Source: Manila Times
MANY Filipino football aficio-nados were delighted that the first goal in last Wednesday’s Philippines-Mongolia match was scored by Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong. And what a fantastic goal it was.
It was in the 43rd minute when the Azkals scored their first goal after Caligdong took a long cross—from right-winger Anton del Rosario—on his chest, flicked the ball with his left foot to throw off a Mongolian defender, then completed the shot with his right foot sending the ball between the legs of the hapless goalkeeper Ganbayar Tseveensuren.
That evening the Mongolian goalie was one of the hardest working players in his team thanks to the Filipinos’ relentless offense. Although the match ended with a 2-0 score, the Azkals actually made 30 or so attempts at the goal, indicating that the Blue Wolves can put up a mean defense.
Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Caligdong developed his amazing pitch skills in Barotac Nuevo, often described as both the Mecca and the last refuge of football in the Philippines. In fact, the entire Western Visayas region is regarded as football country, which became apparent from the overcapacity crowd that packed the hastily refurbished Pana-ad Stadium.
The 28-year-old Air Force serviceman, who has been a member of the national team for the past seven years, made his debut in the 2004 Tiger Cup, playing all four matches and scoring three goals. Two of those goals came in the 89th and 92nd minute in the 2–1 win over Timor-Leste, making it the first-ever victory of the Philippines in the Asean Football Championship.
In last year’s Suzuki Cup matches Caligdong sustained an injury as the Filipinos fought for qualification, and the former Azkals team captain was seen struggling with his game. Despite the Philippine team’s outstanding performance, including a 2-1 upset of defending champion Vietnam, Caligdong was reportedly thinking of hanging up his boots and instead focus on coaching.
Those plans may have to wait, however, as the growing legions of football fans—many of them recent converts—now expect more from Chieffy on the pitch,
whether in Ulanbator, Chittagong or Bacolod.
The Azkals have been fortified by the enthusiastic participation of Europeans and Americans of Filipino descent who, thanks to media attention, have approached rock-star status—complete with screaming teenage fans.
The “foot-tisoys” from England, The Netherlands, Iceland and America have undoubtedly raised the level of play; they have also aroused interest among many Filipinos who previously thought that basketball was the only team sport worth playing.
Phil Younghusband—who made the second score last Wednesday despite tight guarding by a Genghis Khan descendant—and his brother James, Neil Etheridge, Jason de Jong, Robert Gier and the other “imports” have indisputable Filipino blood. It warms our collective heart that these players take every opportunity to show the world that they are proud of their heritage.
The Azkals, however, are also made up of eight native-born players—like Caligdong—who have kept faith in football despite the decades-long lack of popular interest and official support. What a splendid validation was Chieffy’s 43rd minute goal that native talent and mestizo reinforcement are able to come together on the pitch and give the country a good chance at football glory.
It would, however, be hard to imagine the national football team rising out of the quagmire of public indifference and government neglect without the remarkable managerial talents of the 40 year-old Dan Stephen Palami.
A certified public accountant who graduated from the University of the Philippines, Palami grew up in Tacloban City. He is also president of the Leyte Football Association.
In an article posted in the website of Sun-Star Cagayan de Oro last November, sportswriter Jack Bantian noted that Palami is the chief executive officer of APT Global, a railway engineering company involved in the construction, operations and maintenance of railway systems, including the LRT 1 and 2 in Manila.
In December 2009 the then-controversial leadership of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) appointed Palami as Azkals manager. According to Bantian, it was “probably the only positive credit that the [former] PFF regime has ever made.”
According to Bantian, the PFF let Palami manage the Azkals in the same way that he manages his company. “He is a hands-on boss and he is always around when there are matches and when they need financial and material support.”
Palami became involved in the recruitment of the players and, as Bantian put it, “the first thing he did when he was appointed was to get local players and hire a foreign coach to infuse system that could work for the Azkals on a short-term basis.“
Soon afterward Palami began recruiting European and American players of Filipino ancestry to play for the national team, which then adopted the Tagalog slang for stray dog, asong kalye or askal, to describe their hard-scrabble existence and tough disposition.
In an interview last year, Palami told Bantian that he “wanted to develop a team that everybody wants to support. At the start of this endeavor, he knew that it is very difficult to get a private sector support for a team that has no winning attitude. But now that they have started winning and qualified for the Suzuki Cup, the Azkals have shown to everyone that they are a good team.”
When Bantian wrote his article in 2010, Palami was still looking for partners willing to help the Azkals “because, as of the moment, he only gets support from Mizuno for the kits while all the rest is from his own pocket.”
More recent reports indicate that support has begun to come in, including a multimillion-peso partnership with a telecommunications company and a 5-hectare lot in Parañaque where the team could build its home pitch.
Moreover, the decision of ABS-CBN to cover the Azkal matches has caused the popularity of football to rise to heights unprecedented in this country.
Indeed, things are looking up for football in this country, thanks to the efforts of a few men who love the beautiful game.
