BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – This early, the Philippine men’s football team is preparing fresh faces who will reinforce the Azkals in upcoming international tournaments, including the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November. Some of the potential recruits, among them Fil-foreign booters, have actually even joined the 35-man Azkals pool in their training for the first leg of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match here, but were not inserted into the final roster yet.
Instead, veterans of the crew that made the semis of the PFF Suzuki Cup, led by Neil Etheridge, Phil and James Younghusband, Rob Gier, Jason de Jong and skipper Aly Borromeo were tapped for the Azkals’ home game last night against Mongolia at the Panaad Stadium.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami said the prospects were summoned to the pool not only to showcase their skills before coach Hans Michael Weiss but also to gear them up for future meets.
“Even though they didn’t make it to the final lineup (against Mongolia), this does not mean they are no longer part of the team. It’s just that they will not be used in this particular match as we prioritized the core of the Suzuki Cup team augmented by a few additions,” Palami said.
Olmin Leyba, Philippine Star
