After consistently making the final four of the last few editions of the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Philippines national team – or the Azkals as they are more fondly known as – is in the midst of revitalizing the squad.
With the 2020 edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup confirmed for the end of the year, the formation of the Azkals Development team to compete in the Philippines Football League will hopefully give the senior team an injection of new blood.
“We’re revitalizing the current team, searching for new potential impact players while the ADT program is up and running. We just need results to back it up,” said Philippines head coach Scott Cooper.
“We’ve been able to identify younger players with specific talents who have a bright future ahead,” said “The team is playing more offensive than ever and it looks like they can play against any other team anywhere. Our future is bright. We are very optimistic. And we’re putting plans in place to continue our development.”
Added Philppines team manager Dan Palami: “there is now a belief in the players and staff that performing well against much higher ranked countries isn’t rare. We’re more confident that we can be one of the best teams in Asia. There is certainly a paradigm shift in terms of the culture that we have in the team.”
