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."
Monday, January 23, 2012
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.
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