Post by Usapang Football on Sept 24, 2010 18:09:12 GMT 8
by Francis Santiago
The Philippines’ campaign in the coming ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Elimination Cup suffered a blow when Filipino-British brothers Phil and James Younghusbands begged off from the team.
The Philippines’ campaign in the coming ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Elimination Cup suffered a blow when Filipino-British brothers Phil and James Younghusbands begged off from the team.
The Younghusbands, who donned the national colors in a number of international tourneys the past three years including the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, cited personal reasons in turning down the invitation to play for the Asian meet set Oct. 17 to 25 in Cambodia.
"They (Younghusband brothers) won’t join the team this time because they said they are busy. They want to focus on their modelling careers," Philippine Football Federation (PFF) secretary-general Pablito Araneta said yesterday.
James, 22, who plays at the right wing position, saw action for the Chelsea FC youth team in England while 21-year-old Phil, a striker, is a member of the reserve senior team of the Chelsea FC seeing action in the Premiere League.
Both played for the Philippine team in past AFF and Challenge Cup tournaments. In the 2005 SEAG, Phil accounted for the two goals in the Filipinos’ 2-4 loss to Malaysia. In the Chelsea team, he also scored a total of nine goals in 41 appearances.
The Younghusbands became instant celebrities and have been making the pages of various magazines in the country since they started playing for the national squad. They also began endorsing various products ranging from watches to clothing lines, and they even received countless marriage proposals.
Araneta admitted the latest development was a setback to the Filipinos’ campaign in the meet that serves as qualification phase for the second round that will be played in Thailand and Indonesia.
"Of course," Araneta said. "They are basically the people who you can depend on. They are the veterans and the stars of the team."
However, Araneta said that all is not lost as he expects other booters, including nine Filipino-foreigners to step up their games and fill the void left by the Younghusbands.
The mere presence of comebacking Fil-British Neil Etheridge, brothers Chris and Simon Greatwich and Chad Gould and Fil-Americans Henry Brauner and Anton Del Rosario and Fil-Dutch Jason De Jong, Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena and Fil German Stephan Schrock will provide the needed firepower and stability in the team, Araneta added.
With the arrival of the Fil-foreigners, considered one of the biggest in the national team, Araneta is hoping to better their second round finish last year.
The Philippines will be up against host Cambodia, Brunei, Laos and East Timor in the eliminations.
"They (Younghusband brothers) won’t join the team this time because they said they are busy. They want to focus on their modelling careers," Philippine Football Federation (PFF) secretary-general Pablito Araneta said yesterday.
James, 22, who plays at the right wing position, saw action for the Chelsea FC youth team in England while 21-year-old Phil, a striker, is a member of the reserve senior team of the Chelsea FC seeing action in the Premiere League.
Both played for the Philippine team in past AFF and Challenge Cup tournaments. In the 2005 SEAG, Phil accounted for the two goals in the Filipinos’ 2-4 loss to Malaysia. In the Chelsea team, he also scored a total of nine goals in 41 appearances.
The Younghusbands became instant celebrities and have been making the pages of various magazines in the country since they started playing for the national squad. They also began endorsing various products ranging from watches to clothing lines, and they even received countless marriage proposals.
Araneta admitted the latest development was a setback to the Filipinos’ campaign in the meet that serves as qualification phase for the second round that will be played in Thailand and Indonesia.
"Of course," Araneta said. "They are basically the people who you can depend on. They are the veterans and the stars of the team."
However, Araneta said that all is not lost as he expects other booters, including nine Filipino-foreigners to step up their games and fill the void left by the Younghusbands.
The mere presence of comebacking Fil-British Neil Etheridge, brothers Chris and Simon Greatwich and Chad Gould and Fil-Americans Henry Brauner and Anton Del Rosario and Fil-Dutch Jason De Jong, Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena and Fil German Stephan Schrock will provide the needed firepower and stability in the team, Araneta added.
With the arrival of the Fil-foreigners, considered one of the biggest in the national team, Araneta is hoping to better their second round finish last year.
The Philippines will be up against host Cambodia, Brunei, Laos and East Timor in the eliminations.