Tight schedule awaits the Azkals in 2012

Friday, December 9, 2011

THE recent friendly match between the highly-touted Los Angeles Galaxy and the Philippine football team Azkals opened the doors for more exhibition games against foreign clubs as the Philippines prepares for two major international tournaments next year.

Azkals team manager Dan Palami said the team will kick off 2012 with a friendly match against a Spanish third division squad on January 7 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

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This will be followed on February 29, when the Filipino booters are expected to go up against a country ranked higher than them in the Fifa rankings such as New Zealand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The friendly match is part of the preparation for the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal from March 9 to 13 as the Azkals were bracketed with tournament heavyweights North Korea, Tajikistan and India.

Nine months later, the Azkals will compete in the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup, where they gained an automatic slot owing to their semifinal finish in the 2010 edition of the event.

The Philippines bowed to eventual runner-up Indonesia in the home-and-way series held in Jakarta.

“Despite some debacles, it's been a very successful and active year for Philippine football. We hope to continue this momentum for us to see the true potential of Philippine football,” Palami told reporters.

Palami, however, hopes of coming up with the best possible line up for every match given the club commitments of Europe-based players such as Stephan Schrock, Dennis Cagara, Paul Mulders, Jerry Lucena, and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

“Slowly, we are developing into a strong team, if we are to overcome the challenge of having all our best players together,” he said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)