expected to play before a full stadium of 13,000 fans at the Rizal Memoria Sports Complex as they face the Sri Lanka's Brave Reds for the return leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers group stage playoff.Everything is all set and taken care of by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the local host of the match. “We're 100 percent ready and we are expecting a full stadium tomorrow, said Cathy Rivilla, chair of the local organizing committee during the pre-match press conference at the Rizal Stadium.
Despite the 1-1 draw result last Wednesday in Colombo, Azkals Coach Hans Michael Weiss
said the team is looking forward to the match tomorrow. “Our team has come a long, long way. We have prepared for this for a month and hopefully we can advance to the next round.”
Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo said the home crowd can expect for a great match. “We are all excited. We waited for more than eight years before we can play a home game in Manila,” the skipper quipped.
Borromeo said all players of the national team are fit and ready to play, including Phil Younghusband who suffered a minor hamstring injury in Sri Lanka. “We are very much upbeat, the morale and team spirit is high. We're gonna give our 100 percent for tomorrow's match."
Coach Weiss and Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo
The final line-up of the team that will face Sri Lanka tomorrow will be decided tonight after the Azkal's final practice at the Rizal Stadium. In the first leg, Weiss starting line-up included Fil-Germans Stephan Schrock, Manuel Ott and Fil-Dutch Paul Mulders who all debuted for the national team.Analysts said 'cohesion and familiarity' are few of the challenges faced by the team that was hastily formed in a month's time during the training in Germany. Weiss made adjustments in the qualifiers line-up after Ray Jonsson failed to reunite with the team due to last minute commitments.
“We had a few professional players coming in like Stephan Schrock and Paul Mulders. But even they are professional players, we have to see it case-by-case if they don't play their usual position. Just bringing them in doesn't mean that everything works together in one shot.”
Weiss added, “cohesion is not just a thing that we need to work on, it also takes time. Developing cohesion among players takes months, sometimes years.”
Only six players - Borromeo, Anton del Rosario, James Younghusband, Phil Younghusband, Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta have been playing constantly for the national team since 2007. Most of the new Azkals are Fil-foreigners based abroad recruited for the World Cup qualifiers.
Weiss disagreed to some comments that last Wednesday's game was scrappy. “I saw a very good game, I saw a good game plan that we've put into practice. We missed many small chances. If we had scored more, it would have been a very different game.”
With only hours before the awaited match, Weiss said the team is not pressured at all. “There's no pressure on us, only excitement. We have many experienced players.” Since arriving from Sri Lanka, the team worked on their mental and physical fitness during their brief two-day preparation.
The Sri Lankans, who also tested the Rizal Stadium in a team practice this afternoon, are also hopeful for a victory tomorrow.
Bangladeshi Mannirul Islang will be the match commissioner while official referees for the match are Sang Hu Kim, Ju Mon Jang and Kwang Jeol Joon from South Korea.
Tight security at Rizal Stadium
The LOC said around 2,000 marshals are tasked to ensure security for tomorrow's match. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and Presidential Security Group (PSG) will also deploy their personnel to secure match officials, guests and VIPs in the grandstand. President Benigno Aquino III was invited to watch the game but Malacanang still has not confirmed if the President will attend.Representatives from the Kuwait football federation will also watch to 'scout' their possible opponents.
Organizers said several few hundred tickets will be sold outside the Rizal Stadium tomorrow morning.
All fans who will watch the game are advised to strictly follow the PFF's guidelines. Fans are prohibited to bring in the following:
- professional still and video cameras
- food and drinks
- glass and plastic bottles
- cigarettes, lighters, laser pens and pointers
- posters and banners not approved by organizing committee
- alcoholic beverages
- large backpacks and waist packs
- illegal drugs
- large wallet chains, spike bracelets, metal belt buckles
- balloons and chairs
Violators will be prohibited entry by the security. Pregnant women and children below 12 years old should sign a waiver prior to entry. Fans are also advised to bring raincoats instead of umbrellas.
Traffic flow along Adriatico St.
The gate along Adriatico St. will be open for grandstand ticket holders while fans with bleachers tickets will enter the gate along Pablo Ocampo St. Stadium gates will open at exactly 11 a.m
In case of severe weather tomorrow, media coordinator Ricky Olivares said a designated referee will decide whether to delay or stop the match. “Only the match referee is authorized to delay the start of the match for 30 minutes to evaluate if the pitch is playable. If the conditions are unplayable, the match will be postponed for 24 hours and will be played on the next day.”
Available parking spaces are located at SM Harrison, infront of Century Park Hotel or along Adriatico Street from Manila Zoo to Rizal Memorial Stadium and at the CCP Complex. Source
Photos by Edna Villanueva. Image of traffic flow c/o bleachersbrew@blogspot.com . Used with permission. Some rights reserved.
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