Philippine Daily Inquirer
MALE, Maldives—Two wins away from reaching their Asian Cup dream, the Philippine Azkals feel they have achieved a “balance” in the lineup with both Manila-based players and Europe-born stars combining brilliantly in their bid for success.
But that won’t stop Azkals manager Dan Palami from further beefing up the side, especially if the team goes all the way to the Asian Cup in Australia in January.
The Azkals were slated to face host Maldives last night in the semifinals of the AFC Challenge Cup here with a victory putting them one step closer to the title and a spot in the Asian Cup.
“A lot of the plans this year will depend on how we fare here,” said Palami. “But we will have to expand even further our scouting activities just to check if there are still (overseas-born) Filipinos interested in the team.
“There were several players who expressed interest in this tournament that did not make it in time.”
The Azkals manager, who has been bankrolling the side since 2010, expressed satisfaction over what he felt was a “balance” in the quality of play being displayed by the squad, whose players come from different parts of the world.
“I think we have found that balance,” said Palami, stressing that seven Philippines-based players started in the 2-0 win over Turkmenistan in their last Group B game Saturday night.
Two of the players who started in the match are 19-year-olds Amani Aguinaldo, a central defender, and Daisuke Sato, a leftback, who both play for Global in the United Football League.
Coach Thomas Dooley heaped praises on the defensive duo who are playing in their first international tournament for the national team.
“It wasn’t a surprise for me how good they were,” said Dooley. “Amani is, maybe, one of the best centerbacks we have. For me, it was important to have somebody to be kind of killer at the back and he’s fast and strong.”
Dooley said Sato, who was part of the Urawa Reds Youth team in Japan, is an “incredible player for his age.”
“He plays like an experienced player and shows how much knowledge he has about the game, Dooley said, referring to Sato, who has started ahead of the veteran Dennis Cagara.
Improving the squad will always be a priority for Palami, who is already looking at camps abroad regardless of the result here.
“The Asian Cup is a different thing altogether,” said Palami. “But everything we do will always be geared towards having a successful team.”
Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/154178/ph-azkals-plan-to-strengthen-lineup-if-they-gain-asian-cup#ixzz32xFpwzbo
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Balance my ass. Most of Phil-based players are also half pinoys who learned football from foreign countries. They are just playing in PH now cuz they have no better job in their respective countries, that's all. When we start to produce quality players with our own hands and they start to shine as much as 'scouted' foreign-products, then use the word balance.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was mentioned Philippine-based players who ply their trade in the local league. You dont have to be that smart to see the difference in quality between players who were developed by good clubs in Europe or Japan (Sato) than let's say barangays... With the UFLs youth systems we will have the chance of developing locals... Just look at the whole situation prior to ressurgence of football in the country, there was no initiative in developing football at all (biggest reason why we are lagging at the moment compared to our neighbour countries)....
DeletePretty much like your sorry-ass life 00:22, no balance when you're tilted towards the negative all the time. You don't even see a glass half empty, knuckleheads like you see a crack in the glass.
DeleteAnd seeing everything positive and giving it a sugar coating will get us nowhere if we keep turning our eyes from the actual problem! And that problem is what anom 00:22 is talking about! Our grassrootsprogramm is underdeveloped and if it stays this way then filipino football quite literally has no future!
DeleteIm happy with this. Rather than having built a team completely composed of locally based "pure" filipinos that was being dumped by more than a dozen goals. And whats wrong with the cirrent senario? Most of the players on field were of filipino parentage. These stupid NAZIs that are clamoring for a pure gilipino team are simply ignorant. Or is it simply a matter of envy. Or crab mentality. These people WOULD probably be happy with a team composed of players coming from a particular area of the country that is trashed 10-0 .
DeleteThese people keep talking about our grassroots. I mean of course we are lagging in that area. But like Ano 23 03:36 said, you just have to look at the history of football in our country before this recent "renaissance" of the sport. I mean we were in the dark ages for so long in football, and during those times there was no initiative or even reason to ever develop the sport. They have to realize that this development is fairly recent about 2 years ago only, and planning and implementing the grassroots program will definitely go through a period of trial and error until we find the way to effectively develop talents, because nothing is perfect right from the get go. How can they expect to have local talents that are internationally competitive when there was no development for so long. But now that's all changed because we now have a reason, or even incentives for our local kids to consider football as a sport. Nationally we have competition for almost all ages, and even down to the UFL club level where clubs are setting up youth system. I mean we never had these kinds of things happening before. This is now the start of discovering local talents that can be worthy of international competition. It's gonna take some time to find and develop those talents. I dont understand why some people could not grasp the situation, specifically Ano 00:28 and 08:28. Let me ask you two, have we ever had these developments at this level before 2010 and after the 70s? The answer is NO. Never at this current level that we ever had so much going on for football... That's the difference and it's gonna take some time. A chicken lays the eggs, then you incubate the eggs for some time before it hatches... Same simple idea...
DeleteClub youth system has mostly if not always been the way to develop young talents in most football powerhouse nations. There's no government programs but private local clubs... Just look at Brazil for one. The only other system I know is through school, which the US basically has at the moment... Well, even the MLS teams no has youth system and even B teams.... So these people that keep bringing up grassroots probably dont have the slightest idea of how football powerhouses nations have done it... They must have think it's through government programs (sounds like how a communist country would do it). :D
Deletecorrection to no "government programs": I'm sure there are. But all you really need to do to see how effective club youth systems are in finding and developing talents is to look at where and how most, if not all, football greats were developed.
DeleteThat's why he said Manila-based duuuuuuhhhh
ReplyDeleteAs long as the Law said they are Filipino then they are Filipino.. How shallow-minded can other Filipinos can be? What ever their reason in joining the national team, even if it is football, basketball or other sports, what is important is the nation they are representing and that's non other that our beloved Philippines. If you hated "foreign-products" so much don't buy them.. Hypocrite..
