Azkals To Play In 2011 Long Teng Cup!

Good bye Brazil, hello Chinese Taipei!

As the road to Brazil 2014 ends for the Azkals, they find themselves looking at a much shorter road...the one that leads to the 2011 Long Teng Cup in Chinese Taipei.

The Azkals have committed to playing in the 4-nation tournament with host Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Macau.

Plans are also underway for a pocket tournament in Manila that intends to draw SEA powerhouses Singapore, Malaysia and possibly Vietnam or Indonesia.

More on this story here.

Fighting Words Against Bazooka!

How will that turn out, I wonder.

Well, we'll find out tomorrow night as the mouthy Canadian Tyson Cave goes up against AJ "Bazooka" Banal at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City.

In the pre-fight conference, the brash Cave bragged that he was better than Rafael Concepcion, the only boxer to ever defeat AJ Banal.

Let's see if his fist can back up his mouth.

More on this story here.

Lassiter, Lutz To Join PBA Draft.

And just like that, the SF position of the Gilas Nationals got an expiration date.

Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz, the team's inside-outside SF duo have both filed application forms to join the PBA.

Lassiter is known for his threepoint accuracy while Lutz is a daredevil slasher. Both are quick, agile defenders who are also physical and have the ability to harass ball handlers into turnovers. Losing both at the same time will be a tremendous blow to Gilas.

The Draft will be held on August 28 and, if Gilas manages to qualify for the Olympics or gets a wildcard slot, there may be a big gaping hole in the SF position that we may bot be able to fill.

More on this story here. 

Full Time: Kuwait 2, Azkals 1!

The Kuwaitis play keepaway ball and the final whistle blows.

Kuwaitis win 2-1!

Kuwait Scores Again!

The tired Azkals defense give up another ball, Neil Etheridge commits and Ray Jonsson's desperate drive turns into a own goal.

Kuwait 2, Azkals 1.

Kuwait Equalises!

A long strike from the Kuwaiti striker finds the back of the net!

Halftime: Azkals 1, Kuwait 0!

It was a thrilling first half. Good goal scoring chances for both clubs both the Azkals are showing a lot of determination and resilience.

The Azkals are rewarded for their hard work when James Younghusband and Chieffy Caligdong conspire to dispossess the Kuwaitis on their own flank then Shrock nails a tremendous shot to end the first half.

Shrock Scores!A

A fantastic shot from the left flank courtesy of Stephan Schrock catches the Kuwaitis off guard and the Azkals get on the board!

Did You Know Wilt Chamberlain Used To Play Volleyball?

Now you know!

Unfortunately...

...work got in the way of my blogging. Hope that I can still catch the game and blog about it.

Five Things That Have To Go Right For Azkals Tonight!

Here are the five keys to an Azkals victory tonight.

Convert an early goal. As seen in the first leg, the Kuwaitis start off slow and build up steam through out the game. We have around 20-30minutes to get a jump on them. If we can score even just one goal, we'll be putting tremendous pressure on Al Azraq, who are fancied to win even here in our home field.

Five Things That Went Wrong In The First Leg of Azkals Vs Kuwait

Here are the five things that went wrong in the Azkals vs Al Azraq match in Kuwait.

Borromeo, Schrock suspensions upheld. We all thought that FIFA would lift the suspensions. After all, FIFA said the AFC should decide. The AFC said they support the Philippine contention of a "fair, even playing field" which includes number of matches played as well as the potential for fouls to occur in those games. But FIFA broke all of our hearts when they went technical and upheld the suspensions. Schrock wasn't going to eb able to play anyway but losing team captain Aly Borromeo was a tremendous blow to the Philippine cause.

Bobby Ray Parks Leads UAAP Scoring!

NU's prized rookie Bobby Ray Parks is certainly shooting his way to fame. Now if only he can shoot NU into more victories.

Parks is currently the UAAP scoring leader with an average of 19.3 points per game. Three players are tied at second place, namely DLSU's LA Revilla, Adamson's Alex Nuyles and reigning MVP RR Garcia of FEU, all with a 16.3 ppg.

