BY MARIA ELENA GONZALEZ
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet. – With an appreciative crowd watching, the Philippine Azkals kicked off their training stint here on Monday, part of their preparations for their Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup return match against Mongolia on March 16 in Ulan Bator.
The team’s German coach, Hans Michael Weiss, said the weather here, which dipped to as low as 12.4 degrees Celsius Monday, is perfect for his team’s preparations for the expected cold weather in Mongolia.
"We are really looking for cooler temperature. This is good weather," said Weis, whose charges trounced the Mongolians 2-0 in the first leg of the series last Feb. 9.
The coldest temperature here, recorded last Feb. 12, was 12 degrees Celsius.
The Azkals will spend the next seven days at the Benguet State University for their rigid training regimen and acclimatization, choosing the state-owned field over the Philippine Military Academy Grounds and Brent School International playing grounds.
Weiss said the BSU grounds will be perfect training area for the the Azkals, who will train twice a day–from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. daily. On Wednesday they will have a practice match against the Baguio-Benguet Football Association team.
Frael Aquino, the adviser of the BSU Soccer Club, welcomed the Azkals’ training stint here, saying: "We are deeply elated for the opportunity; bihira lang ang ganito."
Aquino said the Azkals presence at the BSU grounds is expected to create a wider awareness for the sport in Cordillera. "We hope this will create a ripple effect," he said.
Weiss said the team will take advantage of the weather as well as fresh vegetables coming from the highlands that will be part of the team’s diet.
pic and article Malaya.com
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