Up next: Azkals ‘Dream Team’

Source: PDI

RANGOON—Promising as it is now, the Philippine football team is only bound to get stronger.

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Azkals crush Bangladesh, gain AFC slot

Source: PDI

RANGOON—The Philippine football team, drenched, and on an emotional high, runs around the pitch one final time.

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Azkals need win today vs Bangladesh

Source: PDI

RANGOON—Forget about the promising start and the complicated scenarios. The Philippines’ campaign to qualify in the AFC Challenge Cup now boils down to one final game.

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PH Azkals settle for second draw

Source: PDI

RANGOON—The Philippines, defending stubbornly against a tall, physical Palestine team, settled for a scoreless draw Wednesday, leaving the Azkals with no recourse but to nail a victory in their last group qualifying match in the AFC Challenge Cup.

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Azkals hope to rise above draw, tackle Palestine

Source: PDI

RANGOON— A Philippine team slowly finding fluidity in its play faces a formidable Palestine side considered a heavy favorite in the AFC Challenge Cup group stage qualifying here.

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Azkals, Myanmar end AFC match in 1-1 tie

Source: PDI

RANGOON, Burma—(UPDATE) A resolute Philippine side came tantalizingly close to another famous victory away from home only to be given a dose of its own medicine.

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Azkals march on despite freezing loss

Source: PDI

ULAN BATOR—The dream start nearly ended in a nightmare in this cold Mongolian capital.

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Azkals come face to face with Mongolia’s sub-zero weather

Source: PDI

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine football team arrived in Ulan Bator early Sunday and got a chilling reminder that it would have to deal with more than just Mongolia in the second leg of its AFC Challenge Cup duel.

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Etheridge won’t see action with Azkals in key matches

Source: PDI

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-British Neil Etheridge has been sent on a month-long loan by English Premiere League side Fulham FC to Charlton Athletic in the third-tier League One, a move that could prevent the Azkals goalkeeper from seeing action for the national booters in several key matches.

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Football: Tottenham reach Champions League quarter-finals

Source: AFP

LONDON: Tottenham survived a barrage of pressure from AC Milan to reach the Champions League quarter-finals as Wednesday's 0-0 draw in the last 16 second leg at White Hart Lane secured a 1-0 aggregate victory.

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Azkals shiver in biting cold at Japan training venue

Source: PDI

MANILA—The cold weather doesn't seem to pose a problem for the Philippine football team, at least on the first day of their training in Japan.

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Confident Azkals arrive in Japan

Source: PDI

MANILA—Mongolia will be facing a more cohesive and confident Philippine side in the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying series on March 15 in Ulan Bator.

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Azkals leave for wintry Japan training

Source: PDI

MANILA—The Philippine football team leaves for Japan today for the most important stretch of its preparation for Mongolia in the second leg of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying duel in Ulan Bator.

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Football:Lampard double keeps Chelsea in the hunt

Source: AFP

BLACKPOOL, England - A double for Frank Lampard and a header by John Terry helped Chelsea to a comfortable 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Blackpool here on Monday.

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Younghusbands still dedicated to national football team

Younghusbands remain committed to national football team

SOURCE: Cedelf P. Tupas

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-British brothers Phil and James Younghusband remain committed to the national football team despite reported interest from an Indonesian football club.

Even though they were not ruling out the possibility of playing abroad, the Younghusbands assured fans of their intention to focus on their work with the Azkals, who have been scheduled to see action in the AFC Challenge Cup next month, and on their Younghusband Football Academy.

“We’ve had interest from other clubs, but the national team and the football academy is our main focus,” Phil, the younger of the two brothers, said at the PSA Forum at the Shakey’s U.N. Avenue in Manila on Tuesday.

Jakarta 1928 FC, which is playing in the newly formed Indonesia Premiere League (LPI), is reportedly keen on having the Younghusband brothers in their squad.

Franco Lorenzo, a member of the management team of the Azkals, who is negotiating in the Younghusbands’ behalf, said Jakarta FC officials would arrive in the country Wednesday to finalize the deal.

Phil said the YFA’s program involved partnering with local governments and training teachers to become coaches within a limited facility.

“We believe football is a sport for the mass and football is accessible,” said Phil. “We want to promote football in the grassroots.”

