Azkals Need to Sharpen Their Cutting Edge

First of all, my appreciation for Mr Jojo Malig of ABS-CBN News Bureau for the valuable link to a video live stream of the Philippine-Indonesia friendly match. Since moving to Lisbon, Portugal two and a half months ago, we have to start relying on the internet to be able to watch live Philippine football matches.

As for the match, there are no "ifs" and "buts" about it, Indonesia deserved their 2-0 victory against the Philippine Azkals. At first I was tempted to think that it was the quality of the video stream as our players seemed a bit sluggish, but it was very clear that the Indonesian players were quicker and livelier. They played more cohesively as well.

It was typical again of our team, a game of two halves. A slow start and a more improved performance in the second half. Still, even if fortune were on our side the most we could hopefully get would have been a draw basing on the quality of our game that evening. The Azkals had difficulty creating scoring chances while the Indonesians wasted a number of theirs. It was a fair result.

Anyway, this was a friendly match and the result isn't as important as the lessons and insights to be gained from the match. Let's keep that perspective and context in mind whenever we look back at this defeat. Of course not everyone will see it that way, but I am fairly hopeful that a growing number of Filipino football fans are developing a better appreciation of the sport in the sense that this defeat won't be seen as a sign that the sky is falling.

So what do we get out of this match? As I mentioned at the start of the article, our players seemed sluggish, especially in the first half. The Indonesians definitely looked more sharp and energetic. With the exception of a few such as Porteria, our players seemed out of sorts.

The number of misplaced passes by our team and the manner by which the Indonesians took control of the match shows that our cutting edge has dulled quite a bit. While the long ball has been an arsenal of our team, there was just one too many in this match and they looked more like wild clearances than deliberate attempts to get behind the Indonesian defensive line. Hardly any good and clear chances were created in the final third of the opposition half, especially in the first half where the lineup was filled by our seasoned veterans.  I think former Azkals coach Simon McMenemy best described our team's performance: "disjointed." It certainly looked that way.

Sure, it will be argued that if we had all our top players available such as Schrock, Patiño, Cagara, Juani Guirado, Jonsson and De Jong to name a few, the outcome might have been different. That is of course very possible, IF they were available. However, they weren't available and that is the reality of the game. Whether through injury, club commitment or any other reason, national teams always have to be prepared for the situation that not all key players will be available. This cannot be an excuse. Those running the team and Philippine football authorities should do all they can to ensure that there are enough quality, fit and in-form players available for call-up whenever there is a match. 

It's not as if there wasn't quality and experience in the team that lost to Indonesia. The starting eleven were seasoned veterans and regular fixtures in the team. While the decision of Coach Weiss to play some players out of position may have been a factor for the first goal against us, the adjustment made in the second half was more positive. 

Is this perhaps a question of fitness and form then? I think it was a significant factor in that match. The UFL where most of the players in the team for this match ply their trade ended its season several weeks ago while the Indonesian football league is still going on. While there may have been a few matches and training sessions here and there after the UFL season for our players, the Indonesian national team had several matches both official and friendly since the start of the year. A number of those were against top European clubs on their preseason training phase. It was apparent from this match that the Indonesians were more fit and in better playing form than our players.

Photo via Philippine Star

Considering that the Philippines will be competing in the AFC Challenge Cup and the next edition of the Suzuki Cup next year, our team and football officials should better start thinking of how to keep our players sharp and in top playing form by the start of those competitions. While the UFL has been doing a great job in providing our local based players with competitive match experience, the league is still small and there are not that many matches a season, even if we include the cup competitions. The entry of UFL clubs in the Singapore Cup and the AFC President's Cup is a good development. It will provide competitive matches for some of the players plus valuable experience against good clubs in the region. However, much more is needed to sharpen our team's cutting edge, especially for our local based players.

A quick look on Wikipedia on the list of fixtures of our national team provides a very significant insight. From January to August 15 of 2013, the Azkals have played only 5 matches so far, both competitive and friendlies. Now take a look at the competitive and friendly fixtures for the same period for 2011 and 2012, it is 17 and 15 matches respectively. In 2013, the Azkals have only played a third of the matches they played in a similar period in the past 2 years. Not only that, the team played against some pretty tough teams as well in 2011-2012. 

