The Philippine Men’s National Football Team is undaunted heading into the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
The next few weeks will see the Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT) engage in their biennial test against their ASEAN rivals. The ASEAN Football Federation Championship, referred to as the Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship purposes, is upon us once again.
The Philippines has yet to reach the final of this ten-team event. It has maxed out at the two-legged semifinal stage on four separate occasions. There is a hurdle that we just can’t seem to climb over.
Could this be the year we make history? There will likely be some familiar faces in Albert Capellas’ squad, like Patrick Reichelt and Manny Ott. But a new generation of Filipinos will need to step up in order to take us into uncharted territory. The GAME was able to catch up with three of them.
Mark Swainston: The Leyteño from Middlesborough via Hong Kong
Born in Tacloban, Swainston grew up in Hong Kong. The son of an English lawyer and a Leyteña mom, Swainston is a committed fan of Middlesborough FC, a former Premier League club that is currently sitting sixth in the table of The Championship, England’s second tier. He inherited his love for Boro from his Dad.
But when the Swainstons weren’t summering in North Yorkshire, they repaired to Tacloban.
“I always loved going back. I played basketball there, mainly. It was just a really secluded area, very different to what I’m used to,” recalls the midfielder.
“We had a small farm, and we’d stay at my Mom’s family home, and yeah, just chill.”
This is also where Swainston learned to love his mother’s favorite Filipino food, paksiw na isda.
“It’s one of those dishes I could have every day and not get bored,” he admits.
Swainston is also not bored by what he sees with the PMNFT under new coach Albert Capellas.
“I’ve yet to work with the new coach, but from what I’ve seen, I’m a fan,” says Swainston, who missed the last FIFA window due to injury. He is currently playing for Kaya-Iloilo FC and previously suited up for Kitchee, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent sides.
“I like that he (Capellas) wants to play a very possession-based game and dominate the ball. Yeah, it just looks good when I watch. So to play in that system would be amazing,” enthused the midfielder.
Swainston patterns his game after Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets, who defined the role of the holding midfielder for the Blaugrana for fifteen years. “I just liked how simple he made the game and how he just had an image of the entire pitch.”
The Philippines has traditionally been stacked in the middle of the park. Swainston will need to battle for playing time with the likes of Manny Ott, Sandro Reyes, and Zico Bailey. But as always, the AFF Championship is a game of “who is showing up.”
Unlike most other major tournaments, the Mitsubishi Electric will not be held during FIFA international windows, when clubs must release players to their national teams. Many of the Filipino players will be unable to show up because their clubs will not let them go. There are also insurance considerations, with players only being insured against injury in FIFA days.
It’s possible some first-choice players will not be able to suit up because, believe it or not, some ASEAN clubs themselves have previously chosen not to release. Swainston doesn’t have that problem with Kaya, and its league, the PFL, fully supporting the national team in this campaign.
“Mark is a quick learner tactically who is able to apply what the coach wants,” says Paul Tolentino, Kaya’s President and General Manager. “He can add depth and security in the midfield.”
Swainston should be fit by the time the competition rolls around, so with his skill set and special paksiw power, he just might make a difference.
Alex Monis: Chop wood, carry water
You can take Alex Monis out of Chicago but you cannot take Chicago out of Alex Monis. The PMNFT wideman is a diehard Chicago Bulls supporter.
“They’ve been pretty mediocre the past few years. They haven’t been good since the Derrick Rose days. So yeah. It’s been tough,” laments Monis.
The 5’7”-tall Monis played some baseball growing up as a Cubs fan, but after the age of 11, he switched to soccer for good. The son of a Filipino-American with roots in La Union was developed in the academy of the Chicago Fire, the Major League Soccer franchise of the Midwestern city.
Monis even made the senior team of the Fire and scored once in three appearances before ending up with the New England Revolution II, a side whose parent club plays in MLS. The club plays in MLS Next Pro, the North American third tier.
Monis is as old school as a pair of Air Jordan IVs, in the sense that he loves to sprint with the ball on the right flank and cross just before the byline. This goes against the trendy “inverted winger” position, where a right winger with a dominant right foot can cut in and immediately be a threat to shoot.
“I think I like to make the game simple, one and two touch, but in the final third I like to make runs behind, use my speed to beat defenders, and of course as a forward and midfielder you like getting goals and assists,” says Monis.
“I’ve always tried to emulate (Belgian legend) Eden Hazard. He’s a bit smaller in stature but also knows how to use his body well to get around defenders and shield defenders. He’s good at dribbling and quick, so I tried to emulate him.”
Monis got on in the Philippines’ last friendly, the 3-1 loss at Hong Kong, as a halftime sub, for his seventh senior appearance. He is pumped about coach Albert Capellas and his style.
