Football
U-22 football team for Asian Cup qualifiers bared
The Philippine national Under-22 football team has named its players competing in the upcoming Asian Football Confederation U-22 Asian Cup qualifiers in Yangon, Myanmar this June.
The team is mostly composed of local football players playing in the UFL and other local football leagues in the country.
Tapped by head coach John Carmona to lead the team are Azkals member Marwin Angeles and Jose Pascual of Global FC, former UAAP rookie of the year Gerardo Valmayor III, Allen Serna and Raymark Fernandez of UP/Diliman FC, Amani Aguinaldo of FEU/Loyola Meralco Sparks, Anthony Tongson and Jimmy Malalo-an of Ceres FC, Ronald Batisla-ong and Divino Regis of UST/Pachanga FC, Anthony Albao, Alejandro Baldo Jr., Christopher Pedimonte and David Fornea of San Beda, Fitch Johnson Arboleda of UE/ Agila FC, James Theuer of Nomads Auction Manila and Niño Ochotorena of Barra FC (Dipolog City).
The squad also features foreign-based players, such as Azkals member Jeffrey Christiaens, Chris Jacques Van Bossche and Angelo Verheye Marasigan from Belgium, Aaron de Rama from England and Jose Elmer Porteria from USA.
The team leaves for Thailand Tuesday to play a friendly against the U-22 squad of Thailand on Wednesday, while they will go to Cambodia afterwards to face their U-22 squad on June 13.
Angeles and Chritiaens, however, will leave Wednesday after the Azkals friendly match against Indonesia on Tuesday night.
The Philippines, drawn in Group G, will play against Korea Republic, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Chinese Taipei from June 23 to July 3. The top two teams in each group, as well as the best third-placer in the tournament, will qualify in the final round.
A total of 41 countries, divided into seven groups, will vie for 15 slots in the inaugural U-22 Asian Cup in 2013.
