Azkals have something to prove in Peace Cup

The upcoming Philippine Football Peace Cup may be considered a tune-up tournament for the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, but Azkals coach Thomas Dooley believes otherwise.

“We are No. 1 in Southeast Asia and that means we are under pressure, and that is good,” Dooley said during yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate branch.

“But we have to prove it.”

To prove their growing reputation in the Asian region, the Azkals will have to hurdle visiting teams Taiwan, Myanmar and Palestine for the third edition of the Peace Cup which starts on Sept. 3 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Azkals are seeking their third straight trophy but will face a more difficult challenge compared to the previous two Peace Cup editions.

Taiwan will make its third straight Peace Cup appearance, Myanmar will be handled by former Singapore coach Raddy Avramovic, while Palestine is the same team that beat the Azkals 1-0 in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup final last May in Maldives.

Dooley’s Azkals are ranked as the best team in Southeast Asia at No. 128 according to the latest FIFA rankings, but the former United States international said it will mean nothing if they end up losing the tourney.

“When we play against Taiwan, there’s no reason for us not to win, we are under pressure and we must show to the people that we are better,” said Dooley. “Same as Myanmar, they maybe a better team, a stronger team but again if you want to be No. 1 in Southeast Asia we have to beat that team. But the mindset has to be there, same way as the coaches.”

“Palestine will be a little bit more difficult, they are ranked at No. 95 or No. 97 in the world. We lost against them (in the Challenge Cup final) and we want to beat them. Hopefully we can get Palestine off the wrong foot and beat them.”

Taiwan will be the Azkals’ first opponent for the Peace Cup, followed by Myanmar on Sept. 6. The hosts close out the tourney against Palestine on Sept. 9.

Source:mb.com.ph

James, Phil in spotlight

Siblings Phil and James Younghusband go at it one last time in the third and final installment of the Clear Dream Match – the biggest all-star game in the Philippines – tomorrow at the University of Makati field with Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Andy Cole helping the brothers settle the score.

The Younghusbands split the first two editions of the event sponsored by Clear, with Phil’s team scoring a 5-2 victory in the inaugural edition and James’ squad getting back with a 4-1 triumph last year, making this year’s duel an exciting race to the finish.

Fans helped the Phil and James’ respective teams get first pick of the legends by scoring points for either teams online. Phil won the final online points tally, thanks to his active and digitally engaged fans, allowing him to pick Scholes to be part of the Team Phil contingent in the event backed by Fairmont, PLDT Fibr, Adidas, Chris Sports, Gatorade, Greenwich, The Camp, Jaguar, Mint and Sprinto.

Cole went to Team James.

“It will be my first time, and I’m excited to see the young new talent in Asia,” said Scholes, an 11-time Premier League winner. “It’s always a great experience to visit a country where football is a growing sport.”

Cited as one of the best midfielders of his generation, Scholes has made over 700 appearances for Manchester United and has the third-highest number of appearances by any player for the club. He has also played a key part in the club’s Treble-winning success in the 1998–99 season.

James was excited to welcome Cole on board. “It will be great to have Cole on the team. Team James wants to score several goals, and having the second highest goal scorer in English Premier League history on your team is such a huge asset,” he said.

source: mb.com.ph

PH Azkals rise in latest Fifa rankings

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Azkals, fresh off their AFC Challenge Cup stint where they almost won it all, jumped 11 places in the latest Fifa rankings released Thursday.

The Azkals moved to 129th from 140th just nearly a week ago after dropping a heartbreaking 0-1 setback to Palestine in the finals.

Moving forward, the Azkals now set their sights on the AFF Suzuki Cup, which will be held late this year.