With convincing victories, Filipinas grow from strength to strength in buildup to World Cup

The Philippine national women’s football team eased past an overmatched Hong Kong side to book a place in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers.

After convincing wins against Pakistan and Tajikistan, the Philippines only needed a draw in their final group match against Hong Kong. But showing their newfound ruthlessness, the Filipinas dominated the match from start to finish, en route to a comprehensive 4-0 victory and progression into Round 2 of the qualifiers.

Here are five things we learned from the Filipinas’ masterful displays.

1.) Filipinas get the job done

With the greatest of respect, a group comprising of Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Hong Kong should not have troubled the Philippines on current form.

But as we know, the beautiful game of football can be a funny game, with many twists and turns. The Filipinas, however, avoided any drama and thoroughly dominated all opposition, scoring 16 goals without reply en route to three convincing victories.

Taking advantage of the international break, the Filipinas were at full strength and Coach Alen Stajcic had many options to choose from.

The ladies still had a job to do on the pitch though, and definitely came out of this run of games full of confidence with the results.

2.) Filipinas’ depth means intense fight for places

Depth in the squad has meant that internal competition for places on the field is at an all-time high, which can only be a good thing for a national team.

Against Pakistan and Tajikistan, Kiara Fontanilla was given starts in goal ahead of expected first choice Olivia McDaniel, and the Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper repaid the faith by shutting out both teams.

Central midfield is where the Filipinas have the most options, with any of Jackie Sawicki, Sara Eggesvik, Tahnai Annis, and Jessika Cowart able to do the job. There was not even room in the squad for Jessica Miclat, who was an important part of the AFC Asian Cup and the title-winning AFF Championships campaign.

It is therefore a testament to 16-year-old Bella Pasion’s quality that not only did she make the jump to the senior squad, she also made the starting eleven alongside her more experienced teammates.

In his time with Australia, Stajcic has been known to give opportunities to young players and who knows, the young Pasion might go on to become the next Sam Kerr.

3.) Who are the Filipinas’ best eleven?

Success with the women’s team has fans giving Coach Stajcic unquestioned loyalty with regards to team and squad selection, best encapsulated in the mantra “In Staj we trust”.

But when push comes to shove, who will start in a must win game for the Filipinas?

These run of games, with almost a complete set of players to choose from, has given us plenty to digest.

The armchair fans could be forgiven for coming up with the following conclusions:

Sarina Bolden and Katrina Guillou to lead the line.

Sawicki and Eggesvik in the center of midfield.

Hali Long at centerback, flanked by Sofia Harrison on the left. McDaniel in goal.

Annis, Quinley Quezada, and Meryll Serrano to fight for the remaining midfield spots, with Dom Randle, Cowart, Alicia Barker, and Malea Cesar fighting for spots in defence.

But what about Eva Madarang (50 caps), Carleigh Frilles, and Reina Bonta and so many others?

As Stajcic casually remarked once, “If Filipinas’ fans, who follow the team religiously, can’t name our best starting eleven, neither can our opposition.”

4.) Players cementing their place

With less than a hundred days left before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July, the race is on for players to cement their place in the 23 spots available for the flight to New Zealand.

And the likes of Serrano did her chances no harm by her standout performance, notably against Hong Kong where her timely passes complimented her well taken free kick goal.

Bonta, recently signed by Brazil club side Santos FC, Maya Alcantara, and Alicia Barker staked their claims with solid performances, but the feel-good story of the week has to be that of Chandler McDaniel.

Scorer of the winning goal against Thailand in the 2022 Asian Cup, Chandler cruelly suffered a long-term injury at the end of that tournament, ruling her out of action for more than a year.

But she proved her worth by netting three goals in three games, and her eye for goal will be something Stajcic will be considering when making his final squad selection.

5.) Up next: SEA Games

Next up for the fighting Filipinas are the Southeast Asian Games, to be held in Cambodia in May, where the Philippines are hoping to improve on their bronze medal finish last year.

With these games played outside of the FIFA window, some of the players may not be available for selection.

The silver lining, as always, is that opportunities will be given to other players to prove their worth.

Grouped together with Vietnam and Myanmar, the Philippines will not have it all their way, which will perhaps suit Stajcic as he prepares the team for the challenge of the FIFA World Cup in July.

But on recent imperious form, the Filipinas are growing from strength to strength, will rightly fear no one, and should be among the favorites to finish in the podium places yet again.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News