Schrock ‘resigns,’ says he’ll take a break

Has the Philippine football team seen the last of Stephan Schrock?

The question surfaced yesterday after top officials of the Azkals announced that the Filipino-German midfielder has “resigned” from the national team.

A statement from the team’s official Facebook page said Schrock had informed coach Thomas Dooley and team manager Dan Palami of his decision to quit the team Sunday.

“They accept and respect his desire to pursue new challenges,” the statement said.

“It is unfortunate that he made the decision as Stephan is an important player and will be missed in the Peace Cup and Suzuki Cup,” said Palami.

“In the meantime, we continue on the direction based on the belief that we should put emphasis on building and organizing a strong team and not just assemble a group of good players.”

But Schrock, in a message to the Inquirer last night, said he is not ruling out a comeback, saying he would love nothing more than to represent the Azkals in the future.

Schrock played all of the Azkals’ five matches in the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives last May, despite nursing a hamstring injury. He was substituted at halftime of the final match against Palestine, which sources said, did not sit well with the player.

“I’m just taking a break from the national team for now,” said Schrock, who has three goals in 17 appearances for the Azkals.