Azkals Peace Cup line-up released, Younghusbands dropped

The Philippine National Football team dropped a bomb on Sunday, releasing the Azkals' Peace Cup line-up without mainstays Phil and James Younghusband. The announcement was made two days before the Philippine Football Peace Cup, where the Azkals will play against Chinese Taipei, Guam, and Macau in preparation for the 2012 Suzuki Cup this November. The statement released by the team management and coaching staff did not specifically cite why the brothers were left out of the line-up, but it highlighted the importance of "unequivocal commitment" the team needs from its players. "Given this grueling schedule and the demands it will entail from the team, we have asked the players to give their unequivocal commitment to participate fully in the preparations. "Unfortunately, not everyone in the team could assure us of this; a few have already signified their unavailability for some crucial activities leading up to the tournament. While this is admittedly a setback in our plans, we understand that family obligations and club/work commitments sometimes take precedence. The coaching staff will instead make adjustments in the game plan and in the roster of players, starting from the PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL PEACE CUP. The Younghusbands missed the team's US tour last August, while they held an exhibition match for their local endorsement. The brothers were also unavailable for the team's match against Laos, due to the first anniversary of their mother's passing. Those who made the cut for the Peace Cup include goalkeepers Eduardo Sacapono and Ref Cuaresma, defenders Roel Gener, David Basa, Matthew Uy, Demitrius Omphroy, Jason Sabio, Carli de Murga, Jeffrey Christiaens, midfielders Emelio Caligdong, Nestorio Margarse, Patrick Reichelt, Jason De jong, OJ Porteria, Misagh Bahadoran, Marvin Angeles, Marwin Angeles, Anto Gonzalez, and forwards Denis Wolf and Ian Araneta. - AMD, GMA News PFF Statement