Azkals to warm up in chilly Mongolia

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals plan to be in Mongolia at least five days before they tangle with the Blue Wolves in the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers on March 15 in chilly Ulan Bator.

Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta and Azkals team manager Dan Palami said they are working out a possible weeklong training camp in Mongolia to allow members of the squad, especially the homegrown bets, to acclimatize.

Temperature during the Phl-Mongolia game is expected to be at -10 degrees Celsius. It is set at 1 p.m., the warmest period of the day in the Mongolian capital.

“Most of the guys are not used to that kind of weather so we want them to be there at least five days before to acclimatize,” Araneta said yesterday when the Azkals paid a courtesy call to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. headed by chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat Jr. for their support during the first leg.

The Azkals are on a one-week break after Wednesday night’s 2-0 win over Mongolia in Bacolod City. They will go back to the camp on Feb. 20 then move to Baguio City for a weeklong training starting Feb. 21. They will also practice on artificial turf, the kind they will use in Mongolia.

“Although they will go to Baguio on the 21st, it will be just for high altitude training. The temperature in Baguio is still different from that in Mongolia so it’s really important that we be there around five days before (game time) to acclimatize,” Araneta added.

Palami said management is trying to arrange a training camp outside Ulan Bator.

“We’ve been told of the possibility to do a training camp one hour away from Ulan Bator and the weather is about -3, -2, which might be a good place to do the acclimatization,” he said.

Asked whether one week would be enough, he said: “I wouldn’t really know if one week is enough but then again, whether it’s one week or one month, it’s the first time we’re going to be playing in such kind of weather; it’s hard to predict what kind of adjustments the boys will make. However, for those who are playing in the cold climate (Fil-foreigners based in Europe), I think they can adapt.”

The team headed by co-skippers Aly Borromeo and Chieffy Caligdong and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge personally thanked Pagcor for supporting its first game against Mongolia.

The state-gaming firm sponsored the team’s accommodations during their Jan. 26-Feb 10 stay in Bacolod and vowed to help fund the PFF’s grassroots endeavors as per President Aquino’s call to prioritize the country’s football programs.

“With football, there is a chance for the Philippines to shine,” Naguiat said.