The Philippine women’s national team is looking forward to a different kind of game when it plays a series of friendlies next month.
National coach Allen Stajcic said this as the Filipinas prepare to leave for Costa Rica in the next FIFA international window in October.
A pair of friendly matches awaits the Filipinas against the Costa Rica national team.
“The friendly matches against Costa Rica in October give us a chance to experience different styles of play after taking on New Zealand early this month,” said Stajcic in statement.
The Filipinas are organizing a camp in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose once they arrive there.
In their first game, they play La Sele at 7 p.m. on October 7,2022 (9 a.m. October 8 2022 in Manila) at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium.
“What’s important for us is to learn and build on these experiences which will be a huge factor in our World Cup campaign next year,” Stajcic added.
Then, they will clash once more on October 11, 2022 near the end of their 11-day camp.
Costa Rica qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, after finishing in fourth place in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in Mexico last July.
“We improved a lot, but there’s no doubt that expectations and goals are higher and we know how hard it is to keep climbing so we’re working hard trying to reset our goals to keep striving for more success,” said Stajcic.
La Sele is at no. 37 in the FIFA rankings, 16 spots ahead of the Filipinas.
Stajcic said their goal is to continue improving with the team, while waiting for the outcome of the official draw of the FIFA Women’s World Cup next month.
“It’s just continued growth for us. We’re heading down the right track, but definitely we’re not getting complacent on thinking this is enough. We want more.”
Philippine Football Fedation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said he welcomes the development.
Araneta added that these are the types of matches that the national squad need in their buildup.
“We are pleased that the Filipinas are getting these type of matches as they continue their preparations for the World Cup,” said Araneta.
The Filipinas are coming off two-week camp in California, which was held from the last week of August until September 6.