THE Philippines looks to make waves in the 2022 AFF Under-23 Championship just like what the women’s national team did during the recent AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
The Young Azkals battle Timor Leste on Monday to start the campaign at the Modorok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In the-26-man pool are goalkeepers Quincy Kammeraad, Enrico Mangaoang and Jessie Semblante, defenders David Setters, Gyle Lucas Encabo, Jayvee Kallukaran, Pete Andrei Forrosuelo, Elija Jacob Liao, Miguel Mendoza and Jaime Rosquillo; and forwards Andres Aldeguer, Ivan Ouano and Griffin McDaniel.
Also in the pool are midfielders Oliver Bias, Dennis Chung and Matt Lancelot Ocampo; Pocholo Bugas and Kieran Hayes, Oskari Kekkonen, Sandro Reyes, Jacob Francis Maniti, Antoine Ortega, Jacob Agustin Pena, Nathan Rilloraza, Mariano Suba and Scott Philip Woods.
Head coach Stewart Hall said that despite the limitations, the team is in high spirits after the Filipinas’ recent showing where they clinched a berth in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“Everybody is in a good frame of mind because of the women’s team because of what they’ve achieved. They really, really want to do well. That’s good for us. That’s good for the Philippines,” said Hall.
Eyeing Suzuki Cup, SEA Games
The Philippines hopes to write a different story this time after ending up winless during the 2018 edition. However, conditions have been far from ideal.
Not all members of the pool were in consideration for the line-up due to their commitments with their mother clubs as the AFF U23 is not part of the Fifa calendar.
Hall said the coaching staff opted to call up more local-based players which is also part of the build-up for the Southeast Asian Games and the AFF Suzuki Cup.
“Obviously, what the women did was fantastic. That was built on good, solid three-month preparation. We’ve had three weeks. We obviously had problems in the Philippines with the quarantine and the flights into the Philippines. We couldn’t get our foreign-based players back in the Philippines,” said Hall.
“It’s not ideal so let’s get as many pluses, positives out of it that we can and expose players from tournament football internationally,” he added.
The Young Azkals will face Cambodia on Thursday and Brunei next Sunday in Group A.
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