The Philippines moved up three places to 147 in the latest rankings released by the International Football Federation (Fifa) which counted the Azkals’ stunning 2-0 victory over Singapore last month.
The wins in the recent Paulino Alcantara Peace Cup, which the Azkals ruled, could be counted in the next release of the rankings.
In a strong statement of intent, the national side recalled leading international scorer Phil Younghusband and brother James for the camp in Bahrain and Kuwait late this month, after they were dropped from the lineup in the Peace Cup due to commitment issues.
“Despite this unprecedented feat, we are well aware that we still have so much work to do and we want to build on the success of our title victory and glean from it as an important lesson that was most evident in the Azkals’ winning form: teamwork works,” Azkals manager Dan Palami said. “After careful consideration, the management has decided to include Phil and James Younghusband in this training camp. Both siblings remain assets to the Azkals and remain part of the team.”
Palami said the PFF has already sent a request to Loyola Meralco Sparks, asking for the brothers’ release for the Middle East camp.