ReplyDeleteNo, the critics don't hate the fil-fors they hate the system. If you want to be a member of the national team you almost definitly have to have been educated abroad because the youth system in the Philippines is basically non-existent. Of all the players in the team, only Doctora and Deyto were educated in the Philippines and that is just too few! This country needs to start producing it's own talent to give local kids the hope that they need to start playing football. If the PFF keeps recruiting fil-fors instead of starting to damn well improve the grassroots programm then there is no hope for these local kids. Why should they start to play football if they have absolutely no chance since they don't have the money or the time to go abroad? If the PFF doesn't start giving these kids hope then football is dead in this country, as it means that there will be no more recruits for clubs but foreigners and that they won't have a functioning youth system.
DeleteAris Caslib?
DeleteAnonymous28 May 2014 03:57 you are right about the system. The PFF is doing nothing except for tryouts every year for a spot in the national team from different youth categories. Their Kasibulan started again last 2012 , stop in 2013 and continue again this 2014. The PFF should set up a youth league system all over the nation from U8- U18 so we can expect more quality players when they reach 19 yrs old.
DeleteJust be patient guys.. the Azkals now is busy making more Filipino know about Football.. You can't just wait for the PFF to act.. if you're a parent how about teaching your children about the beautiful game?? or teaching your community about football.. maybe you can donate footballs to public elementary schools.. or volunteer in coaching one.. there are too many things we can do about it and not just defending to the PFF and regional FAs action..
DeleteLOLs... OFWs should stop sending money back to the Philippines , or Filipinos should be bared to live outside the country . - Bayad Muna , taga rally sa embassy
DeleteIs Tupas a paid newsman of Palami? He always say he is bankrolling the squad since 2010. Heard reports that is not so.......
ReplyDeletewhich reports? you don't know anything.
DeleteSa ngayon, mahina talaga locals pero I hope they will prioritize the next generation players at wag puro import
ReplyDeleteUFL clubs' youth system will create that opportunity to develop local talents that can rose to the starting lineup of that club and even compete for a spot in the NT... That's how developed countries have done it...
DeletePatrick Reichelt is Goal.com Player of the week:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3952/asia/2014/05/28/4843548/goal-southeast-asia-player-of-the-week-patrick-reichelt?ICID=HP_FA_3
as i've said before, comments on this site should be banned. no point in allowing comments if people keep arguing over senseless matters
ReplyDeletetamaaaa! (Tado voice)
DeleteAnd who decides what is senseless and what is not? You smartass?? Imo our grassroots programm and wether or not we should recruit more fil-fors is not senseless! It is crucial for filipino football!
DeleteAno 08:38, what you need to understand is that if we dont keep this up and wait for your programm to bare fruites, football in general would have been dead already in less than a year if your NT doesn't win matches because you only field players that are clearly inferior in skills when there are other alternatives ready to be utilized... I dont know what's wrong with you, or how long you've been in a coma, because if you've followed football in the country then you of all people should know that losing matches in an international level by 3 - 0, even 10 - 0 sometimes, isn't really encouraging kids to play football... In case you did not realized, kids need sports heroes to inspire them, to make them want to become that person. That's how it works... You can't tell kids to play football when all they see is Philippines losing 10 - 0.. Yeah, way to encourage future football players in the country... Now, while we are still learning how to find and develop young potential players, we can never field a strong NT that can even win 2 to 3 matches in 30 contests.. That's the reality... So, if I were you, just support this team, hope and wish they keep winning because that can only help the grassroots programm (UFL clubs are having youth systems now too, I might add).
DeleteDaming bitter , sa mga fil foreigner , but they forgot , that OFWs are part of the Philippine economy , ! yan ang pilipinas hindi lang nasa bansa , nasa puso yan ! .
ReplyDeleteWhy is that daming nag eexpect na magaling agad ang locals ?
ReplyDeleteyang iba kasi satsat lang ng satsat wala naman alam. katulad din yan nung una pa sa basketball nung nag datingan ang mga fil-for para maka pag laro sa NT... sa isip kasi nila mahusay talaga ang pinoy sa basketball. Ayun ang mundo ay natoto narin mag basketball kaya ang Pinas wala na... Yun nag umpisa mag hanap na ng mga fil-for para man lang maka par rebound. lol. Pero yun parin sila hindi daw yan mga pinoy, yadada yadada... Same old story. ngayun naman sa football. Hindi nalang mag supporta para sa bansa naman yan at may dugong pinoy din...
DeleteThe Philippines is the most fortunate football country in Asia in that it can choose a fully trained team from abroad who have never kicked a ball in the country they represent until arrival as members of the men's NT.
ReplyDeleteThis is a two edged sword. One blade can bring success in international games which spurs the growth of interest in football domestically. The other blade slices the chances of homegrown players ever being selected to wear their national shirt.
What's certain is that any national football pride will remain a delusion until football becomes the preferred - and available - youth sport in every barangay in the land. All other emerging football nations have had to go through birth pains. PHI is pregnant but it needs thousands more fathers who are prepared to help to make the child grow.
Fully agree! Great post!
DeleteWho's fighting who? Everyone's Anonymous!!!
ReplyDeleteFor all we know they could all be the same person with schizophrenia!
DeleteMagaling mangalaska dahil di makikilala.
ReplyDeleteYes we need grassroots development but how can we develop kids if they want to be like mike, James, cobe , or James yap, we must make them idolize messi, Rinaldo, ger , Phil... for them to play football so I think they are going fine I mean the PFF and PAlani.
ReplyDelete