There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the Philippines Men’s National Team. But challenges abound.
It’s an interesting time for the Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT), a bunch of guys I like to call “The Athletes Formerly Known As The Azkals.”
The year has been a rollercoaster. In the first match, a World Cup qualifier away at Iraq in March, the boys battled valiantly on hostile turf before succumbing to a late winner from the Lions of Mesopotamia. There must have been good spirit in the camp for the return leg a few days later but the West Asians flattened the Philippines 5-0 in Rizal Memorial.
June saw another pair of losses to Vietnam and Indonesia in the matches that eliminated us from World Cup contention. The losing streak continued in the Merdeka Cup when we fell to Malaysia 2-1 in early September. But in the second game, the Pinoys held Tajikistan to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes. The Central Asians were ranked 40 spots above us, so this is a fine result. Yes, we lost the ensuing penalty shootout for third place, but this won’t go into FIFA record books. It’s officially a draw.
Coach Tom Saintfiet bailed on the team just before the Merdeka Cup, and Nonoy Fegidero stepped in. His team was lively and enterprising against Tajikistan, with Jarvey Gayoso, Bjorn Kristensen, JB Borlongan, and Dylan Demuynck all coming close to scoring.
The Filipinos will play the King’s Cup in Thailand next in the FIFA window. It’s a friendly four-team tournament just like the Merdeka. The Pinoys take on the home side on October 11 then battle either Syria or Tajikistan three days later. New Spanish coach Albert Capellas is in the saddle, hopefully for a long stint, with Nonoy remaining as an assistant.
All this is in preparation for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup in December, where we host Myanmar and Vietnam and play Indonesia and Laos away in the group stage.
There are points of hope but also areas of concern.
The PMNFT defense is sort of settled.
The PMNFT employed a back four of Scott Woods, Paul and Jeff Tabinas, and Amani Aguinaldo against the Tajiks. In the first game, it was Jesper Nyholm at centerback if I recall correctly.
The Tabinas brothers bring quickness and composure to the flanks and can bomb downfield as wingbacks as well. Jeff Tabinas also scored against Malaysia.
Nyholm is 31, not at all old for a central defender. His experience playing in Sweden, where he was born, as well as Thailand and now Malaysia, will be handy alongside either Aguinaldo or Paul Tabinas.
I have been informed that Joshua Grommen, a Fil-Australian son of a Dutchman and now playing CB for Uthai Thani, alongside Justin Baas in the Thai top tier, plans to rejoin the squad in the October window. The 28-year-old gives us yet another quality option in central defense. Same for Christian Rontini, a 6’2” Filipino-Italian playing his trade in Indonesia, who can play center back or holding mid.
Having a settled, cohesive back four that can organize themselves well and have familiarity with one another is vital to the success of any team at any level. In the Merdeka Cup, the Philippines allowed only one goal in open play. Let’s hope we have the same solidity in Thailand.
Both Neil Etheridge and Kevin Mendoza got starts in the Merdeka. The PMNFT is deep in goal, with Pat Deyto also in the mix. The choice might be between Etheridge, a respected force in the dressing room and a link to the Philippines’ glorious recent past, and the younger Mendoza, who is good with the ball at his feet.
We could be great in attack.
There is consistent chatter that Gerrit Holtmann could be coming out of international hibernation to suit up for the PMNFT. The Fil-German is now in SV Darmstadt in the second tier of German football. Holtmann scored the Bundesliga goal of the year for Bochum in 2021 but since then his career trajectory has been stalled.
The 29-year-old wide man has only one goal for the Philippines, against Mongolia last year in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier. He is stuck at two caps. If he does indeed lace up his boots for the Philippines then he could be transformational for the side on the wing.
Holtmann might also be angling to show his wares to the ASEAN football scene and see if there is any interest in him from a team in Thailand or maybe even Vietnam.
Sebastian Rasmussen is another player who could be in the mix. The towering 6’4” inch striker from Danish top-flight side Hobro would be keen to add to his tally of two goals for the Philippines, both against minnows Brunei in the last AFF Championship in 2022.
Like Rasmussen, Bjorn Kristensen is 22 years old and playing in a Scandinavian top tier, in Norway. He was blooded in the Merdeka Cup.
If you throw in Gayoso, Demuynck, Kevin Ingreso, and Patrick Reichelt you have a whole load of arrows in Capellas’ quiver. Any of these guys can score. With Manny Ott resurfacing to pull strings in midfield, we could give other teams fits on offense.
Nick Markanich has been another name being thrown around as a possible PMNFT striker. The 24-year-old has been setting the USL Championship ablaze with his team, the Charleston Battery. The USL is the tier below Major League Soccer. He has scored 25 goals this season. But there is a big problem with him: his Philippine citizenship is not yet sorted according to Gonzalez. So this could be complicated and could take a while.
The Philippines will need a proper free-kick taker. Late in the game against Tajikistan, we were gifted a free kick on the left corner of the penalty box facing the goal. That’s a prime spot for a right-footed kicker because the right-to-left bend of his kick suits the angle of the goal well. To my surprise, it was a lefty, Gayoso, who ended up taking the shot. He did well to get it on target but it was an easy save for the goalie.
Set pieces can be a crucial source of goals, and we are hoping that a free-kick taker emerges in the coming matches.
So our offense in theory can be great, but….
It’s a big if because we don’t know who is showing up until they show up.
Sources from the national team management say this is going to be a strong team with one caveat: basically “if everyone shows up.”
Both national team manager Freddy Gonzalez and media officer Jing Jamlang were tight-lipped about some possible inclusions, and it’s easy to see why. Until the landing gear is on the tarmac and the player physically steps off the plane onto the tunnel leading to the airport, it is not guaranteed he will suit up.
It could be anything preventing their appearance. An ill-timed injury, a family situation, or a transfer to a new club that is pressuring him not to go. At the end of the day, the club game is every pro’s priority. International football is but an occasional diversion to his work. So getting the entire gang together can be tough. This is obviously not a situation unique to the Philippines.
The other matter is this: will these players playing in the friendlies be available for the Mitsubishi Electric in December? Ideally, only players committed to that competition should be fielded in the lead-up. But this is not an ideal world and there are variables aplenty.
Gonzalez says the Scandinavian leagues will take an early winter break, so the likes of Rasmussen and Kristensen will be available. The American soccer season concludes in the fall, so that frees up folks like Alex Monis and the Baldisimo brothers.
So the program will chug along in the next few months. There are two more friendlies in November before the AFF Mitsubishi Electric starts on December 12. There is a chance this team could do some damage, but fans need to keep their fingers crossed so that everything falls into place.
Banner images from PMNFT on Facebook.