2 Fil-Germans eyed for Azkals

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO

MANILA, Philippines — The tryouts for the Philippine football team in Germany has yet to start, but coach Hans Michael Weiss has already spotted two promising Filipino-Germans who could boost the team’s bid in future international tournaments, including their looming World Cup qualifying match against Sri Lanka.

The 46-year-old coach will be working despite the Holy Week break as he scheduled a two-day camp beginning Saturday before conducting the tryouts on Monday in Nagold, a town in southwestern Germany.

“(There are) two interesting players who are now trying to present themselves,” Weiss told the Bulletin in an e-mail yesterday.

The German coach was referring to Kevin Ingreso, 18, and Brian Hoffman, 19. Ingreso plays as an attacking midfielder for Hamburger SV (Sport-Verein) Under-19 squad while Hoffman comes from the youth academy in VFB (Verein für Bewegungsspiele) Stuttgart, which plays in Bundesliga.

The 5-foot-10 Ingreso has scored four goals in 21 games he played in North Regionaliga under Hamburger SV second team and U-19 Bundesliga North/Northeast.


Earlier this month, a similar Azkals tryouts in the United States, conducted by Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo and defender Anton Del Rosario, drew 37 aspirants.

To prepare for their home-and-away World Cup qualifying series which begins June 29 in Colombo, the Azkals will camp out in Germany in the second week of June.

“The Azkals camp will be held in Duren on the Dutch border near Cologne,” Weiss said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Football Federation is eyeing the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City as a new site for the construction of a football pitch which FIFA will finance through a $500,000 (P21.7 million) grant.

PFF chief Mariano “Nonong” Araneta Jr. had earlier proposed to FIFA that the pitch be built in the parcel of land in Parañaque City which was donated by El Shaddai’s charismatic leader Bro. Mike Velarde.

But FIFA officials Jeysing Muthia and Markus Keller inspected the site two weeks ago and were not too sold to the idea of building the pitch too close to the airport.

Manila Bulletin