|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 11, 2011 10:38:32 GMT 8
Palami: Azkals willing to play friendly vs. CebuBy Cheska D. Geli Wednesday, August 10, 2011 THE Philippine national football team gears up for another challenge when it faces neighboring countries in the Long Teng Cup at Kaoshiong, Chinese Taipei on Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. Team manager Dan Palami said the national team will take on the host, Macau and Hong Kong’s under-23 team and possibly Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia after the three nations were invited by the organizers. Palami said the Azkals lineup will be a mixed selection of senior players and under-23 members depending on the availability of players. Most of the members of the senior team are on a one-month break and the players are scheduled to gather in the third week of August. After the Long Teng Cup, the under-23 players will be back in the Philippines to train for the Southeast Asian Games, while the senior team will be bound for the Middle East to play against Gulf countries. “”We are still arranging the games for the friendly. There still no definite country yet,” said Palami. Aside from the matches outside the country, the Philippine team is tentatively booked to play a friendly against Nepal on Oct. 9. There are also negotiations for a friendly game against Pakistan and India. Palami said that all the friendly games will be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium since the pitch at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod needs to be improved. Palami mentioned that his team will be open to playing in an exhibition match with the Cebuano selection team upon invitation of Ricky Ballesteros for friendly game after the rehabilitation of the football field of the Cebu City Sports Center. “Of course we want to, we’re interested. But there should be a good venue because it’s very different to schedule events if walang venue,” Palami said. Link: www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2011/08/10/palami-azkals-willing-play-friendly-vs-cebu-172159#.TkK2j4uYkkc.facebook
|
|
|
Post by Caz on Aug 12, 2011 11:07:56 GMT 8
It is my understanding that only senior team vs senior team results affect FIFA rankings, or at least have the most weight. So matches with HK's U-21 or U-23 teams do not affect the rank much, if at all.
In order to up their game, I do like that the team goes up against higher ranked teams like those in the middle east. These drubbings to provide good learning experiences. Casual fans may not understand the value of these losses but they are important.
I believe they'll pay off when we face SEA teams again, like in this year's proposed Manila Beer Cup or the Suzuki Cup next year.
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 12, 2011 12:15:29 GMT 8
I believe they'll pay off when we face SEA teams again, like in this year's proposed Manila Beer Cup or the Suzuki Cup next year. As far as I know the SEA Games feature U-23 teams since 1999. While it is evident that this cup and the SEA Games could be insignificant in the country's FIFA rankings, I am happy enough to see that we are just getting started to open up more opportunities, like the proposed friendly matches and the Manila Beer Cup.
|
|
|
Post by Caz on Aug 13, 2011 23:50:02 GMT 8
If, however, we send our senior team, the games against other senior teams in the Long Teng cup may be considered friendlies by FIFA. These may affect our ranking.
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 13, 2011 23:59:07 GMT 8
If, however, we send our senior team, the games against other senior teams in the Long Teng cup may be considered friendlies by FIFA. These may affect our ranking. ...which will be unlikely this edition of the Cup, as we are sending our U-23 team. On the other hand, I have noticed quite a number of our fellow Filipino OFW fans who have watched the 2011 Jones Cup in Taipei cheering for the Smart Gilas national basketball team. I do hope we would see them too in Kaohsiung during the Long Teng Cup. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Wiking on Aug 14, 2011 0:04:01 GMT 8
If, however, we send our senior team, the games against other senior teams in the Long Teng cup may be considered friendlies by FIFA. These may affect our ranking. ...which will be unlikely this edition of the Cup, as we are sending our U-23 team. On the other hand, I have noticed quite a number of our fellow Filipino OFW fans who have watched the 2011 Jones Cup in Taipei cheering for the Smart Gilas national basketball team. I do hope we would see them too in Kaohsiung during the Long Teng Cup. ;D Hi, thought that it was going to be a mix of seniors too. Coulda swore I read it in an article with Palami commenting? So its just pure U23 now for sure?
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 14, 2011 0:11:10 GMT 8
We'll just wait for the final team line-up by the end of the month for sure. I'll not complain if our starting XI is purely U-23 and the subs are from the senior team.
