MANILA, Philippines — Aussie coach Alen Stajcic has declared that leading the Philippines in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup in India is the highlight of his lengthy coaching career.
After their history making run ended in the semifinal on Thursday with a 0-2 loss against Korea, Stajcic rained praise on his current group of booters.
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"This is probably the best experience, I think, in my coaching career. I've been coaching for 20 years," Stajcic said, who previously led the Australian Matildas to back-to-back appearances in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
"To take this group, who are so dedicated, so determined, so much discipline, so much heart, so much spirit, considering what they've had to overcome to this point, you know, I don't think I've ever had to coach a group who's had so many hurdles to overcome just in our preparation let alone in a tournament. And to get to this level, and to fight, compete until the last kick of a semifinal is truly just a remarkable effort," he added.
The Philippines reached new heights in the regional tournament as they shattered glass ceiling after glass ceiling — from getting out of the group stages, to qualifying for the semifinal.
They also booked a slot to the World Cup, the first-ever for Philippine football, men or women.
Stajcic shared that he was often moved by the Philippines' sheer effort, who upended Asian powerhouses like Thailand and Chinese Taipei, and also displaying valiant efforts against Top 20 teams South Korea and Australia.
"You know, it's really emotional watching them try right to the last second of the game. There's so many teams who would've given up and thrown the towel in," Stajcic said.
"It's been a wonderful experience, getting to know every player, every member of our staff. It's such a unified group, such a close group... It's no surprise that the whole country back home in the Philippines is really proud of the group," he added.
Questions still to be answered
Despite his apparent positive experience with the team, Stajcic's future as head coach remains uncertain because his contract expires at the end of the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
But the Philippine Football Federation has already expressed they would do everything to keep Stajcic in the program.
The Aussie coach, meanwhile, said he'll be waiting for the dust to settle before deciding on what's next.
"That's questions we still got to answer... It's all very fresh at the moment and we've got to let everything settle down. But I'm sure that'll all be sorted in the next two, three weeks," Stajcic said.
Next on the calendar for the Filipina booters is the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi by May.
The Philippines will attempt to gain a podium finish after narrowly missing out on it in the 2019 edition of the biennial tournament.