PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Philippines takes on Myanmar on Wednesday night at the start of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games women’s football competition at the Army Stadium here.
Bronze medalists in the previous SEA Games in Hanoi, the Filipinas are entering the eight-nation competition as one of the teams to watch after winning the AFF Women’s Championship at home last July 2022.
The Filipinas are also coming off a sweep of their group matches in the first round of AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Dushanbe, Tajikistan last month.
Still, the Filipinas are heading into the 8 p.m. duel (9 p.m. in the Philippines) with Myanmar as the lower ranked side based on the FIFA rankings. The Philippines is currently in its highest ranking of 49, just two behind Myanmar
“We’ve had a grueling schedule over the last 15 months, played a lot of football,” said coach Alen Stajcic, whose team is in its last competition before a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance in July in New Zealand.
“We’re improving all the time in trying to catch up to countries like Vietnam and Thailand. You know how tough that is in this part of the world. But we’re here now and we’re really looking forward to the tournament.”
The Filipinas are also grouped with Malaysia and defending champion Vietnam. The match against Malaysia is slated May 6, followed by the Vietnam showdown three days later.
Stajcic tipped the Vietnamese as the favorites in the tournament, considering their history and pedigree.
“We’re just growing at the moment and we know we have a long way to go to catch up,” said Stajcic.
Stajcic has 20 players in his squad which includes five members of the Under-20 national team. Hali Long is the most experienced player called up, while top scorers Quinley Quezada and Sarina Bolden are also participating in their third SEA Games.
Quezada and Bolden scored in the second half of the 2-1 comeback win over Myanmar last year in the bronze medal match.
Thailand, Laos, Singapore and host Cambodia are in the other group. Only the Top 2 from each group will advance to the semifinals.
“Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar have been strong for a long time,” said Stajcic. “We respect that they have better history. Hopefully that this tournament will show that we’ve closed the gap even more. Over time, we want to keep progressing not just in Southeast Asia and Asia but also in the world.”