The Younghusbands earned coaching badges during their time playing for the reserve team of Premiere League side Chelsea.

The YFA, which was established in January 2010, has lined up several clinics for the next two months starting on January 13 at the Multiple Intelligence International School in Katipunan.

The Younghusbands will also conduct “train the trainers” programs in Tarlac from January 20 to 21 as well as in Palawan from January 29 to 30 and in Taguig and Pateros from February 26 to 27.

“We realized that we can have an effect on football in a more positive way with our academy,” said James, who is older by 11 months.

The Younghusband brothers also joined the Azkals as they opened training camp for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying series against Mongolia.

Reacting to the recent coaching change that saw German Hans Michael Weiss replacing Simon McMenemy, the Younghusbands said they welcomed the decision.

“We’re looking forward to working with the new coach and his new ideas,” said Phil.

“The new coach is from Germany and they did well in the World Cup,” James said.
“These are exciting times for Philippine football. For coach Simon, he still has a whole career ahead of him and we wish him the best.”

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Football: Singapore Lions disbanded

SOURCE: CNA

SINGAPORE: Singapore football is in for a major overhaul, after all the national players were dropped from the team following a year of dismal performances.

In the last 12 months, the national team, better known as the Lions, failed to qualify for the last 16 of the Asian Cup and did not advance beyond the group stage of the recent Suzuki Cup.

In an interview on Thursday morning, the president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Zainudin Nordin, said the state of football in Singapore is disappointing.

"We have analysed the reports on what happened in 2010 and realise that for the good of football, I think, we have a major revamp of the national team. What is going to happen is that we are going to have a new slate of players, that means players that will be totally taken from ground zero.

"That means all the (existing) players will be dropped and the national coach and the technical team will do a (new) selection based on merit. From all the assessments, we believe this is the best thing to do, for the good of the future of Singapore football."

Mr Zainudin also called for patience from fans.

"We must also be able to accept that for such a development to happen, it will take time. And this is the thing we need to understand because developments and strategies that need to be done with the young players will require time and opportunities for them to develop."

The decision to disband the national team, however, does not come as a shock to some.

Former Singapore international, S Sasikumar, said: "No real surprise. I believe there was a decision that needed to be made. For next year we have the Olympic qualifiers and the SEA Games, which basically involve the under-23 team. Hopefully, we can keep this team until 2012 and call them the national team."

Sasikumar added that introducing fresh young talent could be part of the solution.

"The Youth Olympic Games was a perfect example, where we saw a great mix of players. If we can achieve that and hopefully use that team as a base, I think the future does look good," he said.

Football fans Channel NewsAsia spoke to also had their views.

"(There are) still some good players in there, like Daniel Bennett, Shi Jiayi and Mustafic Fahrudin. So I think they should get a second chance at going into another Cup to actually try and win it," said a football fan.

"Young players should....not be going for competition until they are really prepared for it," said a second fan.

So, could bringing in more foreign talent be the answer?

Sasikumar said: "If you bring on a (foreign) player, give him a passport, he needs to make a difference. I mean, seriously make a difference. If we look at the (foreign) players now, they are (only) 10%, 15%, 20% better than local players. The local players will eventually make it to that position. I'm talking about players that are at least 50% to 60% better than what we have. Then the impact will be there."

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SPORTS: 5 of the best in 2010

SOURCE: INQUIRER

5. World Cup bronze, Asiad gold for Biboy

Back in the world bowling map.

That’s where the Philippines found itself with Engelberto “Biboy” Rivera completing a phenomenal run both in the World Cup and the Asian Games.

Rivera finished a hard-fighting third in the 46th Qubica-AMF Bowling World Cup in Toulon, France, before gifting the Philippines with its first gold medal in the Guangzhou Asian Games in China.

That October run in France—where he emerged as the tournament’s top Asian finisher—made Rivera a natural favorite the following month in the 16th Games.

And the national kegler did not disappoint, burning the lanes for a 1414 series in men’s singles to deliver the country’s first gold medal in the regional meet.

It was both euphoria and relief for Rivera, who had to endure a five-hour wait to see if his score would hold up after wrapping up his performance hours earlier or before the big names played in the second block.

