Azkals fly to Japan, confident of beating Mongol booters

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippines—Mongolia will be facing a more cohesive and confident Philippine side in the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying series on March 15 in Ulan Bator.

Azkals striker Phil Younghusband guaranteed this on Monday even as he said that the pressure of playing at home might have played a part in the Philippines’ not scoring more goals in their 2-nil win over the Mongolians at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City last month.

“It’s the same team, same players but the difference now is that we’re more confident,” Younghusband told the Philippine Daily Inquirer just before the team left for Japan, where they would undergo a one-week camp in wintry conditions similar to that of Ulan Bator.

“We’re fairly confident because we know what to expect from Mongolia,” he added.

A snow shower was expected to greet the Philippine football team in Narita.

Temperatures in Gotemba, just at the foot of Mount Fiji, where the Azkals will be training until March 12, were pegged at 1 degree Celsius. Coach Hans Michael Weiss said the conditions would augur well for their buildup for the Mongolia clash.

“I have the information that it is snowing and this will be the condition we are looking for. We are not really looking forward to the cold but this is the situation we are facing,” Weiss said.

Weiss said acclimatizing in Japan would greatly help the preparations of the players, especially the Philippine-grown team members not used to the cold weather.

Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo is relishing the experience of training in a world-class facility in Japan.

“I heard they have world-class facilities and we look forward to playing games against very good teams,” said Borromeo. “I think the likes of Ed (Sacapano) will need the extra experience there to improve their confidence.”

Also making the trip to Japan were first leg scorer Chieffy Caligdong, James Younghusband, Anton del Rosario, Ian Araneta, Yanti Barsales, Joebel Bermejo, Reymark Palmes, Mark Ferrer, Peter Jaugan, Chris Camcam, Jerry Barbaso and Kim Relucio.

United States-based players Simon Greatwich and Jason Sabio will join the team in Japan, while Ray Jonsson and Jason de Jong are expected to link up with the squad in Ulan Bator.

inquirer.net