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 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.

Azkals take risky route to U Bator

MANILA, Philippines – The resilient Azkals took the risk as they left the training facility in Gotemba, Japan yesterday morning just to catch their evening flight to Ulan Bator, Mongolia via Beijing.

The Azkals arrived safely at the Narita International Airport after taking a bullet train. They boarded the Air China flight to Beijing past 8 p.m.

They were scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 11:30 p.m., with very little time, 40 minutes to be exact, to catch the flight to Ulan Bator at 12:10 a.m.

“(We’re) at the (Narita) boarding gate. Been traveling nine hours and not even on the plane. (We) carried boxes around Japan literally by foot,” said Phil Younghusband on his Twitter.

The Azkals hooked up with teammate Jason Sabio who had been at the Narita Airport since Friday’s earthquake.

Simon Greatwich, who also came in from the United States, but on a different flight, ended up in Incheon, South Korea, and was on his way to Ulan Bator last night.

The earthquake that struck the northeastern coast of Japan the other day left the Azkals, in Gotemba since Monday, in a tight situation as they prepared for Tuesday’s match.

As of Friday evening, there was no certainty if the Azkals would be able to fly out of Japan which was struck by the seventh strongest earthquake in history.

Team officials feared that if the Azkals left Gotemba for Tokyo by bus, and travel around 170 kms, they might get stuck somewhere along the way.

And it was very hard to guess what might happen considering all the damage caused by the earthquake that left hundreds dead, with continuing threats of a tsunami and aftershocks.

Tokyo was a gridlock as of midnight of Friday, with traffic at a standstill, and an ordinary one-hour drive took at least five times longer.

The situation left football president Nonong Araneta and Azkals team manager Dan Palami, who were in Manila, in a quandary.

They thought of pushing for a cancellation of the March 15 match with the Mongolians, and push it back to a couple of days until things normalize in Japan.

But amid all these, the Azkals kept their supporters updated via Twitter, assuring everyone that they are all safe in Gotemba, which is far off the coastlines of Japan.

Araneta and Palami moved their flights to Ulan Bator via Incheon, South Korea from yesterday noon to tomorrow, meaning they will get there on the eve of the match.

But the Azkals, fortunately, did manage to get out of Gotemba, and safely to the Narita Airport on their way out to Ulan Bator.

“The Japanese Football Association did everything they could to make sure the team gets to the airport safely,” said Araneta.

Greatwich joked on his Twitter account that Sabio “has been stuck at the airport for so long he’s starting to look like Robin Williams in Jumanji.”

Del Rosario said the Narita Airport “looked like a hotel and the floor are the beds.”

Speaking of Sabio, Del Rosario said in jest, “He’s right next to me in one piece but he stinks.”

Sabio replied, “Anton is right. I smell. I smell like roses and butterflies.”

The Azkals will play the Mongolians in Ulan Bator at around 1 p.m. Tuesday, under freezing weather conditions, and would rely on their Columbia thermal outwear to fight it off.

The Azkals defeated the Mongolians at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City, 2-0, last Feb. 9, and now the hosts need to win by a margin of at least three goals to boot the Azkals out.

/via Philippine Star (by Abac Cordero, 3/13/2011)

Azkals coach tells fans: Don't worry

MANILA, Philippines — Even though there appears a slight concern in Philippine Azkals’ ability to deal with playing in a freezing condition, Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss is not about to press the panic button.

Only three days left before their crucial AFC Challenge Cup qualifying rematch against Mongolia in Ulan Bator, Weiss remains upbeat the Azkals can cope up with the freezing weather condition despite losing to the Kanto University football team in a tune up match, 4-0, in Gotemba City, Japan last Wednesday.

“No worries for all Azkals fans,” the German mentor, who turned 46 Friday, told the Bulletin in an e-mail interview.

“(Yes) we had big problems adapting to the weather and had a match versus a good university side… but the result really doesn’t matter too much and it shows you that we still have to learn a lot.”

Weiss acknowledged that the college team they faced was superior in both technique and teammanship than the Azkals side, saying: “The team (Japanese) trains under professional conditions since young age, (and) they are affiliated to Yokohama Marinos, a big club in Japan. Some of these players might be pros in the future.”

