now both share the cellar with one point apiece. But for majority of the second half, Laos was seemingly on its way to notching its first win and moving up to four points. That is, until fate, luck, the power of the number 11, or whatever you want to call it intervened.
Manny Ott gave the Philippines an early lead, gathering a pass from Jinggoy Valmayor to slot home a goal in the seventh minute. But Laos, showing better form in the midfield, equalized in the 38th off a cross from Soukhaphone Vongch that found captain Lamnao Singto, who easily found the back of the net. Singto gave Laos the lead in the 46th, his fourth goal of the tournament, and it looked like the Philippines' campaign in Jakarta was headed to a premature end.
Things only got worse for the U-23 Azkals after defender Patrick Hinrichsen was sent off in the 61st minute for drawing two yellow cards in succession. Down to 10 men and needing to score, Coach Hans Michael Weiss sent in Mark Hartmann in the 61st minute for an ineffective OJ Clarino, in hopes of improving the Philippines' attack.
The move paid off as Hartmann breathed new life into the Azkals' attack, and nearly scored the equalizer in the 66th with a low free kick that was on target but was batted out at the last possible second by the Laotian keeper.
Laos kept its defense solid and nearly scored a couple of times on counter-attacks, and with the match approaching injury time, it seemed the Philippines was going to absorb its third straight setback. But in the 90th minute, Hartmann beat the offside trap and, barely onside, had only the keeper to beat. The Loyola Meralco Sparks mainstay waited for the keeper to commit before passing off to Beloya, who easily tapped the ball in for the equalizer.
With three minutes of injury time added, a stunned Laos tried to salvage a win and stepped up its attack. But the Philippines held firm, and a perfect long ball from Hartmann found Beloya advancing from top of the box. The substitute striker gathered the pass perfectly, juggled the ball a bit to shake off his defender, then found the back of the net from a strike from close range in the 93rd minute.
Moments later, the referee blew his final whistle, and the U-23 Azkals incredibly found themselves still in contention.
The team badly needed this win, not only to avoid elimination but to also lift their sagging morale, which had hit rock bottom following their 1-2 loss to Timor Leste and reports that captain Matthew Hartmann was sent home as a disciplinary measure.
For Laos, it was a bitter loss. They controlled the tempo of the match, and had a 55-45 advantage in possession. Yet despite being a man up and facing a depleted Philippine back line, they just could not find an insurance goal and seemed to relax in the end game.
The Philippines is not yet out of the woods, though. Vietnam and Myanmar share first place in Group B with seven points, while Timor Leste isn't far behind at solo third with six. The junior Azkals, now at fourth with three points, face Myanmar in Sunday, and obviously need to win again. Myanmar thrashed Brunei, 4-0, and also came from behind to beat Laos, 3-2. They drew with Vietnam.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
LA Galaxy-Azkals tickets for Dec 3 match cost P2K-P15.5K
ELR/HS, GMA News
Organizers of the December 3 football friendly match between the LA Galaxy and the Philippine national football team have revealed that the least costly tickets will be priced at P2,000 while the priciest seats will go for P15,500 each.
The LA Galaxy is currently the top-rated team in Major League Soccer, the US professional league, and will be playing for the league championship against the Houston Dynamo on November 20.
The Galaxy's star player, British midfielder David Beckham, is having what may be his best season in his five years of playing in America after a stellar career in England's Premier League.
The LA Galaxy may be the most illustrious overseas professional team to play in the Philippines in years, reflecting the strides football has made in capturing the fancy of the Filipino sporting public.
P14,000 for kids football clinic with Galaxy
The Galaxy-Azkals tickets will go on sale via Ticketworld Thursday afternoon. The other ticket prices are P5,000, P9,500, P10,500, and P12,500. The announcement was made via Twitter and the Azkaleros official fan page on Facebook.
Detailed information on seat locations and their matching ticket prices will be available on the Ticketworld website also on Thursday.
Tickets will also be sold for the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. open practice of the LA Galaxy on December 2. Prices for this are more affordable at P3,000 for the grandstand seats and P1,500 for the bleachers.
