Head coach Scott Cooper is optimistic about the chances of the Azkals to advance in the World Cup qualifiers
Photo from the Philippine Football Federation
The Philippine men’s national football team is currently in Guam to compete for a slot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Azkals lost their first game against Syria, 5-2, last Tuesday. But they are set on bouncing back against Guam this afternoon at the Guam National Training Center in Dededo.
The advantage will be on the Azkals’ side if they can limit their turnovers and start the game the way they did against Syria. In that match, Javier Patiño secured the first goal of the Philippines from the header seven minutes into the game. But the Filipinos collapsed under the offense of Syria and dealt with a number of struggles (including a handball violation) in the second half.
Despite going up against a lower-ranked team, the Azkals will still have to control the whole game against Guam. The last times these two teams faced off were in 2012 in which the Philippines won 3-0 and 1-0. This time, national coach Scott Cooper said that the Azkals have a wider pool of players so they are optimistic about their chances in making it past the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The Philippines is in the same bracket as China, Syria, Guam, and Maldives. In order to advance to the next round, the Azkals must at least make it to the top two.
More support needed for the Azkals
Last January, the Philippines took part in the first major football tournament after debuting in the 2019 American Football Conference. The Azkals were considered the underdogs entering the tournament but they shocked the league after almost defeating South Korea.
While there is still room for improvement, the Azkals are slowly becoming contenders on the world stage. They will see more action in a number of tournaments like the AFC Asian Cup, ASEAN Football Federation Championships, and hopefully the second round of the World Cup qualifiers.