Azkals training in Bacolod ahead of international friendlies

The Philippine Azkals left for Bacolod on Monday for a training camp ahead of their international friendlies in two weeks’ time. A number of familiar faces joined the team but among the regulars are some returning players eager to impress Coach Weiss and Manager Dan Palami, after the squad's third place finish in the Challenge Cup held in Nepal earlier in the year. The 23 players will be based at San Carlos City first to train from May 21-24 before moving to Bacolod City from May 25-28. With the first division of the UFL taking a break to help the players focus on the training the team expects to be well-prepared for the friendly games in less than a fortnight’s time. The month of June will be a busy one for the Azkals. They fly to Kuala Lampur to face Malaysia on June 1 at the Shah Alam Stadium, followed by Indonesia at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on June 5, and then finally Guam, at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod on June 12. Returning players and new rivalries With four Fil-Germans unavailable for the AFC Challenge Cup returning, the squad will be even stronger than the team who finished third in Nepal. The obvious standout is Stephan Schröck who will return to shore up the midfield while Roland Müller, Manny Ott and Denis Wolf, who scored the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Malaysia earlier this year, are also available. Stallions F.C. players Antonio Albor Jr, Jovanie Simpron, Bervic Italia and Ruben Doctora Jr. have also been recalled to the Azkals after some time off. Against Malaysia, however, the Azkals will be without Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge who is serving his suspension for lashing out at a Palestinian player in the 4-3 victory over Palestine in Nepal. Seemingly out to prove a point after a 1-1 draw last February, a game in which the Azkals dominated for stretches, the Malaysians invited the Philippines for a friendly, in what may become a rivalry between the two countries. Meanwhile the game with Guam may well be spiced up as Kaya teammates Lexton Moy and Jonah Romero could well face off against each other as Jonah Romero has been called up for Guam. Rankings In ELO ratings the Philippines are once again the most improved nation in the last twelve months, while the team has risen eight places in the FIFA rankings thanks to their performances in the Challenge Cup. Rising to 148th in the world the Philippines have overtaken Malaysia (153) and Indonesia (151) and are now ranked third in South East Asia with only Vietnam (97) and Thailand (141) ahead of them. The friendlies against Malaysia, Indonesia and Guam will all count in FIFA rankings and the first two matches will also be a chance to show how far the team has come against strong South East Asian opposition. The match against Guam (194) meanwhile, will be a good opportunity to test some of the younger players coming through who thanks to regular matches in the UFL are getting the match experience necessary to develop. Squad line-up Twenty-three players were selected to join the camp in Bacolod. This list doesn’t represent the final squad list for the friendlies, however, as some of the Filipinos playing abroad will fly in at a later date, while some Azkals had prior commitments, and so couldn’t attend the camp. It is however, good news that Manny Ott, Denis Wolf and Jason De Jong will join the team despite not being based in the Philippines, as it's definitely a sign of the progress the team is making. Here is a list of the full squad for the Azkals training camp according to the Azkals' website: 1. Sacapano, Eduard (GK) 2. Cuaresma, Ref Delany (GK) 3. Dorlas, Bongbong Roxy (DEF) 4. Italia, Bervic (DEF) 5. Sabio, Jason Abbott (DEF) 6. Margarse, Nestorio Jr. (DEF) 7. Albor, Antonio Jr (DEF) 8. Martinez de Murga, Carlos Alberto (DEF) 9. Gier, Rob (DEF) 10. De Jong, Jason (MID) 11. Caligdong, Emelio (MID) 12. Guirado, Angel (MID) 13. Moy, Lexton (MID) 14. Bahadoran, Misagh (MID) 15. Reichelt, Patrick Gerry Anthony (MID) 16. Younghusband, James (MID) 17. Ott, Manny (MID) 18. Simpron, Jovanie (FWD) 19. Araneta, Ian (FWD) 20. Doctora, Ruben Jr. (FWD) 21. Younghusband, Phil (FWD) 22. Clarino, Mario Javier (FWD) 23. Wolf, Denis (FWD) Tactics Tactically, Coach Weiss has favored the 4-4-2 formation given the players at his disposal. It appears as if the German coach is looking to develop the team’s style far beyond the long ball game that used to characterize Philippine football and create a fluid 4-2-3-1 system playing a short, passing game. With the opportunity to experiment in these friendlies, we may see Weiss try out that formation again with the recent development of the players. However, the friendlies are more than exhibition games as they are also a time to test the team against quality opposition. It will be more likely that in the first two games Weiss will play his strongest lineups in the more usual and conservative 4-4-2 formation before experimenting against Guam. Here’s a predicted lineup for the first two games: Sacapano, Eduard (GK) Cuaresma, Ref Delany (GK) Dorlas, Bongbong Roxy (DEF) Italia, Bervic (DEF) Sabio, Jason Abbott (DEF) Margarse, Nestorio Jr. (DEF) Albor, Antonio Jr (DEF) Martinez de Murga, Carlos Alberto (DEF) Gier, Rob (DEF) De Jong, Jason (MID) Caligdong, Emelio (MID) Guirado, Angel (MID) Moy, Lexton (MID) Bahadoran, Misagh (MID) Reichelt, Patrick Gerry Anthony (MID) Younghusband, James (MID) Ott, Manny (MID) Simpron, Jovanie (FWD) Araneta, Ian (FWD) Doctora, Ruben Jr. (FWD) Younghusband, Phil (FWD) Clarino, Mario Javier (FWD) Wolf, Denis (FWD) Predicted starters: Ed Sacapano (Neil Etheridge after his ban) Carli De Murga - Rob Gier – Jason Sabio – Ray Jonsson James Younghusband - Stephan Schröck - Lexton Moy - Chieffy Caligdong Phil Younghusband - Denis Wolf Looking ahead to the Suzuki Cup The Philippines will be up against both finalists of the 2010 Suzuki Cup. Good performances will be necessary to consolidate the fantastic progress of the last two years and cement their position as one of the elite football nations in South East Asia. The team has come a long way since failing to qualify for the Suzuki Cup in 2008 before reaching the semifinals in 2010 and strong performances against two of South East Asia’s best could well see the Philippines go into this year’s tournament with more than an outside shot of winning the trophy. - AMD, GMA News