Azkals team manager Dan Palami agreed.

“It’s okay (with the loss). Our intention was really not to win, but to get the players acclimatized with the cold weather,” Palami said in a phone interview yesterday.

Palami was so confident about the team’s chances that he believes the team’s performance against the Japanese team would be enough to beat the Mongolians for the second time.

“Yes (we can still beat them),” said Palami, who added that the Azkals were safe following a powerful 8.4-magnitude earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami in the northeastern part of Japan.

“The Azkals are safe… felt the tremors but otherwise OK. Airports have been closed, hopefully it will not affect our flight to Mongolia tomorrow,” Palami posted on his Twitter account.

The Azkals were playing another Japanese university team in Gotemba City at presstime and Weiss appears unconcerned if ever the team loses again because he said the locals are still adjusting with the condition and “several players have been missing, so that was also a big factor.”

Fil-American Jason Sabio and Fil-British Simon Greatwich flew from the US and joined the team only yesterday afternoon. Two more Fil-foreigners, Ray Jonsson and Jason de Jong, will rejoin the team in Ulan Bator next week to complete the line up.

Meanwhile, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation had approved the release of a P2- million grant for the Azkals’ campaign in the Challenge Cup.

He said the amount will help foot the bill for the Azkals’ travel expenses since the mandatory $20,000 aid by the AFC was not enough.

Armed with a 2-0 edge after beating the Mongolians last Feb. 9 in Bacolod City, the Azkals need only a draw to advance to the group stage in Myanmar.

Should the nationals prevail, they will meet Bangladesh, Palestine and the host nation in a single-round battle for the top two slots to the regular draw of the Asian Challenge Cup in 2012.

/via Manila Bulletin (Francisco Santiago, 3/12/2011)

Azkals lost to Kanto U, 1-8, in 2nd friendly match

(UPDATE 2) MANILA---The powerful earthquake that struck most of Japan on Friday spared the city of Gotemba, where the Philippine football team is training for the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup showdown with Mongolia in Ulan Bator next week.

Several members of the team yesterday gave assurances that the contingent of 24 players, coaches and team staff were safe in Gotemba, a city at the foot of Mount Fuji, three hours away from the Japanese capital Tokyo.

The Azkals had actually just finished a scrimmage against Kanto Gakuin University when the earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter Scale, rocked Japan.

Minus several key players, the Azkals again lost to Kanto U in lopsided fashion, 1-8, in their final tuneup before leaving for Mongolia Saturday night.

‘Dizzy from the game’

“We just finished playing when the quake hit,” said skipper Aly Borromeo on his Twitter account.

“We thought we were all dizzy from the game.”

Borromeo added: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the locals in Japan. Don’t worry about the team. We are all safe over here.”

“The team is all right here,” said defender Anton del Rosario. “It’s very bad out here. Flooding everywhere, but we’re far from it.”

“The Azkals are safe,” assured Azkals team manager Dan Palami, who arrived from Japan on Wednesday after observing their training for three days. “[They] felt the tremors, but otherwise [they’re] okay.”

Palami, however, expressed concern over the status of the flight of the Azkals to Ulan Bator tonight since the Narita Airport near Tokyo remained closed.

Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta also said the PFF was still tracing the whereabouts of United States-based Simon Greatwich, who was scheduled to arrive at Narita Airport yesterday. The flight of another US-based player, Jason Sabio, arrived after the quake.

Looking for Greatwich

Greatwich was in a United Airlines flight from Houston which was scheduled to arrive in Tokyo at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Araneta said Greatwich’s flight could still be airborne or have been diverted to Osaka Airport.

Sabio’s Japan Airlines flight from Chicago reportedly arrived in Tokyo after the earthquake struck.

“Sabio is in Tokyo, but we have not gotten in touch with him yet,” said Araneta.

Sabio first contacted Inquirer Sports through Twitter and said that he has safely landed in Tokyo, but the passengers in the JAL fight were asked to stay in the plane as airport authorities inspected the damage on the airport.

