ALTHOUGH armed with a 2-0 lead over Mongolia in their Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup series, the Philippine Azkals are not taking the opposition lightly, with team manager Dan Palami stressing the Filipinos must acclimatize to the wintry condition in Ulan Bator in time for the return match on March 16. "Napakalamig talaga sa part na ‘yun ng Mongolia kaya malaking factor talaga ‘yun sa laban," Palami said yesterday, adding the temperature at the Mongolian capital is constantly close to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
To enable the Azkals to keep in step with the Mongolians, the team intends to leave for Ulan Bator a week before the match, according to Palami.
Before leaving for Mongolia, the Azkals will train in Japan possibly against a domestic club. The weather in Japan at this time of years mirrors that of Ulan Bator.
"We are very lucky because the Japan Football Association is very cooperative regarding our continuous development in the sport. Kaya malaking tulong talaga sila (JFF) sa campaign natin sa Challenge Cup," Palami pointed out.
"Mahirap talaga dahil hindi sanay ang lahat ng players maglaro sa malamig na lugar," Palami added, an observation echoed by skipper Aly Borromeo.
"’Yung weather condition talaga ang number one problem naming lahat. That’s why we have to be at Mongolia as early as a week before the match to get acclimatized," Borromeo said.
The Azkals scored a 2-0 win over the Mongolians nine days ago at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. If they go on to win, they are likely to face Bangladesh, Palestine and Myanmar in the next round.
Jerome Lagunzad, Business Malaya
