Azkals soar high with Cebu Pacific

New sports heroes: Phil Younghusband with skipper Aly Borromeo, and midfielder James Younghusband are set to clinch bigger victories with Cebu Pacific.

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s national football team, popularly known as the Azkals, has proven that Filipinos have the potential to be top dogs in football. Fighting their way to a semi-final finish at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, Vietnam, they ushered in a new chapter in Philippine sports. Today, the nation’s new heroes continue to scale greater heights as they travel to different locations and tournaments, now with an extra pair of wings to help them soar to — Cebu Pacific.

“We taught ourselves to never stop fighting. We had one goal in mind. We gathered everything that we had and told ourselves that this was our time, and we tried to go after that goal,” said team captain Aly Borromeo.

Touted as the competition’s biggest upset in history, their win against ASEAN powerhouse teams cemented their position as a strong contender in the region. In pursuit of even greater honor and pride for the country, the Filipino booters are training hard to be ready for future tournaments with a new coach at the helm, Hans Michael Weiss. Next on their list: the second leg of the ASEAN Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifier to be held in Mongolia this March 15.

“It’s great to have Cebu Pacific on board with the Azkals. It’s an honor that companies like them believe in us, and it’s what football needs right now. What we have accomplished together is just a stepping stone for bigger things to come,” added Borromeo.

James Younghusband, one of the team’s midfielders, said, “Travel is what’s great about football. We’ve covered a lot of countries because of football and we get to meet new people, see new places, and experience new cultures.

“I’m looking forward to more domestic travel with Cebu Pacific. My brother Phil and I started the Younghusband Football Academy, so we get to visit different places and team up with public schools and local government units to spread the message about football,” said Younghusband.

Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest flag carrier, provided the team with plane tickets to help them soar to more world-class victories. With the largest network of domestic and ASEAN destinations served, Cebu Pacific ensures that the players are able to come home to their provinces and fly to future football competitions and training camps in the country.

/via Philippine Star

Azkals seeded in Ulan Bator despite obstacles

[Members of the Azkals wave the Philippine flag during the team’s bout against Mongolia in Panaad Stadiun in Bacolod City. AFP file photo]

THE Philippine football team, Azkals, are seeded despite facing several obstacles when they face the Mongolian national team on March 15 in the latter’s turf.

Lawyer Roland A. Tulay, the president of the National Capital Region Football Association (NCRFA), told The Manila Times that the Azkals are facing extreme cold weather; the absence of some key players; the artificial turf of the home pitch and possibly, a highly-partisan crowd.

“On paper, we should beat Mongolia because of our higher FIFA standing,” he said.

But Tulay said that the aforementioned factors can present problems for the Azkals.

Foremost is the cold weather in Mongolia, which could reach four to 10 degrees below zero. Prior to flying to Mongolia, the national team trained for one week in Japan to help them adjust to the cold weather.

Tulay also said the Azkals must adjust to the artificial turf. They have trained at the International School which has this facility. “They will be playing on artificial turf. The bounce and roll of the ball is different, the ball rolls faster,” he added.

When the Azkals beat the Vietnamese during the Suzuki Cup and the Mongolians in Bacolod City, the national team played on natural grass.

Adding to the obstacles the Azkals must overcome is the absence of key player Neil Etheridge and other key players; the former having commitments to his new club Charlton Athletic in England’s Division One.

To fill up the gaping hole left by Etheridge, the Azkals will be relying on the services of the able Edward Sacapano who hails from Bago, Negros Occidental.

But perhaps the biggest challenge the Azkals will be facing in Mongolia is the expected hostile crowd.

When the Azkals faced the Mongolian team on February 10, Tulay recalled that the visiting team was welcomed with “arf, arf, arf” from the local crowd. They were told that this unique chant was the bark of the Azkals which meant “street dogs.” Nevertheless, the visiting team was feted to a warm round of applause at the end of 90 minutes.

/via Manila Times (via Condrad Carino, 3/11/2011)

Fierce as an Azkal

Cover photo by Jun Mendoza. On the cover: Chieffy Caligdong celebrates with his teammates after he scored the country’s first goal against Mongolia.

MANILA, Philippines - Basketball and boxing... these are the two sports Filipinos are obsessed with. Even as the rest of the world was riveted by last year’s World Cup matches, interest in the country was sporadic, and perhaps a good part of that was because of Paul the prophetic octopus.

But one football match changed all that.

Phil Younghusband tries to get the ball through a wall of Mongolian players (above). The Azkals are looking to repeat their victory on March 15 in Mongolia.

