YH brothers asked to return to Azkals; to play in Singapore
Phil and James' vacation from the national Football team may soon be over.
The Philippine Football Federation on Wednesday released the list of players for the Middle East camp and lo and behold, the Younghusbands were there.
Azkals manager Dan Palami explained it on his Facebook page.
"After careful consideration, the management has decided to include Phil and James Younghusband in this training camp. Both siblings remain assets to the Azkals and remain part of the team. The training camp should be a good venue to hone a stronger team with an even better chemistry on the pitch."
The list serves as an invitation, but it is not yet known if the brothers will indeed go to Bahrain and Kuwait. There is still the matter of them being released by their club, Loyola Meralco Sparks.
The Sparks are in Singapore for their Singapore Cup semifinal first leg against Tampines Rovers on Thursday.
Several Azkals who are based outside the country are also joining the camp. Angel Guirado, now playing for Salgaocar in India, was included, as is his brother Juani.
Ray Jonsson is invited as is Rob Gier. Paul Mulders is listed on the squad as well and should bolster the midfield.
Roland Muller is also listed. The MSV Duisberg keeper will likely start in the absence of Neil Etheridge in the tour.
Filipino-Danes Jerry Lucena and Dennis Cagara are also on the list.
The inclusion of the Younghusbands comes as a surprise to many, since they were very acrimoniously dropped from the team before the Peace Cup. But in the press conference on the eve of the opening match versus Guam, the PFF made it very clear that they were not shutting the door to welcoming them back.
The manager of the brothers, Cathy Rivilla, said via telephone that the boys were happy with the decision but that they were focused on the Singapore game.
"It's not just for Meralco, but it's for the country."
Azkals team captain Chieffy Caligdong seemed glad to have the players back. When asked if he was happy he said "Oo naman. Part sila ng team dati pa. Siguro hindi lang nagkakaintindihan (between the Younghusbands and team management.)
Caligdong said there would be a team meeting tomorrow where it would be known if the brothers would accept the invitation and join the camp.
The news comes just as FIFA announces its world rankings, with the Philippines now at 147, an all-time high. In South East Asia, only Thailand at 139 and Vietnam at 140 are positioned higher.
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Meanwhile the Younghusband's club team, Loyola Meralco Sparks, is girding for a clash on Thursday against Tampines Rovers at Tampines' home ground, Clementi Stadium in Singapore. It is the first match of a two-legged, aggregate goals affair in the Singapore Cup.
Match two is on Sunday on the artificial surface of Jalan Besar Stadium, where the Sparks defeated Myanmar side Kanbawza 5-3 over two legs last July.
Aside from the brothers, Loyola also features Azkal midfielder Anto Gonzales and goalkeeper Ref Cuaresma. Mark Hartmann, Matthew Hartmann, and Simon Greatwich are other former Azkals who play for the squad.
Tampines, nicknamed the Stags, are bannered by Singapore's ageless Bosnian-born striker, Aleksandar Duric. The tall 42-year old has scored for Singapore 25 times.
Another key member of the Stags attack will be Noh Alam Shah. The volatile Singaporean striker was once a mainstay on the national team. At 32 years old, Shah has recently returned from playing in Indonesia with Persib Bandung to rejoin the club he played for from 2003 to 2009.
Shah has struck 34 times for his national team and 103 times in his first stint with Rovers. In seven appearances for Tampines this year, he has yet to find the net.
The winner of the series meets either Gombak United or Singapore Armed Forces in a one-game final match on October 28 in Jalan Besar.
The Singapore Cup is a knockout competition in Singapore that has long included regional squads.
I am told that AKTV may provide a live broadcast of the game which kicks off Thursday 7:45 pm.
You can follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
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