FILE–Philippine national women’s football team. PHOTO BY EARVIN PERIAS
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine women’s national football team will look to book a spot in the 2022 India AFC Women’s Asian Cup with the qualifiers set to start on September 18 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Listed at no. 68 in the Fifa rankings, the Philippines is the highest ranked nation in Group F where the team is pooled with no. 78 Hong Kong and no. 101 Nepal.
Goalkeeper Inna Palacios will wear the captain’s arm band as she leads her team in their first match against Nepal at JAR Stadium on Saturday.
The Philippines will then face Hong Kong on the 24th.
🚨 SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
🇵🇭 22 #PWNT players have been selected for the upcoming #WAC2022 qualifiers against Nepal and Hong Kong!
🔵 #LabanFilipinas 🔴 #ParaSaBayan ⚪️ #RoadToIndia 🟡 pic.twitter.com/sEXAXr5n6L
— Philippine WNT ⚽ (@PilipinasWNFT) September 13, 2021
Hali Long was named as the co-captain of the 22-woman team that will compete in Uzbekistan while Marlon Maro was chosen as the head coach.
Palacios, Olivia Davies McDaniel, and Isabelle Mapanao are the three goalkeepers while Ryley Bugay, Sofia Harrison, Chelo Hodges, Long, Tara Shelton, and Patricia Tomanon will make up the back.
Tahnai Annis, Sara Castañeda, Anicka Castañeda, Malea Cesar, Charisa Lemoran, Rocelle Mendaño, Jessica Miclat, Camille Rodriguez, Alyssa Ube, and Camille Wilson were called up for the midfield positions.
Maro will then choose from Alisha Del Campo, Arianna LePage, and Chandler McDaniel to lead the line up front.
Michael Agbayani, Jose Maria Aberasturi, Marlon Piñero, Anthony Albao, and Rose Ton Bariñan were named as Maro’s assistants while Jefferson Cheng, the PFF Women’s Committee co-chairperson, is the team manager.
In preparation for Tashkent, the team conducted a training camp in Irvine, California from August 4 to 11.