Fil-Am booter to give RP big boost

The Philippine women’s football team, bidding to win a first ever medal in the Southeast Asian Games, got a big boost in its campaign yesterday following the arrival in the country of Fil-Am Miko Alley.

The beauteous 17-year old midfielder from West Virginia came with two weeks left before football competition in the 23rd edition of the biennial meet kicks off in Bacolod City.

But the 5-foot-6 lass said she’s ready to help the Filipina booters in any which way she can in their medal quest.

"I’m looking forward to playing for the Philippine team in the SEA Games. It’s an honor being asked to play here. I don’t want to make any commitments, but I’m ready to help the team achieve a respectable finish," said Alley in the PSA Forum yesterday at the main function room of the Pantalan Restaurant.

The fourth-year high school student was accompanied in the public sports program sponsored by Red Bull, Circure, Supermax, PAGCOR and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza by her mother Marlene Alley and Ernie Nierras, co-team manager of the women’s football squad.

The elder Alley said her family migrated to the US in 1972 where Miko was born. She also has two sons who play football in West Virginia.

Nierras said Alley immediately joins the rest of the team in its training camp in Dasmarinas and will have her first taste of formal competition this weekend when the Filipina booters engage Hong Kong-China in two exhibition matches to be held at the Philsports and Marikina football fields.

The RP team official also added the football draw held last Sunday night favored the host country.

"Sa schedule pa lang maganda na agad dahil Vietnam and Myanmar, the two teams which fought in the final two years ago, will be going up against each other on opening day. Dun pa lang kung sino ang matalo, medyo malaki na ang problema," said Nierras.

"On our part, we have to win our first two games.

Kung magawa namin ‘yun, tiyak malaking boost ito sa confidence ng team."

Indonesia and Thailand are the other countries seeing action in the five-team field, with the top two at the end of the eliminations disputing the gold medal.