Post by Usapang Football on Sept 15, 2010 12:04:36 GMT 8
RP booters prove they have what it takes
www.malaya.com.ph/nov22/spor2.htm
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BY NOLI CORTEZ
THE current Philippine football team is one clear example of how the future can be realized right here, in present times.
By making it to the final round of the Asean Football Championship, the team, composed of a youthful mix of homegrown talents and foreign-based players, proved it is ready for the ages.
"This team is good until the next five, six years, at least," said team captain and defender Alexander Borromeo in the midst of the celebrations that followed their 4-1 win over Brunei last Monday at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod.
"Considering this is a very young team, with an average age of what, 23 years? This team can get the job done in other international competitions," striker Chris Greatwich agreed.
"We are ready to go at it against whichever team. We’re afraid of nobody," said the 23-year-old Fil-Briton.
The win against Brunei left the Philippines in second behind Laos in the qualifying stage and sent the RP booters to the eight-team tournament proper co-hosted by Singapore and Thailand in January.
What makes the finish remarkable was the fact the team, listed at 195th in the world by FIFA, went into the tournament as the fourth lowest-ranked team among the five competitors. Brunei stood at 180th, Laos 182nd, Cambodia 185th and civil war-torn Timor Leste 205th.
Borromeo and Greatwich, however, scoffed at the rankings.
"The Philippines doesn’t go out that much to play internationally, that’s why we have such a low number," pointed out the beefy skipper, among the eight members who have been playing together since 2004.
"Those are not a true reflection of how we play," Greatwich added. "Pit us against those ranked from 130th to 160th. We may not beat all of them, but we can guarantee very good games against all of them."
Nobody argued with the graduating business administration student at Hartwick College in Brighton, England, one of the four Fil-Britons in the team.
The team defied the rankings by winning three straight matches in the AFF event, a feat never achieved by any other RP squad in the international arena, at least in the post-World War II era.
The win-total, against one loss (2-3 to Laos), was also the highest in years. Never in recent memory has an RP side tallied so many goals (13) while limiting its opponents to just three.
"Cosmic," Greatwich offered when asked how best to describe the team’s feeling after getting the job done.
"This is for Philippine football," said left wing Emilio ‘Chipi’ Caligdong, along with central defender Johanne Sablon and striker Dan Padernal the true-blue Iloilo natives in the squad.
"We may not be as good as (regional powerhouses) Thailand and Vietnam. They are on a different level than us," assessed Chris. "But our time will come."
www.malaya.com.ph/nov22/spor2.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY NOLI CORTEZ
THE current Philippine football team is one clear example of how the future can be realized right here, in present times.
By making it to the final round of the Asean Football Championship, the team, composed of a youthful mix of homegrown talents and foreign-based players, proved it is ready for the ages.
"This team is good until the next five, six years, at least," said team captain and defender Alexander Borromeo in the midst of the celebrations that followed their 4-1 win over Brunei last Monday at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod.
"Considering this is a very young team, with an average age of what, 23 years? This team can get the job done in other international competitions," striker Chris Greatwich agreed.
"We are ready to go at it against whichever team. We’re afraid of nobody," said the 23-year-old Fil-Briton.
The win against Brunei left the Philippines in second behind Laos in the qualifying stage and sent the RP booters to the eight-team tournament proper co-hosted by Singapore and Thailand in January.
What makes the finish remarkable was the fact the team, listed at 195th in the world by FIFA, went into the tournament as the fourth lowest-ranked team among the five competitors. Brunei stood at 180th, Laos 182nd, Cambodia 185th and civil war-torn Timor Leste 205th.
Borromeo and Greatwich, however, scoffed at the rankings.
"The Philippines doesn’t go out that much to play internationally, that’s why we have such a low number," pointed out the beefy skipper, among the eight members who have been playing together since 2004.
"Those are not a true reflection of how we play," Greatwich added. "Pit us against those ranked from 130th to 160th. We may not beat all of them, but we can guarantee very good games against all of them."
Nobody argued with the graduating business administration student at Hartwick College in Brighton, England, one of the four Fil-Britons in the team.
The team defied the rankings by winning three straight matches in the AFF event, a feat never achieved by any other RP squad in the international arena, at least in the post-World War II era.
The win-total, against one loss (2-3 to Laos), was also the highest in years. Never in recent memory has an RP side tallied so many goals (13) while limiting its opponents to just three.
"Cosmic," Greatwich offered when asked how best to describe the team’s feeling after getting the job done.
"This is for Philippine football," said left wing Emilio ‘Chipi’ Caligdong, along with central defender Johanne Sablon and striker Dan Padernal the true-blue Iloilo natives in the squad.
"We may not be as good as (regional powerhouses) Thailand and Vietnam. They are on a different level than us," assessed Chris. "But our time will come."