Azkals tweet treats: 1st day in Mongolia [3.13.2011]

One week has now passed since I created LoveAzkals fanpage in Twitter and this blog.  It was such an enjoyable journey because the world of sports, particularly football, is a new territory for me.

My first blog on Metro Society is the most popular post to-date largely because of Jason Sabio who posted the link in his page a few hours after I created this blog.  Without him knowing, it encouraged me to learn more about azkals.

After a week I can say I am starting to get familiar with different personalities that comprised Azkals.  Apart from they superior skills in football, their hardworking attitude and dedication to give their best plus playful personality which became more apparent on their way to Ulan Bator, Mongolia made me realize why they are so lovable.

In my 1st weeksarry, it was a treat receiving a complimentary tweet from Patrick Ace about my blog.  Thanks for that sweet tweet.  Getting followed by Chieffy yesterday is special bonus since he is the pride of our province.


About azkals in Mongolia, I will not be posting all the tweets they posted since various online media portals have already reported them so I will focus on photo blog.

Simon Greatwich in South Korea airport waiting for the flight to Mongolia via Beijing.  He met Dyan Castillejo from ABS-CBN who carried Simon's passport from Manila.  Credit photos to Dyan Castillejo's twitter.

Icelandic-Filipino defender Ray Anthony Johnsson was flying from London to Mongolia via Beijing with 8 hours layover.  That's an exhausting trip!   Filipino-Dutch midfielder Jason de Jong is also expected to fly in from Indonesia.  I did not see any confirmation whether both azkals have already reached Ulan Bator.

Jason Sabio, Simon Greatwich, Phil Younghusband at Palace Hotel lobby in Ulan Bator.  Photo credit to Simon's twitter

The team reached Mongolia yesterday at 5:00 AM in a freezing -20 degree Celsius temperature.  Mongolia Football Federation confirmed receiving 19 players and 8 officials.  The team is staying at Palace Hotel. With the series of luck azkals have been getting it is no surprise hearing that their luggage have been mishandled by the airline. The team got their luggage at 4:00 A.M the following morning which they were told to pick up from the airport. It's freezing cold!



So how the team passed their time in Mongolia?  

Jason Sabio asked Bianca Gonzales on Twitter, which reminds me of Phil Younghusband when he asked Angel Locsin.  At least now, the two are friends based on their interviews.

Jsabio3: @iamsuperbianca Happy Sunday. Would you like to grab a cup of java while im in Manila? Mary Grace at ATC? Hope all is well.  about 17 hours ago

 Jsabio3: @iamsuperbianca Thanks for the best wishes! It is cold, but not unbearable. @SimonGreatwich and @PhilYHusband are keeping me warm! haha about 14 hours ago

Phil and Jason played a prank on Simon who was trying to take a nap.

Simon Greatwich, photo credit to Jason Sabio

Team Captain Aly Borromeo took a walk outside to check out the game pitch. He tweeted he almost turned into ice.

Aly in the hotel lobby.  Photo credit to Simon's Twitter

Tweets of other members of the team ...

JYH53: Just chilling with some pancit given from @acebright.  about 12 hours ago

Jsabio3: Found out today Reymark Palmes says @cristineklenk is really beautiful and Peter Jaugan has a crush on @Kaye_abad.  about 16 hours ago

ianaraneta23 watching tom and jerry show...i miss this!...hehehehe...lol about 11 hours ago: 

anton_delro: Oh boy! -17 degrees and counting. Earlier wasn't too bad, gotta play in the snow but we still have to test it out with our uniforms on! :S about 8 hours ago 

Tophcam2: GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE :D SLEEP WELL!! TIRED... :( PLAYED IN THE SNOW TODAY HEHE :P @anton_delro made some snow angels! hahA! about 8 hours ago

Biggest movie star in Mongolia Bolormaa Nadaam meets bigtime azkals star @philyhusband but doesnt know who phil is.  via Simon Greatwich's twitter

Japan in rubble, Azkals in trouble

By Jack Biantan
Monday, March 14, 2011
/via Sunstar


LONDON, UK -- An earthquake of 8.9 intensity and a tsunami with apocalyptic proportion have caused massive devastation in some cities of Japan the other day.

