Thoughts on The Azkals' 0-2 Loss To Bahrain

The Philippines' chances to advance to the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers took a serious blow when they lost to Bahrain, 2-0. It was a very lackluster performance by the Azkals, who never seemed in control of the game.

Here are my three key impressions from the match.

PLAYMAKERS NEEDED

Boy, did we need Javier Patino tonight.

While a player like Phil Younghusband used to be enough to make opposing defenses in South East Asia nervous, he is now playing against teams who are used to a much higher level of competition. That’s one major reason for Phil Younghusband’s recent goal drought (the other being his changed role on the team) and why Javier Patino is now even more important to the Azkals’ fortunes.   But while Phil Younghusband may have been found lacking, he still played well. Just not good enough to be the main man that he used to be.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: Philippines 2, Yemen 0.

Analysis: The hard work paid off.

In the first half, the Azkals played patiently while the Yemenis played at a frenetic pace. It seemed to work in Yemen's favor at first, until they started running out of gas at the 35th minute. The Azkals then began to threaten but couldn't break the scoring ice.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: Azkals 0, Yemen 0 at Halftime

Analysis: In the first 35 minutes, the Azkals were able to play possession ball but couldn't break through the resolute Yemeni defense.

In fact, it was Yemen who had the clearer shots at goal, with two coming dangerously close. Each of those two happened the same way: with well timed passes, one threading the suddenly caught off-guard Azkals defense, the other, lofted over the heads of the Azkals back four.

I'm suddenly missing the intelligent defensive work by Rob Gier and Juani Guirado. They may not be as speedy as Sato, Lucena, Palla or Woodland but their experience lets them anticipate plays better, minimizing worrying situations like that.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: Predictions as Azkals Face Yemen!

Analysis: Everyone is riding the high of our historic win against Bahrain. The Azkals showed great technique, patience and confidence for most of the match, despite getting tested repeatedly.

In fact, the lone goal scored against them was just as much a product of the Azkals anticipating the final whistle and easing up on the defensive side of things as it was the incisive passing of the Bahrainis in that final sequence.

WORld CUP QUALIFIERS: Azkals Stun Bahrain, 2-1!

Analysis: History made once again. In a match that was already historic for taking place, the Philippine Azkals made sure that they would be the talk of the football world by beating Bahrain, a team they have never beaten before, 2-1.

Until last night, the closest the Azkals came to matching their Middle Eastern opponents was about two years ago, when they held Bahrain to a scoreless draw.

In a friendly a couple of months ago, the Azkals lost 2-1 but showed remarkable improvement in their management of the midfield.

U23 Azkals Lose TO Timor 2-1!

The Azkals' atrocious defense let them down yet again.

Timor-Leste, a team that seems to be following the Azkals module for international football success, had a relatively easy time dispatching of the Azkals in a game that solidified their darkhorse status in the SEA Games.

With several Timorese-Portuguese with experience in the Australian league in their lineup, Timor Leste found themselves unexpectedly leading Vietnam, a title favorite.

Roland Muller was the lone bright spot on defense, as the Fil-German logged several top notch saves once again. But even the uber-talented Muller can not  stop all the shots as the Azkals back four was outmaneuvered several times leading to 2 on 1 situations with Muller trying to stop 2 Timorese attackers.

If this is how the U23 Azkal play defense, then expect more heartbreaking losses in the upcoming games.

More on this story here.

Junior Azkals Try To Jumpstart PHL's SEAG Campaign

The opening ceremonies for the 2011 SEA Games are still 8 days away...but the Philippine campaign starts this afternoon as the U-23 Azkals take on an extremely formidable Vietnam side.

The U-23 Azkals hope to build on the recent success of the senior Azkals but team officials hope that expectations for the team remain manageable.

After all, only Jason de Jong was in the regular rotation of the senior Azkals, with the Hartmanns, Carlos de Murga, Jeff Christaens, OJ Porteria and keeper Ronald Mueller playing only in the last few tuneup games.

They will be joined by local standouts Neckson Leonora, David Basa, Gerardo Valmayor and Joshua Beloya.

Stand by for the coverage later at 5:30pm.

More on this story here.