The Philippine Azkals were making a name for themselves, but were still under the radar when they faced Vietnam for the qualifying match at the Suzuki Cup in Vietnam last Dec. 4. Unexpectedly, they were the underdogs but when they pulled off an upset and won the match 2-0, football suddenly figured in the national consciousness, the team became overnight sensations, the new darlings of Philippine sports. Their win has been called one of the biggest upsets in football history, since the Azkals, ranked 151st in the world, blanked out defending champion Vietnam in the Suzuki Cup in Hanoi. The team even made it to Sports Illustrated magazine, their stunning upset picked as #10 in the magazine’s Top 10 football stories of the year. When the team played against Mongolia last Feb. 9, supporters trooped to the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod and wildly cheered them on to a 2-0 victory.

Of course it helps that the team is a good-looking bunch, and many of them could easily pass for commercial models and movie stars. But fortunately, their performance on the turf gives reason enough for the adulation.

Team manager Dan Palami says that he’s not surprised by the attention the team has been getting, but it’s not over until they hurdle the next game set in Mongolia on March 15.

“It’s not surprising but very overwhelming and right now you could see everything on the Internet. I know some were trying to get tickets to fly over to Bacolod to watch the game. But to see it on the web and to see the warm bodies are two different things and when you see these people cheering for you, it only happened to the team in Bacolod so far,” Palami says.

“It’s gratifying to see people of different ages, genders, geographical areas of residence and different political affiliations and to see them all – we suddenly realized that it’s not just a cliché that football is a unifying sport,” he adds.

While the Azkals have brought football to center stage due to their recent victories, Palami has long been sure that there were fans of the game in the country.

Goalie Neil Etheridge keeps the Mongolians scoreless. Photos by Jun Mendoza/STAR

“I always knew there were a lot of football supporters in the Philippines even before the game in Vietnam. The only difference I think was that years before, there were no reasons for them to come out and celebrate. They were hiding behind the anonymity because there wasn’t anything to celebrate,” he says.

All this has changed since winning the match in Bacolod and Palami says they are taking the attention in stride and know that they must prove it’s not just an overnight thing. “We’re quite appreciative of what’s happening. We’re a work in progress and we need to sustain the interest because some say its temporary, a flash in the pan. We need to keep getting good results in international games,” Palami admits. Their goal right now is to make the team not only a powerhouse in Southeast Asia but in the whole of Asia.

The Azkals – a play on the colloquialism for mongrel, askal or asong kalye – have a total of 37 players on the roster, 23 of whom will be going to Mongolia. Several of the players belong to teams in the European and Asian circuits, but suit up for the Philippine national team. Goalie Neil Etheridge, whose father is British and whose mother hails from Tarlac, is a goalie of Fulham in England. The popular Younghusband siblings Phil and James, also Fil-Brits, used to play for Chelsea. Left winger Chieffy Caligdong, who scored the first goal against Mongolia in Bacolod, is with the Philippine Air Force and plays for its team.

The Azkals show off their winning form against the Mongolian team in Bacolod.

While the team is composed of Filipinos and those with Filipino blood, Palami says the difference lies in the training, especially those who played in football clubs abroad. But the coaching staff and foreign players who played with the team are very impressed with the Filipino players. “Given the chance and had they had the training, they would be playing in the elite teams,” Palami says, referring to the English Premier and Spanish League.

Team captain Aly Borromeo believes that the local players play a big role in the matches. “The core of the team, the local players, pretty much the chemistry is there,” he says.

With the Azkals in the thick of preparation for the game in Mongolia, Palami admits that one major concern that they have is the climate.

“It’s the one factor that we have yet to be tested. The reason why we’re very concerned with it is because we’ve seen the players of Mongolia play, we’ve seen the conditions, we could dominate the game. But I don’t think any of the players have any chance to play the game at subzero temperature. Until they are on the pitch and I see them play, that’s the only time I can relax,” he says.

And while many fans have pinned their hopes on the team to bring the county finally into the World Cup, Palami says they are flattered and are hoping for that one day.

“We’re just in our infancy and the rest of Southeast Asia and Asia have been into the sport with a full program for a long time already. That’s what we need, a long-term program to make sure that we are ready for the next level. It’s our dream to be there (World Cup) but we know wishing to be there and getting there are two different things and we really need to work hard to make sure that we are ready.”

The popularity of the Azkals is not only confined to the Philippines but has spread to other countries as well. Many of the players – among them the Younghusband brothers and team captain Aly Borromeo – have been offered to play in Asian football clubs, which Palami says is an advantage for them. “It’s good for the team. We’re assured that the clubs in Indonesia or anywhere will take on the responsibility of training them, make the investments, and their salaries will give them the financial returns and ensure they are on a competitive level.”

