DESPITE a weeklong training in Baguio, which was supposed to acclimatize the Philippine Azkals to the sub-zero conditions in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, some members of the celebrated squad suffered discomfort when they reached Japan on Monday.
The Japan weather dropped to 0 degrees on Monday midnight, according to a message sent by team captain Aly Borromeo via twitter. It improved to 3 to 4-degrees centigrade when they began training around noontime the next day.
The team, coached by Germany’s Hans Michael Weiss, is composed of 18 players, with Filipino-Icelander defender Ray Jonnsson expected to join them there.
The team, which faces Mongolia in the second game of their home-and-away series of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup on March 15, has started wearing the thermal suits provided by Mizuno that are suited for the cold weather.
Still, some members of the team could not immediately adjust to the weather, with Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong reportedly experiencing colds and coughing.
How the Azkals will adjust to the cold weather in their Fukushima training camp will determine their chances when they finally meet the Mongolians at their freezing home turf next week.
“If we were training under normal conditions, I can definitely say that we will beat Mongolia. However, because of the cold weather, we want to adjust, and that’s what we want to do in Japan,” said team manage Dan Palami.
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Mariano said the team is camped at a facility owned by the Japan Football Association, located in the prefecture of Shiznoka, about 174 kilometers from Tokyo.
“OK naman ang tirahan nila doon at ang mga arrangements,” said Mariano.
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