Philippine Football

[kaiziken_pinas]

Hungary (FIFA rank 32 in the world) is just too strong, it scares the hell out of me. We fought against the U23 team of Uzbekistan (main national team ranked 56 in the world by FIFA), and they beat us 2-0.

Yep, scary as hell. But accepting the friendly against a team that is too damn strong would be beneficial to the team's buildup (but not good for their image if they lose 8-0 or something).

I remember that game against Uzbekistan. They totally dominated us. And the one against the Aussie u23 as well.

rhk, are some of the guys who're playing in the Aussie League (can't remember their names, but I remember one who happens to be half-Japanese) legit Filipinos and being recruited by the PFF?

[rhk111]

I remember that game against Uzbekistan. They totally dominated us. And the one against the Aussie u23 as well.

The U23 Uzbekhs dominated us, but I felt we actually had a better game against the U23 Aussies. The Aussies were just not as good as the Uzbekhs, as shown by the fact that they ended up last in their group (I think) in the London Qualifiers. Here are my recollections of both games:

- http://rhk111footballblog.wordpress....ruary-11-2012/

- http://rhk111footballblog.wordpress....ruary-16-2012/

rhk, are some of the guys who're playing in the Aussie League (can't remember their names, but I remember one who happens to be half-Japanese) legit Filipinos and being recruited by the PFF?

Sorry, not really aware of the other Azkals prospects in Asia. There are so many Fil-Fors playing competitive Football all over the world, and there are so many Fil-Fors with the Azkals now that my opinion is that unless the players are playing in the major leagues (A-League, MLS, etc.), or coming from the 3rd or 4th divisions of major European Football countries, maybe they should prove themselves first in the UFL.

And that is happening: A lot of Fil-Fors now are playing in the UFL. But so far, they have had limited impact ...

[rhk111]

* Etheridge, Ott back for Burma friendly
- http://sports.inquirer.net/84407/eth...burma-friendly

* Ateneo Blue Eagles wheel back to form, pace football
- http://www.philstar.com/sports/2013/...-pace-football

* Azkals coach Weiss high on Fil-Spanish striker Javier Patiño
- http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv...-javier-patino

* A New Football pitch soon to rise in Laguna
- http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/01...on-rise-laguna

[rhk111]

* His own chief: How Chieffy Caligdong became the master of his fate
- http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php...er-of-his-fate

* New Filipino-Spanish striker for Azkals
- http://sports.inquirer.net/84685/new...ker-for-azkals

* Azkals start training for Challenge Cup, SEAG
- http://www.spin.ph/sports/football/n...begin-training

[rhk111]

* AFC Women`s Asian Cup qualifiers in Bangladesh
http://filipinofootball.blogspot.com...ifiers-in.html

* Javier Patiño on loan to Xerez CD !
http://filipinofootball.blogspot.com...-xerez-cd.html

* Ray Anthony Jonsson signs for Icelandic club
http://filipinofootball.blogspot.com...ndic-club.html

* Azkals Coach Sees Challenge Cup Success
http://pinoyfootball.com/articles/11...ge-Cup-Success

* Filipino Wonderboy SANDRO REYES scores his first goal for FC Barcelona Escola. He was a Offside, but I don't think they call Offside when it comes to the kids. Still, fantastic technique the way he kicks the ball ... VIDEO: Sandro Reyes first FCB Escola Goal
http://pinoyfootball.com/articles/11...CB-Escola-Goal

* La Salle nears leaders
http://sports.inquirer.net/84935/la-salle-nears-leaders

[rhk111]

* You can now follow Pinoy Football Wonderkid Sandro Reyes on Facebook, this seems to be his official fan page. Quite updated also ...
https://www.facebook.com/SandroReyesPH

* Sandro's Highlight Video, if you haven't seen it yet ... Sandro Reyes 9 year old Filipino signed by FC Barcelona Escola 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xicc-R-L0Yg

* Sandro Reyes evens the score at FC Barcelona Escola game November 2012
http://youtu.be/8z_op3yb9sQ

* The next Lionel Messi? Watch the technique, at a very young age ... Sandro Reyes KIA Cup 2012 U10 highlights before joining FC Barcelona Escola
http://youtu.be/aDEwMeQL8bY

[rhk111]

Sandro Reyes seems to be the FIRST SOUTH EAST ASIAN to be accepted into FC Barcelona Escola. Out of so many South East Asian countries, all of whom are a lot crazier about Football than the Philippines, it took a Filipino to reach that level ...

