Cebuano Azkal signs deal with GS

By Mars G. Alison
Cebu Daily News

Having been away from Cebu since Jan. 17, goalkeeper Paolo Pascual, who made it to the Philippine men's national football team better known as the Azkals, is finally back home for a much needed one-week rest.

“There's no place like home...the feeling of peace and relaxation with my loved ones around,” said Pascual, who will be leaving back for Manila on the 19th for the Azkals training camp in Baguio.

The Philippine Azkals were given a one-week rest after winning their home game, 2-0, against Mongolia at the Pana-ad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City for the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 pre-qualifying playoff last Feb. 9.

They will go back to training in Baguio City in preparation for their away game in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on March 15, wherein they hope to protect their 2-0 win and become one of the four teams who will qualify for the 16-team group phase.

It has been one dizzying ride for the former University of San Carlos (USC) goalkeeper, who left Cebu not really expecting to make the national team.

“I did not believe that I would get in. I just tried out to show that I was interested,” said Pascual, who was previously called twice to tryout for the Azkals but was never able to take the opportunity because of school obligations.

RELOCATED

Pascual has recently signed a one-season contract with the Global Smartmatic Football Club.

He was supposed to start playing for Global as soon as he got back to Manila. But since training camp in Baguio will already start, he will have to go with the Azkals first.

Having fulfilled his dream, though, comes with a high price as Pascual would have to relocate to Manila, which means being away from his parents.

He has already withdrawn his subjects at USC, where he is a junior Business Administration student. Aside from working on his football career, Pascual will also finish his studies in Manila.

Pascual said he has never trained as hard in his life until he became an Azkal. In Bacolod, they trained for two hours everyday.

“We do warm-ups, tacticals then skills training. It's more pressure, you are pushed to your limits, it's harder,” Pascual said.

He said that when he first started playing football, he never expected to play for the national team until he reached highschool wherein he had gathered several experience already playing the sport.

Pascual is very proud of representing Cebu in the team and has become an inspiration of many here who have aspired of becoming a professional football player, which he said, gives him a little room for errors.

Pascual said the experience has been great so far but according to German coach Hans Michael Weiss, the young Cebuano needs to beef up and build more muscles.

Pascual said that not being chosen as the no. 1 goalkeeper has also been a learning experience and he does not feel bad about it because he is now playing in a higher level.

Prior to becoming an Azkal, Pascual was chosen as the no.1 goalkeeper of the RP U19, which saw action in China in 2009.