There is no denying the Philippine Azkals have gained the attention of their rivals in Southeast Asia.
Once the favorite whipping boys in football, the Philippines are no longer taken for granted.
Bunched with regional powerhouses Vietnam and Thailand in the group stages of the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, the Philippines will be the prohibitive underdogs in the tournament.
With Azkals coming off just their first semifinal stint in history in the 2010 edition of the tournament, paving the way for the skyrocketing popularity of the sport in the country, things have changed. Vietnam and Thailand, meanwhile, have already won Suzuki Cup titles in the past and have been considered as the top teams in Southeast Asia. But they too, have changed the way they look at the Azkals.
Former national team coach Aris Caslib believes that the underdog tag is a thing of the past for the nationals, saying that the team has vastly improved. In fact, the Azkals have been the busiest team in the region, playing in over 20 competitive matches since their 2010 semifinal run.
“It’s 2012, it’s completely different,” said Caslib, who failed to steer the nationals past the group stages of the 2007 edition of the tournament after failing to win any matches.
Caslib remains confident that the Azkals have an edge against Vietnam after their 2-0 upset two year ago, and Thailand, who the nationals last faced in a 4-0 loss 2007.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami agreed with Caslib, even declaring that the Philippines are now among the favorites to win the title.
“We’re not coming in as a surprise team anymore. We’re coming in as one of the favorites,” Palami said. “Everyone wants to beat us.”
Palami, however, admitted that overcoming this huge challenge won’t be that easy.
“We need to back up our words by complete preparation,” Palami said. “(That’s why the team is having) tough camps, tough games against tough teams.”
Aside from Vietnam and Thailand, the Azkals are also drawn with the top team from the tournament qualifiers in Group A. Meanwhile, Group B features defending champions Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the runner-up of the qualifiers.