"Touchdown safely. Narita evacuated. In plane for 3 hrs. Don't know how long I'll be on the plane. Ground shakes every so often," posted Sabio at 6:30pm (Manila time).

/via Inquirer (3/12/2011)

Azkals safe in Japan

MANILA---The powerful earthquake that struck most of Japan Friday spared the city of Gotemba, where the Philippine football team is currently training for the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup showdown with Mongolia in Ulan Bator next week.

Several members of the team yesterday assured that the contingent of 24 players, coaches and team staff are safe in Gotemba, a mountainous city three hours away from the Japanese capital of Tokyo.

The Azkals had actually just finished a scrimmage against Kanto Gakuin University when the earthquake measured at 8.9 on the Richter Scalerocked Japan.

“We just finished playing when the quake hit,” said skipper Aly Borromeo on his twitter account. “We thought we were all dizzy from the game.”

Borromeo added: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the locals in Japan. Don’t worry about the team. We are all safe over here.”

“The team is alright here,” said defender Anton del Rosario. “It’s very bad out here. Flooding everywhere but we’re far from it.”

“The Azkals are safe,” assured Azkals team manager Dan Palami, who arrived from Japan Wednesday after observing training the past three days. “Felt tremors but otherwise okay.”

Palami, however, expressed concern on the status of the flight of the Azkals to Ulan Bator tonight since the Narita Airport in Japan remains closed.

Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta also said the PFF was still tracing the whereabouts of two United States-based players – Simon Greatwich and Jason Sabio – who were scheduled to arrive at Narita Airport today (Friday).

Greatwich was in a United Airlines flight from Houston which was scheduled to arrive in Tokyo at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Araneta said that Greatwich’s flight may still be airborne or diverted to Osaka Airport.

Sabio’s Japan Airlines flight from Chicago has reportedly arrived in Tokyo after the earthquake struck. "Sabio is in Tokyo, but we have not gotten in touch with him yet" said Araneta.

Sabio first contacted Inquirer Sports through Twitter and said that he has safely landed in Tokyo, but the passengers remain stranded inside the airplane with limited internet connection.

"Touchdown safely. Narita evacuated. In plane for 3 hrs. Don't know how long I'll be on the plane. Ground shakes every so often," posted Sabio at 6:30pm (Manila time).

/via Inquirer (by Cedelf P. Tupas, 11/03/2011)

Sacapano takes Etheridge place for Azkals

IN the absence of ace goalie Neil Etheridge, Edward Sacapano will have to play big when the Philippine Azkals national football team takes on Mongolia right in its own turf in Ulan Bator next week.

Sacapano, a Bago City native, who played for West Negros University in college, will be the Azkals’ last line of defense against the Wolves, who will be looking to beat the Azkals at least by a score of 3-0 to clinch their home-and-away duel in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup.

The 21-year-old Fil-British Etheridge, who helped the Azkals reach the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup late last year and backstopped the same team against Mongolia during the initial home-and-away match, which the Azkals won, 2-0, in Panaad Stadium, will be gone for a month to honor his commitments with his ballclub in England.

But Sacapano’s teammate readily gave the reserve goalie their vote of confidence as they gear up for the decisive match in cold Ulan Bator.

“May tiwala kami kay Edward. Kayang-kaya niya iyan,” said Ian Araneta, one of the Azkals’ designated hitters, who plays the same position with Phil Younghusband.

A win by the Azkals will advance them into the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup which will be held in neighboring Myanmar.

The Azkals, who will fly to Ulan Bator on Saturday night, are nearing the end of their training at the Japan Football Association training facility in Gotemba City.

The Azkals only need a draw to advance in the Group Stage, where they are bracketed with Bangladesh, Palestine and Myanmar.

Aside from Sacapano, other goalkeepers on standby for the nationals are Christopher Camcam and Paolo Pascual.

Meanwhile, the Azkals got a taste of world-class football when they bowed to Kanto Gakuiin University football squad, 4-0, in an exhibition match played at the artificial pitch of the Toki no Sumika recreational facility.

Japan is rated no. 1 among Asian nations in football, and the win only underscored the Japanese’s mastery of the game.

