The Philippines will play their group stage of the 2012 Suzuki Cup in Thailand. Drawn in Group A, they will face Vietnam, group hosts Thailand and the top qualifier of the qualifying stage.
The draw was held Wednesday at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Bangkok and is possibly the toughest possible for the Azkals, as they face the top two countries of South East Asia in Thailand and Vietnam, and the country that wins the qualifying group stage, with Myanmar the favorites.
"We do not aim to participate, we aim to be champions"
Before the draw, Azkals’ manager Dan Palami said that “this is a very important tournament for the Philippine Azkals.
“[The 2010 Suzuki Cup] was the crossroads in Philippine football, the reason why we have an even better local league and why kids are now interested in football. It was the game that started it all [the 2-0 victory over Vietnam].
“It will be very difficult for the Philippines and we aren’t coming in as a surprise team, but as one of the favorites, so most of the teams are scouting the Philippines.”
With the Philippines reaching the semifinals last time, Palami said that it was the “first time the Philippines qualified for the final group stage, and of course the first time the Philippines qualified for the semifinals.
“We do not aim to participate, we aim to be champions,” added Palami. “So in preparation, we’re having lots of training camps. By experience I know that coming from a camp the team has always gotten better so having more camps together will be the key to success in the Suzuki Cup.”
He also noted an impressive fact, that the Suzuki Cup is watched by more people in South East Asia than even the World Cup, showing the importance of the competition to the countries involved and their people.
Facing Vietnam, Thailand and the top qualifier
The Philippines are currently ranked as the third-highest nation in South East Asia. Given that FIFA ranks England at fourth in the world, however, it would be wise not to give too much heed to their rankings. The Azkals though will go into the group with the only two countries ranked above them in South East Asia.
Tournament seedings and FIFA ranks
1) Vietnam (120)
2) Indonesia (153)
3) Malaysia (157)
4) Thailand (135)
5) Singapore (158)
6) Philippines (152)
Seedings for teams in qualifiers
7) Myanmar (180)
8) Laos (190)
9) Cambodia (192)
10) Timor Lester (204)
11) Brunei (201)
Manager Dan Palami said after the main draw that “being resilient is the mark of a Filipino and it’s no different for the Azkals – and that’s the reason we’re called the Azkals.
“We have been able to overcome challenges on and off the pitch and we overcame them with teamwork. We look forward to doing the same in the Suzuki Cup.”
The Azkals will need that spirit as they are against the most successful team in Suzuki Cup history in Thailand, who will also have home advantage. Thailand has won three Suzuki Cups, and have settled for runner-up position five times in the eight editions of the competition and the Azkals will face off against the group hosts on November 24.
Vietnam, meanwhile, will be out for revenge as the Philippines’ 2-0 victory over them last time out shocked South East Asian football. That rematch will take place on November 27 before the final group match for the Philippines against the top qualifier on November 30.
Weirdly there was also a draw to decide the positions of the countries in the qualifying group stage despite the countries already being known. As hosts, Myanmar were automatically given the third position in the group, while Cambodia took position one, Timor-Leste took position two, with Brunei in fourth and Laos in fifth. This only decided the order of the fixtures for the qualifying group.
No longer a surprise
It will still be difficult for the Philippines, however, as the top six teams in the tournament are all capable of beating each other on their day. The Philippines are also seeded sixth in the competition, meaning that it would still be somewhat of a surprise for them to reach the semifinals.
However, now that the Azkals have already made shockwaves in the footballing region, they won’t come into the tournament as a surprise package. That element of surprise gave them an edge in 2010 and helped them to the 2-0 victory over Vietnam and 1-1 draw with Singapore which saw them reach the semifinals.
Preparation for the Suzuki Cup
The Azkals will be heading to the United States for a training camp from the third of August to the 17th. They have already confirmed friendlies with USL Premier Division League team Chicago Inferno, and the US Virgin Islands, ranked 177th in the world.
The Azkals are also considering joining the Nehru Cupm to be held in Delhi, India, from August 22 to September 2. They would likely face Jordan, Kenya, Syria and hosts India there.
The Philippines will also be hosting the Long Teng Cup this year, to be held in Bacolod in October. Guam are also rumored to be interested in taking part and as the Philippines don’t have to take part in the qualification for the Suzuki Cup final stage, this may well be a good chance to prepare against international opposition before the tournament.
The last friendly will be on November 15, with Dan Palami urging the PFF to invite the strongest team in Group B, which would be Malaysia or Indonesia, as good preparation. - AMD, GMA News