THE Philippine women’s football team begins its campaign in the 31st Southeast Asian Games on Monday with a match against Cambodia at the Cam Pha Stadium in Quang Ninh.
The Filipinas face Cambodia at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. Manila time) to open their first tournament since the AFC Women’s Asian Cup where they reached the semifinals to book a ticket to the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
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Head coach Alen Stajcic said the tournament is part of the preparations for the World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
“We want to really build off the back of that performance in the Asian Cup,” said Stajcic, whose team arrived in Hanoi on Friday night after a training camp in Sydney, before another three hours of travel by land to Quang Ninh where the women's football tournament will be held.
Two key players from that Asian Cup campaign, however, are out with Chandler McDaniel still recovering from an ACL injury and Katrina Guillou not playing due to club commitment as the SEA Games is not part of the Fifa window.
“For us, we are a new team, emerging team, and a developing team. We need to improve a lot to make sure we can be competitive for the World Cup,” said Stajcic.
Stajcic sees Vietnam, which also qualified in the World Cup via the Asian Cup, as a top contender in the tournament along with Thailand and Myanmar.
On Vietnam, Stajcic said: “Their performance in the Asian Cup, their difficulties with Covid and the way they played, their qualification is remarkable.”
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