Composition of Under-19 Teen Azkals team known by early August, says PFF

A new batch of next generation Teen Azkals is in the selection process phase under the guidance of the Philippine Football Federation, which will decide on the new mix of Under-19 players after a football camp early August.   PFF General Secretary Atty. Roland Tulay said the aspirants who will be chosen from among the participants at tryouts Sunday evening at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) turf in Taguig City will advance to the football camp scheduled on August 4 to 12 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.   Some 40 youths are expected to display their technical skills and team play abilities in “fine-tuning” session of play and drills on the artificial turf at BGC Sunday, Tulay said.   These 40 were chosen from the about 200 who showed up at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus football field weekend of July 7-8.   About 75 Teen Azkals aspirants from the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao legs of the tryouts are expected to attend the football camp.   The 25 who will be chosen to comprise the Teen Azkals pool that will be readied for the Asian Football Confederation U-19 tournament next year.   PFF training director and former national team coach Aris Caslib said the PFF staff are looking for Under-19 players who have the physical and mental prowess for competitions.   Caslib said they are looking for “winner types” who can be developed to face their international counterparts.   Teen Azkals manager Alvin Carranza said part of the long-term view of the PFF is to develop a pool or corps of teenaged boys’ football players, who will keep on participating in the various local competitions that will transpire in the near term and also be engaged in the PFF grassroots development program. — Earl Victor Rosero, GMA News