Should We Be Disappointed By The Azkals Draw With Myanmar?

Hell, no. And I can give you four reasons why we should be happy about the draw.

One, we managed a draw against the home team. Traditionally, home teams enjoy a significant psychological advantage over the visiting team. Being cheered on gives you an extra boost of adrenaline that can be the difference between a win and a draw. This was especially evident with the Burmese side which used that home crowd boost to score a last second goal and salvage a draw.

Two, James Younghusband is reasserting himself. For the past year, the older Younghusband seemed content to let Phil Younghusband score the goals and reap the glory. But the last two games have shown us a more physical and aggressive James, one with a nose for the ball and possessing as much guile and skill as the more heralded Phil. Now if only we get to keep this version of James even after Phil returns.

Three, the play of Neil Etheridge and Angel Guirado. Don't get me wrong, Eduard Sacapano is a capable goalkeeper but Neil Etheridge is almost world-class. Plus, his length allows him to cover more of the goal and his reputation is already intimidating strikers. The classic example is Myanmar's Pai Soe going one on one with Etheridge and sending his trike wide. This is testament to Etheridge's rep as a quick and widebodied goalie. Guirado, on the other hand, showed some pretty sweet moves on several runs to goal. He is obviously on a different level as his personal skill and strength created many chances for the Azkals.

Four, Myanmar was (supposedly) the strongest of our opponents. A win and a draw in the next two games (against Palestine and Bangladesh) is enough to send us to the next round. A win and a draw is definitely doable for the Azkals.

That being said, there are still many things the Azkals need to work on. On offense, the suddenly more potent attack need to mesh better. Several balls from Angel Guirado went to naught because the other Azkals were not used to getting high quality crosses headed their way. We also need to be more selfless on the run and quicker to decide on whether to pass or shoot.

On defense, we need to be more active in anticipating through balls and long passes. Azkal defenders are prone to getting caught with their pants down when the enemy launches counter attacks. Also, let's try not to tire out Etheridge. A tired goalie at the end of games can often be disastrous for the team.

But I have high hopes for the team. If they keep up this level of play, I'm sure we'll make it to the next round.

More on this story, here.