Azkals off early for Kathmandu

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals will leave early for Kathmandu, Nepal to acclimatize and familiarize themselves with the environs of the high-altitude site for the AFC Challenge Cup group stages next month.

According to Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta, the Azkals will pack their bags for the Nepalese capital on March 2, a good one week before they kick off their campaign in Group B against defending champion North Korea at the Halchowk Stadium.

“It’s a high altitude city so they have to be there early to acclimatize,” Araneta told The STAR yesterday.

Kathmandu has an elevation of about 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above sea level, with an average temperature of 7.5 to 24.3 degrees Celcius during the month of March.

“I requested to go early, five or six days ahead of original schedule, to get used to the high altitude,” Azkals coach Michael Weiss said during the UAAP football finals.

The Azkals, bogged by lack of time to gather the players for training under Weiss, are in a “group of death” in the Challenge Cup. 

After North Korea, the Azkals will take on 2008 champion India on March 11 at Dashrath Stadium, and then 2006 titlist Tajikistan on March 13 at Halchowk Stadium, eyeing to finish in the top 2 in the group to advance to the semis.

But before embarking on their bid in the Challenge Cup, an international competition among emerging nations, the Azkals (156th in the world) will face a big test in a Fifa friendly against ASEAN powerhouse Malaysia Tigers (150th) tomorrow night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

“It will be a massive test for us to see where we stand at the moment,” first choice custodian Neil Etheridge said in a report on ABS-CBN.

The Tigers are preparing to repeat as Suzuki Cup kings later in the year, and in their buildup, decided to pit skills with the Azkals, a side that made a breakthrough performance in the 2010 tourney. The Azkals reached the semis for the first time ever in the last Suzuki Cup, sparking the sport’s renaissance in the country.

“Obviously getting to the semifinals two years ago was a massive achievement for us and we want to continue progressing and making steps in the right direction,” Etheridge said.