PHL Azkals return to pitch for FIFA-AFC qualifiers
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
THE one-a-half-year wait for the Philippine national men’s football team ends as they make their return to the pitch for the joint 2022 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup and the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qualifiers early on Tuesday morning.
The Azkals play China in a match set for 1 a.m. (Manila time) at the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates which will mark the resumption of their qualifiers campaign which has been hit by the pandemic.
November 2019 was the last time the currently third-running Philippine squad (2-1-2, seven points) played in the FIFA-AFC qualifiers where it lost to Syria, 1-0.
The nationals are hoping to produce favorable results in their remaining three matches in the qualifiers to earn spots in the prestigious FIFA and AFC tournaments.
In the lead-up, the Azkals set up a training camp in Doha, Qatar, gathering some 25 players for the pool from which the final roster will be drawn from.
Veteran and team captain Stephan Schröck led the players called up for national team duty, along with the likes Patrick Reichelt, Martin Steuble, Jarvey Gayoso, Carlie de Murga, Mark Hartmann, Angel Guirado, Mike and Manny Ott, Luke Woodland, Kenshiro Daniels and Alvaro Silva.
The team, however, was also hit by player pullouts, notably top goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who had to undergo surgery.
Preparations of the team were also rattled by the sudden change in venue from Suzhou, China, to the UAE as Chinese officials at the last minute decided to cancel hosting of the event over coronavirus concerns.
But the team remained steadfast and continued to further strengthen the squad.
“It has been a challenge for us preparing, but we are confident of putting up a good showing,” said Azkals coach Scott Cooper in the lead-up.
The Philippines trails Syria (6-0-0) with 18 points, and China (3-1-1) with 10, in Group A of the qualifiers.
Maldives (2-0-4) and Guam (0-0-6) round out the group.
The Azkals held China to a nil-nil draw in their first encounter on Oct. 15, 2019 at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod.
The Chinese, however, are coming off a huge 7-0 victory over Guam last May 30 in Suzhou entering their match against the Azkals.
After the China contest, the Philippines takes on Guam at 10 p.m. on June 11 and Maldives at 10 p.m. on June 15.
All the Azkals matches in the qualifiers can be seen on One Sports and One Sports+.
KAYA A STEP AWAY FROM ACL
Meanwhile, in local club scene-related news, Kaya-Iloilo FC moved a step away from making it to the group stage of the AFC Champions League (ACL).
With Football Australia deciding to pull out all Australian clubs seeing action in the ACL over the COVID-19 concerns, the AFC, in a statement at the weekend, approved the cancelation of Kaya’s scheduled match against Brisbane Roar and push the Filipino club to an East Region win-or-go home clash with China’s Shanghai Port on June 23 in Thailand for the last spot in Group F of the AFC Champions League.
Kaya is looking to join reigning Philippines Football League champion United City Football Club, which plays Group I, in the ACL group stage.