I was at work when I saw over BBC news how the 30 feet tsunami swallowed thousands of homes, hundreds of cars and acres of farmlands along Japan's Pacific coastline.

The first thing that went into my mind was the Azkals. They were acclimatizing in Japan during that time for the 2nd leg of their AFC Challenge Cup elimination match against Mongolia.

After several hours, I breathed a sigh of relief when I learned from twitter that they were far from the tsunami at the Japan FA's training centre in Gotemba. But they felt the earthquake and the aftershocks.

As of this writing they were on their way to Beijing and are expected to be in Ulan Bator, Mongolia by Sunday midnight. They have less than two days of rest before their clash on Tuesday noon.

Out safely

The Azkals managed to get out of Japan safely through Narita airport and through the efforts of the Japan FA. They hardly have rest in their long trip and they would arrive in Ulan Bator exhausted.

The Azkals trained in Japan to get used to cold weather that is expected during match day (March 15). They had difficulty adjusting to the weather, losing two matches against Japanese University teams in wide score margins.

Only three of the regular Azkals will not fly to Ulan Bator. Neil Etheridge, Rob Gier and Chris Greatwich will miss the Mongolia match.

Jason Sabio and Simon Greatwich however managed to squeak past from other early commitments to assure the fans that they will be playing in Mongolia. They are also on their way to Ulan Bator.

It would be good news for the Azkals, as both footballers could fill in the hole in the Azkals defences and midfield left by Rob Gier and Chris Greatwich.

It seems that the odds are all against the Azkals this time. The cold weather, the lack of rest and their traumatic experience of being in Japan when the earthquake and the tsunami happened.
Their defeat against the two Japanese teams does not however show the real Azkals spirit. It was only a practice game without any audience, except for the coaching staff and game officials. It was not even considered as official friendly.

Friendly matches have the hype, the media and the fans involved. Friendlies are always played against other national teams.

Only worry

My only worries are the Azkals' fitness and their mental state. They will be playing minus their Rabid supporters and are under extreme pressure.

The Azkals are known for their resiliency. How many times they have sprang back from certain defeat to be victorious? I am certain that they would brush off this episode of giving our country football honors.

There would be no turning back this time. If they lose by two goals, they will bid good bye to further advancing to the AFC elimination in Myanmar.

A draw would be enough for them to advance and losing is not an option. Let's pray for the Azkals success and for the recovery of the Japanese nation. GOD BLESS jackbiantan@yahoo.com

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on March 14, 2011.

Tired, sleepless Azkals 'frozen'

By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated March 14, 2011 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo checked out the pitch yesterday and couldn’t believe what he saw.

“(It) almost turned into ice,” he said on his Twitter account.

Worse, the Azkals couldn’t even get to practice and warm up because their luggage got lost somewhere in transit.

The Azkals are tired, cold and weary in Mongolia.

With only two days before the match, the Azkals are just trying to keep their confidence at a high level.

“Yesterday is over and done with,” added Borromeo from Ulan Bator, the freezing Mongolian capital where yesterday’s weather was at a low of -13 and a high of -24 degrees Celsius.

Borromeo said they’re all hoping for the best.

“Greater expectations, greater results ahead,” he said.

“Two days until game time. It’s time to focus,” said defender Anton del Rosario, who was quite surprised to find Filipino fans in Mongolia.

“What are all these Filipinos doing in Mongolia? We’ll have more fans than Mongolia,” he said.

Borromeo and the Azkals travelled almost 24 hours to get to Ulan Bator Saturday, all the way from earthquake-ravaged Gotemba in Japan via Beijing.

It was a treacherous journey out of Japan considering the damage caused by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck its northeastern coast.

The Azkals were in a training facility in Gotemba, 174 kms away from Tokyo when the great earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. Friday.

The Azkals almost got stranded in Gotemba, and their March 15 match with Mongolia almost threatened. But the Japanese Football Association made sure they safely got out of the country.

It wasn’t easy.

The Azkals had to take a bullet train to Tokyo in the morning, and were stranded at the Narita International Airport because of flight delays.

They managed to board the plane to Beijing at around 8 p.m. and caught a connecting flight to Ulan Bator past midnight.

