Amid an intriguing program overhaul, the Philippine girls’s futsal crew begins the yr with a brand new coach and mixture of homegrown and overseas standouts, together with members of the Filipinas girls’s soccer squad
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine girls’s futsal crew has tapped a brand new overseas coach, on prime of latest core gamers for the AFC Ladies’s Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from January 11 to 19, 2025.
Following the unceremonious elimination of former head coach Vic Hermans over the vacations, the nationwide squad named Spanish tactician Rafa Merino to steer the Philippines within the upcoming tournaments forward of the nation’s internet hosting of the Ladies’s Futsal World Cup from November 21 to December 7 this yr.
In the meantime, Isabella Flanigan, and Katrina Guillou, who each performed for the vaunted Filipinas within the 2023 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup, have been added to the futsal squad, fortifying the roster, which largely had homegrown gamers below Hermans.
“I’m honored to steer this crew and goal to construct a aggressive, unified squad for the qualifiers,” mentioned Merino, who has been with the crew during the last two weeks, in Spanish on the crew’s send-off social gathering in Studio 300 on Tuesday, January 7.
“There’s an excellent ambiance within the crew, the vibe is excellent. All of us work for one another,” Merino added.
Other than Flanigan and Guillou, the crew will likely be having a mixture of homegrown and overseas abilities of their 14-woman roster for the qualifiers.
These embody Sheen Borres, Shelah Mae Cadag, Sara Castañeda, Judy Connolly, Alisha Del Campo, Cathrine Graversen, Samantha Hughes, Rocelle Mendaño, Vrendelle Nuera, Regine Rebosora, Kayla Santiago, and Dionesa Tolentin.
In response to Philippine Soccer Federation (PFF) President John Gutierrez, the gamers had been chosen from a expertise camp held from December 26 to 30.
It was a brand new search for the squad previously often known as the Pinay5, following the Hermans and former crew supervisor Danny Moran’s departure.
Beneath Hermans, the squad completed useless final within the ASEAN Ladies’s Futsal Championship held within the nation, which, partly, led to the futsal crew’s overhaul.
“I need to thank first the sacrifice that these girls have made, coaching by way of the vacation season. Once more, being Filipinos, it’s no small factor for us to spend time away from the household in the course of the holidays,” Gutierrez mentioned.
Gutierrez refused to reply questions concerning the crew’s program transition. He needs to as an alternative give attention to the duty at hand to defend the crew from distractions forward of the qualifiers.
The Philippines will face Kuwait, host Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Australia in Group C of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Now, with a brand new squad, the Philippines hopes to see success proper from the get-go on their journey to futsal powerhouse Uzbekistan.
“To not put strain or any extra weight on the ladies and the teaching workers, we count on to win that group. We count on to qualify for the AFC Championship in China,” Gutierrez mentioned.
The nation will likely be taking up Kuwait on Saturday, January 12, 2 am, Manila time to kickstart their marketing campaign earlier than going through Uzbekistan on the thirteenth, Turkmenistan on the fifteenth, and Australia on the nineteenth.
The Philippines wants to complete within the prime two of the group or have the very best third-place file within the match to advance to the Asian Cup, the place the highest three groups will enter the World Cup.
By advantage of being the hosts, the nation has mechanically clinched a spot within the World Cup. – Rappler.com
