THE Philippine Azkals are responsible for football’s rise to relevance in the country in the past decade.
But what men can do, some women can do better. And much faster.
After all, the national women’s team not only sparked a resurgence in the sport in the Philippines, the PWNT also took it to unprecedented heights – in just a year.
SOTY 2022: Team of the Year - Filipinas
The seeds were actually planted a few years ago when businessman Jefferson Cheng came in to bankroll the national squad in its overseas friendlies and training camps where they discovered hidden gems who have Filipino blood.
With Cheng’s financial resources, the PFF, led by president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, also managed to hire former Australia women’s football coach in Alen Stajcic late last year to handle its Philippine counterpart.
And harvest season came fast as the PWNT reaped the fruits of its labor as early as January when the squad put Philippine women’s football in the world map with its remarkable performance in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup behind captains Tahnai Annis and Hali Long, scorers Quinley Quezada, Sarina Bolden, and Katrina Guillou, and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
McDaniel’s younger sister, Chandler, stole the spotlight in the opener when she struck the lone goal that mattered in the Philippines’ 1-0 win over Thailand – the team’s first victory over the Southeast Asian rival in 14 matches. After giving world power Australia, Stajcic’s former team, a tough time before surrendering a 4-0 loss, the Pinay booters vented their ire on Indonesia, 6-0, to advance to the knockout round.
That set the stage for the Filipinas to realize Pinoy football fans’ dream when the team outlasted Chinese Taipei, 4-3, on penalties after regulation ended at 1-1 – a quarterfinal victory that gave the Philippines a spot in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time in any gender in the country’s history.
The PWNT’s Asian Cup campaign came to an end with a 2-0 loss to Korea in the semifinal, but that hardly dampened the euphoria of reaching the World Cup.
The winds of change continued to blow when team management officially changed the team’s name from Malditas to Filipinas in March. Two months later, the Pinays continued their progress in their stint in the delayed 2021 Southeast Asian Game in Vietnam where they reached the bronze-medal match and held off Myanmar, 2-1, to end up with their best result in the regional tournament in 37 years.
In July, the Filipinas refused to disappoint the home crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium where the AFF Women’s Championship was held. After cruising through the group stage with a 4-1 record, the Pinays made a statement with a 4-0 shutout of defending champion Vietnam in the semifinal to assure them of their best finish in the Asean showpiece.
The Filipinas, though, were far from contented as they dominated Thailand, 3-0, in the final in front of over 8,000 fans in attendance to bag their first-ever championship trophy in any major tournament.
For making a handful of breakthroughs this year, the Filipinas are the hands-down choice as our Team of the Year in the 2022 SPIN.ph Sportsman of the Year Awards.
The work, though, doesn’t stop as the Filipinas have continued to play in friendlies abroad at the close of the year in preparation for next year’s World Cup in New Zealand in July.
For now, hail to the queens of Asean football.
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