RANGOON—Everything, it seems, has yet to come together for coach Hans Michael Weiss since he started taking over the national team three months ago. After a treacherous camp in Japan and dealing with the freezing conditions in Mongolia, the German coach got another brief scare when goalkeeper Neil Etheridge suffered from dehydration on the eve of the crucial match with Palestine in the AFC Challenge Cup group qualifying here.
“There’s always a problem,” said Weiss, who has one win, one draw and one loss so far in his three-month tenure with the national squad.
Collapsed
Etheridge was reportedly up all night, going in and out of the restroom because of his stomach problems.
The height of the scare came around 4 a.m. Wednesday when Etheridge collapsed on the restroom floor due to a lack of electrolytes in his body.
Fortunately for Weiss and the rest of the Azkals, Etheridge recovered three hours before kickoff, looking ready for the crucial match against Palestine.
“I’m not 100 percent, but I don’t want the boys to go out there without me,” the 6-foot-3 Etheridge said with a smile.
Cedfelf Tupas, Phil. Daily Inquirer