Slots for the football clinic with the LA Galaxy in the afternoon of December 2 will be limited to the first 150 kids who can afford the P14,000 inclusive of the jersey, shorts and soccer bag.
Tickets for previous international friendly matches of the Azkals at the Rizal Stadium ranged from P200 for the side bleachers to P3,000 for the lower grandstand seats.
Seating capacity at the venue has been set at 13,000.
On the microblogging site Twitter, comments on the prices of the tickets ranged from acceptance to rejection.
Organizers of the December 3 football friendly match between the LA Galaxy and the Philippine national football team have revealed that the least costly tickets will be priced at P2,000 while the priciest seats will go for P15,500 each.
The LA Galaxy is currently the top-rated team in Major League Soccer, the US professional league, and will be playing for the league championship against the Houston Dynamo on November 20.
The Galaxy's star player, British midfielder David Beckham, is having what may be his best season in his five years of playing in America after a stellar career in England's Premier League.
The LA Galaxy may be the most illustrious overseas professional team to play in the Philippines in years, reflecting the strides football has made in capturing the fancy of the Filipino sporting public.
P14,000 for kids football clinic with Galaxy
The Galaxy-Azkals tickets will go on sale via Ticketworld Thursday afternoon. The other ticket prices are P5,000, P9,500, P10,500, and P12,500. The announcement was made via Twitter and the Azkaleros official fan page on Facebook.
Detailed information on seat locations and their matching ticket prices will be available on the Ticketworld website also on Thursday.
Tickets will also be sold for the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. open practice of the LA Galaxy on December 2. Prices for this are more affordable at P3,000 for the grandstand seats and P1,500 for the bleachers.
Slots for the football clinic with the LA Galaxy in the afternoon of December 2 will be limited to the first 150 kids who can afford the P14,000 inclusive of the jersey, shorts and soccer bag.
Tickets for previous international friendly matches of the Azkals at the Rizal Stadium ranged from P200 for the side bleachers to P3,000 for the lower grandstand seats.
Seating capacity at the venue has been set at 13,000.
On the microblogging site Twitter, comments on the prices of the tickets ranged from acceptance to rejection.
Azkals woes highlight need to develop locals
By Olmin Leyba (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - The lack of cohesion bogging the Philippine under-23 Azkals in the 26th Southeast Asian Games has emphasized once again the need to develop more home-grown talents committed to train together for longer periods.
“(Team manager) Dan Palami and (coach Michael) Weiss have the best of intentions. Dan spent to get the best (players from Europe). But football is teamwork. You can’t achieve it in three days or one week of practice,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Monico Puentevella, also a member of the advisory council of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
For this campaign, team management has assembled a combo of local-based players and pros plying their trade in Europe, like Roland Muller, Manny Ott, Jeffrey Christiaens and Carli de Murga. The Euro-based booters only joined the team in Indonesia already, in time for their first game.
The U23 Azkals dropped a 1-3 loss to Vietnam and a 1-2 setback to darkhorse Timor Leste as their semifinal bid got dimmer each game day.
“Our players in the under-23 are not short of talent. But to put them in the field to play as a team, you need more time of playing together,” observed Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia.
Puentevella batted for a stronger grassroots development program.
“I guess we can’t rely on the guys from outside all the time. Grassroots must be strengthened. We must go back to the drawing board,” said Puentevella.
Weiss said he’s already entertaining the idea of tapping more locals next time, but asked for a more tempered expectation from Filipino fans.
“A lot of these boys are very young; they can still play in 2013 SEA Games. The hopes in the Philippines now are way too high; we should lower our expectations, work hard, and continue to build up players who are having the right heart beat and not thinking themselves as superstars because somebody admires them in the Philippines.
“I should very well think who to bring here for this tournament, one idea is to bring more local players and see how they can compete in international exposure,” he said.
The U23 Azkals stand at the rear in Group B with no point to show after two games. Timor Leste holds the unlikely lead with six points (two wins) followed by Vietnam and Myanmar with identical four points (1-1-0), and Laos and Brunei with one apiece (0-1-1).
Phl XI battles Laos on Friday, Myanmar on Sunday and Brunei in Tuesday, gunning for victories while hoping the leaders wouldn’t pile up the points to keep their slim chance for the semis.
