Post by Usapang Football on Sept 15, 2010 7:45:46 GMT 8
Kicking to the future
DEFINITELY MAYBE By Carl Francis M. Ramirez
The Philippine STAR 05/04/2007
There are a thousand reasons why we should get excited about Philippine football. Having Chelsea-trained athletes on our national squad might be the most compelling.
I recently got to talk with Filipino-English football phenomenon James Younghusband, who, along with his younger brother Phil (also part of the national team), are taking the local sports scene by storm.
James and Phil were born in Staines, London, England. Their British father, Philip, met his Filipina wife, Susan, through a friendship club, first starting out as pen pals. Even at an early age, the brothers were discovered by one of the world’s most popular football clubs, Chelsea FC. James was recruited before he even turned 12 years old. "We played for our school team and they asked us to represent them in the county trials," James said. "And when we went out to the trials, there were numerous amounts of scouts there and they were very interested in me and my brother."
How they went from playing in England to playing for the Philippine National Team is quite a peculiar story. Apparently, it was a kid who discovered their family history and consequently their eligibility to compete through the Younghusband’s profiles in a PlayStation 2 game. The Philippine Football Federation was alerted to this, and now here they are donning our nation’s colors.
And proudly, too.
When asked if he was fully committed to the Philippine team despite his aspirations of playing pro for an English club, James replied, without a hint of doubt or hesitation, "Definitely."
I believe these guys are going to be invaluable to our national squad is not necessarily because of their skill, though that will help immensely. The biggest asset the Younghusbands have to offer is their experience. These guys were born and bred in a country where people literally bleed for the sport. They’ve seen the best. They’ve trained with them. They’ve played with them. These two siblings know what it takes to be great. They’ve seen it firsthand.
If James and Phil can impart even half of what they know about football and playing for Chelsea and watching how the best in the world train to our team, then that is more valuable than kicking in a couple of goals.
Compare this situation to David Beckham joining the LA Galaxy or Ben Wallace defecting to the Chicago Bulls. The talent is there for sure, but what they have outside of that — Beckham’s commercial appeal as a potential savior for a suffering league and Wallace’s experience and leadership for a young, talented team — is why they’re getting the big bucks. In this case, sure we love that the Younghusbands are football phenomena, but it’s their ability to take a ripe national team ("the talent is there," James says.) to the next level is what is really exciting.
It’s not only in the football scene where the Younghusbands are making waves. James’ recent stay in the Philippines (he still resides in England) was made possible by Italian accessory brand Armando Caruso, for which he was named official spokesperson. Locally, James has appeared in several TV shows, including guest spots in Breakfast, Digital Tour and Sports TV. You’ll also find him on the pages of Seventeen, Candy, Chalk – he has that boy band, TV idol look going for him – FHM, People Asia and Metro HIM. He also has some top brass representation in the form of PR Asia Worldwide. Apart from football success, he’s on his way to becoming a bona fide celebrity.
However, James insists that he’s just a normal guy who does normal things. "I hang out with my friends, play a little bit of tennis and golf," he shares. "I like to relax, play the PlayStation. Just normal things, really." (His favorite video game? Pro Evolution Soccer (aka Winning Eleven).
Here’s hoping that this normal guy can handle all the success that is coming to him. Whether it’s inside the game of football or out of it, James Younghusband (and his brother Phil) seems to be poised for big things.
DEFINITELY MAYBE By Carl Francis M. Ramirez
The Philippine STAR 05/04/2007
There are a thousand reasons why we should get excited about Philippine football. Having Chelsea-trained athletes on our national squad might be the most compelling.
I recently got to talk with Filipino-English football phenomenon James Younghusband, who, along with his younger brother Phil (also part of the national team), are taking the local sports scene by storm.
James and Phil were born in Staines, London, England. Their British father, Philip, met his Filipina wife, Susan, through a friendship club, first starting out as pen pals. Even at an early age, the brothers were discovered by one of the world’s most popular football clubs, Chelsea FC. James was recruited before he even turned 12 years old. "We played for our school team and they asked us to represent them in the county trials," James said. "And when we went out to the trials, there were numerous amounts of scouts there and they were very interested in me and my brother."
How they went from playing in England to playing for the Philippine National Team is quite a peculiar story. Apparently, it was a kid who discovered their family history and consequently their eligibility to compete through the Younghusband’s profiles in a PlayStation 2 game. The Philippine Football Federation was alerted to this, and now here they are donning our nation’s colors.
And proudly, too.
When asked if he was fully committed to the Philippine team despite his aspirations of playing pro for an English club, James replied, without a hint of doubt or hesitation, "Definitely."
I believe these guys are going to be invaluable to our national squad is not necessarily because of their skill, though that will help immensely. The biggest asset the Younghusbands have to offer is their experience. These guys were born and bred in a country where people literally bleed for the sport. They’ve seen the best. They’ve trained with them. They’ve played with them. These two siblings know what it takes to be great. They’ve seen it firsthand.
If James and Phil can impart even half of what they know about football and playing for Chelsea and watching how the best in the world train to our team, then that is more valuable than kicking in a couple of goals.
Compare this situation to David Beckham joining the LA Galaxy or Ben Wallace defecting to the Chicago Bulls. The talent is there for sure, but what they have outside of that — Beckham’s commercial appeal as a potential savior for a suffering league and Wallace’s experience and leadership for a young, talented team — is why they’re getting the big bucks. In this case, sure we love that the Younghusbands are football phenomena, but it’s their ability to take a ripe national team ("the talent is there," James says.) to the next level is what is really exciting.
It’s not only in the football scene where the Younghusbands are making waves. James’ recent stay in the Philippines (he still resides in England) was made possible by Italian accessory brand Armando Caruso, for which he was named official spokesperson. Locally, James has appeared in several TV shows, including guest spots in Breakfast, Digital Tour and Sports TV. You’ll also find him on the pages of Seventeen, Candy, Chalk – he has that boy band, TV idol look going for him – FHM, People Asia and Metro HIM. He also has some top brass representation in the form of PR Asia Worldwide. Apart from football success, he’s on his way to becoming a bona fide celebrity.
However, James insists that he’s just a normal guy who does normal things. "I hang out with my friends, play a little bit of tennis and golf," he shares. "I like to relax, play the PlayStation. Just normal things, really." (His favorite video game? Pro Evolution Soccer (aka Winning Eleven).
Here’s hoping that this normal guy can handle all the success that is coming to him. Whether it’s inside the game of football or out of it, James Younghusband (and his brother Phil) seems to be poised for big things.