Chieffy, Aly, battle to regain Azkals spots

It's a muggy Wednesday morning in the Rizal Memorial stadium, and the Azkals are just about winding up practice. The players have just finished a medieval set of stair-climbing exercises at the grandstand, led by their new assistant coach, Sebastian Stache.

To get their bodies recovering quickly, the weary Azkals gingerly lower themselves into that chilly trademark of the Thomas Dooley era: the post-training icebath.

Among those cooling their buns in the grandstand tunnel are Aly Borromeo and Chieffy Caligdong. The frigid dip is an apt metaphor for their Azkal careers. Due to injuries, both have been in the deep freeze internationally.

But the pair are in the pool (pool of players, we mean, not the cold stuff) for the upcoming Peace Cup. Both hope to survive the final cut for the Suzuki Cup warmup tournament.
While he's surrounded by breadloaf-sized chunks of ice, I ask Borromeo how his knee is, and his answer is priceless.

“What knee?”

We laugh, and he follows it up with something more serious.

“It's good. It's brand new. I don't feel any pain. I'm getting fitter and fitter.”

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Borromeo left a 2011 UFL Cup match with a busted ACL. Although he tried to come back prematurely, the injury refused to heal properly, and he ended up with a revision surgery and rehab in Australia. This past UFL league he was finally able to get some playing time in Kaya.

Aly's left knee is encased in athletic tape, so I ask which of his two knees is the one that had given him problems these past years. Incredibly, Borromeo literally looks down at his legs in the pool, pauses to think, and says “right knee.”

Yes, that's how long it's been. As it turns out, the tape on the left wheel is for a minor quad strain.

“I'm looking forward to getting back into the mix of things and getting a spot back in the team,” says the former Azkal captain, who got his first cap way back in 2004. Does it feel like it's been a decade with the Azkals?

“No. I feel like I'm 28. I'm a rookie vet,” he asserts with a smile. Aly is already 31.

Borromeo certainly appreciates the leadership of Thomas Dooley.

“I like the way he does his drills. He works on different aspects of the game like agility work, coordination stuff, tactics, and then we play in the end. It's a good mix.”

“(Former coach Michael) Weiss was more focused on fitness and direct play. Dooley is more into the tactics, and he knows the players individually.”

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Borromeo also knows that he needs to prove himself all over again.

“I can't be complacent. I have to earn my spot back. It's been a few years since I've been out.”

“The atmosphere is different now. The level is higher. But the competition is good. It makes us work harder day in and day out. I just want to give 100% in every session, in every drill.”

Borromeo will need to outplay a pretty tough array of defenders to make the team. Not only are veterans Rob Gier and Juani Guirado set to arrive in time for the Peace Cup on September 3, but new Filipino-Spanish defender Alvaro Silva is likely to make an appearance. Of course Amani Aguinaldo, the youngster who performed heroically in the Challenge Cup in Maldives, could be selected. Kaya team mate Anton Del Rosario is also an option at centerback.

Caligdong hasn't been gone for quite as long from the national team, but he does have much to prove.

Chieffy fractured a foot in UFL league play and only got into fitness right before the Challenge Cup. It was too late for Dooley to take him to the Maldives. But perhaps the Peace Cup will see him back in Azkals colors. He knows it won't be easy and that he needs to ratchet up his game a notch.

“Panibagong future na ito sa Philippine football,” says the Green Archers United Globe star. “Start from zero. Kung anung laro ko dati, kelangan mas ma-impress pa sila ngayon.

Like Borromeo, Caligdong likes what he sees from the new regime.

“Iba na ang system, training, conditioning, at treatment. Mas organized na.”

Caligdong got his start with the national team under coach Sugao Kambe in 2002. Twelve years later, much has changed and he needs to adapt. Players like Patrick Reichelt and Misagh Bahadoran can compete with him for a spot at left wing. Even Jeffrey Christiaens can play at that flank. But Caligdong isn't too concerned.

“I'm not worried about the others. I-co-contribute ko lang kung anung maipapakita ko. Confident na makakapasok ako sa Peace Cup (roster).”

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When asked how long the 32-year-old will continue wearing the Azkals kit, he answers that it hasn't crossed his mind. But his experience in scoring sixteen international goals for the Philippines will be invaluable.

“Marami pa kaming maituturo sa mga bata,” insists Caligdong as he stands up from the ice bath. “Ang advice at encouragement.”

As for Dooley, the coach refuses to give any guarantees.

“Their (Aly and Chieffy's) contribution matters because we need to be thankful for them but there is also a time when we have to look forward,” says the coach.

“We have to ask what we want to achieve. Do we want to get to the next level? The only thing that helps is performance. Performance is the bottom line.”

Dooley does say that Caligdong has been impressive in training in small-sided games.

“I like him. He looks pretty good. He looks strong. I don't know how he'll play when we play in a bigger field. But so far what I've seen from him is pretty good.”

The next test for the Azkals is on Wednesday, when the team takes on Global in a tune-up for the Peace Cup in Rizal Memorial. Perhaps then we will know if these two legendary Filipino players will come in out of the freezer and back into the national team.

Borromeo and Caligdong are raring to show that they're good as new, and that the cold never bothered them anyway.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.