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Post by stellarboy on Mar 21, 2012 15:22:44 GMT 8
Azkals’ bronze sparkles like goldBy Cedelf P. Tupas Philippine Daily Inquirer 11:17 pm | Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 KATHMANDU—Battle-scarred veteran Chieffy Caligdong led the Philippine Azkals in claiming their bronze medals during the awarding ceremonies of the AFC Challenge Cup on a cold Monday night at the Dashrath Stadium They may have fallen short of the biggest prize and a berth in the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, but the feeling that the hard work had translated into something tangible —a medal—was enough for the Azkals, who left the Nepalese capital feeling like winners. The medal sparkled like gold for the Azkals and provided extra significance for the likes of Caligdong and veterans Ian Araneta, Roel Gener, Boogie Margarse and Eduard Sacapano, who have toiled with the national team for the past decade with little reward —or achievement. In this edition of the Challenge Cup, a more cohesive Azkals side came all the way from pre-qualifying 13 months ago to gatecrash the semifinals for the first time, before winning the third-place battle against Palestine, 4-3, Monday. While champion North Korea and Turkmenistan were familiar figures on the podium during the awarding rites, the Philippines was not. In this tournament, the Azkals proved their worth, smashing former champions India and Tajikistan to survive the tournament’s Group of Death. That’s why the Azkals wore wide grins and giddily accepted their medals. Caligdong, proud son of Barotac Nuevo town in Iloilo, already had plans for his medal as soon as he received it. “It’s special,” said the Air Force standout, who first represented the country in 2000, in Filipino. “For all my years in the national team, this is just my first medal. It’s something that cannot be taken away from us. Now I can say I accomplished something while representing the country. “I’ll have the medal framed as soon as I arrive in Manila.” The third-place finish is the best for the country in recent memory, underscoring the team’s rise. The Azkals didn’t even qualify for the group stage of the Challenge Cup in 2009. With homegrown talent combining brilliantly with Filipinos playing abroad, the Azkals enjoyed a good run of results the past two years. More than anything else, Azkals coach Michael Weiss said the team has gained respect from other Asian teams. “They now know that when they face the Philippines, it will not be easy,” said Weiss. “Third place reflects what we’ve seen in the training camp in Dubai and a wonderful group growing together.” Weiss also hailed his squad’s “never-say-die” attitude, which was also in full display against a tough Palestine team that equalized at 1-1 and set the stage for a thrilling finish with a 78th minute goal. “We had some difficulties to overcome,” he said. “And we managed it in a wonderful way.” Azkals manager Dan Palami said exceeding expectations with the third-place finish makes the effort all worth it. “Considering the competition, this was more than we expected.” sports.inquirer.net/38547/azkals%E2%80%99-bronze-sparkles-like-gold
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Post by stellarboy on Mar 21, 2012 15:25:18 GMT 8
Phil Younghusband secures Golden BootBy Cedelf P. Tupas Philippine Daily Inquirer 11:29 pm | Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 MANILA, Philippines – It took 16 hours for the Philippine Azkals to get back to Manila from Katmandu. Through it all, striker Phil Younghusband cradled and kept a close eye on his most prized possession to date: The Golden Boot award in the AFC Challenge Cup. “It’s my first award at the senior level, so its really important to me,” said Younghusband, a former reserve at English Premiere League club Chelsea who now plays for Loyola Meralco in the United Football League. The 24-year-old Younghusband finished with six goals from five matches, powering the Azkals to a historic third-place finish. Unlike in previous tournaments where he was isolated on the attack, Younghusband had plenty of help, and the striker believes the presence of quality players keyed his explosive performance this time. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” said Younghusband, who scored twice against India and Palestine, which lost to the Azkals, 4-3, in the battle for third place, and one each against Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. “With Angel (Guirado), we started to click and link up well. And of course I always had a connection with my brother James.” Phil said bagging third place was a milestone in itself. At the awarding ceremonies at Dashrath Stadium Monday night, Younghusband shared the limelight with North Korean midfielder Pak Nam-chol, the tournament MVP. North Korea edged Turkmenistan, 2-1, for the title. sports.inquirer.net/38577/phil-younghusband-secures-golden-boot
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Post by strikerbon on Mar 21, 2012 16:13:03 GMT 8
philippines vs turkmenistan replay now on studio 23
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Post by narko on Mar 21, 2012 17:09:51 GMT 8
Caligdong, proud son of Barotac Nuevo town in Iloilo, already had plans for his medal as soon as he received it. “It’s special,” said the Air Force standout, who first represented the country in 2000, in Filipino. “For all my years in the national team, this is just my first medal. It’s something that cannot be taken away from us. Now I can say I accomplished something while representing the country.“I’ll have the medal framed as soon as I arrive in Manila.” I think these words by Chieffy nicely sums up the big picture regarding Philippine football's past, present and future.
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Post by wenden96 on Mar 22, 2012 13:40:15 GMT 8
wiking dude i dont know how to react to your comment about the PURE pinoy thing.....did I mention regarding that matter? ??....... dude what is your problem..... all i want to say is that we need to prepare irregardless if it is foreign base or born and raise in the motherland.....but if you ask me, i would rather love to see a football clinic for the locals especially those who are worth to join from the upcoming under 23 tournament....... ;D
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Post by Wiking on Mar 22, 2012 14:20:25 GMT 8
wenden96,
No problem at all, except I should have said, "if ANYONE" because I've seen posters wanting more locals(seemingly regardless of players quality) for the NT in the past. Thats "my bad", but I have and continue to question Weiss' reluctance to include players like Barbaso, Leonora etc to the senior games instead taking our very old local players though.
