Philippines Football Thread II[R]

Filipinas head to Australia for SEA Games preparations

The Philippine Women’s National Team (PWNT) will go by the name “Filipinas” from now on.

With the team’s long and challenging buildup to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup about to start, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) confirmed the decision to exclusively use “Filipinas” to identify the team that will be making its debut in the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Said team manager Jefferson Cheng, “It (“Filipinas”) is simple and nationalistic. Our athletes are Filipinas. They are strong-willed, determined, passionate and driven by the goal to represent not just themselves, but the country.”

He added that all relevant parties recognized that, as the PWNT steps into football’s biggest stage, it was not appropriate to continue using a monicker with negative connotations in large parts of the world. “We trust that Filipino football fans will understand and support this decision,” said Cheng.

Emphasizing the need for ample preparation, the PWNT arrived in Australia Wednesday to link up with coach Alen Stajcic and his staff for the FIFA window on the first week of April.

The Filipinas, who vaulted to their highest ranking of No. 54 last Friday, are slated to play a couple of international friendlies against Fiji on April 7 and 11 in Sydney. The Filipinas will be in training camp in Sydney, where Stajcic is based, until early May, before flying to Hanoi, Vietnam for the Southeast Asian Games.

“It is crucial that the team gets as much time as possible to prepare,” emphasized Cheng. “We hope that the work put in on this camp will bring great results in the upcoming tournaments.”

Cheng has been serving as the Filipinas’ manager and sponsor since 2018, when they came within a win from reaching the 2019 Women’s World Cup. He continued to support the team in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games hosted by the country.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheng kept his commitment to the team, fully backing the team’s preparations for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Uzbekistan and later in the AFC Asian Cup in India, where the Filipinas made history with a first ever semifinal finish that came with a World Cup berth.

PFF officials are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the Filipinas, with the continuous support of Cheng, will continue to make history.

“Together with our team manager Jefferson Cheng, the PFF is here to make sure the team will go to every competition as well prepared and fit as possible,” said PFF president Mariano Araneta. “We look forward to seeing the Filipinas represent the country again when they return to action this April as they prepare for the SEA Games.”

“Our Filipinas realized the dream of every football fan in the country when they qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” added PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes. “They will always have our all-out support.”

Players:
Name
ALCANTARA, Maya Taylor
ANNIS, Tahnai Lauren
BUGAY, Kristen Ryley
CASTAÑEDA, Anicka Chabeli
CESAR, Malea Louise
DEL CAMPO, Alisha Clare
FLANIGAN, Isabella Victoria
FONTANILLA, Kiara
FRILLES, Carleigh
GUILLOU, Katrina Jacqueline
HARRISON, Sofia Nicole
HAWKINSON, Kaya
LONG, Hali Moriah
MADARANG, Eva
MANITI, Chantelle Lourdes
MCDANIEL, Olivia Alexandra Davies
MICLAT, Jessica Anne
PALACIOS, Inna Kristianne
PORTILLO, Carla
QUEZADA, Quinley Mirielle
RANDLE, Dominique Jaylin
RODRIGUEZ, Kathleen Camille
SAWICKI, Jaclyn
SHELTON, Tara Allison
WHITE, Karlene Shaye

pff.org.ph/2022/03/31/filipinas-head-to-australia-for-sea-games-preparations/?fbclid=IwAR1C0t8n0QV_NL9MYfnqY_FysUKpmnD4vSLglIrluDM1XxBO8xHJ7jA_xd4

It looks like they are trying out a couple of new players including pro player Carla Portillo who plays for Morön BK in Sweden.

Missing are AFC Cup starters and forwards Sarina Bolden and Chandler McDaniel(injury).

Training in Australia will help them get used to the setting there for when they compete next year in the World Cup.

 

NEWS: Philippines to play Fiji in A-Internationals at Wanderers Football Park
By Janakan Seemampillai

The Philippines will tackle Fiji in two international friendlies in Western Sydney on Thursday 7th April and Monday 11th April at Wanderers Football Park.
The games are technically ‘behind closed doors’ but the venue is accessible to the public.

The two games, which count as “A” internationals, will have significant meaning for both teams.

Alen Stajcic’s Filipina’s team arrived in Australia last week for a camp at Parklea, where they will be based until May before heading off to Vietnam for the Southeast Asian Games.

Fiji, who are coached by American Lisa Cole and are ranked 67th in the world, have been based in Sydney too. They are preparing for the 2022 Oceania Football Confederation Women’s Cup at home in July, which will serve as a World Cup qualifier for them. The team that wins that competition will take part in an Inter Confederation playoff in February next year to determine who will progress to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Fiji play APIA Leichhardt FC Women's tonight in a practice game. They went down 3-2 to Westfield Sports High on Wednesday night.