After one of the biggest upsets in football history, the Philippine team celebrates their victory over defending champion Vietnam

Now that football is gaining popularity in the country, Palami says that the team is even more determined to succeed. “The team has for a long time been trashed, the whipping boys in a match. But now that they’ve tasted what it’s like when they win, I think that’s what’s going to motivate them. This adulation, the screaming fans, is a result of their hard work. I don’t think they would let go of that, but will work harder to make sure the campaigns they join would be successful.”

Basketball and boxing may still be the national obsessions, but Palami says football is a sport that Filipinos can definitely sink their teeth into next. So has the time of Philippine football come? “It’s dawning. It’s not yet the peak. We’re still far from saying we are successful but we have to start somewhere – and this is a start.”

STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte (center) welcomes Phil. Football Federation president Nonong Araneta (left) and chairman Johnny Romualdez (right), Azkals team manager Dan Palami (second from left) and players Aly Borromeo, Roel Gener, Nestor Margarse, and Ricardo Bacite when the team visited The STAR recently. Joey Mendoza/STAR

/via Philippine Star (by Alexa Villano, Mar-6-2011)

Azkals: Homeless no more

There’s something thoroughly captivating about the way football is played. The deft handling of the ball, purposeful movements up and down the field, nimble sidesteps and acrobatic feats of athleticism… Sure, basketball can do all this and then some, but it’s only in a game of football where the feeling of the ball hitting the back of the net is infinite. I’ve been playing football since grade school and I can say for sure: there’s nothing quite like it in the whole world.

Now, I realize my writing about the sudden burst of football fever in the country is coming out a bit late, especially in light of the number of tweets, blog posts, status updates, and write-ups that have germinated since last year, but you’ll have to bear with me. After all, considering how the UAAP football season has just ended with the UP Fighting Maroons bagging the championship, well, it’s a wonderful time to be a football fan here in UP.

And on that note, I never thought I’d say this, but it’s a wonderful time to be a football fan here in the Philippines.

Yes, the Philippines. Land of the hoop-loving and the basketball-crazy, where football has been left at the periphery of national consciousness despite being the oldest national team in Asia… until now.

The Upset: Proving to us all that indeed, miracles DO happen.

Formerly deemed the sacrificial lamb of the region, we are Southeast Asia’s whipping boy no more — the Azkals win over defending champion Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup last December saw to that; with the national team making it to the semifinals for the first time in the competition’s 14-year history.

When I think about how that fateful day changed the sentiments of an entire nation overnight, I can’t help but be amazed. Was it only a few years ago when the general consensus was that Philippine football would slowly die out because of impotence on the part of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF)? Lack of leadership and direction, corruption and misappropriation of funds under the reign of former PFF president Mari Martinez… even the Azkals weren’t spared; shortly after their arrival from Vietnam, the team released a statement saying “We have not received one centavo of support from the PFF. Not to mention a call or a text during the final rounds of the 2010 Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, Vietnam.”

Indeed, in light of this, the Azkals’ achievement last year was a veritable godsend. And now that Martinez has been sacked for good and new president Mariano Araneta installed into office, I think it’s safe to say that the future of Philippine football can only go up from here.

Team Azkals: Yes, YOUR team never looked this good. (/via philippine-azkals. tumblr.com)

Let’s call it the Azkal effect

Not many people know that the name “Azkals” was the creation of Internet fans in 2005, similar to how fans in other countries name their favorite clubs and national teams (e.g. The Japanese national team is called “Samurai Blue,” while English club Manchester United is tagged “The Red Devils”). Personally, I am enamored with the name. It’s wonderfully subversive, as well as unabashedly Pinoy. And I love how far removed it is from names that are deemed more respectable. With all elitist pretensions removed, being tagged as a “mongrel” or “street dog” simply means we know how to survive. Never mind the irony of the team’s dynamics — these guys are still our own. And if the culture of a nation is any indicator of the playing style/identity of its football team — for example, the methodical mindset of Germany transposed onto its national team’s very structured and organized play — then I can’t wait to see how the Azkals ease themselves into their role.

In any case, some of the fruits of the Azkal Effect include the Senate waking up to the embarrassing state of the country’s football development programs; serious plans to finally build a football stadium that would meet international standards; the PFF standing to receive around P29.7 million from FIFA (as well as an initial amount of P8 million from SMART telecommunications); and the DepEd considering experimenting on specialized athlete schools to support the national sports program.

