Teen Azkals suit up for Kanga Cup, AFF U19

by Earl Victor Rosero

 The Philippines' Teen Azkals will compete in Australia's Kanga Cup in July, and the ASEAN Football Federation's Under-19 Youth Championship in Indonesia in September, team officials said over the weekend.

Eighteen members of the Philippines' Under-19 national training pool will compete in Canberra, Australia in the Kanga Cup from July 7 to 12, according to team manager Alvin Carranza. They will vie for the U-18 Male Cup against nine other teams.

The Football Federation Australia (FFA) and the Asian Football Confederation have sanctioned the Kanga Cup, which the FFA said is the largest international youth football tournament in the southern hemisphere with about 230 teams and some 3,700 players participating.

The organizer of the Kanga Cup is Capital Football, the governing body of football in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

At the AFF U19 Youth Championships, the Teen Azkals are in Group A, which includes Laos, Singapore, Australia, Cambodia, and Timor Leste,  In Group B are Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.

The youth championships will be from September 9 to 22 in Surabaya, East Java.

Of the 18 in the Kanga Cup roster, 14 are based in the Philippines, two are in Germany, one is in the United States, and another is in Australia. They were chosen from the U-19 national training pool, which has 38 members as of June 2013.
 “The training pool have been training together for many months. We also had a summer camp last April. We have been maintaining the pool and adding to it over time whenever we spot talents here and abroad because this is a long term effort,” Carranza said.

Four on the Kanga roster are students at Far Eastern University, three study at the University of the Philippines, two are Lasallians, one hails from Ateneo de Davao, another from San Beda and one from Benguet National High School.

Team captain Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong of the men's national football team said in an interview with GMA News Online during a gathering of the Teen Azkals' members and supporters over the weekend that international competitions serve to “improve the caliber of players and prepare them for tougher challenges.”

Assistant team manager Ramon “Chito” Manuel said the development of the Teen Azkals is a long-term program of the Philippine Football Federation that aims to make the country qualify for the FIFA Youth World Cup in 2019. “The programs of the various national youth football teams is also linked to the PFF grassroots development efforts,” he said.

PFF technical coordinator Bert Honasan said the country's top football coaches are key elements of the programs to popularize football nationwide.

“The coaches make contact with and mentor the football talents as young as 6 to those in their late teens through the various football festivals conducted in the regions and provinces,” Honasan told GMA News Online.

“Teen Azkals' coaching staff has some of the country's ranking coaches," Honasan noted. Head coach Marlon Maro has the AFC A License. Assistant coach Glenn Hilig has the AFC B License while goalkeeper coach Noel Marcaida has the AFC A License.

Honasan also said that while the Visayas and Mindanao are the traditional breeding ground of homegrown talents, some growth is emerging in Luzon.

“We have spotted new potential in Olongapo, Zambales and also in Amadeo, Cavite,” the PFF official said.  - AMD, GMA News

Link to Kanga Cup list of players : GMA News