But Weiss himself is practically conceding a place in the medal rounds.
“We have to think now of the immediate strategy as the tournament is most likely not on us. We do not even have to think of the semifinals,” the German mentor said.
MANILA, Philippines - The lack of cohesion bogging the Philippine under-23 Azkals in the 26th Southeast Asian Games has emphasized once again the need to develop more home-grown talents committed to train together for longer periods.
“(Team manager) Dan Palami and (coach Michael) Weiss have the best of intentions. Dan spent to get the best (players from Europe). But football is teamwork. You can’t achieve it in three days or one week of practice,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Monico Puentevella, also a member of the advisory council of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
For this campaign, team management has assembled a combo of local-based players and pros plying their trade in Europe, like Roland Muller, Manny Ott, Jeffrey Christiaens and Carli de Murga. The Euro-based booters only joined the team in Indonesia already, in time for their first game.
The U23 Azkals dropped a 1-3 loss to Vietnam and a 1-2 setback to darkhorse Timor Leste as their semifinal bid got dimmer each game day.
“Our players in the under-23 are not short of talent. But to put them in the field to play as a team, you need more time of playing together,” observed Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia.
Puentevella batted for a stronger grassroots development program.
“I guess we can’t rely on the guys from outside all the time. Grassroots must be strengthened. We must go back to the drawing board,” said Puentevella.
Weiss said he’s already entertaining the idea of tapping more locals next time, but asked for a more tempered expectation from Filipino fans.
“A lot of these boys are very young; they can still play in 2013 SEA Games. The hopes in the Philippines now are way too high; we should lower our expectations, work hard, and continue to build up players who are having the right heart beat and not thinking themselves as superstars because somebody admires them in the Philippines.
“I should very well think who to bring here for this tournament, one idea is to bring more local players and see how they can compete in international exposure,” he said.
The U23 Azkals stand at the rear in Group B with no point to show after two games. Timor Leste holds the unlikely lead with six points (two wins) followed by Vietnam and Myanmar with identical four points (1-1-0), and Laos and Brunei with one apiece (0-1-1).
Phl XI battles Laos on Friday, Myanmar on Sunday and Brunei in Tuesday, gunning for victories while hoping the leaders wouldn’t pile up the points to keep their slim chance for the semis.
But Weiss himself is practically conceding a place in the medal rounds.
“We have to think now of the immediate strategy as the tournament is most likely not on us. We do not even have to think of the semifinals,” the German mentor said.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Junior Azkals open SEA Games campaign with 3-1 loss to favorite Vietnam
ROY MOORE, GMA News
The Philippine Under-23 team dropped a 3-1 decision over Vietnam Thursday at the start of football competitions in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Manny Ott put the Philippines in front when Mark Hartmann played a well disguised pass to the Filipino-German central midfielder who hit the ball on the half volley.
Roland Müller had several great defensive stops as the Philippines enjoyed a 1-0 halftime lead.
But that was short lived as Vietnam equalized in the second half as Matt Hartman headed in an own goal after several great saves from Müller.
Müller continued to save shot after shot in the second half but Hoang Thien made it 2-1 for the 2009 SEA Games silver medalist in the 73rd minute.
Nguyen Van Quyet, eloquently curling into the top corner, scored Vietnam's other goal in the 91st minute of stoppage time.
The Junior Azkals will have a lighter opponent in their next game when they face Timor Leste on November 7.
First half
Vietnam had been in charge of the game in the first half with 65 percent of the possession. Fashioning several good chances Van Bosshe first cleared as a Vietnamese forward rounded Müller in goal before the Azkals goalie then produced a fantastic save from point blank range.
Vietnam were playing great possession football and tore apart the Azkals defense with quick movement, forming triangles between the players to round the Azkals defense.
It would be kind to suggest the Azkals were playing a zonal marking system with the Vietnamese attackers seeming to move away from defenders at will. Vietnam should have been leading but Müller and Van Bosshe kept the scores level before Ott broke the deadlock in the 37th minute to put the Azkals ahead going into the break.
