NAGOYA — The Philippine Under-23 Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT U23) arrived in Nagoya set to make history, competing in the Asian Games Men’s Football Tournament for the first time in 52 years.
The team will face a daunting Group C draw against West Asian side Kuwait, reigning ASEAN/SEA Games champion Vietnam, and 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist Uzbekistan, with all three matches set for the CS Asset Minato Soccer Stadium.
“This group has earned the right to be here,” said PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez.
“Over the past year, they reached the semifinals of the ASEAN U23 Championship and the SEA Games, and they backed that up with a winning campaign in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, even against very tough opponents. Beating teams like Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Tajikistan along the way tells you this program is moving in the right direction. Now they get to test themselves on Asia’s grandest stage,” Gutierrez added.
The return marks a milestone for Philippine football, built on a year of steady progress at the youth level. The squad reached the semifinals of both the ASEAN U23 Championship – Mandiri Cup and the 2025 SEA Games in 2025, and posted a winning record in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers exactly a year ago, highlighted by competitive results and upset wins against strong nations.
Head coach Garrath McPherson said the buildup, including an 11-day training camp in Manila, was designed specifically for the level of competition ahead.
“It’s been an important preparation for us to compete to our potential,” McPherson said. “We’ve had the opportunity to look at our best local based talent together with our players playing abroad. During the preparation we have also been monitoring a number of overaged players. We believe we have selected a final roster that deserves [the] opportunity to showcase their qualities on this stage.”
McPherson called the tournament a landmark moment for the program.
“Firstly, I am very honoured, as the players are, for the opportunity to represent the country in men’s football at this level for the first time in 52 years,” he said. “Our role is to make sure we continue to play a game that the football community and the wider community of the Philippines can be proud of. That is a mentality that we took into the Mandiri Cup and into the SEA Games. During these tournaments this mentality has brought us positive results.”
On the roster, McPherson confirmed the inclusion of three overage players: midfielder Michael Baldissimo, defender Christian Rontini, and left-sided player Scott Woods, joining a core group with SEA Games and Mandiri Cup experience, alongside a handful of 2005-born players gaining early exposure ahead of next year’s cycle.
Speaking to the media in Nagoya, McPherson acknowledged the step up in competition.
“This is another level of challenge. This tournament has the best teams from across Asia, many of whom are regulars in knockout stages of continental tournaments,” he said. “For our players to reach new heights, they need to be exposed to this level.”
Team captain Sandro Reyes said continuity within the squad gives the group confidence heading into its toughest assignment yet.
“The majority of the players have been the same for all four tournaments, so we’re just going to treat it the same,” Reyes said. “We’ve been doing a good job in the last three tournaments, so we just want to fix the small details now, because this is probably going to be the toughest tournament out of all of them.”
Goalkeeper Nic Guimaraes echoed that focus.
“It’s important to analyze what the opponents are going to do, but mostly for me, it’s important for us to focus on what we could do,” he said. “I hope we [can] accomplish something we could have never accomplished in the past.”
Rookie forward Aidan Astilla, who scored in a September 4 tune-up win over Stallion Laguna, said the group is embracing its underdog status.
“We’re very under-looked, the underdogs,” Astilla said. “But [there is] no doubt in my mind that our mindset is just to win, because we believe that we can do it.”
The Philippines opens the tournament against Uzbekistan on September 15 at 2:30 PM, followed by Vietnam on September 18 also at 2:30 PM, and Kuwait on September 22 at 1 PM. All matches kick off at the CS Asset Minato Soccer Stadium in Nagoya, with times listed in Philippine Standard Time.
PMNFT U23 is supported by PFF, the Philippine Olympic Committee, PSC, PAGCOR, and private sponsors Puma, GoTyme Bank, Studio 300, AIA, Padel 300, 2GO Travel, Sip, Sip+, and Sandbox Prime.
