READY. The Azkals will come in full force when they face Nepal in a home game friendly match.
KAOHSIUNG—Talk about the Philippines’ next home match against Nepal and the faces of coach Michael Weiss and manager Dan Palami light up.
The Azkals may be in the middle of their campaign in the Long Teng Cup here, but their top officials are already relishing the prospect of fielding possibly the country’s strongest squad since the team rose to prominence late last year.
“We will see the true potential of the team,” said manager Dan Palami, referring to the 7 p.m. match against the Nepalese on October 11 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“It’s really a rare opportunity to have the guys come together and show Filipino fans what the team is really capable of.”
For the first time, the Azkals will field Europe-based professionals Jerry Lucena, Dennis Cagara, Paul Mulders, Stephan Schrock, Neil Etheridge, Ray Jonsson and Rob Gier playing together with Phil and James Younghusband, Anton del Rosario, Chieffy Caligdong and skipper Aly Borromeo in a match.
Injuries and club commitments have prevented the likes of Mulders, Lucena and Cagara from seeing action in the World Cup Qualifying, where the Azkals’ run ended in a defeat to Kuwait in the second round.
The friendly matches, including the one against Singapore on Oct. 7 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, form a major part of the Azkals’ preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup next year, where they are gunning for a berth in the AFC Asian Cup in Australia in 2015.
“I’m very very happy since its the first time that I took over that we will have a full squad,” said Weiss of the game against Nepal.
“We have a very nice team. We have to show fans that we deserve the respect with a fantastic performance.”
More than showcasing their finest players, the Azkals are also using the match to boost their Fifa ranking by playing a team ranked more than 31 notches higher at 135.
“It may be considered a friendly but its a Fifa-sanctioned match,” said general coordinator Cathy Rivilla.
“It will help our rankings as well so the game actually has bearing. The rankings are an important indicator on where the Philippines stand in international football.”