Lack of key players helps doom Filipino booters vs Burmese

The absence of key players from the Philippine men’s football team was evident on Tuesday as the Nationals opened their Asean Hyundai Cup campaign with a 4-1 loss to Myanmar (Burma).

Coach Carles Cuadrat, however, insisted there was little choice but to embrace the situation, with the tournament offering younger players an opportunity to gain valuable international experience after the Philippines reached the semifinals two years ago.

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“It’s a question of the calendar, and we cannot do anything about the calendar,” Cuadrat said after the Group B opener at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

Cuadrat was referring to key players Ralph Obermair, Randy Schneider, Bjorn Kristensen and Amani Aguinaldo, who were unavailable because the regional tournament falls outside the Fifa international calendar.

Kristensen scored three goals for the Philippines during the 2024 edition.

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With clubs not obligated to release players for national team duty, Cuadrat has relied on those available, including midfielders Sandro Reyes, goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad and Tuesday’s lone scorer Jarvey Gayoso, all of whom have previous Asean Championship experience.

“The idea was to test some of the players from the [Philippines Football League] and from the U23 team to try to give them the experience,” Cuadrat said. “And I can tell you, that kind of game [against Myanmar] is going to teach a lot to our guys.”

Cuadrat also gave valuable minutes to players still adjusting to the demands of the regional tournament, including Rocket Ritarita, Martini Rey and Kenji Nishioka. He hopes they continue to develop as the campaign progresses.

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The Philippines resumes its campaign on Friday against Laos in Vientiane, where it will look to secure its first points of the group stage.

“We have to be positive. We know it’s only the first game and there’s nine more points to be played,” Cuadrat said. “In the last Asean Championship, we had two points after two games. So now, if we win in Laos, we will have more points—we will have three points.”

“So this is the message: to keep competitive, to keep learning,” he added.

The Philippines is fourth in Group B. Malaysia leads the standings with six points from two matches, followed by Thailand with three points from one game. Myanmar also has three points after two matches, while Laos remains without a point through two games.