Showing great technique Ott at first was deemed unavailable for the Philippine U23 team having to look for a new club back in Germany but a change of heart brought him to Indonesia at the last minute and coach Michael Weiss was pleased with his first-half contribution.
Second half
The second half started with both sides hitting the post early on. Neckson Leonora conceded a foul and a yellow card, though replays showed his slide tackle didn't make contact with the Vietnamese player. The ball was whipped in well and Müller was beaten from the header but the crossbar came to his rescue.
The Azkals then broke and Ott won possession in the Vietnamese area, held the ball up before laying it off. The following shot curled beautifully, again leaving the keeper with no chance, but the post saved Vietnam this time.
Müller then made two fantastic saves to keep the Philippines' ahead, blocking one-on-one attacks as the Vietnamese time and time again broke through the defensive line. Having been offside several times in the first half Vietnam seemed to find their rhythm and forced Müller into some great saves.
It seemed no Vietnamese player could beat Müller and indeed Vietnam's equalizer came from an own goal. Vietnam crossed from the left and Hartmann inadvertently headed the ball into the back of the net.
Unlucky to concede the goal in such a manner the Azkals could have no argument that it was undeserved. Vietnam then went ahead when a chipped through ball sent their attackers through but Müller got to the ball first and punched away. The ball fell into the path of Thien, who passed comfortably into the open net. The marking was lapse once more and Müller was forced off his line, unlucky that his clearance reached a Vietnamese player.
Minutes later Müller made another great save as Vietnam got through again only to be beaten back by the Azkals keeper. Vietnam should have had a third when Chu Ngoc Anh misfired from just a few yards out in the 90th minute when the ball was cut back to him.
Icing on the cake
Vietnam did get their third goal with virtually the last kick of the game though. Pushing forward the Azkals were caught on the break and a four-on-four ended with the ball being worked well from the right before Van Quyen turned his man and curled into the top corner to wrap up the win.
The 3-1 win completes Vietnam's revenge for the 2-0 loss loss in last year's Suzuki Cup. With the Philippines recording a shock victory then coach Henrique Calisto refused to shake hands with then Philippine coach Simon McMenemy after the match.
This time around the coaches were more professional.
Looking to cement their position as group favorites, Vietnam did just that with some very fluid football, great passing and movement causing problems for the Azkals' defense throughout the game. If not for the Philippines' man of the match Roland Müller in goal the scoreline could have got embarrassing.
In context
Since the tournament changed format from the Senior teams to the Under-23 teams in 2001, Vietnam holds a decent record with three silvers out of the last five tournaments. Vietnam has never won the SEA Games gold, though South Vietnam ruled the tournament in 1959. The defending silver medalists will be going for gold and it must be remembered that this was the Philippines' toughest game of the group.
By contrast this 3-1 loss is the first time the Philippines has competed in the tournament since 2005 where they finished third in the group, just missing out on the semifinals. Vietnam deserved the win with 71 percent of the possession throughout the game but the Philippines will be looking to bounce back against Timor Leste on Monday, November 7.
The Azkals will need to be cautious of yellow cards, though, with Jeff Christiaens, Neckson Leonora, De Murga and of course Jason De Jong picking up bookings.
However expecting victories against Timor Leste and Brunei, good performances against Laos and Burma will send the Azkals into the semis with a good shot at a medal
Before the match Weiss called for the realistic aim of finishing second in the group. Now the Azkals will have to rise again to qualify and once more make history.
The Philippine Under-23 team dropped a 3-1 decision over Vietnam Thursday at the start of football competitions in the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Manny Ott put the Philippines in front when Mark Hartmann played a well disguised pass to the Filipino-German central midfielder who hit the ball on the half volley.
Roland Müller had several great defensive stops as the Philippines enjoyed a 1-0 halftime lead.
But that was short lived as Vietnam equalized in the second half as Matt Hartman headed in an own goal after several great saves from Müller.
Müller continued to save shot after shot in the second half but Hoang Thien made it 2-1 for the 2009 SEA Games silver medalist in the 73rd minute.
Nguyen Van Quyet, eloquently curling into the top corner, scored Vietnam's other goal in the 91st minute of stoppage time.
