Palami confident of Azkals chances

Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star)


MANILA, Philippines - National football team manager Dan Palami said yesterday he doubts if Mongolia will score against the Azkals in the rematch of their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifying home-and-away series in Ulan Bator on March 15.

“Our defense will take care of their offense,” said Palami during their visit to The STAR. “Our defense is intact and I expect their defense to open up because they’ll be attacking to try to score goals. I think our midfield will be able to control their offense.”

Palami said he’s confident that goalkeeper Neil Etheridge will be allowed by his English club Fulham to play in Mongolia. Etheridge, 21, was born in Enfield, a London borough, and traces his Filipino roots to the Dula clan of Tarlac. He joined the Chelsea football academy in 2003 with the Younghusband brothers, James and Phil, also Fil-British players. In 2006, Etheridge was enlisted by Fulham. Two years later, he made his debut with the Philippine team in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano Araneta Jr. said if Etheridge is permitted by Fulham to play only either in Mongolia or the Challenge Cup group stage in Bangladesh, he would suggest skipping the rematch in Ulan Bator.

The group stage competitions are set on March 20-31. If the Philippines overcomes Mongolia, it will advance to play Myanmar, Palestine and Bangladesh in Group A of the Challenge Cup. The top two finishers will move on to join six others, the top two placers in three other groups, in the eight-team Challenge Cup finals. Myanmar is the only country ranged against the Philippines from the qualifying stage that has a higher FIFA ranking. Myanmar is No. 149, the Philippines No. 152, Bangladesh No. 157 and Palestine No. 178.

If Etheridge is unable to play in Ulan Bator, his place will likely be taken over by reserve goalie Eduard Sacapano, a 30-year-old veteran from the Philippine Army.

Palami said only 18 players will travel to Mongolia. A spot in the roster is being held for Danish-born Jerry Lucena, a midfielder with the Danish Division I club AGF Aarhus.

If Lucena is issued his Philippine passport, he will join the Azkals in Ulan Bator, said Palami. Lucena, 30, was born in Esbjerg, Denmark, to a Filipino father and a Danish mother. He played for the Danish under-21 selection in 2001.

Palami said the full complement of 23 players will fly to Bangladesh if the Azkals make it to the group stage. A possible addition to the lineup for Bangladesh is Filipino-born William Espinosa of Laguna. The striker was raised and learned football in Germany where his surname was legally changed to Gueridon although his passport still carries Espinosa. He was one of four Azkals who scored in a recent practice match against a Korean team, reinforced by two Filipinos, from the Central Philippine University of Iloilo.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss confirmed in an e-mail to The Star that “we will stick with the team but will have vacant positions for tryouts.” Weiss said the Azkals start training in Baguio on Monday and are tentatively scheduled to fly to Mongolia on March 8.

Araneta said if Mongolia won’t provide a facility for practice, the Azkals might take a side trip to Japan to get used to winter conditions. “If we can’t train in Mongolia one week before the competition, then we’ll request Japan to assist us for the team to train and acclimatize to the cold weather,” he said.

Weiss said the immediate goal is for the Azkals to play in the Challenge Cup finals. “We’ll go as far as we can in the Challenge Cup,” he said. “I think we should be able to beat Mongolia and perhaps, finish in the best eight.”

The Philippine team will be reconfigured for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Palembang, Indonesia, in November because the age limit is 23. But while the Younghusbands, Aly Borromeo, Ian Araneta and Chieffy Caligdong won’t qualify, there are more than enough eligible players, including Etheridge, Jason de Jong, 20, Simon Greatwich, 21, Mark Drinkuth, 19, Mark Ferrer, 21, David Basa, 21, Manuel Ott, 18, Jerry Barbaso, 22, Gino Pavone, 22 and Christopher Camcam, 16.

Palami said unfortunately, Lucena and Espinosa are over the age limit for the SEA Games.


Philstar