“I didn’t want to watch the second block because all the top contenders were there,” Rivera recalled. “I didn’t want to expect my score to hold up because it would only hurt more if I lost.”

Coach Jojo Cañare was the first to inform Rivera that he plucked a gold four years after the country’s bowling shutout in Doha, Qatar.

Redemption
“After our zero performance in the Doha Games, this really felt good,” said Rivera, the 2006 World Masters champion.

“I thought it was all a joke until I saw the tears in [Cañare’s] eyes.”

The 36-year-old Rivera had looked strong enough to go all the way in the World Cup.

But he ran into eventual champion Michael Schmidt of Canada, who averaged 249.5 to the Filipino veteran’s 236.5 in the best-of-three semifinals.

“I learned a lot of things that I need to improve on,” said Rivera.

Indeed, Rivera improved well enough to strike gold. Jasmine W. Payo


4. Four fighters who made us proud, too

The year went well, too, for the country’s “other boxing heroes.”

Nonito Donaire Jr., whose meek, soft-spoken ways belie the fury of his fists, was the most impressive among four Manny Pacquiao heir-apparent when he stopped Ukrainian Volodymir Sydorenko in the fourth round in their bantamweight bout in Anaheim, California last Dec. 4.

Donaire scored his 24th straight victory and ninth KO win in his last 11 fights. And he claimed the signal honor of stopping the Ukrainian for the first time in his career.


Donaire, already one of the world’s toughest fighters pound-for-pound, will be seeking to dethrone Fernando Montiel for the Mexican’s bantamweight WBC and WBO belts on Feb. 19 in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

That fight will be the biggest in the career of Donaire with HBO set to carry the event. Montiel is 43-2-2 with 33 knockouts.

Donaire, nicknamed the “Filipino Flash,” has never lost a fight in nine years and owns a 25-1-0 record with 17 stoppages.

Also ending the year on a positive note was Brian Viloria, who stopped the rugged but uncoordinated Thai Liempetch Sor Veerapol in the seventh round of their flyweight bout last Nov. 5 here.

Viloria, 30, who married longtime sweetheart Erika Navarro last Dec. 3, could face Mexican Julio Cezar Miranda either in March or April next year here.

Donnie Nietes and Drian Francisco also created a stir.

Nietes successfully defended his WBO minimumweight title for the fourth time last August when he beat Mexican Mario Rodriguez by unanimous decision in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Last Nov. 30, Francisco kayoed Duangpetch Kokietgym right in front of the Thai’s countrymen for the WBA interim super flyweight title. Francisco also defeated Ricardo Nuñez last April via a 5th round KO. Marc Anthony Reyes



3. Azkals boost PH football

Thanks to a hardy bunch of players from different parts of the world collectively known as the Azkals, and a visionary who got them all together, the beautiful game is relevant again in the Philippines.

In a result that stunned the football world and created quite a stir in the Philippines, the Azkals upset 2008 champion Vietnam, 2-0, in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup before 40,000 fans at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

There was a portent of things to come three days before the upset.

Battle-weary and given little chance because of Singapore’s pedigree, the Azkals defended like their lives depended on the game and held the Singaporeans to a single goal in the first 93 minutes, before Chris Greatwich, who was called up just a few days before the tournament, salvaged the draw with a dramatic late strike.

It was the latest in some of the last-gasp heroics by the Azkals, who had battled to salvage draws in games against Laos, 2-2, in the qualifying tournament in Vietnam and Chinese-Taipei, 1-1, in Taiwan.

“The one thing good about this team is its never-say-die attitude,” said team manager Dan Palami, credited as the man behind the team’s success. “They just embody the Filipino spirit.”

The Azkals made the semifinals for the first time with a draw against Myanmar in their last group match and returned home as heroes.

Their exploits also put to light the problems plaguing the sport.

In November, the Philippine Football Federation Congress removed Jose Mari Martinez due to alleged corruption, falsification of public documents and failure to return funds from the federation’s coffers.

Martinez’s removal and the election of Mariano “Nonong” Araneta were later upheld by the International Football Federation (Fifa). Martinez is still fighting the decision.

The Azkals also slammed Martinez for his lack of support to their campaigns.