The Azkals arrived in Ulan Bator past 4 a.m., and, all wrapped in their Columbia thermal gear, were met by the terrible winter conditions. Ulan Bator is said to be the coldest national capital in the world.

Worse, they arrived minus their luggage, which got left behind in Beijing, and was to be brought to the Palace Hotel yesterday afternoon.

“We safely arrived in Mongolia. It’s 4:30 a.m. Definitely ready for bed,” said Simon Greatwich on Twitter.

Azkals come face to face with Mongolia’s sub-zero weather

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:15:00 03/13/2011


MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine football team arrived in Ulan Bator early Sunday and got a chilling reminder that it would have to deal with more than just Mongolia in the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup duel.

Temperatures ranging from minus 16 to minus 20 degrees Celsius greeted the Azkals in their first few hours in the Mongolian capital, where they will be hoping to protect their 2-nil first-leg advantage.

The Mongolians need to win by at least three goals to prevent the Azkals from advancing to the AFC group stage, but the Azkals’ coach, Hans Michael Weiss, is confident they can survive the challenge.

“My team must stand this character test,” said Weiss in an e-mail to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “The preparations have been very good and done in a professional environment (in Japan). It could not have been better.”

Weiss took the two losses to a Japanese university side in stride, saying the team learned much from the experience.

“Training in Japan helped a lot,” said Weiss, whose squad was outscored 1-12 in two matches against Kanto University. “Even with two hard defeats, the team learned.”

Azkals team manager Dan Palami is also upbeat with the team’s chances.

“It’s just another adversity that the team has to overcome,” he said. “I know the players very well and rest assured, they will be there fighting for every ball on Tuesday despite the cold.”

But concerns remain on how the players will deal with the extreme weather in Ulan Bator, which is about 4,300 feet above sea level.

“It was freezing out there, we couldn’t stay put,” Borromeo told the Inquirer in an e-mail after checking out the artificial turf at the playing venue. “We had to keep moving. I think we will be okay once we get warmed up.”

Borromeo added: “It would really help tremendously if there won’t be a wind chill and the sun would come out.”

“We will just try our best to overcome the cold,” said co-skipper Chieffy Caligdong, the scorer of the first goal in the opening leg in Bacolod City last February 9, in a separate interview.

The match is scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m., said to be the hottest time of the day in Ulan Bator.

“It’s really cold especially when the wind is blowing,” said defender Jason Sabio. “But otherwise, it’s no problem.”

The Azkals’ conditioning coach, Josef Malinay, who is with the team in Mongolia, said the game could be played at minus 4 degrees.

“The wind is the killer,” Malinay said.

The squad was still awaiting the arrival of Filipino-Icelandic defender Ray Jonsson and Fil-Dutch midfielder Jason de Jong, who would fly in from Indonesia, where he has been playing club football.

The Azkals had to battle through several travel glitches before reaching Ulan Bator from their training site in Gotemba City in earthquake-hit Japan.

There was one more glitch Saturday when the Azkals were forced to leave their luggage in Beijing, where they took the connecting flight to Ulan Bator. As of 6 p.m. Sunday, their luggage had yet to arrive in Ulan Bator.

Azkals now in Mongolia, tired but in high spirits

By MIAKKA J. LIM

After shuffling through different modes of transportation in Japan Saturday, the Azkals have finally settled in Ulan Bator Sunday morning, two days before the big match against Mongolia’s Blue Wolves for the second leg of the their 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying round.

The Azkals’ trip to Mongolia from Japan took longer than expected after the massive 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan Friday afternoon closed down airports and disrupted other major transport services.

The national team went to Japan to conduct their high-altitude training in Gotemba City (with an elevation of 1,500 feet), on the eastern foot of Mount Fuji, south of Tokyo. This was part of their preparation to acclimatize themselves with the playing conditions in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

The Azkals who flew in from Japan via Beijing landed at 3am Sunday while Simon Greatwich, who took a flight from Incheon City, South Korea after his flight to Tokyo was diverted to Osaka, landed a little earlier at 2:45am. Welcoming them in Mongolia was a reported -20°C weather. But team officials have confirmed that the weather is now -16 degrees Celsius, still a lot colder than expected.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President Nonong Araneta spoke with GMA News Online Sunday morning and said that despite the recent catastrophe that struck the northern part of the country, they are still blessed to have had a fruitful training in Japan and was able to get to Ulan Bator safely.