It was in the 43rd minute when the Azkals scored their first goal after Caligdong took a long cross—from right-winger Anton del Rosario—on his chest, flicked the ball with his left foot to throw off a Mongolian defender, then completed the shot with his right foot sending the ball between the legs of the hapless goalkeeper Ganbayar Tseveensuren.
That evening the Mongolian goalie was one of the hardest working players in his team thanks to the Filipinos’ relentless offense. Although the match ended with a 2-0 score, the Azkals actually made 30 or so attempts at the goal, indicating that the Blue Wolves can put up a mean defense.
Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Caligdong developed his amazing pitch skills in Barotac Nuevo, often described as both the Mecca and the last refuge of football in the Philippines. In fact, the entire Western Visayas region is regarded as football country, which became apparent from the overcapacity crowd that packed the hastily refurbished Pana-ad Stadium.
The 28-year-old Air Force serviceman, who has been a member of the national team for the past seven years, made his debut in the 2004 Tiger Cup, playing all four matches and scoring three goals. Two of those goals came in the 89th and 92nd minute in the 2–1 win over Timor-Leste, making it the first-ever victory of the Philippines in the Asean Football Championship.
In last year’s Suzuki Cup matches Caligdong sustained an injury as the Filipinos fought for qualification, and the former Azkals team captain was seen struggling with his game. Despite the Philippine team’s outstanding performance, including a 2-1 upset of defending champion Vietnam, Caligdong was reportedly thinking of hanging up his boots and instead focus on coaching.
Those plans may have to wait, however, as the growing legions of football fans—many of them recent converts—now expect more from Chieffy on the pitch,
whether in Ulanbator, Chittagong or Bacolod.
The Azkals have been fortified by the enthusiastic participation of Europeans and Americans of Filipino descent who, thanks to media attention, have approached rock-star status—complete with screaming teenage fans.
The “foot-tisoys” from England, The Netherlands, Iceland and America have undoubtedly raised the level of play; they have also aroused interest among many Filipinos who previously thought that basketball was the only team sport worth playing.
Phil Younghusband—who made the second score last Wednesday despite tight guarding by a Genghis Khan descendant—and his brother James, Neil Etheridge, Jason de Jong, Robert Gier and the other “imports” have indisputable Filipino blood. It warms our collective heart that these players take every opportunity to show the world that they are proud of their heritage.
The Azkals, however, are also made up of eight native-born players—like Caligdong—who have kept faith in football despite the decades-long lack of popular interest and official support. What a splendid validation was Chieffy’s 43rd minute goal that native talent and mestizo reinforcement are able to come together on the pitch and give the country a good chance at football glory.
It would, however, be hard to imagine the national football team rising out of the quagmire of public indifference and government neglect without the remarkable managerial talents of the 40 year-old Dan Stephen Palami.
A certified public accountant who graduated from the University of the Philippines, Palami grew up in Tacloban City. He is also president of the Leyte Football Association.
In an article posted in the website of Sun-Star Cagayan de Oro last November, sportswriter Jack Bantian noted that Palami is the chief executive officer of APT Global, a railway engineering company involved in the construction, operations and maintenance of railway systems, including the LRT 1 and 2 in Manila.
In December 2009 the then-controversial leadership of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) appointed Palami as Azkals manager. According to Bantian, it was “probably the only positive credit that the [former] PFF regime has ever made.”
According to Bantian, the PFF let Palami manage the Azkals in the same way that he manages his company. “He is a hands-on boss and he is always around when there are matches and when they need financial and material support.”
Palami became involved in the recruitment of the players and, as Bantian put it, “the first thing he did when he was appointed was to get local players and hire a foreign coach to infuse system that could work for the Azkals on a short-term basis.“
Soon afterward Palami began recruiting European and American players of Filipino ancestry to play for the national team, which then adopted the Tagalog slang for stray dog, asong kalye or askal, to describe their hard-scrabble existence and tough disposition.
In an interview last year, Palami told Bantian that he “wanted to develop a team that everybody wants to support. At the start of this endeavor, he knew that it is very difficult to get a private sector support for a team that has no winning attitude. But now that they have started winning and qualified for the Suzuki Cup, the Azkals have shown to everyone that they are a good team.”
When Bantian wrote his article in 2010, Palami was still looking for partners willing to help the Azkals “because, as of the moment, he only gets support from Mizuno for the kits while all the rest is from his own pocket.”
More recent reports indicate that support has begun to come in, including a multimillion-peso partnership with a telecommunications company and a 5-hectare lot in Parañaque where the team could build its home pitch.
Moreover, the decision of ABS-CBN to cover the Azkal matches has caused the popularity of football to rise to heights unprecedented in this country.
Indeed, things are looking up for football in this country, thanks to the efforts of a few men who love the beautiful game.
An askal is a Filipino term for any dog with no pedigree, no breed, no class. The askal is usually astray, unsupported and survives by feeding on whatever provision it can find. The Filipino national football team can relate to this mongrel, they have almost no support from a government thats suppose to support them, they are underdogs not just only to the world but even in their own region, South East Asia.
Name: Angel Guirado Aldeguer
Stephan Schröck - nicknamed "Schröcky", is a German–Filipino professional footballer who plays as a right back for 2nd Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
