Post by Usapang Football on Dec 15, 2011 11:10:52 GMT 8
Preceded by: 2010: The Year of the Azkals
January
The Euphoria Begins
Coming off from a sensational Suzuki Cup campaign, the Azkals were fast becoming a household name and were the hottest prospects in Philippine sports. Their fanbase was growing rapidly and financial and commercial support were pouring in. Philippine football was back on its' feet.
Michael Weiss Arrives
Promising German tactician Hans Michael Weiss, who was hyped to hold a CV two inches thick, took the helm of the Azkals coaching staff. He previously held the post of the Rwanda U-17 team as well as having coaching experiences in China, Spain, Germany and Japan.
February
New Look Azkals Shows Promise
Michael Weiss has his baptism of fire in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying play-off match against Mongolia. The Philippine team strut their new style of play in a not-so-convincing 2-0 win over the Blue Wolves. Chieffy Caligdong opened the scoring with a brilliant nutmeg of the opposition keeper while Phil Younghusband made it two-nothing with a neat curling effort to send the crowd in a frenzy.
March
Cold Feet in Ulan Bataar
Tested under an entirely new environment, the Azkals' poor finishing showed and costed them their 2nd leg clash with Mongolia in the coldest city in the world. Nonetheless, the Filipinos advanced to the main qualifying stage of the Challenge Cup, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
An All New Challenge
Just six days after advancing, the Azkals were once again in action against three Asian nations vying for a spot in the continent's secondary competition. They opened their campaign with a 1-all draw with Myanmar, followed by a goalless draw with Palestine before finally ending their run with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh.
Angel Guirado makes his debut in this tournament, opening his account with 2 goals in the process against Bangladesh.
June
The German Test
In preparation for their World Cup Qualifying First Round match against Sri Lanka, the Azkals open camp in Duren, Germany, winning 4-1 against a local selection and against Bonner SC's U-19 team and losing 0-4 against 2.Bundesliga side Ingolstadt FC and 0-5 against Darmstadt 98.
Falling Short in Colombo
Despite being the oddsmakers' favorites, the Azkals failed to pick up a win in Colombo, Sri Lanka, drawing 1-all with the Brave Reds. The lone PHL goal came from Nate Burkey who was making his debut for the national side.
Highly-rated German playmaker Stephan Schrock also caught the eye of many spectators with a dazzling display of pace and technique.
July
The Dream Continues
Not relying on an away-goal win to advance, the Azkals ripped the Sri Lankan side apart 4-0 to send the country into their first ever 2nd Round World Cup Qualifying game and Filipino football fans into ecstasy. Up next for the Azkals would be a much-experienced Kuwaiti side later that month.
A Test in the Desert
In a bid to acclimatize to the climate of Kuwait, the Azkals open camp in Bahrain, where they played two exhibition matches against a much-younger though much-experienced Bahrain U-23 team. The PHL team lost both encounters 2-1 and 3-1 in front of a majority Filipino crowd, thought showing a lot of promise.
Azkals Get the Blues
The Azkals faced their toughest competition in recent memory, an away match against Kuwait, dubbed "The Blues". Influential captain Aly Borromeo and key playmaker Stephan Schrock were both absent due to suspensions. In the end, the Azkals were at the mercy of a much-fancied Kuwaiti side, losing 3-0.
Dare to Believe
Facing an uphill battle to extend their dream of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, the Azkals had to reverse a three goal deficit against the Kuwaiti side. This time, Stephan Schrock returned to the fold after serving his suspension. The Greuther Feurth player proudly exclaimed: "If I did not believe that we had a chance of winning, I would not have bothered to come."
Schrock's resilience powered the Azkals to a shock 1-0 lead against the Kuwaitis at half time, before the Blues were reduced to 10-mean a few minutes after the restart. In the dying minutes of the game however, the experience and technique of the Kuwaitis proved too much for the Philippines as they picked up a narrow 2-1 win, ending the Azkals' dream World Cup Qualifying run.
