MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines Azkals turned football into a sport with a major cult following. But with the visit of David Beckham and the LA Galaxy, the sport has taken giant strides in popularity, heralding its entry into mainstream entertainment in a huge way.
“I think everyone has seen across the world how football changes lives,” said Beckham, the former English captain who, since arriving in Manila last Thursday, has charmed the Filipinos with his congeniality and dashing looks.
“It has definitely done that in Europe for hundreds of years, it’s doing that in the US, and obviously, us coming here proves that the game is getting bigger.”
Interestingly, American coach Bruce Arena knows best how a simple friendly between the LA Galaxy and the Philippine Azkals can push football into a consciousness long dominated by basketball.
Arena and the rest of soccer aficionados in the US toiled under the limelight for a long time until the likes of Beckham invaded Major League Soccer.
“Just work hard and be proud of your national team,” said Arena. “I was with the United States team for a number of years and we chased the dream and we’re qualifying now on a regular basis for the World Cup.
“Once we were—oddly enough—in the global sport of football, known as a small country. Now we’ve grown into a big country in the sport and there’s no reason why that same dream can’t be chased here.”
The arrival of Beckham and the newly crowned MLS champion Galaxy certainly ups the ante.
The sporting coup, clearly, validates even more football’s worth in sharing topbilling with the country’s favorite sports of basketball, boxing and billiards.
Football fever raged among Filipinos anew during the Galaxy’s three-day Manila trip, one of the stops of the glamour club’s Asia-Pacific tour.
Even hours before the Azkals and the Galaxy tangled in an exhibition match last night, anxious fans milled around the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
An assortment of football merchandise and staple fun gimmicks such as face painting also added to the riot of color and festivity in and around the venue.
“This particular game is really for the promotion of the sport and to give everybody a chance to watch them,” Azkals team manager Dan Palami said of the friendly aptly dubbed as the 2011 Dream Cup.
“It’s not just for football but also for tourism. I think it’s important that high-profile teams like the LA Galaxy are able to come over.”
The last time an elite football club played an exhibition in the country was when Brazilian team Cruziero visited in the 1970s.
Online, football fanatics also got stoked hours before the match when Galaxy captain Landon Donovan asked on Twitter if Aly Borromeo, his Azkals counterpart, can trade jerseys with him after the game.
“I know you’re injured and not playing tonight but can we trade jerseys after the game?” Donovan, the MLS Cup Finals MVP, asked Borromeo on his account.
“Would love to have it!” Borromer tweeted back.
Borromeo, who has been sidelined for the last two months due to an injury on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), obliged to the surprise request and said “it would be an honor.”
“Never been this excited for a match I couldn’t play,” said Borromeo. “This is surreal!”