The general consensus is, “It’s good to be home because we’re going to play our style of play on our home field and get a win.”
The Philippine Men’s Football National Team arrived on Thursday night onboard an Emirates flight after a long sojourn abroad—training in Germany and playing its first-ever World Cup qualifiers match in Sri Lanka.
Back on home soil, battling jet lag and disappointment about not getting a win in Colombo, the players couldn’t wait to get it on.
“Sana Linggo na,” said team cocaptain Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong while picking up some sports apparel at the Mizuno head office in Magallanes Village in Makati. “Babawi tayo dito.”
It isn’t only the players who are excited. All 12,870 tickets have been snapped up. Some 2,000 tickets—representing the share of Sri Lanka that were returned for the match—went on sale on Monday morning. Thirty minutes later, they were sold out.
“We’re doing what we can at the last moment to accommodate more fans,” said Local Organizing Committee chairman and Philippine Football Federation (PFF) treasurer Bonnie Ladrido.
The 12,870 seats are less than the 16,000-plus capacity of Panaad Stadium in Bacolod, which the Azkals previously called home. Beginning with the July 3 match against Sri Lanka, the Azkals will begin playing at the refurbished Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, which the PFF has pumped some P8.4 million.
“The field was taken care of by La Salle. We worked on the seats, the bleachers section, the dugout, the media room and the comfort rooms,” expounded Ladrido. “Should we advance to the next round against Kuwait, we will play our home game on July 28 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium again.
Fan frenzy
Some 400 of those seats, albeit in the center bleachers section, have been allotted to the Kaholeros, the booster group tasked with coming up with chants, cheers and beats for the burgeoning football scene that has seen a massive spike in popularity following the Azkals’ success in last year’s Suzuki Cup, where the Philippines entered the semifinals for the first time in the 16-year history of the competition. The Kaholeros made their unofficial debut during last month’s exhibition match between the United Football League All-Stars and the Azkals, in which the latter won, 4-3.
“We just wanted to introduce the basic beat where any chant can start,” said PFF Fan Management Committee head Richard Joson, who gained notoriety during the Azkals’ match in Panaad in February, when he ran onto the track surrounding the pitch dressed in a blue wig and blue-and-white face paint.
“The blue-haired freak was born that day,” said Joson.
The Kaholeros will be introducing a unique music instrument in the “aquadrum,” which is actually a water jug used for coolers and dispensers.
“It makes a unique percussion sound,” added percussionist Paul Zialcita, the man behind the beats. “If Africa contributed the vuvuzela to football lore, then the aquadrum is ours.”
Global interest
The July 3 match also has a special significance.
“It’s a chance for us to make Philippine football history,” added striker Phil Younghusband, who was pulled out early in the second half for Fil-American Nate Burkey. “And for the first time to play in Manila. We want to display our talent and full potential.”
Playing in its first-ever World Cup qualifiers match at home, the excitement is at a fever-pitch. Over a hundred journalists from all over the world will be covering the game. As of Friday afternoon, journalists and photographers from Stuttgarter Sportkurier, the British Broadcasting Company, Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, Xinhua News Agency and Sri Lanka will be joining their local counterparts in covering the game.
According to the PFF, the number of foreign accreditations means that interest in Philippine football is soaring not just at home but abroad.
“We’ve seen that when Jason de Jong was playing for the Azkals and Irfan Gonzales was playing for Indonesia,” said PFF president Mariano V. Araneta. “The Dutch media covered and wrote about their two native sons even if they were also suiting up for the countries of birth by one of their parents. It shows that football is truly a global game.”
There are reports that no less than President Aquino will be in attendance, as well as other government officials and showbiz personalities.
“It’s a big game no doubt,” said central back Rob Gier, whose deflection of a Chathura Gunaratne free kick dipped in past Philippine goalkeeper Neil Etheridge for Sri Lanka’s stunning first-half goal, was in high spirits. “Is there pressure? But we’re ready. And with a better pitch to play on, we’ll be able to move that ball up and down the field. Schrocky [midfielder Stephan Schrock] will have room to show what he can do.”
For the win
The poor quality of the Sugathadasa Stadium pitch in Colombo somewhat stifled the Azkals’ attack, while negating their speed up and down the field.
“You can’t make a full run because it’s uneven,” described right back Anton del Rosario. “On the day of the match, they were still patching up holes on the ground! Incredible!”
The Philippines came away with a 1-1 draw; a result that is still acceptable because in the event of a scoreless draw in Manila, the away goals rule of a double count for scores is in effect. For the Philippines to advance to the next round where Kuwait awaits, it has to win or hold Sri Lanka to a scoreless draw.
“We’re definitely going for a win,” pronounced del Rosario.
Burkey, a former midfielder for Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia, USA, scored off a rebound of a Caligdong free kick that hit the lower area of the crossbar that James Younghusband was unable to head in.
James agreed with younger brother Phil: “We should be better than we were in Sri Lanka.”
With a gimpy Angel Guirado, Philippine head coach Michael Weiss is said to be mulling going with Ian Araneta to start the match and go with his veterans.
“Kahit sino,” offered Araneta, who came off as a second-half substitute for Burkey and who had a decent scoring chance. “Ang importante bigay todo at panalo. Malaking karangalan ’to para sa bayan.”
(Photo by Roy Domingo)