Chieffy Caligdong's 2nd Goal Against Macau!

Azkals Win Over Macau, 2-0!

Chieffy Caligdong does it again!

With the Azkals looking for an offensive spark, the diminutive guy from Barotac Nuevo stepped up, ignored an injury and score a brace of goals to catapult the Philippines into second place in the long Teng Cup.

Here is Caligdong's first goal.

Azkals In Absentia?

Coach Hans Michael Weiss is not amused.

“I’ve seen players more on billboards coming from Alabang to the training. I see them on billboards more often than on the pitch,” said Weiss.

And that should bode ill for the Azkals, whose most popular members have graced magazine covers, been put up in billboards, headlined print ads, guested in TV shows and starred in commercials.

The usually reserved Weiss issued some biting words to his wards, saying several key members have not shown up for training in the last few weeks. He also said that he is not afraid to relegate anybody to the reserved list, preferring to go with the dedicated rather than the popular.

The Azkals are in the midst of their preparations for the Long Teng Cup as well as a friendly match against Singapore.

More on this story here.

Azkals To Play Singapore!

Finally, the Azkals have a confirmed friendly match against a higher ranked opponent.

Singapore, one of the bastions of South East Asian football, has agreed to play the Azkals in Singapore on October 7, one of the days that Fifa has declared as Fifa match calendar days.

Match calendar days are days when football leagues around the world release players to their national teams. National teams can then schedule matches to earn Fifa points.

This means that players like Neil Etheridge, Stephan Schrock, Dennis Cagar, Paul Mulders and the other Azkals playing in Europe can come over to play.

Singapore is ranked 129th in the world while the Azkals are ranked 162nd.

Pakistan, ranked 170 in the world, is also offering to play the Azkals here as part of their bid for a higher ranking.

More on this story here.

Azkals Search For More Fil-Foreigners!

The hunt for world class football talent continues...in Europe.

Azkals manager Dan Palami will spend at least two weeks in Europe, scouting for new football talent to further strengthen the Azkals.

Included in Palami's sights is a pureblooded Filipino goalkeeper playing in the French league, who could be a viable back up to Neil Etheridge.

Rob Gier, the Azkals' English defensive back, was designated as the Azkals' Europe scout and is currently also searching for new talent.

More on this story here.

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.

Azkals Update: Borromeo, Schrock Suspension Upheld!

The Azkals go into tomorrow's match against Kuwait without captain Aly Borromeo, making the Azkals' chances of pulling off an upset even more remote.

More on this here.

Azkals Make FIFA.com Frontpage!

Read the story here!

Aly Borromeo Aims For A Draw!

For Azkals captain Aly Borromeo, a draw is not just a possibility. It's doable.

Despite the fact that Kuwaiti football pundits expect no less than, at least, a 4-0 win, Borromeo believes that the Azkals can force a draw by going for the Al Azraq's "weak" spot: the midfield.

Kuwait Confident Against Azkals!

Kuwait coach Goran Tufegdzik says the upcoming match against the Azkals whould be a thrilling one...but he is confident that Al Azraq, as Kuwait's team is called, will emerge victorious.

Schrock, Borromeo Banned From Kuwait Match!

The Asian Football Confederation competition committee lowered the boom on the Azkals yesterday as they officially announced the one-game bans levied on Stephan Schrock and Ally Borromeo.

Schrock and Borromeo incurred to 2 yellow cards each in the very physical Philippines-Sri Lanka series and will miss the Kuwait match on July 23.

Azkals Win 4-0 Over Sri Lanka!

It was an unbelievable performance from the Azkals as they added 2 more goals in the second half, one from a breakaway by Angel Guirado and another from a penalty kick by Phil Younghusband.

But more than that, it was the crisp passing from the midfield and the tenacious defense that was the biggest difference in this match.

The Azkals have now rewritten history, becoming the first Philippine team to qualify for the second round of the World Cup Qualifiers.

Next up, Kuwait.

Azkals In Showdown with Tough Lankans (And History)!

If there was a number that should be most daunting to the Azkals, it's this: 0.
That's the number of PHL football teams that have made it past the first round of the World Cup qualifiers since it was introduced in 1930.