The Azkals’ magical run, however, ended in Jakarta a week later on Dec. 19.

Playing with a handicap after its “home” match was staged in Jakarta for lack of a suitable venue in the country, the Azkals lost 2-nil on aggregate to the Indonesians, who were buoyed by two goals from Uruguayan-born striker Cristian Gonzales.

Defeat hardly put a dent on the team’s morale.

“We lost the battle but we earned a lot of respect from other teams,” said Palami. Cedelf P. Tupas


2. Guangzhou Asian Games: Pride, hope

The country wore two faces in the Asian Games.

The first one was the look of the warrior, the one that flew to Guangzhou with every intention of conquering the opposition. This was the Filipino athlete who, disadvantaged by inferior financial support, international honing and training technology, fought purely on heart and pride to bring glory to the country.

And then there was the mask of the wide-eyed youth. In Guangzhou, they were generally overwhelmed by the competition—some awed by the event itself—but fought on the knowledge that defeat was merely a learning experience. One step backward, two steps forward.

Of the warriors who came to fight for gold, Rey Saludar was the most celebrated, not merely for the medal and the windfall his feat achieved but for the promise his fists laid out for a country long yearning to quench an Olympic thirst.

The power punching machine took control in the third round and held off a frenetic, last-gasp effort by hometown bet Chang Yong to win the gold medal in the men’s 52 kg finals at the Foshan Gymnasium.

“I’m happy that I was able to bring home a gold for the country,” said Saludar, who took home a total of P4 million in bonuses from the government and from Smart Telecommunications for his feat.

It was the opposite for Biboy Rivera, who was a bundle of nervous energy hours after finishing his stint in the men’s singles final of bowling.

Dennis Orcollo, on the other hand, only waited for the semifinals to finish before saving the country’s billiards team from the utter humiliation of a gold medal shutout. Regarded as the center of the billiards universe, the Philippines watched its highly touted pool squad get stripped of its biggest names before Orcollo and Warren Kiamco forged an all-Filipino final for the centerpiece 9-ball singles event.

“It didn’t matter anymore who won,” Orcollo said in Filipino. “The country got a gold and a silver and Warren and I are very happy with our achievement.”

There were the warriors who came close to victory. The ever-smiling Annie Albania, who broke down at the podium upon realizing that she wouldn’t get to hear her national anthem played, settled for the Asian Games’ first silver medal in women’s boxing, the one that shone like gold. Tshomlee Go and Japoy Lizardo, who settled for bronze medals in taekwondo, were a sudden-death kick from the finals, where they would have faced opponents they were capable of beating.

And who could forget the chess team, which zoomed to the finals on a pair of scintillating victories over powerhouse India before finally getting stopped dead on its tracks by the host Chinese? Also, Miguel Tabuena’s stand in men’s individual golf, where the home-schooled 16-year-old carved out the country’s best finish in that competition since Ramon Brobio’s gold in 1986, was equally noteworthy.

“He is the story of the tournament,” beamed coach Tommy Manotoc.

These warriors helped the Philippines to a three-gold, four-silver and nine-bronze haul in the Asiad.

Among the youngsters who were wiped out in the Asiad were the teenagers who formed part of the Tac Padilla-led shooting team.

“I think for all of us, we really didn’t do too good,” said 15-year-old Jayson Valdez, now the Philippine record holder for rifle.

That was generally the first thing that crossed the minds of those who were quick to pass judgment on the youth brigade. But PH chief of mission Joey Romasanta sees the victory in those defeats. And silver linings, too.

“The experience we gave our young athletes here is worth the slots we gave them,” Romasanta said. “Some of these young athletes were coming to me, saying sorry. I told them, you’re young, learn from this.”

Playing side by side with Asia’s best alone will lift the young athletes when they get home. Romasanta believes that watching their opponents perform live alone gives these young athletes a look at what it takes to rise to the top.

“When they get home, they’ll raise the level of their training immediately,” he said.

And they won’t be as overwhelmed by the event anymore.

And as the curtains fell on the Asian games, Romasanta said regardless of what face the Filipino athlete wore—the conquering warrior or the learning young turk—the PH delegation flew out of China with its head held high. Francis T.J. Ochoa

1. One and only Pacquiao

By his standards, 2010 wasn’t exactly a slam-bang year.

