INSPIRASYON kay Philippine national football squad team captain Phil Younghusband ang nalalapit nito na pakikipag-isang dibdib sa nobya na gymnast sa kanyang pagnanais maitulak ang nagbabagong bihis na Azkals sa panibagong kasaysayan sa pagsabak ngayong alas-8 ng gabi sa AFF Suzuki Cup sa Philippine Sports Stadium sa Bocaue, Bulacan.
“Hopefully, I hear my wedding bells next year,” sabi ni Younghusband sa ginanap na pre-match conference sa unang laban nito kontra sa Singapore. “It remains as my inspiration along with the team succeeding in this tournament. I hope we have the trophy come that precious time.”
Optimistiko naman ang koponan partikular na si Azkals head coach Thomas Dooley na makapagtala ng dalawang importanteng panalo kontra Singapore, Indonesia at Thailand.
“The team is in great shape. We had a much better chemistry now in and out of the court. We talk a lot now about our chances and how to improve our games and achieve our goals,” sabi ni Dooley. “Our level of confidence is high. We made adjustments when we played against North Korea and I could see the change in the team.”
Hindi naman makakasama ng Azkals sina Javier Patino, Daisuke Sato at Simone Rota dahil sa kanilang club commitment at injury habang nagretiro na rin sina Rob Gier, Jerry Lucena at Juani Guirado.
Matindi naman ang problema ng Indonesia matapos na hindi nito makuha ang ilang manlalaro na hindi pinayagan ng kanilang mga club team na makasama sa koponan para sa torneo.
“We don’t have two important in our lineup as they were not allowed by their mother team,” sabi lamang ni Indonesia coach Alfred Reidl.