Meanwhile, Fil-foreign booter Jason Sabio is set to join the Azkals today, along with Chris (Simon - nicky) Greatwich, who be planing in from the United States. Peter Atencio

/via Manila Standard (3/11/2011)

Azkal Simon Greatwich safe, flight diverted to Osaka

Azkal midfielder Simon Greatwich has safely landed in Osaka, Japan. Earlier, there was no word from Greatwich, as Narita airport was closed after the massive earthquake on Friday afternoon.

Greatwich told GMA News Online that the Tokyo airport was closed and that his flight was diverted to Osaka. He said he is now in contact with team officials.

Simon's brother Chris and fellow Azkal tweeted: "Apparently Simon is stuck in Osaka airport, but is okay."

Another Azkal, defender Jason Sabio, arrived at the Tokyo airport from Alabama, USA at around 3:00 p.m. on Friday via Japan Airlines.

At around 7:00 p.m., he tweeted that he and the other passengers were still stranded inside the plane.

He said when the plane landed in Japan, the ground was still shaking. He stressed, however, that all of them were safe.

Earlier this evening, GMA News Online reported that there was no word yet from Simon. He saw the story, reposted it on his Facebook fan page, and wrote: "DONT WORRY GMA IM OK!"


The rest of the team were already in Japan when the earthquake struck but team manager Dan Palami tweeted that they were safe.

The Azkals are conducting high-altitude training in Gotemba City (with an elevation of 1,500 feet), Honshu, on the eastern foot of Mount Fuji, south of Tokyo, Japan.

They have been in Japan since Monday as part of their training to acclimatize themselves to the cold Mongolian temperature for their match against the Blue Wolves, the Mongolian national team, on Tuesday, March 15.

The United States Geological Survey estimated the epicenter at 130 kilometers (km) east of Sendai, Honshu; 178 km east of Yamagata, Honshu; 178 km east-northeast of Fukushima, Honshu; or 373 km northeast of Tokyo.-- with reports from Miakka Lim and Mav Gonzales, GMA News

/via GMA News (3/11/2011 9:30 PM)

We're all safe - Azkals

MANILA, Philippines – The Azkals are all safe and sound after another powerful earthquake, this time with a magnitude of 8.9, struck the northeastern coast of Japan yesterday afternoon.

“Just to let everyone know we’re all safe in Japan. We’re quite far from the coastline so no need to worry,” said Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo on Twitter a few hours after the earthquake.

It was the second earthquake to hit Japan in three days, and yesterday’s was more powerful than Wednesday’s which had a magnitude of 7.3.

There were reports of heavy damage in the areas most hit by the earthquake, with aftershocks as powerful at 7.4 as well as tsunami alerts even in the neighboring countries.

The Azkals are in Gotemba, close to 200 km away from Tokyo, as part of their training for the March 15 match with Mongolia in Ulan Bator.

“The Azkals are safe. Felt the tremors but otherwise okay,” said Azkals team manager Dan Palami who flew home to the Philippines from Japan the other day.

The Azkals were supposed to train in Fukushima but at the last minute had moved to Gotemba.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because in Fukushima, six people died and many more were hurt after yesterday’s earthquake.

It was very difficult to get through the phone and get a first-hand account from the Azkals regarding the earthquake which struck at 2:46 p.m. (Japan time).

“No phone connection. We are all fine. But we don’t know how we are going to fly because the airports are all closed,” said Azkals goalie Chris Camcam on Twitter.

“Just want to let you know that the team is alright here in Japan. Please send your prayers to the rest of the country,” said defender Anton del Rosario.

Because of yesterday’s earthquake, Palami raised some concern regarding the Azkals’ flight to Ulan Bator Saturday evening.

“Airports have been closed but hopefully it won’t affect flight to Mongolia tomorrow,” said Palami.

Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta called The STAR to assure everyone that the Azkals are safe in their training camp.

“They’re okay. No need to worry,” said Araneta, who said two Azkals players coming in from the United States might take longer to get to Japan.

Araneta said he still has to receive word on Jason Sabio, who’s coming in from Chicago, and Simon Greatwich, who’s flying in from Houston.

