Oh Dear Azkals, What Have You Done This Time? (Azkals at the AFC Challenge Cup)

Oh dear, oh dear! What have the Azkals have done this time? They really can't help themselves can they? Do they need to keep doing this? Yes. Why? Because they have to. 


So what is it they have done this time? Well, they just achieved another historic milestone for Philippine football by defeating 2006 AFC Challenge Cup champions Tajikistan 2-1 to advance for the very first time in our footballing history to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup. Not bad, not bad at all. What's more, this isn't over yet. They actually have a fair chance of making it to the finals, and if they get there, who knows? This is football, and in this sport, anything can happen. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves, one step at a time. 


But before we delve into this highly significant development in the history and progress of Philippine football, let's provide an added sense of perspective and look back in time. We actually don't have to look back that far, we only have to go back to as recently as the AFF Suzuki Cup of 2010. The years before that, let's just say those were the dark ages. Okay, perhaps not really the dark ages as they were a few moments here and there, but for those who have been following Philippine football most of their lives, you know what I mean.  


So what has happened in the short period since December 2010 from which the renaissance of Philippine football is reckoned? Frankly, quite a lot. Beginning with that first time entry into the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup that involved defeating the defending champions Vietnam and holding ASEAN powerhouse Singapore to a draw. Even the 1-0 losses to Indonesia in the two-legged semis was a very credible result and a marked improvement as our country proved to be no longer the region's whipping boy in the sport.


This was followed by successfully qualifying for the AFC Challenge Cup. We played in the first edition of this tournament in 2006 but there was no qualifying stage. We immediately were in the group stage where we failed to progress due to goal differential against Tajikistan (Revenge is sweet). The following tournaments in 2008 and 2010 we failed to qualify when qualifying stages were eventually introduced. For this current tournament, we had to hurdle Mongolia in a two-legged knockout match. Up next was a qualifying stage in Myanmar where we faced the hosts, Bangladesh and Palestine in a group format with the top two going through to play in Nepal. The Azkals squeezed through that one with 2 draws and a win. 


In between, the Azkals also managed to reach (again for the very first time in our football history) the second round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, eventually bowing out to a highly skilled and strong Kuwaiti team. 


Now, the Azkals have gone out and added a much bigger feather to their cap by reaching the semis of a major regional tournament. Finding themselves in the group of death along with 3 previous champions of this tournament and having to deal with a looming investigation and likely sanction for charges of sexual harassment on some of its players when they get home, the challenges were quite formidable indeed for our National Football Team. 


However, as is their habit, the Azkals find it within themselves to rise to the occasion and give their all for flag and country, not to mention for all their supporters who have shown faith and belief in them all through this time. A loss in the opening match, a convincing win to keep their chances alive and a winner take all match which they win by scoring two goals in the second half after going a goal down at the very end of the first half - a compelling storyline if there ever was one, couldn't have been scripted any better for such a momentous and historic achievement. 


They have come a long way in such a short time. They have worked hard, played with great commitment and heart, and hurdled considerable challenges along the way. They truly deserve this accomplishment and should not be denied the corresponding glory. Yet, this isn't all. It isn't over yet. On Friday, they have yet another opportunity to go one step further, another shot at making dreams come true for the Philippine football community and its fans and supporters.  


Turkmenistan stands in their way next and typical for the Azkals, it is always never an easy road for them. Key players Angel Guirado (Man of the match against Tajikistan) and James Younghusband will be suspended for the semi-final match. However, the back line is still intact and so is the central midfield  pairing of Mulders and Juani Guirado which gives the team some defensive stability. It is a matter of stepping up on the offense to compensate for the absence of Angel and James. 


What will be going for the Azkals is confidence and momentum. If they can relieve themselves of the pressure of expectation and continue with the progress they have been making they have a decent shot. They have already achieved their goal to reach the semis. This is farther than we've ever gone before in football, any further progress is icing on the cake. So relax Azkals, enjoy the moment and play your hearts out, and who knows what will happen next. 


So what have the Azkals done this time again? Well, aside from making history once more and bringing football back to life in the Philippines, they have made us proud as a country and a people. If you can't appreciate that fact, then I feel sorry for you. More than that, they have also gained us some measure of respect. 

