Azkals Coach Sees Challenge Cup Success

Playing in front of their growing legion of fans, Philippine Azkals coach Michael Weiss believes they will give his players an extra zest to top 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers on March 22-26 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The presence of other key foreign-based booters for the qualifiers, according to Weiss, is another reason why they could dominate the event that will also be participated in by last year’s runner-up Turkmenistan, Brunei and Cambodia.

North Korea won’t defend its title after getting a slot to the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 as a result of its win last year.

“This is a very serious tournament because in the Philippines, it’s not allowed to lose so we have to win the tournament,” said Weiss, who at presstime has yet to sign the six-month contract extension offered by the Philippine Football Federation.

The top team in the five qualifying groups will advance to the main stage of the Challenge Cup set next year in the tiny island of Maldives. The remaining three slots will be filled by the three-best second placers.

The period of the qualifiers are set during the FIFA international friendly dates, meaning that clubs worldwide will have to release their players if needed for national team duty.

Among the key Azkals playing abroad are Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, Hoffenheim’s Stephan Schrock, Dennis Cagara, Paul Mulders and Rob Gier, who did a fine defensive job during the AFF Suzuki Cup.

“And I think on home soil and with the players that will be available, we have a very good chance because it’s an international FIFA date,” added Weiss. “It doesn’t mean all of them will come but I expect most of them here.”

Etheridge, Ott back for Burma friendly

Now available after skipping important tournaments last year, goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and midfielder Manny Ott have been recalled for the Philippine side that will face Burma (Myanmar) in an international friendly in Yangon next week.

Etheridge missed the AFF Suzuki Cup last year due to commitments with his club Fulham, while Ott also focused on his club career in Germany last year, forcing him out of the AFC Challenge Cup as well as the Suzuki Cup.

But with the Burma friendly on Feb. 6 falling on an international date, there seems to be no problem securing the release of Ether-idge and Ott to the team which is preparing for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in March.

The Azkals will face Turkmenistan, Brunei and Cambodia in the Group E Qualifiers from March 22 to 26 at Rizal Memorial Stadium. Only the top team in the group will advance to next year’s main tournament in the Maldives.

England-based defender Rob Gier, who is coming off a rock-solid performance in the Suzuki Cup, is also expected to return to the side for the Myanmar match.

After the Burma match, the Azkals may stop in Thailand to play a local club either on Feb. 9 or 10, according to Philippine Football Federation general secretary Ed Gastanes.

Azkals manager Dan Palami said the other players based in Europe like Stephan Schrock, Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara will be called up in the late stages of the preparation or just during the tournament itself.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Weiss may begin Azkals preparations

With a deal with coach Michael Weiss nearing completion, the Philippine Football Federation can now focus on preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in March.

As soon as Weiss is on board, the Azkals will have two months to prepare for the Group E qualifiers on March 22 to 26 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I think the main issues have been resolved,” said Azkals manager Palami in yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

“The basic terms have been agreed and we look forward to the preparations for the Challenge Cup.”

The PFF offered Weiss a six-month extension, which federation general secretary Ed Gastanes said was a collective decision involving him, PFF president Nonong Araneta and Palami.

“The decision was made … based not only the success but the problems that we had,” said Gastanes.

A three-day camp is set from Jan. 28 to 31 for the Azkals, who are flying to Yangon for a friendly with Myanmar on Feb. 6.

Palami said Fil-Spanish striker Javier Patino Lachica will be part of the pool for the Challenge Cup as soon as he gets his passport.

Patino, who traces his roots in Cebu and plays for Cordoba in the Spanish second division, is expected to fly in this week to process the requirements needed to get a passport.

In the Challenge Cup, the Azkals will face Brunei, Cambodia and Turkmenistan with the top team in the group earning a spot in the main tournament in the Maldives next year.

Gastanes hinted that Weiss could stay longer if he steers the country to the Challenge Cup main tournament next year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Azkals U-23 Seeking Historic Finish

Azkals team manager Dan Palami believes that the Philippine U-23 team that they are tying to form this early can accomplish what the previous squad failed to do in the last SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Palami cited several mistakes the team did that led to its disastrous showing two years ago, foremost of them was lack of preparations.

According to Palami, the Philippine Football Federation is now making early preparations for the squad with scheduled camps abroad in their bid to accomplish the Herculean task in the Myanmar SEA Games slated this December.

The country has yet to win a football medal since the sports was included in the biennial meet.

“I think we still have a good chance of securing a medal finish in the SEA Games and with the early preparation that we have right now, we should stand a big chance,” said Palami.

Although the pool has yet to be finalized, Palami hinted that veteran Jason de Jong, twins Marwin and Marvin Angeles, Jeff Christieans, Matthew Uy and brothers Manny and Mike Ott are among the players being considered for the biennial meet.

Neil Etheridge is still eligible to play for the SEAG team but the availability of the stocky 22-year old goalie will depend on whether his English Premier League club Fulham is willing to release their second-choice keeper for the biennial meet.

source: mb.com.ph

Can Azkals go farther in 2013?

Come 2013, The PH Azkals team have already proven that their stint in the past Suzuki Cup challenge is not a fluke. That they are ready for bigger challenges, bigger opponent and bigger field to conquest!

This year, the Azkals team is stronger and better equipped to face their new opponents and surely they are still eager to go farther.

MANILA, Philippines - Following their repeat semifinal finish in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the challenge for the Azkals for 2013 and beyond is to sustain the momentum and surpass their achievements, according to Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta.

“Prior to the Suzuki Cup the pressure was to qualify for the Suzuki Cup semifinals once more. By qualifying again, I think they have shown that our semifinals stint in the 2010 Suzuki Cup was not a fluke. Right now with the set of players we have, the question for us is: ‘can we go farther?’” said Araneta.

Stronger and better equipped than the unheralded side that surprised Southeast Asia in 2010, the Azkals duplicated their Last-4 appearance and even went tantalizingly close to a historic finals berth, if not for a 0-1 setback to eventual titlist Singapore in the semis.

“How can we go farther? That should be our challenge after 2012,” Araneta said.

The Azkals are anticipating another busy year in 2013.

In March, they will see action in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers that Phl will be hosting at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. The Pinoy booters will be bracketed with Turkmenistan, Brunei and Cambodia in Group E, seeking to top the group to seize a berth in the Challenge Cup’s final stages in 2014 in Maldives.

“If we top the group, we’ll automatically qualify for the Top 8 (final round), composed of the winners of the five group qualifiers, host Maldives and the two best second-placers. The winner (Challenge Cup champion) will then go to the Asian Cup (2015). That’s what we’ll be preparing for,” said Araneta.

The PFF chief also said they plan to organize an Independence Cup by June.

“Hopefully, we can hold a tournament coinciding with our Independence Day. June 6-12 are Fifa calendar days so we hope we can invite teams to come over and play against our national team during that period,” said Araneta.

There’s also the possibility that Phl will stage a second edition of the Philippine Football Peace Cup – the four-nation meet that the Azkals won on home soil last year – by September.

After the holidays, the Azkals are slated to return to training on Sunday to start their buildup for the Challenge Cup qualifiers. A training camp in the Middle East is also being eyed by February.

source: philstar.com