Coach Thomas Dooley said on Friday he is finally getting the players who can make a difference for the Philippine Azkals national men’s football team.
He cited Fil-Japanese booter Daisuke Sato who played center-back in their friendly with Kyrgystan last Wednesday.
The experienced Sato did well defensively alongside Amani Aguinaldo, Martin Steuble and Kevin Ingreso that night.
“We won the game. We have players who are committed. It was very organized play. It was tight in the back and they did not give the opponent a chance to score,” said Dooley.
Dooley positioned Steuble at the right while putting Ingreso on the left side. The defensive adjustment worked, and later on, good communication helped the team in transition, the coach said.
Sato has been made available by his club team in Romania for the coming Asean Football Federation-Suzuki Cup 2016, which is set to start next week at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
He debuted for the Azkals in 2014. On September 17, he became the first Filipino to play in Romania when he lasted the whole match for his team Politehnica Iași, which lost to Dinamo Bucuresti, 3-1.
Dooley feels that even though the Azkals were victorious, he hopes to get a little more out of them next week. “Their game was different from their last two games. Now, they’re acting, not reacting,” he added.
The Azkals start their campaign in the AFF Suzuki Cup against Singapore on November 19, followed by Indonesia on the 22nd.
Meanwhile, Filipino fans can catch a glimpse of the glittering Suzuki Cup championship trophy that will be on display today at the second floor of The Block, SM North Edsa mall in Quezon City.
Dooley and the Azkals will there from 4 to 5 p.m. to meet and greet fans.