I think that data is quite revealing and team officials and the PFF better take note of that fact. It is good to hear that future friendlies are being arranged and the 2nd Peace Cup will be held. I also hope that rumors of an overseas training camp become reality. 

The Azkals need to regain the sharpness in their cutting edge. Sure, it may be possible in football to bludgeon your way to victory, but more often than not, precision is a more reliable approach to attaining success on the pitch. I do hope the team officials and the PFF take every opportunity to arrange matches for the Philippines. Time to get those Azkals' fangs and claws razor sharp once more.

15 August 2013, Moira G Gallaga©

A Bright Spark for the UFL

It’s been billed as historical and there’s no mistake about that. A Philippine football club is competing in an international club tournament, a development that would be a great boost, or should we say, a bright spark for the United Football League (UFL).

The occasion is the 2012 edition of the Singapore Cup football tournament. It is the 15^th staging of this annual tournament and UFL 1^st Division team Loyola Meralco Sparks was among the 7 foreign clubs invited to participate in this tournament. The Singapore Cup starts off with a round of 16 single knock-out match and the Meralco Sparks found themselves up against Singapore club Geyland United.

No matter where your allegiances lie with regard to UFL clubs, I’m sure every Filipino football fan was supporting the Meralco Sparks in their match against Geyland United. This wasn’t just about the Meralco Sparks; this was also about Philippine football.

We all know the great strides made by our national football team, the Azkals, and what their achievements and historical milestones have done for the rebirth and growing popularity of the sport of football in the Philippines. The local football scene and most especially, the UFL, has greatly benefited from the rise of the Azkals. In the same manner by which the Azkals have made very rapid gains, the UFL in a short period of time has been steadily transforming itself into a proper football league. The television coverage deal with AKTV that airs 2 live UFL matches on Saturdays is a major development for the league and is a vital component to its growth. Exposure and recognition is key to the UFL’s success, television coverage will help achieve that goal. In addition to that, we now have a football league from a neighboring country inviting one of our football clubs to join their tournament.

One cannot overstate the significance of the occasion. A major part of it is about that longed for local and international recognition for Philippine football, and in this particular case, for the UFL and our domestic game in general. That to me is another big step forward. That to me is also validation that our domestic football, just like our national team, has finally landed on the football map of Southeast Asia.

Photo via quotednews.com

The other significance of this is the opportunity to see how the quality of our domestic league matches up with the other leagues in the region. Judging from the performance of the Meralco Sparks against Geyland United, they did fairly well. Not content with just simply getting invited to the tournament, Meralco Sparks knocked out Geyland United by winning 1-2 at extra time. It was a grueling match, fairly even in my opinion and the Meralco Sparks showed tremendous spirit to hang on to their lead and go through to the quarter-finals.

It will be argued that the Meralco Sparks faced a team that was languishing in the bottom rung of the S-League and weren’t really considered the underdogs in this match-up. However, the Meralco Sparks had a lot of improvising to do with their line-up as well. The match could have gone either way, but in the end the Meralco Sparks found a way through the next round. It is going to get much tougher for the Sparks. They will face a club from Myanmar, Kanbawza, who dispatched Wellington Woodlands of Singapore 1-2 to get to the next round. The quarter-finals will be a 2-legged match in July. That should provide the Sparks with enough time to have their full roster of players fit and ready for the upcoming challenge.  

I may not root for the Sparks in the UFL, but I am surely wishing them all the best in the Singapore Cup. A glorious opportunity awaits them and I am hopeful they will take this as far as they can, if not all the way.

2012 Moira G Gallaga©

  

This is the UFL, Not the UFC

Last Saturday (21 April 2012), a twitter post from UFL Chairman and KAYA FC owner, Santi Araneta, caught my attention. It made a reference to an incident in the UFL match between Kaya FC and Air Force that day. We didn’t get to see that match because my son’s team was playing at the Fleet Marine football tournament on that same day too.

However, based from Mr. Araneta’s tweet he was calling attention about the failure of the referee to punish an Air Force player with a red card for a closed fist punch on a Kaya FC player. He was calling for action to be taken by the disciplinary committee for this incident which was clearly seen on TV and in subsequent replays. He also tweeted about how playing against the armed Forces is more UFC than UFL.