It is a hectic time for international women’s football as teams rush to plan for games ahead of the U-17 Womens World Cup in India this October, the U-20 Womens World Cup in Costa Rica in August and of course the 2023 Womens World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

DETAILS
Game One: Philippines v Fiji
Thursday 7th April
Wanderers Football Park
81 Eastern Rd Rooty Hill
Kick-off: 3pm or 5pm TBC
Game Two: Philippines v Fiji
Monday 11th April
Wanderers Football Park
81 Eastern Rd Rooty Hill
Kick-off: 3pm or 5pm TBC
_____

It would have been nice if the Filipinas scheduled a game against a higher ranked Oceania team like New Zealand instead but that team already has a match against Australia on the same match dates.

 

The Philippine women's national football coaching team has been bolstered with the addition of highly regarded Young Matilda's(Australia national girl's team) coach Stevan Antonic who was a key figure in the YM (Young Matildas) and FM (Future Matildas) program.

“I would like to wish all the Staff and Players I had the pleasure to work with in YM (Young Matildas) and FM (Future Matildas) all the best moving forward in what is shaping up to be a big year for both programs,” he said.

“I can now confirm that I have accepted the position of Performance Analyst for the Philippine Women's National Team.

“Blessed to be given the opportunity and look forward to working with the PFF and PWNT staff and players on the road to the World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.”

He joins Stajcic, Nahuel Arrarte and Luca Tonetti as they prepare the Philippines for their first ever World Cup adventure.

By Janakan Seemampillai

 

FT Philippines 7-2 Fiji

Annis, Castaneda and Quezada had 2 goals each. Lone goal by Randle.

Fil Australian teenager Chantelle Maniti makes her debut. Hopefully we get to set the other 4 new players invited to camp in the 2nd game against Fiji if their Philippine passports are ready.

My guess is Fontanilla or Palacios will start in goal in the 2nd game between the 2 teams.

 

Regarding the Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia qualifiers of the 2023 Asian Cup, the much anticipated debut of Gerrit Holtmann in an Azkals’ jersey remains unknown.

Palami revealed that Holtmann will attend to a very personal matter on June 6.

“He is getting married on June 6 and we don’t want to get in the way. He is committed to play for the team. In fact, he wanted to fly out (for the TriNations Cup) except for the COVID protocols in Singapore,” Palami added.

 

April 22

FT Philippines 16-0 Tonga



⚽️ Harrison
⚽️⚽️⚽️ Long
⚽️⚽️⚽️ Rodriguez
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ Frilles
⚽️⚽️ Castañeda
⚽️ (Own goal)
⚽️ Annis

 

The 16-0 margin is the biggest win in Philippine women's national football team history.

I am not sure what the Philippines gets from matches like these in preparation for the SEA Games where the competition is much stronger, but at least during halftime they did say that they had scrimmages against Australian club teams as well.

The only international caliber team Tonga has played in recent years was in the 2018 OFC Women's Nations Cup when they lost to New Zealand 0-11.

 

They are based in Australia so I guess their options for official friendlies were kind of limited outside of FIFA mandated windows especially with the stringent Covid mandated restrictions for entry to the country.

For the most part the Philippine national women's team did not field their pros because of this so it was good practice for their young amateur subs particularly 20 y.o. Frilles who not long ago was playing for their youth teams and has now proven to be among their best players on offence during the past few friendlies.

 

The Filipinas are currently participating in the SEA Games but apparently they have some friendlies lined up in Europe:

“So far, our friendlies are set for the women’s team on June 16 in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 24th and the 26th. Preparation namin yan sa AFF Championship and the Asian Games in September,” Araneta revealed.

 

The Philippine men's U23 team got off to a good start in their first 2 games in the SEA Games group stage recording a 4-0 win against Timor Leste followed up by a 0-0 draw against tournament favorites and SEAG defending champion Vietnam.

They remain on top of group A with 4 points with a +1 better GD than Vietnam which is in second place also with 4 points.

Only the top 2 countries in Grp A will qualify to the semis so the Phil U23 is in a good spot right now to accomplish that goal if they can get positive results in their remaining matches against Myanmar and Indonesia.

 

FT Philippines WNT 5-0 Cambodia WNT

Nice start for the Philippines in the SEAG

Next they face SEAG defending champion, host, tournament favorite and WC co-qualifier Vietnam next in Grp A.

The Phillippine men's and women's football teams haven't given up a goal in 3 games in this tournament so far.

 

They have a good experienced Bulgarian head coach Popov who knows what to do in this kind of situation.

 

The Philippines also has not fielded over age reinforcement Schrock in their 2nd and 3rd games. He was instrumental in their 4-0 win over Timor in the first game but it looks like he got injured and hasn't played since.

 

Indeed. I think they need a more experienced coach to handle the U23 men's reins. They really missed Schrock after he got injured in the very first game that they won. That left them with only one senior reinforcement while other teams fielded up to 3 overage players.

As for the women's side, Thailand is a World Cup veteran team that they managed to beat for the first time at the Asian Cup last year. They weren't able to do it this time while missing some players.

Hopefully they can beat Myanmar for the bronze at least since that would be an improvement from the last SEA games.

 

He has indeed returned.

