Booters see strong Suzuki Cup outing

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine football team yesterday expressed optimism of a strong showing in the four-nation Suzuki Cup Asean Football Championship Qualifiers slated Oct. 22-29 in Vientiane, Laos.

“We have a team that is ready to redeem Philippine football,” said team manager Dan Palami at the weekly PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave.

Palami said the national squad, which will be beefed up by at least six foreign-based players with Filipino roots, has been training hard for the tournament, where the RP booters will meet Timor Leste, Laos and Cambodia.

The top two teams will advance to the main tournament in Vietnam and Indonesia.

The top team in the qualifier will join Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, while the runner-up will be grouped with Vietnam, Singapore and Myanmar.

“We’re not just there to participate but to win,” said Simon McMenemy, the new English coach of the national squad, who has served in various capacities in top clubs in England.

“The preparations have been superb the past 10 months. We have evolved as a team. The players are fit, willing to play for each other, fight for each other and assist each other,” said McMenemy, who took the head coaching job last month, replacing another Englishman, Des Bulpin, now working with the India Under-19 squad.

Also at the forum backed by Outlast Battery, Shakey’s Pizza and Pagcor were RP team co-captains Chiefy Caligdong and Aly Borromeo, who echoed McMenemy’s sentiments, saying that the morale in the club has never been higher.