THE Filipinas start their title defense of the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup, formerly known as the AFF Women’s Championship, in their match against Timor-Leste on Thursday night at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam.
Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. Manila time) as they finally hit the field for the tournament after acclimatizing themselves in Vietnam since arriving last Sunday.
The Philippines is looking to repeat as it captured the 2022 crown held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium with Sarina Bolden scoring eight goals in the tournament, and the Filipinas beating Thailand, 3-0.
Odds favor Filipinas
The Filipinas are the favorites in the clash against Timor-Leste, which finished fourth in the 2024 AFF Women’s Cup where the top three teams advance to the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup this year.
Timor-Leste, however, made it to the ASEAN tournament after third-placer Singapore withdrew.
“I’m not too worried about what the opponents are doing,” Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso admitted.
“We're going to focus on our team, and getting our players better, and getting our players up to a level to play in an Asian Cup, and give them every chance to be available for that. So, that's our aim for this tournament, is to give every young girl a chance.”
A mix of veterans and youngsters comprise the team with several mainstays unavailable due to the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup not falling during the FIFA window such as Katrina Guillou, Sara Eggesvik, and Meryll Serrano.
Bolden has already been ruled out months ago as she recovers from an ACL tear.
Torcaso said holdovers such as Quinley Quezada, Chandler McDaniel, Olivia McDaniel, Hali Long, and Inna Palacios will play a pivotal role in the team especially with a few players are also making their seniors debut.
“These types of girls (veterans) are going to be really, really important for our group. They’re going to be really important, to share their experiences in winning the AFF Tournament, but also their experiences of being at a World Cup, being in Asian Cups.
They’re going to share that for our young players, and there's no doubt that they'll have open arms in talking to the young girls, and I'm sure that our young girls will be very, very accepting of the information they take,” said Torcaso.
Midfielders Jaycee DeFazio and Adelaide Wyrzynski, and defenders Azumi Oka, Aaliyah Schinaman, and Adelaide Wyrzynski are some of the debutants for the Filipinas.
Midfielder Isabella Alamo, defender Lyka Cuenco, and forward Tea Pidding are part of the youth program and are also set to make their first appearance in the seniors team.
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