Thomas Dooley returns as Azkals coach

The man who first led the Philippines to the Asian football’s biggest stage has been called up to do it all over again.

Thomas Dooley, who last coached the Philippine Azkals in the historic 2-1 win over Tajikistan in 2018 that sealed a place in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, has been rehired to take charge of the team as it is set to compete in the final round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers next month.

“I am honored to coach our beloved team again,” said the 1991 Bundesliga champion. “Players will be honored to wear this jersey with pride. Not just talking about it, showing it on the field. We will take the success back to where we left off together four years ago. I know it’s easier said than done.”

“It will be difficult, but we will make it. We will fight, we will play football and we will win again. So let’s start together to help the Philippines Men’s National Team succeed.”

The 61-year-old American was last seen coaching Sri Pahang in the Malaysian Super League — where he was designated as the club’s ‘adviser’ for its under-21 side after just seven matches leading the senior team that led to one win, two draws, and four losses.

However, he always made it a point to remain updated on the latest milestones of Philippine football and one team caught his eye.

“Women set the bar high and we are all proud of what our Filipinas have achieved. First the World Cup qualifier, and now the bronze medal in the SEA games, congratulations. We all stand behind you and support you where we can. We are a big family and we are proud of you,” said the erstwhile FC Schalke 04 defender.

Dooley has a big task at hand considering that the Azkals will travel to Mongolia next month to face Yemen, host nation Mongolia, and Palestine for a spot in next year’s Asian Cup.

https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/thomas-dooley-returns-as-azkals-coach/240977

I am not sure this is a good idea. Dooley deliberately excluded the team's captain and best player Schrock because of ego issues which cost them a few games in the Asian Cup qualifiers leading to them missing the Asian Cup as a result.

 

Schrock reunites with Dooley, leads 30-man Azkals pool for Asian Cup Qualifiers

For the first time since the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup hosted on Philippine soil, coach Thomas Dooley and talisman Stephan Schrock will work together to help the Philippine Azkals bring glory to the country.

In an announcement Friday evening, the management team behind the Azkals named the 30 players who comprise the pool that will try to seal qualification to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The final round of qualifiers takes place in Mongolia from June 8-14, 2022.

Aside from Schrock, other big names in the lineup include Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, J2 League defender Jefferson Tabinas, Bundesliga standout Gerrit Holtmann, and Johor Darul Ta’zim FC duo Bienvenido Marañon and Carli de Murga.

Anthony Pinthus, Kevin Ray Hansen, and Quincy Kammeraad are the other goalkeepers in the squad. Amani Aguinaldo, Diego Bardanca, Daisuke Sato, Miguel Mendoza, Jaime Rosquillo, and Matthew Nierras will compete for a spot in the backline.

In the midfield, Dennis Villanueva, Oskari Kekkonen, Mike and Manuel Ott, Jesse Curran, OJ Porteria, Patrick Reichelt, Sandro Reyes, Dylan De Bruycker, Oliver Bias, and Dennis Chung are looking to impress Dooley.

Looking to score the goals for the team in the attack are Mark Hartmann, Ivan Ouano, Jhan-Jhan Melliza, and. Kenshiro Daniels,

The Azkals look to complete the business against the likes of Yemen, Mongolia, and Palestine in Group B. A first-place finish will guarantee a spot in the big dance. Meanwhile, finishing in second place means the Azkals need to be in the top five of that mini-league table to make it to the competition proper.

https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/...n-azkals-pool-for-asian-cup-qualifiers/241167

This is just the pool from which the final roster will come from.

 

Why isn't Kempter not included in the list above?

 

ELEVEN TEAMS TO COMPETE IN AFF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 PHILIPPINES



The Philippine Football Federation conducted the official draw for the ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship 2022 to be held on 4-17 July 2022.

A total of eleven (11) ASEAN Member Associations will compete in the regional competition. Slots in the two groupings were decided during the official draw ceremony held Saturday 28 May 2022 in Manila, Philippines.

The Philippines, which is one of two ASEAN nations to have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, is the tournament hosts and will make their 12th appearance in the competition having participated since 2004. They will face four-time winners Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia in Group A.

Meanwhile, defending champions and fellow Women’s World Cup debutants Vietnam will be against Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, and Laos in Group B

Matches will be played at Biñan Football Stadium in Biñan City and Imus City Grandstand in Imus, Cavite.

DRAW RESULTS:
Group A: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia

Group B: Vietnam, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, and Laos

https://pff.org.ph/2022/05/28/eleven-teams-to-compete-in-aff-womens-championship-2022-philippines/

The Philippines is in the group of death along with WC veteran teams Australia and Thailand both of which will be favorites to get out of the group.

However they will be hosting the tournament so hopefully that helps with their performance.

Both Indonesia and Malaysia backed out of the last SEA games because they didn't think their teams were competitive enough in their group. I wonder if they will do the same this time now that Australia has joined this even tougher group.

 

Apparently Kempter is coming back from injury so he begged off. Same thing with Jesper Nyholm.