[rhk111]

Manchester United is going to Thailand middle of this year, while for now, we can only try to get Aston Villa ...

PFF plans to invite Premier League’s Aston Villa for Philippine visit
http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv...ilippine-visit

[rhk111]

The Azkals take on Myanmar in an official International FIFA-sanctioned Friendly game tomorrow (Wed., Feb. 6, 2013). Here is a preview ...

Azkals to take on Myanmar in opening match of the year
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...ch-of-the-year

[rhk111]

Azkals with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Myanmar ...

Azkals vs. Myanmar White Angels, February 6, 2013

[reamily]

Yeah we almost beaten by that team if not for their poor shot execution..

[rhk111]

Yeah we almost beaten by that team if not for their poor shot execution..

Yup. Thanks to OJ Porteria on offense, and Neil Etheridge on defense, we managed to salvage a win in that game ...

Escape from Yangon: Azkals-Myanmar Postgame Thoughts
http://ph.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/the...160103215.html

Second international goal for "The Orange Juice" for the Azkals, at only 18 years old. Here is the goal itself ...
http://youtu.be/qheSfVFHVDY

[rhk111]

A summary of the Azkals' 2012 Season ...

Azkals 2012 Full-Year Statistics

[kerouac82]

A summary of the Azkals' 2012 Season ...

Azkals 2012 Full-Year Statistics

You said this on the entry:

SEA easily is the much tougher team than, say, most of Asia, except probably for South Korea, North Korea, Japan and Australia. The rest of the Asian Football countries are basically at least slightly inferior compared to the powerhouse SEA countries, hence it would be a bit unrealistic for us to expect to rule SEA anytime soon, especially if you factor in the fact that our local league is nowhere near the multi-million dollar leagues of the other SEA countries. In fact, I am beginning to doubt that would happen within the next decade or so.

You overlooked the West Asian teams. In this year's Asian Cup qualifiers, Jordan beat Singapore 4-0, Kuwait beat Thailand 3-1, Qatar beat Malaysia 2-0, and UAE beat Malaysia 2-1. The AFF countries are very competitive, but it is more realistic for the Philippines to make it to the 2015 Asian Cup (via the AFC Challenge Cup route -- North Korea will no longer participate) than for AFF countries to make it to Australia in 2015.

[rhk111]

You overlooked the West Asian teams. In this year's Asian Cup qualifiers, Jordan beat Singapore 4-0, Kuwait beat Thailand 3-1, Qatar beat Malaysia 2-0, and UAE beat Malaysia 2-1. The AFF countries are very competitive, but it is more realistic for the Philippines to make it to the 2015 Asian Cup (via the AFC Challenge Cup route -- North Korea will no longer participate) than for AFF countries to make it to Australia in 2015.

You got a point there, but when it comes to countries like Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, etc., these are normally considered as Middle Eastern countries, but FIFA put them as "West Asian" countries in their zoning. South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. are peanuts, we have all beaten them in the past, and I suspect we will continue beating them in the near future.

Yes, ruling SEA is difficult for PHL right now, and I do agree our next step should be going to the Asian Cup. Once we are there, though, expect the performance of the country in Football to plateau for decades to come, just as what happened with the other SEA teams. Incidentally, the qualifiers for the 2015 Asian Cup is ongoing, and ALL of the SEA teams have been defeated, bar none.

While at a Team Level SEA countries are languishing at the Asian level, at least we can hope that at an Individual Level our Football players can compete at a higher level. SEA players like Teerasil Dangda, for example, is now having trials with La Liga's Atletico Madrid, while Burma's Kyi Lin will reportedly do trials in Europe ...