Personally, what I’m really excited about is the formation of a working premier football league. Indeed, although football is actually widely played at the school level, very few are motivated to pursue “professional” football after graduation; the one major reason for this being the lack of a national league to participate in. Now I don’t know about you guys, but the idea of having something akin to the UK’s premier league (dream big, right?) thrills me to no end.

* * *

There’s a theory floating around that the presence of a McDonald’s in your city/area/country is a sign that you’re economically stable enough to be invested in by the imperialist powers-that-be. There’s also this theory floating around that the development of a country’s football parallels its own growth as a nation.

So far, there’s Singapore, winner of the 2007 and 2008 Suzuki Cup, whose recent success in the sport is reflective of its stature as one of the world’s fast-rising, economic powerhouses. Then there’s also Vietnam, another country on the road to football progress. In fact, according to an article by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, “Last May, in a visit to Switzerland by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Swiss officials feted him not just for the favorable business conditions in his country but also for the dramatic improvement of its football program.”

Here’s hoping that the long-awaited football miracle in our country is a sign of only greater things to come.

/article and photos via Philstar.com (by Samantha King)

Azkals' amazing 2-0 win over Vietnam is sports story of year

Philippine football team goalkeeper Neil Etheridge (left) works against the vaunted Vietnam team during the Suzuki Cup. (EPA)

In an incredible year for Philippine football, Manny Pacquiao has to settle for second place behind the gritty bunch of football players, fondly known as the Azkals.

The Azkals placed the Philippines in the international football map with their unprecedented performance in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.  A merry mix of Fil-foreign and homegrown talents, the Azkals stunned powerhouse Vietnam, 2-0, and drew with Singapore and Myanmar to reach the semifinals for the first time against Indonesia.

As one veteran scribe puts it, the team’s win against Vietnam was like Brunei beating the Philippine basketball team.

The Azkals’ journey began with the entry of young British coach Simon McMenemy who replaced compatriot Des Bulpin last September.

The team, whose core has been playing since 2004, also got a new manager in Dan Palami who belongs to a family of educators in Leyte.  Palami poured funds into the team that was then training for the qualifiers in Laos.

The Nationals eventually earned a place in the main tournament by registering five points (one-win and two-draws) in three games, including a draw over host Laos in the second match.  In that contest held on Oct. 24, the Azkals escaped defeat when James Younghusband scored in stoppage time to preserve a 2-2 tie that stunned the boisterous home crowd.

The magic continued in Vietnam, one of the two sites of the Suzuki Cup tourney, when the team salvaged a 1-1 draw with former three-time champion Singapore, a squad that has some naturalized players.  This time, it was Chris Greatwich who scored in injury time off a cross from Younghusband in the 94th minute.

Then came the match against Vietnam.

Playing before 40,000 fans at the My Dinh National Stadium, the Azkals blanked the home team, 2-0, on goals by Greatwich and Phil Younghusband.  Greatwich made the first goal, a header in the 37th minute.  The Vietnamese tried to counter, but couldn’t get past goal keeper Neil Etheridge, who began his stint two years ago in Iloilo as an 18-year-old member of Fulham FC in England.  Phil Younghusband added salt to injury with a goal in the 79th minute, triggering a flood of messages on social-networking sites worldwide.

The Azkals eventually earned that elusive berth when they forged a scoreless draw with Myanmar and arranged a two-leg home-and-away duel with Indonesia.  They finished with five points (one-win, two draws) in Group B but the celebration of the momentous occasion turned to dismay when they learned they couldn’t play at home.

The Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City was ruled not fit for the match against Indonesia.  Competing in front of crowds of 70,000-85,000 raucous people at Bung Karno Stadium for in the semis, the Nationals lost twice to the Indonesians, yielding a goal each as naturalized Indonesian Cristian Gonzales scored all of the goals.  Gonzales, an Uruguayan prior to his naturalization, made Etheridge pay dearly for his defensive miscue with a header off a cross in the 32nd minute of the first leg then delivered an impressive strike that sailed past the outstretched arms of a diving Etheridge in the 43rd minute of the second leg, thus ending the dream run.

Despite the losses, the Azkals have sparked renewed interest in the sport.

They are set to play three tournaments, particularly the AFF Challenge Cup against Mongolia on February [nicky: Azkals won against Mongolia] with significant financial backing from the likes of sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan and Asia Brewery.

After much politicking, Mariano Araneta's election as new president of the Philippine Football Federation finally gained recognition from FIFA.  Araneta’s ascencion came after Jose Mari Martinez, then Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president, was removed from office for alleged misapporpriation of funds.

/via Manila Bulletin