September-October
The Long Teng Cup
Coming off a promising World Cup campaign, the Azkals were favorites to win their first international silverware in many years, the Long Teng Cup.
Though falling short, the team found solace in the fact that their 2nd place finish was an improvement from the 2010 edition of the same tournament. The Azkals drew 3-3 against a much fancied Hong Kong side, a goalless draw with Taiwan before winning 2-0 against Macau.
Chieffy Caligdong also won the "golden boot" of the tournament, scoring five goals.
A Home Crowd in Singapore
In a move aimed at improving their FIFA rankings, the Azkals faced Singapore in a friendly in Kallang, Singapore. The 6,000-seater stadium was dominated by the local Filipino community, making the match seem like a home game for the Azkals.
The Lions' veteran Serbian striker, Aleksander Duric shined in a 2-0 defeat of the Azkals, scoring a goal in the process.
Danish-Filipino prospects Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena made their debut in the match and Dutch-Filipino sensation Paul Mulders also made a return to the national side.
Redemption
Four days later, the Azkals sought redemption for their loss in another friendly match against a higher-ranked Nepal side.
From the onset of the game, the Azkals displayed fluid passing and skilful technique to dazzle the visiting Nepalese players winning the game 4-0 in front of the home crowd.
December
In an Unfamiliar Galaxy
Reeling from a disastrous run by the U-23 side in the Southeast Asian Games, the Azkals looked to delight the home crowd by taking on the star-studded line-up of LA Galaxy, who were also the Major League Soccer Cup holders.
The likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane amazed the home crowd so much, they didn't care about the 6-1 scoreline of the Galaxy's win.
========================================
The Galaxy game capped a memorable year for the Azkals, who made history by qualifying for the first time for the AFC Challenge Cup but as well as advancing to the second round of the AFC World Cup Qualifiers as well. They also improved in minor competition such as the Long Teng Cup.
It was a year when we all dared to believe, and although some would say we were disappointed, no one can deny that it was worth the faith. We can only look with excitement at what 2012 will bring to the team.
January
The Euphoria Begins
Coming off from a sensational Suzuki Cup campaign, the Azkals were fast becoming a household name and were the hottest prospects in Philippine sports. Their fanbase was growing rapidly and financial and commercial support were pouring in. Philippine football was back on its' feet.
Michael Weiss Arrives
Promising German tactician Hans Michael Weiss, who was hyped to hold a CV two inches thick, took the helm of the Azkals coaching staff. He previously held the post of the Rwanda U-17 team as well as having coaching experiences in China, Spain, Germany and Japan.
February
New Look Azkals Shows Promise
Michael Weiss has his baptism of fire in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying play-off match against Mongolia. The Philippine team strut their new style of play in a not-so-convincing 2-0 win over the Blue Wolves. Chieffy Caligdong opened the scoring with a brilliant nutmeg of the opposition keeper while Phil Younghusband made it two-nothing with a neat curling effort to send the crowd in a frenzy.
March
Cold Feet in Ulan Bataar
Tested under an entirely new environment, the Azkals' poor finishing showed and costed them their 2nd leg clash with Mongolia in the coldest city in the world. Nonetheless, the Filipinos advanced to the main qualifying stage of the Challenge Cup, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
An All New Challenge
Just six days after advancing, the Azkals were once again in action against three Asian nations vying for a spot in the continent's secondary competition. They opened their campaign with a 1-all draw with Myanmar, followed by a goalless draw with Palestine before finally ending their run with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh.
Angel Guirado makes his debut in this tournament, opening his account with 2 goals in the process against Bangladesh.
June
The German Test
In preparation for their World Cup Qualifying First Round match against Sri Lanka, the Azkals open camp in Duren, Germany, winning 4-1 against a local selection and against Bonner SC's U-19 team and losing 0-4 against 2.Bundesliga side Ingolstadt FC and 0-5 against Darmstadt 98.
