The Azkals, now they really bite!

Despite feeling like the entire pre-school department of SHS-AdC ran over my body and sounding like a conked-out generator, I popped some pills and watched the other night's game between our Azkals and Myanmar. My occassional bouts with chills were warmed by the great performance of our boys in blue. And what a game that was inspite of the 0-0 draw.

Our boys started really slow that in the early stages of the first half, they were very tentative with their offense. Several times, the enemy moves with at least four attackers but our Azkals had a very solid blue defensive wall. Ultimately, the team adjusted, and had several wingers and strikers commit to their offensive sets with good results.

There were at least six shots that could have given us the points but they all hit the woodwork. Veteran striker Ian Araneta had four of those shots that either hit the posts or the cross bar. There were several other opportunities to score but the football gods were not too giving that night. Well, despite the draw, we move on to the semis of the Suzuki Cup with Vietnam, together with Malaysia and Indonesia from Group A. This is a first for Philippine football, and personally I am happy we made this far.   

Are we seeing better days for Philippine football? I do hope so but the FIFA lords still recognize Mari Martinez as PFF's president, not really caring that he got hit with a curling cross kick that booted him out of his throne. And now he just might claim credit for our boys' unexpected performance.

Mizuno and Dan Palami has done wonders for the Azkals. If only sponsors can show more love for our guys, then we could just be Asia's next football heavies. Come on, people. Basketball sponsorship has already gone to ridiculous proportions. A portion of this ridiculousness will do a great deal of good for our football program. Smart is handling the Gilas, so maybe Globe can handle the Azkals? Hey, Sun, you interested?

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So, why do people love football? Ross Lipschultz listed 50 reasons why but I selected my personal top ten from his list and here they are:

10) Some of the world's top athletes play football, running an average of at least 15 kilometers per game doing defensive and offensive sets, and occasionally do award-winning flops to get the ref's atttention.

9) The UEFA Champions League - the name speaks for itself. Any game in this league is top rated.

8) Cristiano Ronaldo - move over Becks, we have a new football poster boy. You either love him or hate him. Your pick.

7) The fans - from the riotous hooligans to the passionate loyalists. It never fails to amaze the non-believers in the sport.

6) No commercial interruptions - think about two 45-minute halves of uninterrupted game. No other sporting event gives you this.

5) Celebrations after scoring a goal - imagine Kevin Durant running around the court, removing then waving his jersey, chased by his teammates, then swan-diving on center court. David Stern would kick his skinny butt to Somalia.

4) One-name players - Pele, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Romario, Ronaldo and the rest. It adds to the romance of the game and it's easier to recall.

3) The shoot-out - best of five, one-on-one. The thrill, the tension, the excitement, ahh football.

2) The national anthem - Lipschultz says in America, people don't like to stand up when the anthem is played. In international football, fans shout their anthems as if afraid their country would cancel their citizenship.

1) The Word Cup - we were all witnesses to the world's most watched event and there's no need to elaborate on this. Ole! Ole! Ole!

Let's show love to the Azkals, let's show love to football. We can excel on this.

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