Football
Azkals to play Cambodia friendly ahead of Suzuki Cup
InterAKTV/Allen Chavez
The Philippine national men’s football team added yet another friendly match to its busy preparations for the upcoming 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup.
The Azkals will be facing Cambodia in a friendly match on Sept. 7 in its capital Phnom Penh, according to their official website azkalsfootballteam.com.
While the Philippines are already seeded in the 2012 Suzuki Cup and drawn with Thailand and Vietnam in Group A, Cambodia will still be going through the qualifiers in October to book a seat in the tournament.
Ranked 192nd in the latest FIFA rankings, Cambodia last battled the Philippines in the 2010 Suzuki Cup qualifiers which ended in a scoreless draw.
Before the friendly match against Cambodia, the Azkals will be coming off their US training camp in which they will clash with United Soccer League squad Chicago Inferno on Aug. 12 in Wheaton, Illinois and the US Virgin Islands national team on Aug. 18 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The nationals will also be playing against Kenya, India, Jordan and Maldives in the 2012 Nehru Cup in New Delhi, India from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2. Aside from that, the Azkals are also planning to invite Singapore in a friendly match in Cebu on Nov. 15 as their last game before flying to Bangkok, Thailand for the Suzuki Cup.
Now fielding a more formidable team under German coach Hans Michael Weiss, the Azkals look to surpass their surprising semifinal run in the 2010 edition of the tournament.
The 2012 Suzuki Cup is slated from Nov. 24 to Dec. 22 in Thailand and Malaysia.
