Azkals return to international play in Long Teng Cup

The Azkals wasted no time after arriving in Taiwan Thursday, jumping into action against Hong Kong Friday afternoon for the opening match of the Long Teng Cup. With Hong Kong (156) currently ranked ten places above the Philippines (166) in the FIFA World Rankings, the opening match should be a well fought game that could go either way. It will also go a long way in showing how far the team has improved in the last year after a previous article showed they were the second most improved nation in the world according to ELO system rankings. The first match of the four-nation tournament pitting the Philippines vs Hong Kong may even decide who wins the competition. The Philippines and Hong Kong are the two highest ranked nations, followed by hosts Taiwan (172) and tournament whipping boys Macau (191). Whoever can get three points from this game will become the favorites to win the overall competition. The Long Teng Cup The Long Teng Cup itself only began in 2010. Used as preparation by the Azkals for the Suzuki Cup, it gave them the competition necessary to be ready to face the likes of Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia later that year. Losing to Hong Kong, drawing with Taiwan and then destroying Macau 5-0 meant that the Philippines finished third, a result which many are expecting them to improve on this time around. Facing Singapore on October 7th and Nepal on October 11th, the team will have no time to relax as they will continue playing against tough competition. This time around, there is no Suzuki Cup to look forward to right after, but the Philippine team, which includes a number of Under 23 players, will be looking to prepare and grab a medal in this year's SEA games. Shown in the 3-0 demolition of Bangladesh to qualify for the final round of the Challenge Cup, the 4-0 win over Sri Lanka which took them to the Second Round of the World Cup and the gutsy performance that followed against a highly ranked Kuwait team, the Azkals are expected to pull out all the stops to try to win the competition. A New Breed of Azkals Last year, Ian Araneta led the scoring charts, scoring four goals. After a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Macau and scoring an injury-time equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Taiwan, he will be hoping to add to this tally. His opportunities, however, may be diminished, as Coach Weiss and Manager Dan Palami look to give experience to the new breed of Azkals. Debuts will also be given to Roland Müller in goal, with Neil Etheridge looking to break into the Fulham team back in England. Midfielder Lexton Moy, who recently joined Kaya FC in the UFL, 20-year old forward Jeff Christianens, and defenders Carlos de Murga, Lemuel Unabia, Nickson Leonara and Reymark Fernandez complete the roster for the Nationals. Fernandez studies at UP Diliman and shows that there is still quality football players to be found and nurtured in the University system. However, fellow UP students Jinggoy Valmayor and Stephen Palmeres didn’t make the final cut, but the State University mainstays show the quality that UP Coach and former Azkal Anto Gonzales is producing. The trio are also likely to feature heavily in the SEA games. Success The Azkals will be looking to go to Taiwan to win all three games. Though the team has improved remarkably and made history, qualifying for several tournaments over the last year, teams are mostly judged on trophies and not on potential. The Long Teng Cup presents a great chance for the Azkals to win a trophy and gain valuable points the team needs to climb the FIFA rankings and prove their quality. It can be the Philippines’ first tournament win since their glory days when former FC Barcelona great Paulino Alcántara was still playing, their last victory coming in 1913 when they won the Far Eastern Games. Manager Dan Palami and Coach Weiss have done great things to bring the team to where they are now. With a little bit of luck all that hard-work and determination may just start showing their dividends this time around and they could bring home the first piece of silverware in almost 100 years. -- RAF/OMG, GMA News