But chemistry alone does not seem to be bothering the under-23 team. It could also grope for form in a field it hardly has a thorough knowledge about.
“We should have faith in our team to give their best for our country, whether we can get a medal or not,” Philippine Football Federation President Mariano Araneta told the BusinessMirror on Monday in a text message.
Araneta refused to make any prediction on the country’s chances for a medal in the games.
“I can’t give a sure answer at this point because I don’t know the strength of the opposition,” said Araneta, who was quick to stress though that the coaching staff, headed by German Hans Michael Weiss, has done its homework in terms of scouting the Junior Azkals’ rivals in the competition.
“Let’s take it one game at a time. Let’s pray for their success,” Araneta added.
The team is composed of midfielders Mark and Matthew Hartmann, Jason de Jong, Jeffrey Christaens, Mawin Angeles, OJ Porteria, Patrick Hinrichsen and Mark Drinkuth; goalkeepers Roland Muller, Paolo Pascual and Christopher Camcam; forwards Gerardo Valmayor and; Joshua Beloya and defenders Carlos Alberto de Murga, Raymark Fenandez, Jake Morallo, OJ Clarino, Neckson Leonora and David Basa.
But according to Weiss, de Murga, Mueller and Christaens might be jetlagged because they would be flying in from Europe where they play for various clubs.
The Philippines is bracketed in Group B with Vietnam, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Laos and Brunei, while Group A, regarded as the Group of Death, is made up of host Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia.
The competition will be played at the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang. After the Vietnamese, the Junior Azkals will face Timor Lester on November 7, Laos on November 11, Myanmar on November 13 and Brunei on November 15.
Majority of the Junior Azkals came from a training camp in Japan where they played friendlies against Firyu (5-1 win) and the Under-18 JFA Academy backstopped by some members of its junior national team (0-2 loss). They ended their training camp with a 1-1 draw with Tokyogakkan Urayasu High School on Sunday.
The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinal round.
(Joel Orellana)
