MANILA, Philippines –The Philippine men’s football team unveiled its 26-man lineup for the Mitsubishi Electric Cup later this month despite confronting roadblocks in tapping players on its wishlist.
Freddy Gonzalez, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) director for national teams, said the roster missed out on a full squad for the tournament as some players seeing action in overseas leagues could not secure releases from their mother clubs in time.
“It is not an official match window, so we are really depending on their clubs for our players,” Gonzalez said as PUMA unveiled the new national team kits, which will be used for the December tournament pitting ASEAN teams.
“Especially if we have a whole squad, we have a great chance of going far in the tournament, even potentially winning. But, like we all say in the team, we go game by game,” he added.
“I’m very confident with the players that we have. I think they would be able to still go far in the tournament. It’s just that we all want to have our best players out there. Unfortunately, for us, the Philippine fans, we’re being prevented from doing so.”
Among those who were notably out in the lineup are veterans Geritt Holtmann, Manny Ott, Kevin Ingreso, Kevin Mendoza, and Dylan Demuynck.
Meanwhile, defender Santi Rublico, who plays for the Collado Villalba in Spain, cracked the roster, despite earlier uncertainties about whether he would secure his release in time for the tournament.
Aside from Rubico, Amani Aguinaldo, Michael Kempter, Kike Linares, Joshua Merino, Christian Rontini, Paul Bismarck Tabinas, and Adrian Ugelvick round out the defenders for the team.
Midfielders include Sandro Reyes, Scott Woods, Javier Mariona, Oskari Kekkonen, Pocholo Bugas, Michael Baldisimo, and Zico Bailey.
Forwards feature Ateneo Blue Eagles star Dov Carino, Leo Maquiling, Jarvey Gayoso, Uriel Dalapo, Bjorn Kristensen, Alex Monis, and Patrick Reichelt.
Nicholas Guimares, Patrick Deyto, Quincy Kammeraad, and Florencio Badelic Jr. make up the squad’s goalkeepers.
“This team can perform, and we stand by them,” Gonzalez said.
Despite the challenges, Gonzalez assured fans that the team’s commitment to winning remains intact throughout the tournament.
“The mentality will be to win it all. We are going to the tournament with a winning attitude. Again, we take this game by game,” he said.
The national men’s team will kick off the tournament against Myanmar on December 12 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. – Rappler.com