Phl kicks off AFC bid vs Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines takes on Myanmar in the opener of the Asian Football Confederation’s Under-16 Women’s Championships 2013 Qualifiers which kicks off tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

“Myanmar has always been a tough team for us. They beat us 1-0 during the AFC U-13 Festival of Football in Vietnam in 2010,” said head trainer Robert Manlulo.

The Phl booters are coming off a two-week training in Bacolod.

The match is set at 6 p.m. after the 3 p.m. duel between Australia and Thailand.

The Phl, Myanmar, Australia and Thailand make up Group C in the 14-team competitions which offers berths in next year’s finals.

The other playdates are on Nov. 9 and 11 with free admission, according to host Philippine Football Federation.

The elims will select the top two teams that will advance to the biennial AFC U-16 Women’s championship final next year. 

Fourteen AFC member associations from four Asian regions are vying for eight slots in the 2013 final with four of the 12 berths already sealed through the previous tournaments.

Group A is composed of Jordan, IR Iran, Bahrain and Kuwait while Group B includes India, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan. Group D consists of Chinese Taipei, Guam and Hong Kong. 

All teams will play a round-robin league system, which gives three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.

RIFA MVP Marty Bautista, a sophomore striker from Miriam College High School, striker Shannon Arthur from Colegio de San Agustin, and midfielder Kyla Inquig from Dumaguete head the Phl team.

Stephanie Ang-Cogswell, a Filipino-Canadian who voluntarily returned to the country to suit up for the team, will be the team’s goalkeeper.