Pinoy booters face rough times in Hanoi campaign

MANILA—The Philippines may have finished the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying tournament unbeaten, but national team manager Dan Palami expects a far tougher time in the main tournament next month in Hanoi, Vietnam.   Palami said preparation will be key for the RP booters as they target a first semifinal appearance in the  tournament.   The Philippines smashed Timor Leste, 5-0, before scrambling to a 2-2 draw against host Laos in Vientiane.   The Filipinos barely survived Cambodia in a nil-nil standoff.   “Our performance in Vientiane showed there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” said Palami, who has been running the national team the past 10 months. “We’re not satisfied with just qualifying. As much as possible, we want to make an impact in Hanoi.”   The Philippines finished fourth and last in its group the last time it qualified for the tournament three years ago in Bangkok.   In Hanoi, the Filipinos play Singapore on Dec. 2, Vietnam on Dec. 5 and Myanmar on Dec. 9.   Aside from an intense training camp, Palami said he is planning to have the team play a few international friendly matches, preferably against teams not in the Philippines’ group in the tournament.   The other group which will be playing in Jakarta features Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Laos.   Palami is also hoping that the country gets to tap the best talent for the tournament.   Ian Araneta and Chieffy Caligdong have combined brilliantly with foreign-bred players like Phil and James Younghusband and Ray Jonnson in the qualifiers, but Palami said some positions can still be strengthened.   Filipino-German player Stephan Schrock, a rightback for Greuther Furth in the second Bundesliga, is expected to join the team.   Schrock has played for Germany in the Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels, but because of the Fifa rules that removed the age limit on players switching nations, he is still eligible for the Philippine team.   Ace keeper Neil Etheridge has yet to confirm for the December event because of his commitment with his club Fulham.