WITH the present pool of players and the country hosting the tournament, a coach with international experience firmly believes that the Philippine Azkals have a “70-30” chance of making a historic maiden appearance in the finals of the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup. Most are playing for United Football League clubs,” Mark Mangune, former assistant coach of the national women’s team and the Loyola Meralco Sparks, noted. “With the country hosting the tournament, there is a 70-30 chance we can make to the Suzuki Cup finals for the first time.”Mangune pointed out “players will always perform at a higher level in front of a hometown crowd. They leave everything on the field,” and urged all Filipino sports fans to troop to the Philippine Sports Stadium in the Bocaue, Bulacan. The Filipinos have reached the Suzuki Cup semifinals thrice, losing to Indonesia in their semifinal debut in 2010, to Singapore in 2012, and 2014 to Thailand.

Source: The Standard September 01, 2016 15:56 UTC