Thirteen players from the Philippine National Football Team that competed in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in New Zealand and Australia returned to the country last Wednesday. These players include Olivia and Chandler McDaniel, Sara Eggesvik, Ryley Bugay, Katrina Guillou, Meryll Soriano, Alicia Barker, Quinley Quezada, Jessika Cowart, Sofia Harrison, Kaiya Jota, Isabella Pasion and Jaclyn Sawicki. Others will follow in the coming days.
But even before these gritty Filipinas have reached Manila, two major cogs in the impressive run in New Zealand have been announced that they won’t be coming back with and in the team.
Filipinas’ team manager Jeff Cheng, in a statement, confirmed that Head Coach Alen Stajcic and Assistant Coach Nahuel Arrarte have requested not to extend their stay to explore their options after the conclusion of their respective contracts with the national team.
Just days later, Stajcic found a “new” home.
From the Filipinas, Stacjic will now bring his act back to his country as he was formally named as the new head coach of Perth Glory FC in the A-League, the premier men’s competitions in Australia, for the next three years.
“I believe an incredible opportunity now exists to re-establish Glory as one of the giants of Australian football and that vision is one shared by everyone in the club,” Stajcic said in a statement.
Perth’s run last season in the A-League isn’t exactly a glorious one. The team notched seven wins, eight draws and 11 losses to finish ninth in the 12-team tournament, scoring just 29 points or 26 points behind champions Melbourne City. The team lost its previous coach, Ruben Zadkovich, when he quit last June after just one season with the team.
Moreover, the team is still searching for a new owner and is on voluntary receivership after businessman Tony Sage recently gave up control of the team due to financial reasons.
Perth is hoping that with Stajcic now calling the shots, The Glory’s fortunes will be on the rise. The team has yet to win the A-League and Perth Glory FC CEO Anthony Radich believes that Stajcic will make a big difference in the coming season as he is known for building up winning teams.
“He also possesses an in depth understanding of the Australian Football landscape, has experience in operating in austere and challenging environments and in developing youth and has consistently achieved success. Most importantly, Alen is a winner and he loves a challenge,” Radich said after formally announcing Stajcic’s appointment.
Before coaching the Filipinas, Stajcic was the head tactician of the Matildas, the Australian Women’s Football team, from 2014 until 2019 where he took the team to the last eight of the World Cup in 2015 and in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. He also helmed the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League and the Sydney FC Women before.
Perth Glory FC is no stranger to local football fans. The Glory played the Philippines Azkals, bannered then by Phil Younghusband and Misagh Bahadoran, in Vigan, Ilocos Sur in July of 2016, winning 2-0 to cap a three-game exhibition run in the country. They played to a draw with the then United Football League champions Global FC before scoring a 2-1 win over the UFL All Stars in the other tune-up game.
With Stajcic’s appointment, the possibility of another tune-up game between The Glory and the Azkals might happen in the near future.
Stajcic’s Perth Glory’s appointment is well deserved to say the least. Moreover, this is not totally unexpected after the Filipinas put the Philippines on the world wide football map. Stajcic would have probably even received feelers and proposals weeks or even months before for what he had accomplished: molding a team of virtual unknowns (outside perhaps the football community) and coming from different parts of the world into a world-class team that has been one of the awe-inspiring and amazing storylines in the World Cup. Heck, he could have been on the radar of some teams, clubs or even national sides, after turning the Filipinas, from a third world country which loves basketball and volleyball more, into winners.
From the laughing stock in Southeast Asia, the Filipinas have become famous worldwide for their gritty, disciplined and inspiring brand of football.
It is also a perfect fit for Stajcic and Perth Glory FC, knowing how the team badly needs someone like him. Just like a similar, familiar storyline that we have followed close to almost two years now. Hoping, too, that this new updated plot will also end in the best possible way.
Stajcic made miracles and reality happen during his 21-month spell in the national team, he led the Filipinas to their first-ever AFF Championship, a bronze medal in the SEA Games after more than three decades of futility, a first-ever appearance and a win in the World Cup and many more accomplishments that are not shown in scorelines.
But more importantly, Stajcic took a gamble on the Filipinas when practically everyone else was looking elsewhere. He casted his lot with the Philippines when no one else dared to touch the team from a mile away and won.
He is now reaping the dividends and good karma of that leap of faith.
Good luck, Coach Alen and see you around.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat
