Malditas set sights on SEAG medal

Having tested its progress against two of the top teams in Southeast Asia over the last week in Thailand, the Philippine women’s football team now shifts its attention to the SEA Games that will be held at Biñan Football Stadium starting late November.

The Malditas bowed to Thailand (2-4) and Vietnam (1-2) in the AFF Women’s Championship in Chonburi, Thailand, but coach Let Dimzon is sticking to the positives, pointing out that the Filipinos have slowly closed the gap on the level of the powerhouse teams that they will be meeting in the finals of the regional tournament.

“It was a good gauge to see the level of our team now,” said Dimzon, whose team will still play Myanmar in the battle for third place Tuesday.

“We played against Thailand and Vietnam and from that losing experience we can address the things we need for the SEA Games. Over the years, the players have been able to adopt and adjust to the system and we’ve also built the chemistry with a lot of matches in Olympic qualifying,” Dimzon went on.

“We have a lot of quick and experienced players now.”

Dimzon expects four more United States-based players to beef up the current squad for the SEA Games.

Some of the standout players in the AFF Championship include Quinley Quezada and Halli Long, who scored four goals each, and De La Salle star Shai Del Campo, who fired a hat trick against Singapore.

Dimzon said they have submitted a training program to the Philippine Football Federation that includes a camp in Japan.

“It will still depend on the budget of the PFF,” said Dimzon. “But if all goes as planned, there’s really a good chance for us to win a medal in the SEA Games.”