Photo via GoalNepal.com

It's only football others will say, well that's my point, because it is football it matters. It is a sport that matters to literally hundred of millions of people in every corner of the world. The World Cup is bigger than the Olympics, football matches elicit passion in levels way above other sports. Football has been responsible for starting a war in Central America, yet it is also responsible for initiating a truce between an African government and rebels seeking to overthrow that government. Heck, even in the recent SEA games, Indonesia may have come out over-all winners of that competition but their victory isn't complete because they lost the football gold to Malaysia who really relished the fact that they got the gold in the event that really mattered for them and the Indonesians. This is the context in which we should be viewing our place in the global sport of football, the beautiful game - it matters and we have a fairly good chance of being competitive in this milieu if we really put our hearts, mind and resources into it. Perhaps this is also why its rise in the Philippines is causing fear in those who don't understand or can't accept its rising prominence in the Philippines. 


Football in the Philippines has been marginalized for a long time, never given a second thought until its recent success. Now it is challenging the order of things of our sporting environment and it is making a number of people and some quarters uncomfortable. Come on guys, let me say just one word - reality. Football has made its mark, and on its own merits by the way. Government had nothing to do with this, it is people with heart, passion and commitment who have made this happen. Embrace the phenomenon, take it into our hearts and allow it to prosper.  


This is just the beginning of a project, a dream, a vision that is slowly making itself a reality and a very distinct possibility. The Azkals have done it again and is showing us the way, giving us reason to believe and to feel proud. So let's do our part as well and start acting as one country and one people and let's get behind this project and support not only the Azkals but the growth and progress of football in the Philippines as well.  


In the meantime, Turkmenistan stands in the way of further glory, go Azkals! We believe! ...and why do I get this sneaky feeling that these guys are going to end up doing something again in a few days time? 


2012 Moira G Gallaga©

Destiny Awaits - Philippines in AFC Challenge Cup

After a convincing 2-nil victory over the 2011 South Asian champions and 2008 AFC Challenge Cup champions India, the Philippine Men's National Football Team, the Azkals, have kept their hopes for reaching the semis alive.

Following a defeat to North Korea, the Azkals needed to win against India. This they were able to do without too much trouble. India had its moments, but one can reasonable say that the Philippines were more or less in control of that match. The changes made by Coach Weiss in the midfield paid off, and Phil Younghusband put away two of his chances. The first goal was shades of the goal against Malaysia on the 29 February. That long throw-in by Sabio has provided an added dimension to our offensive options. All in all, it was a pretty good and exciting match, with the victory making it that much sweeter.

The victory has set up a "winner take all" match against previous AFC Challenge Cup champion (2006) Tajikistan. An interesting development is that because of the respective score lines of both teams in their respective matches with the other teams in this group of death, a draw would result to a penalty shootout. 

Destiny awaits the Philippine Azkals. Their fate in this tournament, and a shot at another historic milestone and achievement, is within their grasp and fully in their own hands. 

Aside from providing the Azkals an opportunity of getting to the semis, the victory over India also brings renewed confidence to the team and the players. The victory and the opportunity for further glory is a good boost to team morale and the players will be raring to take on Tajikistan. The last time the Philippines and Tajikistan tangled it ended in a draw. This is a very different Philippine team now, and while the Tajiks shouldn't be taken lightly, the Azkals have a pretty good chance to pull off an upset here.

It gets tempting to get carried away now that we see that we have a foot by the door (the Tajiks too, by the way), but I believe there is cause for optimism. There is a bit more composure in the way the Azkals have been playing lately, and the defense has been proving solid. As the underdogs in this tournament, such improvements in those particular areas have become very vital to their current progress in this tournament. Conservative, smart and focus should be the buzzwords in this upcoming match. We cannot discount of course the burden and pressure of expectation, now that destiny is just around the corner. They cannot afford to be anxious and nervous about this match. They should approach this match with the attitude that they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  In my opinion, the mental aspect of football will be the determining factor in this upcoming match. Though by the looks of the team, from their training matches in the Middle East, the friendly against Malaysia and their first two matches in this tournament, it appears they have what it takes to stay focused on the task at hand and effectively deal with the pressure of the occasion. 

Photo via goal.com

Another cause for optimism is Coach Weiss. He has taken a more pragmatic and conservative approach to matches. The team is now more organized and compact, resulting to more stability at the back. Quite a change from the swashbuckling offensive game the Coach was initially trying to develop for the team. That worked against teams of lesser quality, but definitely not against that way ahead of us in terms of ability and team chemistry. This new approach and emphasis in our playing style has obviously served the team well so far in this tournament. Additionally, Coach Weiss has also been utilizing his subs more. He has previously been taken to task to use subs sparingly. He may have his reasons then, but lately we've seen that he has been making use of the bench more effectively. 