“It’s very exciting for me because you can tell he wants to implement a style that’s on the front foot. We’re attacking, we want the ball to play no matter who we’re playing against. You know, we could be playing against France and we’re still going to try and play the same way of having possession and taking risks. We’re not scared to.”
Monis has been in the Philippines since the last window and is not going back presumably until the Mitsubishi Electric is done. The American soccer season runs roughly parallel to the baseball season, and this is his break time. Perhaps it will be a signal going forward that the Philippines should look for more talent in North America moving forward, especially in Mitsubishi Electric years.
One thing is certain: Monis is stoked about being on this team representing his ancestral homeland.
“I always love playing on the national team and representing the country. It makes things more meaningful, makes the stakes higher. In all the matches, everybody’s fighting. It’s much harder to win the match. In MLS Next Pro, it’s a bit more like a development league, with a focus working on the technical side of the match. And if you don’t win, there’s no relegation or punishment for losing, so it’s not as serious in that sense. But when I come to the national team, it’s much faster and everybody’s just fighting more, with the physicality, and playing older players. So I think it’s good for me.”
Rare for someone his age, Monis is an avid reader. His last book was “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How To Fall In Love With The Process of Being Great.”
“It’s about small life lessons, how to get little victories throughout the day and throughout life to achieve your goals in the long term.”
Seems fitting for a midfielder with such a bright future in football.
Uriel Dalapo: The long and winding road to the National Team
Kidapawan is a sleepy town of about 160,000 that serves as the capital of the province of Cotabato. Mindanao has plenty of football hotbeds, one of them being nearby Mlang in North Cotabato. But Kidapawan isn’t one of them.
Uriel Dalapo is from Kidapawan. His mother is a doctor, and his father is a former seaman who is now a businessman. Dalapo says that football in his hometown is pretty basic. The coaches are just teachers who coach it in school. There were no licensed coaches there when Dalapo was a kid picking up the game.
His talent drew the attention of Ateneo De Davao, where he played for the high school team. And then the pandemic came.
Somehow, Dalapo was recruited to play for and study at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, USA, where he finished his last two years of high school.
“My family and I decided that if I wanted to continue football, I have to get out of the Philippines. An agency gave me an opportunity so I grabbed it,” he says. Dalapo was scouted in the U16 national team.
“Honestly, para sa akin, (in the States) everyone is going to be really hard on you, but you have to keep on going even if everything is tough,” recalls Dalapo about his two years on the East Coast.
Dalapo spurned a chance to play collegiate ball in the States and instead trained for six months in an academy in Rome. Then he eventually got picked up to play for the retooled Davao Aguilas. A few months ago, he got his first senior cap for the Philippines against Tajikistan in the Merdeka Cup.
“It was a mixed feeling,” recalls Dalapo. “I was emotional, but also happy. Honestly, it was kinda difficult for me. But my teammates on the field kept pushing me and guiding me. They weren’t harsh on me.”
Dalapo’s greatest moment in Philippine football might be his spectacular game-winner against Stallion Laguna last year. Dalapo came on in the 81st minute and speared in a breathtaking goal to break a goalless stalemate.
“In the short time I have known him I can see that he is a hard worker with lots of potential, always dangerous with the ball. He will definitely be an asset to the team,” says Aguilas benefactor Jeff Cheng.
Dalapo is blazingly quick, a trait very useful in international play, and for a homegrown Filipino is strong and sturdy. He is just 20 years old, and could very well be, like Monis, in the mix for next year’s Southeast Asian Games. Another great thing about Dalapo is that he is comfortable on the left side of the attack, which is always welcome.
The youngster is also impressed with the coach, who he says is very organized, and tells you “what you are going to do, as in exactly what you are going to do” on the pitch before every game.
The Philippines will need offensive weapons out wide like Dalapo to complement Bjorn Kristensen up top. The striker appears to be good to go for the tournament since the Norwegian league where he plays will be on its winter break during the competition.
But Gerrit Holtmann is a question mark. He has been getting playing time with his club VfL Bochum in the second tier of the German Bundesliga, and it is not sure if his club will release him for the group stage. I am told that a deep run into the semifinals might mean he could follow. We shall see.
The Philippines begins the campaign with a home match against Myanmar on December 12 in Rizal Memorial. This new cohort of players will need to shine to keep our Mitsubishi Electric Cup dream alive once again.
Text BOB GUERRERO
Photography LORENZO CORRO
Creative Direction MARC YELLOW and CAS ASEOCHE
Shot on Location ARCA SOUTH PITCH
Official Venue Partner BARCA ACADEMY PHILIPPINES
Sittings Editor ANNIKA CANIZA
Production Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA
Special Thanks PHILIPPINE MEN’S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM