Azkals 2nd most improved side in world ELO rankings

MANILA—In the movie playing inside every Filipino football fan’s mind, this amazing run by the Azkals, fueled by nothing more than faith and passion, would continue without an end in sight. But as always, when reel starts morphing into real, reality steps in.
And reality is this: The World Cup dream is gone. It was blown away in the wake of heavy Kuwaiti artillery. Not that the country was anywhere close to it anyway. Such a bid was shooting rubber bands at stars in the first place.
But as legends of the game put it, the Azkals saw their qualifying run end. But they haven’t met their end just yet.
“The future looks very promising,” said Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, the president of the Philippine Football federation, whose rise to power ran side-by-side with the Azkals’ rise to relevance. “There are problems and challenges but football, for the first time in many years, is looking at a secure future.”
And this even with the Kuwaiti defeat hanging above Philippine football.
“This is just the start; we will really encounter challenges ahead but what’s important is that the players are here, the sponsors are willing to help and the support of the public is present,” said Araneta.
After an amazing run to the semifinals of the AFC Suzuki Cup last year and sterling victories that set up the showdown vs West Asian powerhouse Kuwait, the Azkals have pointed Philippine football to the future. Where blowout losses and shameful performances were the rule, victory and spine-tingling finishes have cropped up.


Philippines, therefore, had the chance to upset a team 121 places above them in the ELO world rankings, which would have been an incredible feat. Consider also that Kuwait is ranked higher than any Southeast Asian country so the Kuwait-Philippines match up is a huge signal to the rest of the region—that the Philippines can compete at the highest level in Asia.


Stephan Schrock, a marked man before the game, put the Philippines in front with a thunderous strike from just over 20 yards and the Philippines looked to press when Kuwaiti Fahed Al Ebrahim was sent off. Unlucky, the Philippines eventually lost 5-1 on aggregate.


Yet the Philippines have much to be proud about with great performances from Schrock, Rob Gier and Neil Etheridge in particular. Scoring his first goal for the Philippines, the Filipino-German put in a good shift for the team and looked biting in midfield, while several last-ditch challenges from Gier prevented numerous Kuwaiti attacks. Etheridge at goal made a number of good stops including a brilliant fingertip save diving to his left in the second half.


Proud of the team coach Michael Weiss praised the players after the game for their work-ethic while thanked the fans and press for their support. When asked about some of the newer players, he singled out Stephan Schrock as a player who is "on another level".


Bringing great work-ethic, technique and vision to the team, manager Dan Palami has also previously noted that Schrock has one of the best attitudes of the players, too, despite his obvious skill.


Weiss commented that "Even though he was not at his best (Thursday) night he was at a different level. You could see the difference with his incredible goal."


Speaking of the team generally, Weiss is looking forward to the time when the Philippines will have a full set of players to choose from, with injuries and club commitments keeping Denis Cagara, Paul Mulders, Chris Greatwich and others from joining the team. However with such a young bunch of players, he noted that they are a "good group to be developed" and the future looks bright for the second most improving side in the world.