Falling Short in Colombo
Despite being the oddsmakers' favorites, the Azkals failed to pick up a win in Colombo, Sri Lanka, drawing 1-all with the Brave Reds. The lone PHL goal came from Nate Burkey who was making his debut for the national side.
Highly-rated German playmaker Stephan Schrock also caught the eye of many spectators with a dazzling display of pace and technique.
July
The Dream Continues
Not relying on an away-goal win to advance, the Azkals ripped the Sri Lankan side apart 4-0 to send the country into their first ever 2nd Round World Cup Qualifying game and Filipino football fans into ecstasy. Up next for the Azkals would be a much-experienced Kuwaiti side later that month.
A Test in the Desert
In a bid to acclimatize to the climate of Kuwait, the Azkals open camp in Bahrain, where they played two exhibition matches against a much-younger though much-experienced Bahrain U-23 team. The PHL team lost both encounters 2-1 and 3-1 in front of a majority Filipino crowd, thought showing a lot of promise.
Azkals Get the Blues
The Azkals faced their toughest competition in recent memory, an away match against Kuwait, dubbed "The Blues". Influential captain Aly Borromeo and key playmaker Stephan Schrock were both absent due to suspensions. In the end, the Azkals were at the mercy of a much-fancied Kuwaiti side, losing 3-0.
Dare to Believe
Facing an uphill battle to extend their dream of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, the Azkals had to reverse a three goal deficit against the Kuwaiti side. This time, Stephan Schrock returned to the fold after serving his suspension. The Greuther Feurth player proudly exclaimed: "If I did not believe that we had a chance of winning, I would not have bothered to come."
Schrock's resilience powered the Azkals to a shock 1-0 lead against the Kuwaitis at half time, before the Blues were reduced to 10-mean a few minutes after the restart. In the dying minutes of the game however, the experience and technique of the Kuwaitis proved too much for the Philippines as they picked up a narrow 2-1 win, ending the Azkals' dream World Cup Qualifying run.
September-October
The Long Teng Cup
Coming off a promising World Cup campaign, the Azkals were favorites to win their first international silverware in many years, the Long Teng Cup.
Though falling short, the team found solace in the fact that their 2nd place finish was an improvement from the 2010 edition of the same tournament. The Azkals drew 3-3 against a much fancied Hong Kong side, a goalless draw with Taiwan before winning 2-0 against Macau.
Chieffy Caligdong also won the "golden boot" of the tournament, scoring five goals.
A Home Crowd in Singapore
In a move aimed at improving their FIFA rankings, the Azkals faced Singapore in a friendly in Kallang, Singapore. The 6,000-seater stadium was dominated by the local Filipino community, making the match seem like a home game for the Azkals.
The Lions' veteran Serbian striker, Aleksander Duric shined in a 2-0 defeat of the Azkals, scoring a goal in the process.
Danish-Filipino prospects Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena made their debut in the match and Dutch-Filipino sensation Paul Mulders also made a return to the national side.
Redemption
Four days later, the Azkals sought redemption for their loss in another friendly match against a higher-ranked Nepal side.
From the onset of the game, the Azkals displayed fluid passing and skilful technique to dazzle the visiting Nepalese players winning the game 4-0 in front of the home crowd.
December
In an Unfamiliar Galaxy
Reeling from a disastrous run by the U-23 side in the Southeast Asian Games, the Azkals looked to delight the home crowd by taking on the star-studded line-up of LA Galaxy, who were also the Major League Soccer Cup holders.
The likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane amazed the home crowd so much, they didn't care about the 6-1 scoreline of the Galaxy's win.
========================================
The Galaxy game capped a memorable year for the Azkals, who made history by qualifying for the first time for the AFC Challenge Cup but as well as advancing to the second round of the AFC World Cup Qualifiers as well. They also improved in minor competition such as the Long Teng Cup.
It was a year when we all dared to believe, and although some would say we were disappointed, no one can deny that it was worth the faith. We can only look with excitement at what 2012 will bring to the team.