So there we have it. The Philippines is on the edge of achieving another footballing milestone. Destiny awaits! It is there for the taking and the chances of doing so look promising. As we all dwell on this and what this all means, let us also not forget to consider how far this team and Philippine football has come in so short a time. 

2012 March, Moira G Gallaga©

North Korea vs Azkals - Climbing Mountains

The lofty peaks of Nepal serve as a fitting background for the latest round of challenges that the Philippines Men’s National Football team, the Azkals, face in this latest edition of the AFC Challenge Cup.

Having earned the right to compete in this tournament after successfully making it through the qualifying stages, the Philippine Azkals finally make it to the tournament after failing to do so in the previous two tournaments (2008 and 2010) when a qualifying stage was introduced starting in 2008. To say that the Azkals figuratively have a mountain to climb out there in Kathmandu, Nepal is no understatement.

Not only do they have to contend with playing in a high altitude environment where oxygen levels are much lower, they have also found themselves grouped with the three previous champions of this competition – North Korea, India and Tajikistan. Furthermore, aside from Paul Mulders, it looks very unlikely that key players such as Stephan Schroek and Dennis Cagara will not be able to join the team due to club commitments. Captain Aly Borromeo is still recovering from injury and was left behind in Manila while Co-Captain Chieffy Caligdong has just only recently been cleared to play but unlikely to start pending full recovery.

Now if those factors weren’t enough, there is also this dark cloud hovering about the team following the charges of sexual harassment on two members of the team just after their friendly match against Malaysia and around the time they departed for Nepal. No telling what effect that had on the players concerned and to the team in general given the public firestorm that unfortunate incident generated here at home. That is quite a challenging mountain that the Azkals must be climb in the next few days. For the Philippines, the AFC Challenge Cup is aptly named indeed.

However, following some solid and decent performances in their Middle East tour in preparation for this tournament, and in their recent friendly against Malaysia, the Azkals have shown considerable improvement and progress. Though still very much the underdogs in their group, the team currently in Nepal has the potential of springing a surprise or two.

The team just lost 2-0 to North Korea after holding the Koreans to a scoreless draw for 57 minutes. Considering that the North Koreans are the defending champions of this tournament and as recently as 2010, were in the World Cup in South Africa as well, our team did fairly well despite the loss. Come to think of it, what is North Korea still doing in the Challenge Cup if it can qualify to play in the World Cup? Anyway, a loss to the powerful North Koreans was very likely but the positives that we can derive from that match was that the performance of the Azkals showed quite a bit of promise as we look ahead to our matches against India and Tajikistan.

Photo via pinoyfootball.com

Granted this wasn’t the World Cup team of North Korea but more a mixture of its younger players and its veterans (their Europe based players likewise could not make it due to club commitments), it is still widely accepted  that their current line-up in Kathmandu is quite formidable and they are still considered the team to beat in this tournament. Therefore, with regard to our chances of advancing from the “group of death,” we will need the North Koreans to sweep all their matches and the Azkals should do all they can to pull off wins against the other two. This is the best and simplest scenario that works in our favor. There are other permutations possible that will enable us to squeeze in to the semis, but let’s not complicate things that much for now. Let’s cross that bridge when we get there.

North Korea is the toughest in the group and the Azkals did remarkably fine against them. Maintain that defensive solidity and compactness that they’ve been working on since their training camp in the Middle East and it will serve as a good foundation for the matches ahead. Perhaps their early arrival in Kathmandu would have allowed them to get more acclimatized to the thin air and they should be improving physically with each succeeding match. Following their match against the Philippines, the North Korean coach believes that the Azkals can cause trouble for the other two teams in the group.

So here we go a shot at making history and an opportunity to create further momentum for the growth of football in the Philippines. Up in the mountainous country of Nepal, in its capital Kathmandu, a momentous occasion awaits Philippine football and its fans and supporters. It is not an easy task and the challenges are formidable, but it isn’t impossible. In fact, just being there is quite an accomplishment in itself, to even have a decent crack at making it to the semis speaks a lot of the progress that Philippine football has made in such a short period.

So let’s go Azkals, let’s go Filipinas for WE BELIEVE!!!

2012 Moira G Gallaga©