He also gave praises and gratitude to the Japan Football Federation for giving them all the necessary help they needed.

Araneta also stressed that overall they had a good trip in Japan because it gave the Azkals much needed acclimatization and that they were able to play in an artificial turf just like the one that will be used during the match in Mongolia.

After all the traveling that they’ve done in the last 48 hours, Araneta said “there’s no denying the guys are tired but still in high spirits.” He added that the Azkals are “more focused to win the match.”

For the rest of Sunday, Araneta added that the Azkals will probably limber and relax to make sure their mind and body are well rested for Tuesday’s big match.

On Monday, they will visit the National Sports Stadium in Ulan Bator and start training. He said the weather forecast for Tuesday included a high of -3°C and hopefully would stay that way until game time at 1pm. — OMG, GMA News

Azkals arrive in Ulan Bator

abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 03/13/2011 2:25 PM | Updated as of 03/13/2011 6:13 PM

For VIDEO report, click here.


MANILA, Philippines – Members of the Azkals Philippine national football team have landed on Ulan Bator, Mongolia, 2 days before their AFC Challenge Cup match against the Mongolian Blue Wolves.

The team arrived in Mongolia around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

The Azkals went direct to the Palace Hotel in Ulan Bator.

Although exhausted, the players said they are thankful they were able to leave Japan.

They said they took buses and trains just to get to the Tokyo Narita Aiport for their flight to Beijing, then to Ulan Bator.

"Grabe iyong journey talaga. It's been a long journey," said Azkals captain Aly Borromeo.

"Iba, iba talaga. It's a different experience. Sobrang pagod kami. We were carrying boxes across the hall of Japan," Phil Younghusband said.

The Azkals trained in Japan, which was hit by a 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

If their arrival in Ulan Bator got delayed, they risked postponing their game against the Blue Wolves on Tuesday.

The Azkals will play amid freezing conditions in Ulan Bator, where the temperature has reportedly dropped minus-18 degress Celsius and where ice has formed on the ground.

Simon Greatwich catches up

Simon Greatwich, who traveled way back from New York, has also met with the rest of his teammates.

Greatwich was supposed to train with the team in Gotemba City in Japan.

However, because of the massive earthquake, the player's flight was diverted to Osaka.

Greatwich then had to spend the night in the airport, and in the morning took another flight out to Incheon in South Korea en route to Mongolia.

"It was very very stressful for the past 24, 48 hours... I spent the night rough on the floor in the airport," he said.

Meanwhile, Azkals Jason Sabio who was also stranded in a separate Japan airport last Friday, is also bound to Mongolia .

He will will fly to Ulan Bator via Beijing, China. – With a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

The Philippines-Mongolia match will be shown LIVE March 15, 12 noon on Studio 23, with a replay at 7p.m. The match will also be shown 3 p.m. on BALLS SkyCable Ch. 34.

Philippine National Soccer Team Tryouts in America

by Aly Borromeo on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 9:35pm
/via Facebook


Good day all, we would like to announce that The Philippine Men's National Team will be hosting a West Coast (San Francisco Area) and East Coast (New York Area) tryout in the U.S in April. See below for confirmed dates, Venues will be announced soon.


West Coast Trial:
- DATES: Saturday 4/9 & Sunday 4/10 in the Bay Area
- VENUE: Still awaiting a confirmed venue but it will be near SFO
- TIME: 10am - 2pm both days


East Coast Trial:
- DATES: Saturday 4/16 & Sunday 4/17 in NY
- VENUE: Still awaiting a confirmed venue but it will be near NY
- TIME: 10am - 2pm both days


Players Must Have:
- Player must have or be eligible for a Filipino Passport
- Personal Insurance


Registration:
- Register through email at azkal_registration@yahoo.com. INCLUDE:
- Full Name
- Age
- Citizenship
- City
- A Printout Registration Form will be provided online soon and day of the tryout
- First 25 Registrants in each trial will be free of charge
- Succeeding registrants is $25
- We will send a reply confirming your registration