Young booters to join football team

A YOUNGER group of players will join experienced booters, who helped carry the Philippine football team known as the Azkals to the semifinals of the 2010 AFF-Suzuki Cup football championships last year.

New coach Hans Michael Weiss said he is carefully making his choices from a list of aspirants, who passed the three-day tryouts last week, plus a roster of Fil-foreign professional soccer aspirants, who have yet to arrive in Manila.

�There are many players to choose from. It is difficult because I have to first erase the players, who will not play a role, and find the players who have actually done business before,� said Weiss, a German mentor, who used to handle Rwanda�s national team before he came to Manila.

Weiss, who replaced British coach Simon McMenemy, was present during a Friday evening a sendoff dinner and ceremony Suzuki Philippines tendered for the Philippine Azkals at the Palawan Room of the Shangri-La EDSA Hotel in Mandaluyong City. The sendoff rites were attended by Suzuki Philippines executives, led by its president Satoshi Uchida.

Weiss received one of eight Nike T90 Ascente match balls on behalf of the team. The ball was among those used during the Azkals� games in Vietnam and Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup.

Thirty-one players made the cut to the national pool after a three-day tryout was held last week at the University of Makati.

A group of 25 will be chosen one week before the Azkals face Mongolia in their first home-and-away encounter on Feb. 8 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Among those who made the cut were Phil and James Younghusband, along with mainstays Edward Sacapano, Kristopher Relucio, Rey Mark Palmes, Nestorio Margarse, Chris and Simon Greatwich, Roel Gener and Mark Anthony Ferrer.

Goalie Neil Etheridge was also included along with Anton del Rosario, Jason de Jong, Christopher Camcam, Chieffy Caligdong, skipper Aly Borromeo, Joebel Bermejo, Yanti Barsales, Jerry Barbaso, Peter Jaugan, Rob Gier and Ian Araneta.

Among the newcomers is a comebacking Fil-German Mark Drinkuth, who brought with him the Tagalog-speaking William Espinosa-Guiridon, Patrick Herget, Oliver Poltschke and John Patrick Hinrichsen. Jerry Lucena has yet to arrive in Manila with Stephan Schroeck and Jason Sabio.

�We want to encourage them. This is good because we are focusing on our company�s theme, which is �Astig Suzuki.� And the Azkals is such an �astig� team,� said Uchida in his inspirational message. Peter Atencio

Manila Standard Today