Philippine Daily Inquirer
doesn’t see any cause for alarm following the 1-3 defeat of the Azkals-Alyansa to Spanish Tercera division side CF Internacional de Madrid in a charity match Saturday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
It was the second straight loss for the Azkals,
who also absorbed a 1-6 whipping from the Los Angeles Galaxy last December in
another exhibition game.
The AFC Challenge Cup is two months away and
Weiss, who watched the game from the grandstand, said he still has enough time
to whip the side into the best possible form for the eight-nation tournament
that stakes a spot in the 2015 Asian Cup.
The Azkals will face North Korea, Tajikistan and
India in the March 9 to 13 Challenge Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal.
While Weiss was not impressed by the performance
of the Azkals, particularly in the opening half, the German mentor said it was
understandable against the Spanish team “that has been growing the past three
years as the best footballing country in the world.”
The match dubbed “Dili Kamo Nag-Iisa” was for the
benefit of victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong.” The charity game reportedly
raised P2 million, including the 10,000 euros that was turned over by CF Madrid
to the Philippine National Red Cross.
James Younghusband averted a shutout with a solid
header in the 62nd minute off a cross from Chieffy Caligdong—a goal that Weiss
said only shows the tremendous spirit within the team.
“It was a good result, a good reflection of where
we stand,” Weiss said. “It only meant we have a lot of work to do.”
The Azkals begin their preparations for the
Challenge Cup on Tuesday and Weiss stressed the importance of having the players
based in the country train together.
Defender Rob Gier is also arriving on Tuesday but
Weiss said he is still unsure if Chris Greatwich is willing to join the
team.
Weiss also revealed that Dennis Wolf, an
experienced Fil-German midfielder, has expressed his desire to join the
squad.
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