For now, let's all just have high hopes for whoever will play in the Cup.
|
|
|
Post by Wiking on Aug 14, 2011 8:57:34 GMT 8
We'll just wait for the final team line-up by the end of the month for sure. I'll not complain if our starting XI is purely U-23 and the subs are from the senior team. For now, let's all just have high hopes for whoever will play in the Cup. Ill be selfish and say I was hoping the Burkeys, Sabios, Bahadoran, Sacapanos, Geners and other local Azkals would start, with some of the U23s fortifying the line up, just because I want to see the subs play a leading role in an international, BUT, I know, the best would be to have the U23s play together and so have that "team cohesion" for the more important SEA games. Either way, you know who Ill be rooting for By the way does anyone know if theyre gonna televise the LT Cup?
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 14, 2011 9:25:38 GMT 8
Ill be selfish and say I was hoping the Burkeys, Sabios, Bahadoran, Sacapanos, Geners and other local Azkals would start, with some of the U23s fortifying the line up, just because I want to see the subs play a leading role in an international, BUT, I know, the best would be to have the U23s play together and so have that "team cohesion" for the more important SEA games. Either way, you know who Ill be rooting for By the way does anyone know if theyre gonna televise the LT Cup? I get your point. We need our U23 team to have that cohesiveness before they'd play for the SEA Games. But from the words we're hearing from Dan Palami, I think we might not be seeing the senior members play for this tournament since they are to prepare for a proposed friendly with 3 to-be-determined Middle East nations that happened to be coinciding with the LT Cup. As for the TV coverage, I'm still waiting for any announcement from any Taiwanese network on which of them would televise the games. Taiwan TV and CTS has covered the cup, but through post-game reports and analysis. ABS-CBN will sure cover the cup as they'll be sending either Dyan Castillejo or TJ Manotoc to Taiwan 2-3 weeks from now. Let's just wait for further announcements.
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 15, 2011 12:51:01 GMT 8
It's confirmed from the words of Mariano Araneta that the team to be sent in Taiwan for the tournament would be a mix of senior and U-23 players. But just to make sure, we'll wait for the final lineup of the U-23 team from the PFF.
Source:http://www.philstar.com/thedeanscorner/articlescontent.aspx?articleid=716993&publicationsubcategoryid=69
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 22, 2011 10:59:40 GMT 8
CTFA Online - Kicking off the passion for footballThe 2010 World Cup held in South Africa achieved success on an unprecedented level. Not only did the event capture the hearts and minds of the South African people, it also united the nation, helping dispel much of the racial discrimination that has for so long cast a shadow over the country. The 2010 South Africa World Cup was yet another resounding success for Football’s International Governing Body, ‘FIFA’, attracting a viewer ship of over 400 million football fans worldwide, and earning the organization some USD $600 million in the process. Taiwan, too, was hit with a bout of ‘football fever’, and enjoyed a slew of special World Cup screenings throughout the country. The live broadcast of the World Cup final between Holland and Spain at Kaoshiung National Stadium alone attracted crowds of over 15,000 and highlighted the growing number of football fans in Taiwan. If the Chinese Taipei National team where themselves to rise to this, arguably the grandest of international sporting stages, one can only imagine how much more enthusiastic such support would be. In the aftermath of the South Africa World Cup, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education took advantage of this newfound ‘football fever’ to further promote and popularize the sport among elementary schools throughout the country. The number of competing teams exploded from 4,000 in 2010 to some 6,000 in 2011, where the number of young footballers competing surpassed the 60,000 mark. Nowhere more so than within the smiles and laughter of these young footballers is (the hope for) the future of Taiwanese football more visible. Since 2010, thanks to the hard work of the CTFA, Sports Commission and Ministry of Education, as well as the unwavering support of each and every town, city and country across the nation, both the quality and quantity of football-related activities in Taiwan have seen marked improvements in recent years. Nowhere is this more visible than in the Chinese Taipei National Men’s Team, who, between 2009-2011, shot from 170 to 147 in the FIFA World Rankings. No small feat indeed. In September 2010, Taiwan hosted its first international competition in 20 years, the Long Teng Cup. Taiwan made it to the finals, and, though they led Hong Kong in the first half, they sadly conceded their hard-earned lead in the second