Weiss has just mentioned he will be conducting clinics in the provinces, something you and most of us has wished for since the beginning AND he is starting to attend UFL games.
The PFF has found quite a number of good players in the national U23 contest, hopefully they will be present and find more locals for the NT senior and youth teams.
Lastly, I DO have a problem with some who continue to clamor for more "local" players in the NT, thinking from 2010 to 2012 these local players are suddenly as capable as our Euro and American trained players. It just does not happen that fast.
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Post by wenden96 on Mar 23, 2012 9:07:47 GMT 8
wenden96, No problem at all, except I should have said, "if ANYONE" because I've seen posters wanting more locals(seemingly regardless of players quality) for the NT in the past. Thats "my bad", but I have and continue to question Weiss' reluctance to include players like Barbaso, Leonora etc to the senior games instead taking our very old local players though. Weiss has just mentioned he will be conducting clinics in the provinces, something you and most of us has wished for since the beginning AND he is starting to attend UFL games. The PFF has found quite a number of good players in the national U23 contest, hopefully they will be present and find more locals for the NT senior and youth teams. Lastly, I DO have a problem with some who continue to clamor for more "local" players in the NT, thinking from 2010 to 2012 these local players are suddenly as capable as our Euro and American trained players. It just does not happen that fast. Forget it atleast we have the same sentiments for those youngster.......anyways for me, those technical football clinics in the provinces is much more better than holding it in the capital. and I strongly believe if this clinic will push through no matter what challenges arrive, 5 to 10 years PHL will be one of football powerhouse in asia.well we have to wait and hope that the management of PFF and national gov will have the same goal, that is to move forward. on the other hand im excited for the incoming asean suzuki cup.....
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Post by stellarboy on Mar 24, 2012 12:25:47 GMT 8
Latest rankings update:
Elo rankings: Philippines goes up to 168th from 172nd after defeating strong sides India, Tajikistan and Palestine, and putting up narrow losses to North Korea and Turkmenistan.
FIFA rankings: According to footballrankings.info, Philippines may go up to 147th or 148th depending on the match between St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Antigua & Barbuda. A draw between them will put the team in the 147th spot, the highest ever since the December 2010 ranking of 149th.
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Post by stellarboy on Mar 26, 2012 5:21:14 GMT 8
Azkals attracting SEA football clubsBy Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated March 26, 2012 12:00 AM Comments (0) MANILA, Philippines - There’s a downside to the Azkals’ amazing surge that led to an unprecedented third-place finish in the recent Challenge Cup in Nepal. They played so well, in fact way beyond expectations, that at least some of the Azkals must have caught the eye, the attention of scouts for foreign teams. So, don’t be surprised if in the coming days these Azkals, again the Younghusbands, Phil and James, the Guirados, Angel and Juani, or Chieffy Caligdong and Jason Sabio receive offers from other teams. That’s if they haven’t received any at this time. Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta said it’s a great possibility, and there’s nothing the local soccer association can do about it. “If the offers come, then we can’t do anything about it. It will be up to the players to deal with the offer,” said Araneta yesterday. “But we will not stand in the way of our players’ progress. In fact we will be happy that Filipino players are now the ones being lured by foreign teams.” The Younghusbands faced foreign offers last year following the Azkals’ strong showing in the Suzuki Cup. They were reportedly offered as much as $8,000 a month by the Jakarta Football Club. On top of the monthly salary was a signing bonus of $24,000, definitely something the PFF or the Azkals management headed by businessman Dan Palami couldn’t even match. But the Younghusbands chose to stay in the Philippines, play for the Azkals and work on their Younghusband Football Academy for the benefit of young players. “Was it difficult? Just a bit. But our priority is the Philippine national team and our football academy,” James was quoted as saying. “We had to make sure that our family, friends and business partners were on board on this. There were complications that did not make it perfect... This doesn’t mean we’re closing the door on future offers... It just has to be perfect,” Phil told PFF media officer Rick Olivares. They were rewarded with the admiration of Filipino soccer fans, and later on came lucrative endorsement deals that perhaps made it easier for them to forget about the offer from Jakarta. But nobody knows what kind of an offer may come next. Perhaps something that may be truly hard to resist. “We can only hope that if they agree to play for foreign squads they will still be available for the Philippine team just like what Neil Etheridge (of Fulham) does for us,” Araneta added. The PFF president is definitely keeping his fingers crossed. www.philstar.com/SportsArticle.aspx?articleId=791105&publicationSubCategoryId=69
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Post by shanks608 on Mar 30, 2012 23:02:46 GMT 8
Hey guys, I just saw Football Asia on Star Sports tonight and at the end of the show they said they will feature the Challenge Cup next week.. ;D I hope they'll feature our team's exploits. Looking forward for next week! hehe.. ;D
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Post by dingodile5 on Mar 30, 2012 23:46:34 GMT 8
What time is Football Asia on Star Sports? The fresh episodes ah hehehe I'll watch it hope We can see PHI team there
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Post by spam on Mar 31, 2012 13:06:20 GMT 8
i remember reading an article during the challenge cup where the younghusbands and coach weiss was interviewed for futbol mundial, i know that's another show but maybe that's it. dingodile5it's on friday, april 6. 8PM on espn and 9PM on starsports.
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