Despite Parks torrid shooting clip, NU has only 1 victory in 3 games.

More on this story here. 

Rain Or Shine Rallies For Win!

Maybe Yeng Guiao should try to get suspended for the next game too.

The Elasto Painters surprised Talk N Text's with defensive tenacity and determination to come away with a 96-81 victory.

Talk N Text shot just 30.9%, it's worst ever under Coach Chot Reyes as the Elasto Painters built a 20point lead in the second quarter and cruised till the end of the game.

Guia was suspended for one game for insinuating that Rain Or Shine was being cheated by the referees in their match against B-Meg.  

More on this story here.

Omens To An Azkals Victory?

The Azkals were in Japan when a magnitude 9 earthquake shook the country. They went on to make the finals of the Asian Football Confederations tournament the following week.

The Azkals played in a deluge in the second leg of the World Cup qualifiers. They went on to win 4-0.

Azkals Must Stick To Game Plan!

That's if they want a chance at winning against Kuwait and moving closer to Brazil 2014.

Manager Dan Palami revealed that it was a lack of adherence to the game that caused the Azkals to lose their first match to Kuwait by such a large margin.

The Azkals performed admirably in the first half of the game only to succumb to the Kuwaitis in the second half with lackluster play and uninspired football.

But Palami expects the Azkals' defense to perk up once again with the return of Stephan Schrock and team captain Aly Borromeo, both of whom were suspended for the first match of the home-and-away series.

More on this story here.

Japeth Aguilar Posterizes Kevin Durant!

Wowowowowowoweeeee!

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: All Stars Win!

But not by much. The Smart Gilas National team put on a tantalizing display of teamwork, outside shooting and tough defense to put a big scare into the Smart All Stars before finally succumbing 89-98.

The Smart All Stars built leads of up to 24points but the Nationals simply would not give up. They would whittle down the All Stars' leads to single digits before Kobe and company would counterpunch with their own run.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: End of Third Quarter

Smart Gilas is keeping step with the Smart All Stars. Jimmy Alapag, Chris Tiu, Dondon Hontiveros, Chris Lutz and Marcus Douthit have stepped up to keep the Nationals in the game, with a combination of tough defense and good outside shooting.

The Smart All Stars have managed to stay ahead with their athleticism and some heartbreaking turnovers from Smart Gilas but they are definitely digging deep into their bags of tricks.

The Smart Gilas Nationals, on the other hand, have shown better ball movement, shooting and rebounding compared to the first half. If they can just get over the intimidation factor (Barroca passing off into a turnover because he didn't want to get blocked by Kobe Bryant, Kelly Williams missing a shot trying to avoid even though McGee didn't even try to block him) we should do better.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas: Halftime!

The NBA All Stars lead by 18, 55-37 but they are bleeding for every point.

The Smart Gilas Nationals have more than lived up to their end of the bargain, playing tough defense, not giving an inch, making a game out of it instead of an exhibition.

The main difference between today's game and yesterday's game is that it does not look like the NBA All Stars are dominating Smart Gilas. JaVale McGee has had about 3 dunks in the first half, a far cry from the 7-8 dunks he had in the first half of yesterday's game.

In fact, the Nationals staged a run in the second quarter, bringing down the 14 point Smart All Star lead to just 7 which prompted the ultra-competitive Kobe Bryant to insert himself into the lineup and get the lead back up to 16.

Asi Taulava showed once again just how valuable he is to the national team. His short stint in the second half stiffened the Gilas defense and he was able to keep both McGee and Derrick Williams off the boards. He also stole the ball twice, once from Chris Paul.

In the second half, I expect the NBA All Stars to try to blow out the Nationals. The Nationals, on the other hand, will aim to get within 10 of the All Stars.

Japhet Aguillar Posterizes NBA All Stars Anew!

A brilliant alleyoop dunk courtesy of Japhet Aguilar from a pinpoint Chris Tiu pass surprises the Smart All Stars.

