This may be too late for now, but then again, some arguments are valid at least from someone, who watched the game on the sidelines.
When the Philippine National Women’s Futsal Team, also known as the Filipina5, took on Argentina last week, there were no pretensions that the team would beat La Albiceleste in their last game in the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 at the PhilSports Arena. A decent game would be enough for the 2,811 souls, who were present.
The Filipina5 lost, 5-1, against the White and Sky Blue. Even before fans could warm up their seats, the visitors were already up by three in the fourth minute, with goals coming from Lara Villalba (2’), Lucia Natta (4’) and Mailen Romero (4’). The game was practically over by the 7th minute after Agostina Chiesa punished the local side after a bad inbound to make it a 4-0 game. The score was 5-0 after the first half.
Despite the lopsided score and deficit, the local crowd went wild on every touch by the Filipina5, which obviously ran to a brick wall against an Argentinian side missing its best player due to an injury.
Isabella Bandoja’s goal in the second half was enough to fire up the local fans, who have been treated to a clinical game by the Latin American side.
Some fans commented that if the final half was the sole basis for the result, we could have won the match (After a blistering start, Argentina cooled and failed to score a goal in the final half).
The Designated Kit Man may not know much about futsal, but somehow I’ve noticed several reasons why the Argentines are on a different level compared to our team, and to a certain extent above the competition in general.
First, they control and dribble the ball with their heels. Most of the Filipina5 took the ball using their shoes. Probably because most of them, if not half, were football players.
Second, there is no offside in futsal. I might be wrong, but during the rare instance when our team was in the offensive, they were a tad bit behind resulting in a turnover or an error. Again, the football factor.
Third, there was no anchor to set the offense right with the winger doing most of the job of bringing the ball on our side of the court. Because of this, our offense was predictable and easy for Argentina to pick apart. Argentina, too, was predictable, but in a good way at least. When their anchor is in the middle of the court, they are most likely to strike at the goal, which happened in the first four minutes of the game.
In the second half, La Albiceleste literally coasted the rest of the way with a few opportunities to pad their lead, but then the game was already in the bag, way before. It was also observed that their anchor no longer stayed in the middle of the court, which indicated that they no longer prioritized scoring, thankfully or else the deficit could have been much bigger. It could also be because of Kayla Santiago’s exceptional performance coming off the bench to man the post in the final half.
Another factor is the laser sharp finishing of Argentina. The discipline, the patience, the mentality and the focus of the team in finding the back of the net despite tight angles spoke much of the finishing technique that is unique to futsal. This finishing and killer instinct transpired in seconds, pouncing on every error, defensive lapse and opportunity.
Bandoja exhibited these traits, too, in scoring her own goal in the game, which happened on a transition and in a matter of seconds. Philippine Futsal at its best.
So what’s the main takeaway in the game?
For me, it was simple. You can’t bring football players to a futsal game. At least not yet when it comes to our national futsal team. It is like bringing a sword in a gun battle. Unlike in a Star Wars movie, where a lightsaber trumps out a blaster, futsal is a different matter compared to football, even if the former is a variation of the latter. Bandoja, Inday Tolentin and Santiago come from a solid futsal background, which showed during the group fixtures. Not to belittle the contributions of other members of the team, I think we should at least fielded or given more playing time to our futsal players in the last game. For sure, there are so many reasons why and probably more explanations, but then again, it is a futsal tournament. There is no learning curve at this level of competition. Only the best should be at this kind of tournament, simply because it is the Futsal World Cup, after all.
By the way, Argentina will take on Portugal, while Spain faces Brazil in the semifinals of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025.
The Philippine Football Federation has released the national teams for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games 2025 in Thailand.
The Under 22 squad looks strong with an array of players coming from the men’s national team. Sandro Reyes, Santi Rublico, Javier Mariona, Dylan Demunyck and Alex Monis will banner the squad that hopefully will bring a medal (regardless of color) in the biennial games. The U22 team will start their campaign in Group C tonight against Myanmar, 6 p.m. Thailand time or 7 p.m. PST at the Chiang Mai Stadium. They will go up against Indonesia on Monday, December 8.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team is also formidable with goal keeper Liv McDaniel leading the team. Joining her are Filipinas Nina Meollo, Inna Palacios, Angela Beard, Malea Cesar, Jessika Cowart, Janae DeFazio, Hali Long, Ariana Markey, Azumi Oka, Sofia Wunsch, Alessandra Carpio, Anicka Castaneda, Sara Eggesvik, Kaya Hawkinson, Isabella Passion, Alexa Pino and Jacklyn Sawicki. Forwards include Jael-Marie Guy, Nina Mathelus, Megan Murray, Mallie Ramirez and Meryll Soriano.
The Filipinas will also start their bid for another medal in Group B this afternoon against Myanmar, 4 p.m. Thailand time or 5 p.m. PST at the TNSU Chonburi Stadium. They will face Vietnam on Monday, 6.30 p.m. Thailand time or 7.30 p.m. PST before wrapping up their group fixtures against Malaysia on Thursday, December 11, at 4 p.m. Thailand time or 5 p.m. PST at the TNSU Chonburi Stadium.
The best of luck to our national football teams. Good luck din sa coach!
On a personal note, the San Beda Red Lions need another win against College of Saint Benilde to bag a finals’ slot in the men’s basketball tournament of the NCAA Season 101. The men of Mendiola mangled again, for the third straight time this season, the College of Saint Benilde Blazers, 91-72 in Game 1 of their best of three semis.
A fourth straight against the Blazers will not only mean a sweep for San Beda, but more importantly, it will move them closer to the title.
Go San Beda Fight!
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
