Post by rhk111 on Jan 2, 2016 22:06:59 GMT 8
Limpag: Will 2016 be the year Azkals win Suzuki?
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
By MIKE T. LIMPAG
FAIR PLAY
AFTER three straight semifinal finishes in Southeast Asia's premier football tournament, will things change for the Philippines in 2016?
That semifinal stint in 2010 changed the football landscape, the stint in 2012 made us realize that not only do we need better players, we need better coaches, too. In 2014, fans were again reminded that while the Suzuki Cup is the premier football even in Southeast Asia, it's not a factor in the football world and isn't part of the Fifa calendar. And for a team that has members playing in the European leagues, getting them released is a touchy issue.
So, will 2016 be finally the year that we get over that semifinal hump? Will Coach Thomas Dooley and Dan Palami work that Azkal magic and somehow get us past a semifinal stint against our regional neighbors whose pool of talent seems to be unlimited? Our neighbors are starting to look at our model and adapt it, looking for citizens born or raised in Europe who could be called up for the national team.
And that's in addition to their vast pool of talent at home, playing in their domestic leagues that are light years ahead of ours.
In 2016, we will be hosting the Suzuki Cup, and while previous home games weren't not occassions to brag of in terms of fan attendance, I hope things will change in the tournament. I hope fans come in droves and fill the stands.
We need that if we want to chase that dream of winning the Suzuki Cup.
(Article intentionally cut, to read more go to: www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2015/12/30/limpag-will-2016-be-year-azkals-win-suzuki-449445)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
By MIKE T. LIMPAG
FAIR PLAY
AFTER three straight semifinal finishes in Southeast Asia's premier football tournament, will things change for the Philippines in 2016?
That semifinal stint in 2010 changed the football landscape, the stint in 2012 made us realize that not only do we need better players, we need better coaches, too. In 2014, fans were again reminded that while the Suzuki Cup is the premier football even in Southeast Asia, it's not a factor in the football world and isn't part of the Fifa calendar. And for a team that has members playing in the European leagues, getting them released is a touchy issue.
So, will 2016 be finally the year that we get over that semifinal hump? Will Coach Thomas Dooley and Dan Palami work that Azkal magic and somehow get us past a semifinal stint against our regional neighbors whose pool of talent seems to be unlimited? Our neighbors are starting to look at our model and adapt it, looking for citizens born or raised in Europe who could be called up for the national team.
And that's in addition to their vast pool of talent at home, playing in their domestic leagues that are light years ahead of ours.
In 2016, we will be hosting the Suzuki Cup, and while previous home games weren't not occassions to brag of in terms of fan attendance, I hope things will change in the tournament. I hope fans come in droves and fill the stands.
We need that if we want to chase that dream of winning the Suzuki Cup.
(Article intentionally cut, to read more go to: www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2015/12/30/limpag-will-2016-be-year-azkals-win-suzuki-449445)