So where do the PH Azkals football really stand?

Excited Football fans, endlessly thrilled despite that humbling defeat by the Philipine Azkals to Kuwait, are also asking another question.
Where do their newfound sports heroes actually stand?
Of course, the Azkals deserved all the applause for the gallant battle they waged against powerhouse Kuwait at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last week.
But without meaning to dampen enthusiasm, there were other observers here at home who felt the Kuwaitis were not properly appreciated.
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Why?
For one, there were post-game reports that the gifted Kuwaitis were seen enjoying intimate moments with comely Filipino entertainers at the Sofitel, while the Azkals were deep in final training for that crucial game.
Which could only mean that, contrary to earlier reports, the Kuwaitis had never been seriously bothered by the Azkals, which they blanked, 3-0, in their homeground.
“Kuwait showed a lot of class last Thursday—they are No. 95 and we are 162nd in the Fifa rankings of July 27,” informed premier national sports statistician Joseph Dumuk, now retired in La Union.
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That was definitely a demotion, Dumuk said, adding that, it more than showed how far the Philippines has lagged and the Kuwaitis showed how much harder we have to work in order to advance.
“To give you an idea,” Dumuk said, “where our neighbors stand: THA 119, SIN 131, INA 137, VIE 144 and MAS 146.”
He added that the top teams in Asia are: Japan 16, South Korea 28, Iran 54, People’s Republic of China 73, Qatar, 90, Jordan 91, Saudi Arabia 92.
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He asked: Can you imagine the resources we need in order to break into the Top 100?
Dumuk did not say it, but he definitely felt that it would take more than the current tact of taking in talented foreigners with Filipino lineage to the national squad in order to hit the dream goal.
Indeed, the Azkals, with their current worth, have surpassed themselves by firing up football enthusiasm hereabouts.
But, as cold-bloodedly demonstrated by the Kuwaitis at the Rizal Memorial field, we need more than the current momentum in order to fully redeveloped football in the Philippines.
The Azkals and their great results are, at best, products of a commendable crash program.
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But you need not be a sports development expert to know that, more than instant popularity, there’s the crying need to honestly upgrade game standards here at home.
And this can’t be done by one sector, or one person alone, as in the case of the amiable national team manager Dan Palami.
The game against Kuwait clearly showed that while our players were often frantically sprinting, the visitors would just strut, if not stroll, in full control.
The Philippines, no doubt, is light years behind Kuwait in the area of native football pedigree.
OK, the Azkals will continue to be great in their own right for now.
But manager Palami cannot deny how he dreams of one day handling an All-Filipino team that could match dribbling and dancing wits with world-class talents like the homegrown Kuwaitis, home or away, rain or shine.