Now this got my attention because a few weeks back I wrote an article for Pinoyfootball about the poor standards of refereeing here, particularly at UFL matches. This incident more or less helps confirm my observations and opinion. This also shows that I am not the only one concerned about the situation and its implications for the game here in the Philippines. Also, you will note in that article that I acknowledge that refereeing errors will always be part and parcel of the game. However, I take particular issue in that article concerning the abilities of our local referees to exert consistency and control with regard to “violent,” undisciplined and unruly behaviour of players.

I will acknowledge that football is a tough game that some teams will play a physical match and resort to rough tactics and acts to intimidate opposing players. However, I feel there is a fine line between playing a “physical” game as opposed to being “violent” and malicious. There are hard tackles, but going in two-footed with studs up is not acceptable. Flying elbows, stamping, knee strikes and punches don’t belong in the game and players who indulge in these don’t belong in the pitch either. It’s the referee’s job and responsibility to make sure that the fine line isn’t being crossed. They need to be in control and they need to show the players they are in control. Rules have to be enforced, players’ safety must be assured and undesirable behaviour must be punished.

There are some players who play in such a manner, so-called enforcers and “hard men,” though in my opinion these are types of players of a bygone age and should no longer have a place in modern football. However, even “clean” players can sometimes get provoked or get caught up in the heat of the moment. This is where the referee plays a crucial role. They have to be able to keep “dirty” players in line or punish them accordingly and make sure the atmosphere of the match does not boil over where everyone feels the need to take some form of action because the referee is not doing anything about it. A bad foul goes un-punished, the opposing team retaliates to even the score as they feel they get no protection from the referee against these underhanded tactics, and so on and so forth. If the referee isn’t on top of the situation, the situation escalates and fans and supporters of both teams get treated to some ugly spectacle and incidents on the pitch.

Photo via uflphilippines.com

I never liked to be negative and prefer to be dwelling on positive aspects of things, but I feel that this aspect of refereeing in the UFL needs to be addressed. This is the UFL, not the UFC. Violent play or actions, and ill disciplined behaviour should not be tolerated.

To go back to last Saturday’s incident, it appears that both players were meted out yellow cards and that it was the second yellow card for the Kaya player hence his getting sent off. However, as far as I know, a closed-fist punch whether it connected or not is a straight red in any league. Let’s say we give the referee the benefit of the doubt and he didn’t see the punch, how about the assistant referees? Now if the match officials didn’t notice or see the punch, I agree with Mr. Araneta’s point of having a disciplinary committee review the action, especially if television footage can help determine the fact. If I’m not mistaken, there are precedents of post-match review of serious infractions committed in a match, especially when it pertains to acts of violence or unruly behaviour. Even if there are no precedents, I think it would be wise for the UFL and football authorities in the Philippines to take effective steps to weed out this unsavoury aspect of the game.

This type of actions, behaviour and mentality has no place in our football community. Let’s look long term and see if such behaviour will benefit our teams and players. Perhaps in a local milieu these so-called “hard” and “physical” tactics, and tough guy personas may work to some extent to rattle opposing teams, however, I doubt if these type of behaviour or attitude will bring any benefits when it’s brought on the international stage.

I for one look to seeing our clubs playing in tournaments around the region (Loyola Meralco Sparks have already been invited to a tournament in Singapore) and having more local-based players play for the national team. Is a “physical” approach to the game going to be helpful against teams with much bigger and stronger players? Is a “hard man” or tough guy attitude going to help, much less intimidate other more seasoned teams and players? It’s probably only going to end up in our player getting a red card and leaving the team short-handed and at a serious disadvantage to finish out the match.   

No, there is no room for these undesirable and dangerous attitudes and actions. We don’t need these in our football. Let’s focus on developing skill and ability in playing proper football and not in martial arts. One area where we can start in reaching this objective is by having better referees and improving refereeing standards. We could add to that proper supervision and oversight by a disciplinary committee that will lay down the standards and guidelines for everyone connected to the league – teams, coaches, players, match officials, etc.

