Azkals to play against David Beckham-led club in December

Thursday, October 27, 2011

GLOBAL football icon David Beckham, along with his teammates at the Los Angeles Galaxy, will be in the Philippines this December for an exhibition match against the national team Azkals, organizers said Thursday.

Slated at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on December 3 (7:30 p.m.), Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano Araneta expects the game to be a crowd drawer and a good training ground for the Azkals.

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"It's a big match for us. What more can you ask for the football scene in the Philippines?" he told reporters at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel.

Beckham, an English footballer who plays midfield for his team in the Major League Soccer, will be joined by skipper Landon Donovan, ex-Liverpool striker Robbie Keane, and goalie Donovan Ricketts, among others in the match against the Filipino booters.

The team will arrive on December 1 and will also conduct a football clinic among kids at the Rizal Memorial the next day.

As for the condition of the pitch, LA Galaxy president Thomas Payne said the 77-year-old venue has met expectations.

Meantime, Azkals team manager Dan Palami said he will try his best to field an intact squad, which jumped eight places to 158 this month from 166 last May in the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) rankings.

MANILA. Philippine football officials on Thursday confirm the holding of an exhibition match between David Beckham-led LA Galaxy and the Azkals on December 3 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. (Virgil Lopez)

Among those based abroad, only Ray Anthony Jonsson, Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena have made themselves available, while goalkeeper Neil Etheridge "might" suit up for the Azkals, Palami said.

Details regarding ticket availability and prices will be announced in the first week of November, according to Jinx Macabenta of US-based producer Fuelcels Inc.

Talks of Beckham and company coming to the Philippines for an international friendly spread over the weekend as the mere mention of the LA Galaxy visiting the country created buzz in social networking sites.

Aside from being one of the world's highest paid football players, Beckham is the former captain of the English national football team (2000-2006).

He is married to former "Spice Girls" member Victoria Adams, to whom he has four children. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)