The Simple Math Of The Azkals!

How big is our chance of advancing to the next round?

That seems to be the question of the day posed to the Azkals. After 2 successive draws to Myanmar and Palestine, the Azkals sit at third place in our group, in danger of missing a seat at the next round of the AFC Challenge Cup.

Many people seem to be jumping to erroneous conclusions, swinging like a pendulum from overflowing confidence to doomsday naysayer. So, here's the simple mathematical breakdown of our Azkals' chances at advancing.

De Jong Rules Self Out Of Myanmar Tiff!

It has begun.

After the shockingly good  result from the Azkals in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the eyes of Southeast Asian football clubs have been opened to the immense talents of Filipino footballers, especially of those Fil-foreigners.

Making the news rounds about a month ago was the news that the Younghusbands were being wooed by the Indonesian premier League, a breakaway league not recognized byt he Indonesian Football Association.

Azkals Get Key Players Back!

The Azkals offense may have gotten weaker with the loss of Phil Younghusband but their defense is certainly going to get a lot stronger.

Why? Because goalie Neil Etheridge and defender Rob Gier are back in town.

Phil Younghusband To Miss Myanmar Match!

It's a blow that will either sink the Azkals or allow them to shine even more.

Phil Younghusband, the team's top goal scorer and the tip of the Azkals attack, will miss the AFC Challenge Cup match against the host country, Myanmar, slated on March 21.

Azkals Advance Despite Loss To Mongolia!

Thank God for James Younghusband.

The less heralded but equally important brother in the Younghusband tandem scored what would prove to be insurmountable points to allow the Philippines to move on to the next stage of the AFC Challenge Cup, despite the 2-1 loss to the Blue Wolves of Mongolia.

Younghusband scored easily in the third minute of the game, leading many pundits to expect the rout that the Azkals have been predicting the last few days.

Azkals Miss Key Pieces For Mongolia Match But Will They Miss Those Pieces For More Matches?

We already knew that Neil Etheridge and Chris Greatwich would not be able to join the Azkals for the March 15th match against the Blue Wolves of Mongolia.

But some recent developments on the professional lives of Etheridge and Greatwich have me very alarmed.