ALLAN THE MAN

The Philippine Azkals have received a huge morale boost as two senators voiced out their support for the national football team’s campaign in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Azkals are set to clash against Uzbekistan on September 8 at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan and no less than Senators Sonny Angara and Pia Cayetano called on local fans to support the nationals.

The Philippine national men’s football team will get much-needed competition from an old foe in its preparations for its match against Uzbekistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September.

The 125th-ranked Azkals will play the 175th-ranked Maldives in a friendly match on September 3, 8:00 pm at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Philippine Azkals striker Phil Younghusband was hailed by ESPN FC Asia as part of its AFF Suzuki Cup XI after the conclusion of the 2014 edition of the biennial tournament.

Players from eventual champion Thailand dominated ESPN FC's list, but Younghusband was named the top striker of the tournament.

The Philippine national football team outclassed the top ranked Indonesians, 4-0, in a blowout match in the group stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup to secure a semifinal appearance at My Dinh Stadium in Vietnam on Tuesday, November 25.

After the opening whistle, the Indonesians went on full attack to pound the defense of the Azkals early in the match but the sturdy hands of goalkeeper Patrick Deyto prevented them from converting on their chances.

The Philippine national men’s football team is leaning on a couple of veterans and several fresh faces for its ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup campaign slated on Saturday in Vietnam.

Leading the 21-man lineup are brothers Phil and James Younghusband, team captain Rob Gier, Juani Guirado, Misagh Bahadoran, Chris Greatwich, Paul Mulders, Jerry Lucena and Patrick Reichelt.

The Philippine national football team, the Azkals, jumped to the top of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Group B table temporarily, after besting Laos 2-0, Thursday at the Addu Football Stadium in Addu City, Maldives. It was the first time in the history of the Azkals that they've beaten the Laos national side.
The Azkals started the game better than their last assignment versus Afghanistan, perhaps due to a better boat ride to the stadium. Phil Younghusband and Rob Gier were back in the Starting XI after serving out their suspensions. Roland Muller replaced Neil Etheridge in goal, as Etheridge came off the last game injured.

A former captain of the United States national men’s football team will take over as the new coach of the Azkals, the squad announced on Friday.

Thomas Dooley, a German-American who led USA to its World Cup appearances in the 1990s, is expected to arrive in the Philippines next week to steer the Philippine team in their big tournaments this year. The development was announced on the Azkals’ official Twitter account.

Dooley, 52, had a decorated playing career as a defender, playing for German club FC Kaiserslautern which he helped won the German Cup in 1990 and the Bundesliga in 1991. He also clinched the title in the UEFA Cup, Europe’s top club competition, with Schalke 04 in 1997.

FIFA has fined the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) due to the alleged racist behavior of its fans in a friendly against the Philippines last year.

The governing body of world soccer ordered Hong Kong to pay 30,000 Swiss Francs or roughly P1.4 million.

FIFA also ordered HKFA to pay an additional 3,000 Francs or around P148,000 to cover the cost of the proceedings.

The Philippines moved up once again to its all-time high in the FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday.

The Azkals moved from 137th to 133rd to climb six four notches up in the world football ladder, marking the fifth time that they set a historic high this year. Four other countries reached their highest position in the rankings, namely Armenia (34th), Venezuela (35th), Afghanistan (129th) and Guam (169th).

After their successful title defense at the Peace Cup last Tuesday, the good news continue pour in for the Philippine Azkals after they emerged as the top team in Southeast Asia in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday.

The Azkals climbed four notches to No. 137 from No. 141 to claim their best FIFA ranking so far. In the process, it also passed Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand, which dropped four spots to No. 143.

DESPITE the lack of relatively better-quality opponents, the Philippine Football Federation still expects tough competition for the national team when it defends its Peace Cup title from October 11 to 15 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

After higher-ranked African squads Uganda (81st in the world) and Rwanda (131st) declined the PFF invitation due to varying reasons, the football body was forced to tap Pakistan and make do with a three-team cast along with the Azkals and Chinese Taipei.