On
21 January 2012, a charity match for the benefit of the victims of typhoon
“Sendong” was held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium featuring the Azkals
United selection versus Icheon Citizen, a third division team from South Korea.
Third division football in South Korea is an amateur league, but given the
quality of football in South Korea, Icheon Citizen was expected to provide a
competitive challenge for the Azkals United selection.
Aside
from the laudable objective of holding this match to help raise funds to help
those who suffered from the disaster wrought by typhoon “Sendong” down in the
south, this was also a good opportunity to get local based players much needed
exposure against a competitive team. Given that, this wasn’t an official FIFA
sanctioned match and club football season for our foreign-based players was in
full swing, this means the Philippines needed to rely on our local based
players. The local flavor of our team for this match was a good chance for us
to check out the other promising talents we have available, an opportunity for
these players to test themselves, and for the fans to see how the
quality of our local game is in comparison to our neighbors in the region.
An
interesting issue cropped up in the run-up to this match in that there was a scheduling
conflict between this match and scheduled matches of clubs in our very own
United Football League (UFL). This meant that a number of the local based
Azkals who had club commitments on that weekend weren’t going to be able to
play in the match. Hopefully, lessons were learned in this situation to avoid
such issues in the future. Football is on the rise here in the Philippines and
it is imperative that everyone in the football community here are all pulling
in the same direction. We need to make sure our local league such as the UFL
gets to grow as it is an important component in the development of Philippine
football, and likewise, every opportunity to conduct competitive matches
against a variety of opponents must be maximized. Our leaders in the football
community should strive to ensure that the pursuit of both these objectives is
harmonized.
As a
result, one could say the Azkals United selection for this particular match was
a bit makeshift and not exactly the strongest available locally. However, it
was a good mix of regular Azkals, former Azkals, UFL standouts and youth players.
In terms of using this match as a gauge on how our local game stacks up to
foreign competition, it would be an accurate barometer for assessing the
quality and level of domestic football.
Match-day,
there was a decent crowd in the stadium that slowly grew in numbers as the
match progressed. It was nice to see that the Korean community in the
Philippines was well represented in the stadium too, to cheer for their
compatriots. For a charity match, there was a nice atmosphere and the crowd was
quite engaged with the match as well.
As
for the match itself, it was exciting and close. It was a somewhat physical
game in my opinion and it was evident that the Korean players were in good
shape and played a direct game. I think it was a good test for our players, who
did fairly well to make the match competitive. In terms of quality, I’d give a
slight upper hand to the Koreans but Azkals United showed dogged (pun intended)
determination and spirit, and the 1 – 1 draw was well deserved. A dramatic last
minute equalizer by one of our U23 players who came into the match as a
substitute, Marwin Angeles, capped off a brave performance by the lads.
We eventually lost in the penalty
shoot-out, but then again, I count shoot-outs as a lottery. It can go either
way, and at this point, it is more about nerves and composure than skill. The
positive thing is that during the 90 minutes of team play, Azkals United showed
that they could mix it up with a third division Korean football club. For some,
the result may have been disappointing, but keep in mind that this was a
makeshift team, and the performance should be viewed more in terms of the level
of our domestic game as opposed to that of our senior national team. Senior
national men’s team coach Michael Weiss was quite satisfied with the
performance of the players and the team.
One
couldn’t say that it was an optimal performance over-all as there were several
areas of improvement evident. Our offense wasn’t very fluid in the early stages
of the match, the Koreans had more or less a slight edge in the midfield battle
and it took a while for the team to raise the quality of their game. Still, as
Coach Weiss noted, there were several positives to take out of that match.
Denis
Wolf is a very promising prospect, his skill and quality was obvious (not to mention another poster boy. I love players with great skill and who are swoon worthy at the same time. You have to bear with me on that). If his
finishing were more clinical, the result of that match would have been in our
favor. Nonetheless, if he’s available for the AFC Challenge Cup he’s worth
considering for a spot in the senior Azkals squad.
Angel
Guirado lasted a full match, though he still isn’t up to his best form yet.
Needs more work on his fitness or still troubled by recurring injuries? With
the UFL season underway and the training camp in the Middle East, perhaps he
will be back to his best in time for the AFC Challenge Cup. This is not to say
that he isn’t an effective player now. He had a few sublime touches on the ball
during the match and the numerous occasions he’s been swarmed by the Korean
players whenever he has the ball shows that he’s still considered as a major
threat by opposing teams.
Chieffy
still proves to one and all that he continues to be a vital player for the
Azkals. His speed, technical ability with the ball and experience are valuable
assets to the Azkals offense. He can always be counted upon to create chances
for himself or his team mates.
Misagh
finally got to show what he’s capable of, had a number of good runs,
industrious off the ball, a few chances at goal and capped off a good
performance with an assist for the equalizing goal.
Youngsters
such as Carli De Murga, Jerry Barbosa and Marwin Angeles continue to exhibit
potential and promise. This match will only serve to further prove them and add
to their playing experience and maturity. Of course, we shouldn’t forget the
veterans from the Army and the Air Force who also played their part through
solid performances.
All
in all, it was a productive endeavor and an entertaining match. It helped raise
money for the typhoon victims and showed that there is more to football than
being just a game. This match also provided several of our local players a
chance to test themselves against some credible opposition and an opportunity
for us supporters to see where we stand in the football landscape in the
region.
There
is still obviously quite a lot of work to be done by the Philippine football
community, but it is safe to say that positive steps are being made in relation
to the development and growth of Philippine football. We need to keep this
momentum going and take every opportunity to support the beautiful game in our
country.
2012 Moira G Gallaga©
P.S. I usually don't have photos as my husband always gets so passionately involved with the game. He has the camera but he's more busy barracking the ref and the other team to actually take a few photos. :)