The Junior Azkals will have a lighter opponent in their next game when they face Timor Leste on November 7.
First half
Vietnam had been in charge of the game in the first half with 65 percent of the possession. Fashioning several good chances Van Bosshe first cleared as a Vietnamese forward rounded Müller in goal before the Azkals goalie then produced a fantastic save from point blank range.
Vietnam were playing great possession football and tore apart the Azkals defense with quick movement, forming triangles between the players to round the Azkals defense.
It would be kind to suggest the Azkals were playing a zonal marking system with the Vietnamese attackers seeming to move away from defenders at will. Vietnam should have been leading but Müller and Van Bosshe kept the scores level before Ott broke the deadlock in the 37th minute to put the Azkals ahead going into the break.
Showing great technique Ott at first was deemed unavailable for the Philippine U23 team having to look for a new club back in Germany but a change of heart brought him to Indonesia at the last minute and coach Michael Weiss was pleased with his first-half contribution.
Second half
The second half started with both sides hitting the post early on. Neckson Leonora conceded a foul and a yellow card, though replays showed his slide tackle didn't make contact with the Vietnamese player. The ball was whipped in well and Müller was beaten from the header but the crossbar came to his rescue.
The Azkals then broke and Ott won possession in the Vietnamese area, held the ball up before laying it off. The following shot curled beautifully, again leaving the keeper with no chance, but the post saved Vietnam this time.
Müller then made two fantastic saves to keep the Philippines' ahead, blocking one-on-one attacks as the Vietnamese time and time again broke through the defensive line. Having been offside several times in the first half Vietnam seemed to find their rhythm and forced Müller into some great saves.
It seemed no Vietnamese player could beat Müller and indeed Vietnam's equalizer came from an own goal. Vietnam crossed from the left and Hartmann inadvertently headed the ball into the back of the net.
Unlucky to concede the goal in such a manner the Azkals could have no argument that it was undeserved. Vietnam then went ahead when a chipped through ball sent their attackers through but Müller got to the ball first and punched away. The ball fell into the path of Thien, who passed comfortably into the open net. The marking was lapse once more and Müller was forced off his line, unlucky that his clearance reached a Vietnamese player.
Minutes later Müller made another great save as Vietnam got through again only to be beaten back by the Azkals keeper. Vietnam should have had a third when Chu Ngoc Anh misfired from just a few yards out in the 90th minute when the ball was cut back to him.
Icing on the cake
Vietnam did get their third goal with virtually the last kick of the game though. Pushing forward the Azkals were caught on the break and a four-on-four ended with the ball being worked well from the right before Van Quyen turned his man and curled into the top corner to wrap up the win.
The 3-1 win completes Vietnam's revenge for the 2-0 loss loss in last year's Suzuki Cup. With the Philippines recording a shock victory then coach Henrique Calisto refused to shake hands with then Philippine coach Simon McMenemy after the match.
This time around the coaches were more professional.
Looking to cement their position as group favorites, Vietnam did just that with some very fluid football, great passing and movement causing problems for the Azkals' defense throughout the game. If not for the Philippines' man of the match Roland Müller in goal the scoreline could have got embarrassing.
In context
Since the tournament changed format from the Senior teams to the Under-23 teams in 2001, Vietnam holds a decent record with three silvers out of the last five tournaments. Vietnam has never won the SEA Games gold, though South Vietnam ruled the tournament in 1959. The defending silver medalists will be going for gold and it must be remembered that this was the Philippines' toughest game of the group.
By contrast this 3-1 loss is the first time the Philippines has competed in the tournament since 2005 where they finished third in the group, just missing out on the semifinals. Vietnam deserved the win with 71 percent of the possession throughout the game but the Philippines will be looking to bounce back against Timor Leste on Monday, November 7.
The Azkals will need to be cautious of yellow cards, though, with Jeff Christiaens, Neckson Leonora, De Murga and of course Jason De Jong picking up bookings.
However expecting victories against Timor Leste and Brunei, good performances against Laos and Burma will send the Azkals into the semis with a good shot at a medal
Before the match Weiss called for the realistic aim of finishing second in the group. Now the Azkals will have to rise again to qualify and once more make history.
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