Manny Pacquiao fought two fights where the challenge lay mostly on how promoters would sell it. He dominated two bigger opponents whose only mission, it was apparent, was to make it to the final bell upright.

Heck, the world’s pound-for-pound icon even had to usher his second foe to the finish with a display of unbridled sportsmanship.

There was no flamboyant knockout like the one he scored against Ricky Hatton in two rounds. There were no clinical savage beatings that ended in stoppages—although God knows Antonio Margarito should have been spared of the extra punishment he received by the referee or his corner—like the one the Pacman put in full display against Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto.

There wasn’t a close shave, like the competitive nature of his bouts against Juan Manuel Marquez.

But these are by Pacquiao’s standards.

The concurrent Sarangani representative in Congress has set the bar so high right now, that anything less than a match against undefeated American trash-talker Floyd Mayweather Jr. would reside in the same time zone as boredom.

“I want that fight,” Pacquiao has said of the hanging megabout. “The world wants that fight. But it’s up to him.”

The brutal destruction of the game Margarito was sold as an attempt to write history by being the first boxer to win eight crowns in eight different weight classes.

In between both bouts was Pacquiao’s congressional victory.
After a defeat at the polls in 2007, Pacquiao played his cards right this time, transferring his residence to wife Jinkee’s hometown of Sarangani and eventually winning a mandate from the constituents there.

“I already am a boxing champion and this time, I want to be a champion in public service,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao capped 2010 with another lavish birthday party, his 32nd, and gave away a car and P1 million as raffle prizes.

And just before the calendar turned a new leaf, he announced his next project on the ring: A fight with Shane Mosley.

It still isn’t Money Mayweather and Top Rank and Bob Arum will scramble trying to sell a plot for the fight audience to feast on in the hopes of churning lucrative attendance and pay-per-view receipts.

But knowing Pacquiao, he’ll find a way to make that bout memorable and possibly make it again this year’s top story.

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BIG Thanks to Dan - AZKALS

PH football can’t thank Dan enough

SOURCE: Cedelf P. Tupas

Dan Stephen Palami, the man behind Philippine football’s renaissance, shows his devotion for the sport in unconventional ways.

As a schoolboy in Tacloban City, Palami would insist on wearing his new pair of studs as he went up the stage to receive his awards during recognition day.

As manager of a national team that had sometimes been overlooked even by its own federation, Palami takes a hands-on approach.

He is so involved that sometimes he joins training sessions. He even plays to complete the lineup during scrimmages when players are lacking.

“Football is my passion,” said the 40-year-old Palami, a former varsity player at the University of the Philippines.

“When the opportunity to manage the national team came, I saw it as a chance to really help the sport.”

Palami took the job on the condition that “the team should be isolated from the issues hounding the Philippine Football Federation.”

With little fanfare, Palami carried out his role, funding the team to the Interport Cup in Taiwan in January. He took the team to Tacloban and Davao for training camps, and also to Cebu for outreach programs and clinics.

Palami’s approach was enough to lure Phil and James Younghusband out of the sidelines and join the team. The Younghusband brothers had quit the national team because of a row with the PFF two years ago.

“They probably saw how serious we were in building the team,” said Palami.

Palami, an accounting graduate of UP, funds the team primarily through the Autre Porte Global Inc., an engineering firm in charge of construction, maintenance and operations of LRT 1 and LRT 2. Palami is CEO of APT Global.

“The family was actually concerned how he will be able to sustain the program,” said Palami’s younger brother, Ted.

“He always had this in mind that for football to attract big corporations, they have to be marketable, and for that to happen, it has to be a serious approach in managing the team.”

With the Azkals making a surprising run to the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup, Palami is starting to reap the fruits of his labor. A slew of companies have pitched in to help the Azkals future campaigns.

“I just felt that it will take one man to believe in the team,” said Palami. “And now, we are creating believers out of our team.”

Palami rarely shows emotion. With every fighting performance by the Azkals, though, he is stoked.

As Phil Younghusband struck the goal that secured the famous 2-0 upset of defending champion Vietnam, Palami, celebrating on the Philippines’ bench, looked for the nearest television camera and let out a loud shout: Pilipinas.

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