half and eventually had to settle for the runner-up spot. Compare this with the 4-0 defeat suffered at the hands of Hong Kong only two years ago during the 2009 East Asia Cup, however, and the astounding progress the Chinese Taipei National team has made over the last few years is clear to see.The Taiwanese National team have remained under the spotlight here in 2011. In February of this year, Chinese Taipei powered to a sterling 5-2 victory over Asian neighbours Laos – a result that was met with jubilation from Taiwanese fans – and in March hosted Jordan in a 2012 Olympic qualifier, drawing crowds of over 3,000 to the National Stadium in Taipei. Though the team lost 0-2, the fans were in excellent spirits and remained around the stadium for a long time after the match, hoping to catch a glimpse of their National team heroes. The end of March also saw the National Women’s team host another Olympic qualifying match in Kaoshiung and, though they failed to qualify, their impressive and courageous performance drew the unanimous support of Taiwanese fans. The level of interest of football fans towards the Taiwanese National teams, not in regards to competitive matches, but also to the activities of individual players has already seen a clear and dramatic increase in recent times. Therefore, thanks to pressure from fans and the planning of the football association, CTFA have decided to open up a special website, dedicated entirely to Taiwanese football; ‘CTFA Online’, which will report on and supply information about competitions and activities in the Men’s and Women’s Premier Leagues as well as all Men’s and Women’s National Games. CTFA Online will not only provide football fans with greater access to information on the country’s top teams and players, but will also provide a new platform on which they can interact with themselves and the team. The website will also open up further commercial opportunities for sports equipment manufacturers, giving them a chance to showcase their newest products, direct to consumers. CTFA understands that football is an industry unto itself. Through CTFA Online, we hope to link teams, players, fans, businesses, sponsors and local football associations in a way never before seen in Taiwan, connecting each and every aspect of this most unique of industries. It is our hope that CTFA Online will function as a popular foundation on which Taiwan football can continue to grow and grow. CTFA Chairman, K.S. Lu Link: www.ctfacompetition.com.tw/en/news/detail/1/489/
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 23, 2011 10:33:32 GMT 8
I've checked the Chinese Taipei Football Association website and they are already posting the schedules for the upcoming Long Teng Cup in Kaohsiung this September. Good thing I know how to read and write Chinese so, the tournament's first group stages will apparently look like this (this will happen if there will be 6 teams) (all times GMT+8): Day 1, September 28, 2011: A) 15:00 (Group 2 vs. Group 5 ) B) 17:00 (Group 3 vs. Group 4) C) 19:00 (Group 6 vs. Group 1 (possibly defending Champion)) As I am seeing here, it will be a round robin tournament. From the next fixture downward, I'll just be posting the official schedules as soon as the October schedule will be out. But if you get any idea for a possible lineup of fixtures, feel free to post. Source: www.ctfa.com.tw/calendar/2011m.htm (in Chinese)
|
|
|
Post by Wiking on Aug 23, 2011 11:42:14 GMT 8
Thank you much stellarboy!! Please do keep us updated. I am super looking forward to this cup so I can see some of the senior and U23 players again. I need my Azkal fix, haha. Im hoping it will be televised and if not maybe live streaming? Now if they'd only release a players roster...
|
|
|
Post by Wiking on Aug 25, 2011 3:54:55 GMT 8
Finally some news!! Philippines back on training starting Monday[/color] Manila, AUGUST 24 (Sugod.com) – Several members of the national team are scheduled to be back on training by Monday next week as part of their preparations for the upcoming Long Teng Cup in Taiwan. It will be the first training session for the senior squad since their 2-1 loss over Kuwait less than a month ago. Kaya’s new signing Nate Burkey will be part of the squad who will be training at the Alabang Country Club and Rizal Memorial The training is open to the public and media. Nate Burkey earned international recognition when he scored an equalizer against Sri Lanka at the Sugathadasa Stadium for the 2014 World Cup qualifying Asian Zone first round. sugod.com/11078/philippines-back-on-training-starting-monday/
|
|
|
Post by stellarboy on Aug 26, 2011 17:19:16 GMT 8
2011 Long Teng Cup in Chinese Taipei Schedule (Philippines Group Stage Fixtures, Final List): All games at the Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. All times GMT+8.
30 Sep 2011, 16:30: PHILIPPINES - Hong Kong; 2 Oct 2011, 19:00: PHILIPPPINES - Chinese Taipei; 4 Oct 2011, 16:30: PHILIPPINES - Macau.
Announcements for tickets will be posted later as it will be announced.
|
|