Philippine Women’s National Team midfielder Quinley Quezada was ecstatic when she was told that she would join the final roster of players that would compete in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking to the media during an availability session yesterday, Quezada recalled the moment when the coaching staff told her she made the cut.
“I was just really excited. The anticipation that was building up to actually finding out, having (head coach) Alen Stajcic, (assistant coach) Nahuel Arrarte, and (Team Coordinator) Belay Fernando tell me that I was part of the roster, I was just super excited, super proud,” said Quezada. “It was a testament to how hard I’ve worked and how hard the team has worked to get to this point. I was just really grateful, really proud to represent the Philippines.”
Aware of the battle for a roster spot in the World Cup, Quezada hailed the competitive nature of the squad during the training camp in Sydney, Australia prior to the showpiece event.
“We were still cheering each other on, being happy for each other’s individual progress, but at the same time, we were pushing each other, just making sure collectively as a team, we were getting stronger as well as individually,” said the PWNT joint top scorer. “After the roster was made, I don’t think there was necessarily a difference in competitiveness. All of us are still giving 100 percent, 110 percent. We’re still competing for starting positions. I think that competitiveness within the group is still strong and evident in our team right now.”
With Sweden serving as the final friendly match before the World Cup, Quezada expects the team to fine tune their game plan against tough opponents.
“It will be a great learning experience. Sweden is very good and highly ranked. They’re a great squad. Right now we’re using that time to see how we do against tough opposition.I think right now our defense is really, really strong,” added Quezada. “Moving forward, we need to work on how we possess the ball—once we win it, how can we get forward, how can we create more scoring opportunities? I think we just need to work on our possession phase. That’s what we’re looking to do in our upcoming tune-up matches.”