Before I am misunderstood, let me be clear that I’m not saying that the unsavoury aspects of the game will be fully weeded out. I’m realistic enough to know that that level of perfection is unlikely considering that even top leagues in Europe are not without its faults and shortcomings. But at least, there should be a clear and conscious effort from authorities that shows to everyone on and off the pitch that these sort of shenanigans are not tolerated or encouraged in the league.

The UFL is, and will be a key component to the growth and success of football here in the Philippines. The success and the growth of this league will be vital to the sport’s future in our country. The league, its clubs and players will serve as inspiration and role models to succeeding generations of Filipino football players. In this regard, I think it would be a good idea that there is no confusion between the UFL and the UFC.

2012 Moira G Gallaga©

MEN IN BLACK (…with Whistle and those Colored cards)

An official football match is never complete without those men in black (Well, at least back in the days. Nowadays, they get to wear other colors) with the whistle and those colored cards running the match, the referee and his fellow officials. Love them or hate them (it is more often the latter); they are an integral part of the beautiful game and provide their fair share of cause for the passion that exists in the world of football.

From the players, coaches, pundits and the fans themselves, you get this feeling that referees all over the world are incompetent, never get things right and worse of all, and cost your team the match. It is very rare that referees get commended for a job well done. If they were, the praise most likely came from neutrals. Often you would hear how a referee ruined what would have been a good match. He missed a crucial call; he lost control of the match, etc. The litany is endless.

Then again, let’s try to put a little more objectivity in viewing or judging referees. Many of their mistakes get scrutinized very closely because nowadays technology allows us to review incidents on video frame by frame. Yet this is hindsight, in the actual match the referee has mere seconds, maybe even less, to render judgment on the field and make a call. It isn’t easy and on top of all that, you have thousands of fans and supporters second-guessing your every decision and being very vocal about their thoughts and opinions on a call.

Now let’s look at the bigger picture. Human error, this is a fact of life and we live with this every day. We try our best to minimize it but the fact remains that it is still something we just have to learn to deal with in our daily lives. Human error is a feature of our lives that just happens and once done, there isn’t much to do about it but pick up the pieces and move on. As it is in life, so it is in football. For me, that is part of the beauty and wide appeal of the game around the world as football, both its positive and negatives aspects, is simply but a reflection of life as we know it. Only in football, we experience and savor life through a prism that is entertaining, exciting and loud (…and with my husband beside me, then it would also be full of swearing too).

Photo via uflphilippines.com

Now don’t get me wrong, I also believe that a lot needs to be done to improve refereeing. While I acknowledge that refereeing errors is part and parcel of the game, I also believe that authorities should be doing all that they can to improve refereeing.

Moving to a local perspective, let me just say that from some of the UFL matches I’ve seen and from feedback I get from my husband (to be honest, not the most objective resource in this regard), it appears local refereeing here needs to significantly raise their standards. The refereeing standard leaves much to be desired, especially in the manner by which referees control the match. It’s not so much botched offside calls, non-calls for handball or even inconsistency of the calling of fouls. I acknowledge that like our football, we also need to grow and support the development of our local referees. In time and with the proper support, I am sure standards will improve and those issues minimized.

Photo via interaksyon.com

The more immediate concern I have with the local officiating is the seemingly loose control of referees over some heated matches. There were some tough UFL Division 1 matches where you get the feeling that things were just going to boil over and the “violence” on the field was threatening to get out of control. This is a matter that needs attention right away. It is a situation that isn’t going to help our players, especially our young talents. As a mother, I also don’t relish having my son watch a match degenerate into a brutal and “dirty” affair because the referees fail to control the players and the general conduct in which the match is played. I can live with having my team lose because the referee botched an offside call. However, I can’t take situations where referees fail to give yellow cards for unruly and “dirty” behavior, retaliatory fouls involving flying elbows and the like.

Having said that, I am hopeful that efforts are being made by the relevant authorities to help and support our referees. Our players, clubs and coaches are growing and developing as Philippine football is now beginning to get the attention and support it deserves, our referees should also be part of that equation.

After all, the men in black with whistles and those colored cards are as much a part of the game of football as everyone who loves the sport.  

2012 Moira G Gallaga©

             

Thoughts on the Kia Rio Cup

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. :)