The Philippine Azkals, the Men’s National Football Team, will return to the pitch next month with a couple of friendlies—against Chinese Taipei on September 8 and against Afghanistan on September 12—as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in November.
The Azkals will have a return match against the Taiwanese side at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung and will host the Afghans at the Rizal Memorial Stadium four days later.
In their July 19 tuneup this year, the Azkals lost to the visiting Chinese Taipei side, 3-2, at RMS after conceding two goals in the second half.
On the other side, the last time the Azkals played against Afghanistan was in 2014 where a Phil Younghusband-less squad battled the Lions of Khorasan to a 0-0 draw in the AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives. The country’s U-19 team, however, managed to upset Afghanistan, 1-0 last September to end their campaign in the 2023 U-19 AFC qualifiers on a winning note.
Head Coach Hans Michael Weiss revealed to The Designated Kit Man that as early as now, talks are ongoing for two more friendlies in October. If plans materialize, the Azkals will face Vietnam on October 16 in Manila and will travel to Jakarta on the 21st to battle Indonesia.
Weiss says they are taking the friendlies seriously and that the coaching and management staff have been contacting the players he wanted to banner the 25-30 pool of Azkals that will compete in the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers. Weiss said Azkals fans should expect several changes in the squad
“If all our plans push through, and if all players commit to national team duty, then it will be a totally different team. It will have seven to nine new players, much stronger particularly on the physical side, more match fit, more match competitive than the team last June,” Weiss said.
Weiss admitted that one of the key takeaways in the tuneup against Nepal and Chinese Taipei two months ago was the fitness of the players. He said that the first half against the Taiwanese remains his standard as of now and looking back at the game, he realized that they lost the match because of the level of readiness of the players. They simply gassed out in the end.
“If you don’t have the power in those legs, then the head also becomes tired. And this was basically the reason we lost the game. So I expect a totally different team. I expect many new faces, which I haven’t seen yet. But you never know – there’s late dropouts – so we have to be prepared for any situation,” Weiss explained.
The returning German mentor added that he already has a game plan against Chinese Taipei and Afghanistan on hand. He is also getting ready for the big matches against perennial powerhouse Vietnam and Indonesia. Weiss said he will use the September and October friendlies to monitor players that will be ready, both physically and mentally, in the games that will really count in November.
“We have to attack and at the same time, we need to be smart and not run in their counters because this is basically their (Vietnam’s) style. I think we have a good chance, but we have to step up as far as physicality, intensity and self confidence are concerned,” Weiss stressed out.
Against Indonesia, Weiss said proper mindset is needed especially if the Azkals will play against 50,000-60,000 hostile fans. The Azkals have played several big games before, but visiting a country where football is the national pastime will always be intimidating especially to the rookies of the team. Weiss insisted that as early as now, mental preparation should go hand in hand with training.
“You can say that you want to win. but the reality often is different. But if you are prepared to win, it’s a mental thing you know. You will try to dominate the game, try not to be affected with what the opponent is giving but instead take on the initiative,” Weiss said.
Weiss remained tight-lipped on the identities of the new players being invited to join the national training pool. But he said that it will be a very interesting group. He added that aside from one or two players, he is looking for players that will be the main pillars of the team. He is hoping that Gerrit Holtmann will be able to join the team. Raphael Obermair is also on Weiss’ list, but unfortunately the SC Paderborn 07 winger is currently injured. Despite this, Weiss said that they have contacted all players that are ready for the new setup that he will implement. He is just hoping that all the best prospects, barring injuries and other reasons, will be present during the games that matter most.
After the September and October friendlies, Weiss said he will have a clearer picture of who will be included in the national pool for the November qualifiers.
“A friendly match and a real competitive game is much different. When you want to win and when you have to deliver is not the same. You have to know also when it really counts and when it matters,” Weiss added.
Aside from Azkals playing overseas, Weiss said that he will also monitor players in the ongoing Copa Paulino Alcantara, who can help and reinforce the team.
Speaking of another football event, season 19 of Ang Liga will formally start this coming Sunday, August 13 with fixtures set at University of the Philippines-Diliman Football Field and De La Salle University Biñan. Xavier School and Claret School of Quezon City will also play host to the tournament that has collegiate and high school sides battling it out in two divisions.
Division 1 features San Beda University, College of Saint Benilde, De La Salle University, Emilio Aguinaldo University, Mapua Malayan Colleges, University of Batangas, Adamson University, Ateneo De Manila University, Far Eastern University, University of the East, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas.
San Beda University High School, Adamson Team 2, Southridge, Claret School of Quezon City, De La Salle University 2, La Salle Greenhills, De La Salle Lipa, Ateneo De Manila High School, University of Perpetual Help DALTA, University of Santo Tomas High School, Xavier School and De La Salle Integrated School, on the other hand, compete in Division 2.
Ang Liga, the longest-running collegiate football league in the country, serves as the premier pre-season tournament that features teams from the NCAA, UAAP and other schools outside of Metro Manila. For this season, Ang Liga received a tremendous boost after partnering with FPJ Panday Bayanihan, Pantheon Holdings, Smart Sports and several other companies.
All games will be played every Sunday and matches will be streamed live on the Smart Sports Facebook page.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at [email protected] or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat