Beefed-up RP booters ready for Suzuki Cup

MANILA, Philippines—With a better-prepared and more cohesive unit, the national football team expressed confidence yesterday of a strong showing in the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Championship Qualifying Tournament set from Oct. 22 to 29 in Vientiane, Laos.   “We have a team that is ready to redeem Philippine football,” team manager Dan Palami said at the PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue in Manila.   The RP booters will meet Timor Leste, Laos and Cambodia in Laos.   The tournament’s top two teams in the qualifier will advance to the main tournament in Vietnam and Indonesia.   “We’re not just there to participate, but to win,” said Simon McMenemy, the new English coach of the national squad. “We have evolved as a team.”   The 32-year-old McMenemy said the preparations for the tournament have been “superb.”   “We’re more confident now because we have a well-prepared team,” said RP team co-captains Chiefy Caligdong and Aly Borromeo, who also attended the forum sponsored by Accel, Shakey’s Pizza, Pagcor and Outlast Battery.