“They were supposed to arrive in Japan at 2:30 and 4:25 yesterday. Maybe their flights have been diverted because of the closure of the airports,” said the PFF chief.

But Araneta said he’s hoping that things would normalize soon, and that Sabio and Greatwich will be able to join the team before the day is over.

Araneta said the second tuneup match between the Azkals and a Japanese squad, scheduled for today, may no longer take place because of what had happened.

The Azkals lost to the Kanto University team the other day, 4-0, in a match played under sub-zero weather.

“Airports were closed, train tracks as well. Maybe that second match will be cancelled,” said Araneta.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

/via Philippine Star (by Abac Cordero, 3/11/2011)

No sighting yet of Azkal Simon Greatwich in Japan

Though most of the Azkals are safe in Japan after the earthquake Friday afternoon, one more Azkal is unaccounted for while another arrived safely but is still stranded at the airport.

There is still no word from midfielder Simon Greatwich, who was expected to arrive Friday 4:30pm via a United Airlines from New York City.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta told GMA News there was still no word from United Airlines, but he believes the flight might have been diverted to Osaka.

Another Azkal, defender Jason Sabio, arrived via Japan Airlines at the Tokyo airport around 3:00pm. He flew in from Alabama, USA.

As of posting time, he tweeted that he was still stranded inside the plane. He added that when they landed, the ground was still shaking. But he stressed that they were safe.

The Azkals are conducting high-altitude training in Gotemba City (elevation 1,500 feet), Honshu, on the eastern foot of Mount Fuji, south of Tokyo. They've been in Japan since Monday as part of their training to acclimatize themselves to the cold Mongolian temperature for their match against the Blue Wolves, the Mongolian national team, on Tuesday, March 15.

The United States Geological Survey estimated the epicenter at 130 kilometers (km) east of Sendai, Honshu; 178 km east of Yamagata, Honshu; 178 km east-northeast of Fukushima, Honshu; or 373 km northeast of Tokyo.-- with a report from Miakka Lim, GMA News

/via GMA News (March 11, 2011 07:05 PM)

Sabio, Greatwich rejoin Azkals

MANILA, Philippines – Jason Sabio has left his law studies in the US to pursue his football dreams and together with midfielder Simon Greatwich, the duo are due to rejoin the Philippine Azkals in Japan Friday where the team is currently training for their all-important match against Mongolia four days from now in Ulan Bator.

It could not be determined how fit Sabio and Greatwich are after missing much of the Azkals training sessions.

The Fil-American Sabio, a second year University of Alabama law student whose mother is from Koronadal City, South Cotabato, left sometime in late February to go to the US to tell his professors that he was temporarily stopping his studies to play for the national team.

The Crimson White newspaper in Alabama reported on Wednesday that Sabio “has decided to take a leave of absence from the University of Alabama. His reason? To dedicate himself to the Philippine national soccer team for nine months.”

“Law school will always be there,” Sabio said in the same interview. “I already have my bachelor’s, and I’ve spoken to the dean of the law school in depth, and he says I have to do it too.” Sabio said he’s excited to join his teammates.

“Magandang umaga! 12 hours from now I’m leaving Bama (Alabama in the United States)… I can’t wait,” Sabio, 24, posted on his Twitter account Thursday. “Bro, Simon (Greatwich) and I leave on Mar 10. It takes a day to get to Japan! I’m slated for March 11, 2:30 pm.”

The two will join the Azkals who will reportedly play again the Kanto Gakuin University football team Friday. The Kanto booters beat the Azkals, 4-0, in a friendly match on Wednesday.

Sabio debuted for the Azkals last Feb. 9 and played 26 minutes in the second half against the Mongolians, whom they beat, 2-0, in the first leg of their series in Bacolod City.

A 22-year-old varsity player of Hartwick College in New York, Greatwich made a lot of heads turn in the second half against Mongolia, nearly scoring on an overhead kick.

The Fil-British’s availability comes as a boost for the Azkals, considering that his older brother, Chris, Rob Gier and goalie Neil Etheridge will skip the match.

/via Manila Bulletin (Francisco Santiago, 3/10/2011)