MANILA, Philippines — Two-time PSA Mr. Football awardee Stephan Schrock is targeting lofty goals for both the Philippine Azkals and his club Ceres Negros FC once action resumes post-lockdown.
Schrock said he’s looking forward to chase history with the Azkals in the Fifa World Cup-AFC Asian Cup Joint Qualifiers while helping the Busmen reassert their domestic dominance and maintain international excellence.
The Fil-German ace expressed confidence the Philippine side will rise to the occasion in their still-to-be-rescheduled matches against Guam, China and Maldives and reach the third round of the WC qualifiers for the first time.
“That is always something what I have in mind, creating history,” the Azkals skipper said in the CPT Crossover podcast recently.
The Pinoy booters sit at third in Group A with seven points behind unbeaten Syria (15 points) and China (seven but with superior goal difference against Phl, 11 versus 0) before play was halted.
The Azkals will host Guam and Maldives, two sides they defeated in the first leg of the home-and-away competition, and play on the road against China, which they battled to a 0-0 draw previously in Bacolod.
The target is to either top the group or place among the four best group runners-up to advance.
“The chance is absolutely there,” said Schrock.
“I’m not overlooking Guam and Maldives but I would say the home games we have to win anyways and then we have to put in a very, very good performance against China and I think this is within reach for us – surprise everyone and go to the next round.”
As for Ceres, Schrock said their eyes are set on winning a four-peat in the still-to-open Philippines Football League. Likewise the Busmen are looking to surpass their achievement in the AFC Cup, where they won the Asean zone title in 2017 and reached the Inter-zone playoff semis stage.
“We’ll go for fourth in a row (in the PFL) and why not go for the (Asean) zonal championship or even better (in the AFC Cup),” he said. ‘This team is very, very capable of playing in the big stage.”
Ceres leads Group G of the AFC Cup with seven markers on two wins and a draw.