Japhet does not even flash a smile, not even a small one as he runs back on defense and blocks Tyreke Evans' lay up.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: Second Quarter

With the Nationals whittling down the Smart All Stars lead to 7, Kobe Bryant calls a timeout and puts himself in. He then runs the offense, facilitating a 9-0 run, including 2 alleyoops to JaVale McGee and a turnaround jumper over Chris Tiu.

The good news is, the Nationals are still holding their own, despite the 16point deficit. The NBA stars are all business now, with neither side cracking a smile or exchanging pleasantries.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: Second Quarter

Smart Gilas is making the Philippines proud. There are no smiles, no fun games. Just basketball and the NBA stars finally got the message.

At the 5minute mark of the second quarter, the Nationals are just down by 7 points, 38-31. Dondon Hontiveros, Asi Taulava and Kelly Williams are spearheading the Gilas effort and its paying dividends.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: End Of First Quarter

Smart All Star lead 28-16 on the strength of 3 Gilas turnovers. Quinito Henson hit the nail right on the head:every time the Nationals go one on one, it results in a turnover.

We have got to get back to Coach Toroman's brand of unselfish basketball.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas Update: First Quarter

It's been a very competitive game so far between the Smart All Stars and the Smart Gilas team.

The NBA All Stars are up 21-12, but the Nationals are defending fiercely and attacking on offense. The big difference right now is rebounding. The NBA stars have a 10-2 advantage on rebounds.

One bright note though, Japhet Aguilar posterized Kevin Durant with a breakaway dunk in the early goings.

Smart All Stars VS Smart Gilas: Who Will Win?

My money is on Kobe and the NBA All Stars but I'm hoping the Nationals will give them stiffer competition and, maybe, scare them a little.

Final Score: Azkals 0, Al Azraq 3!

Well, the Azkals were brilliant for the first 15 minutes of the match.
They were adequate in the next 60minutes.
And they were tired in the last 30minutes.

Neil Etheridge may have conceded 3 goals but he was legitimately beaten on only one of them. If we want to a chance at winning, we really need to shore up our defense.

Kuwait 3, Azkals 0.

With 6 minutes left, the Kuwaitis strike again. A massive breakdown in the Azkals defense gave the Al Azraq an open shot at goal and they made it count.

Kuwait 2, Azkals 0.

Mad scramble after a corner kick results into another Kuwaiti goal.

Azkals Vs Kuwait Update: 62nd Minute!

Lots and lots of shot attempts from Kuwait. None yet for Azkals. Kuwait is dominating the 2nd half and it is only the dogged determination of the Azkals that has kept the Al Azraq from adding to their score.

But if we continue to test fate, the Al Azraq are bound to score.

Halftime Update: Azkals 0, Kuwait 1!

It's halftime and the match had been very exciting. The Azkals had several more chances to score, a couple of them great looks but they have not found the back of the net yet.

Surprisingly, though the Al Azraq has dominated possession and area, they have not had as many quality shots on goal as the Azkals have had.

I am actually encouraged by the play of the Azkals because they are aggressive and creative, a far cry from the Azkals of even a year ago. I feel that the Azkals are due for a goal but even if they lose 1-0, it's still a moral victory because remember, we're 4-0 underdogs and I'm sure the Kuwaitis are shocked to find us hanging around.

One goal is all it takes. Let's hope we get it.

P. Younghusband Goes Crossbar In 32nd Minute!

Another near miss for the Philippines. Goalkeeper pushes Phil's shot to the top bar.

Kuwait 1, Azkals 0!

It has been an extremely thrilling past 2 minutes. The Philippines had 2 great chances at goal, with the Phil Younghusband shot being deflected out of bounds and the Guirado header hitting the crossbar.

Then, Kuwait got on the scoreboard with a header off a short cross which Neil Etheridge deflected but it was not enough.

We are just in our 16th minute of the match.

Azkals Vs Kuwait!

I'm at Sofitel watching the game. The Their sports bar, Snaps, has great food and a big ass projection screen where the Azkals are as big as life.

Good going for the Azkals early on. They are aggressive and focused and here's hoping they keep this up.