Neil Etheridge and the best of both worlds

This appears in the Friday January 21, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Neil Etheridge and the best of both worlds

story and picture by rick olivares*

When Neil Leonard Etheridge of the Philippine Men’s National Team stepped out of the visitors’ dugout to inspect the pitch of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium prior to the match versus Indonesia in the semifinals of the 2010 Suzuki Cup, he looked around the expansive arena and sucked in some air.

Hours before the first match of the two-game series, the air was already filled with the sound of vuvuzelas buzzing like massive insects were descending on some helpless prey. Once inside, the sight of an almost full capacity Bung Karno (76,000 people) made the youthful goalkeeper feel a mixture of fear and excitement.

“I was slightly scared because it was in an environment that I had never been in before but I was excited at the same time,” recalled the 6’3” London, England native. “I thought – ‘how did I get here?”

Like all football players, the journey began as a fan of the game and one of the most storied clubs in the history of the sport. Despite being a Londoner, Etheridge grew up a Liverpool FC fan (as was his entire family) and began to dream of becoming a professional football player. “That wasn’t an easy decision because I had to give up school. Many of those who started the path to a professional career with me are no longer there and now have normal jobs. My family is fully behind the decision to play professional football and I believe that it has opened up a lot of doors for me. I am lucky and happy to be where I am.”

Playing the net minder isn’t always the most glamorous of positions as the sport celebrates goals. “I wanted to be a field player but one day I was placed in front of the net and I enjoyed it. I’ve been there ever since.”

The Philippine Men’s National Football Team features some notable scorers in Phil Younghusband and Ian Araneta. It also has long-time team icon Chieffy Caligdong and current team captain Aly Borromeo who himself is a goal-scoring threat, but Etheridge stood mightily tall during the squads’ amazing 2010 Suzuki Cup run. He had stellar performances against regional scoring machines like Singapore’s Aleksandar Duric and Noh Alam Shah, Vietnam’s Anh Duc Nguyen and Vu Phong Nguyen, and Indonesia’s Cristian Gonzales and Firman Utina.

“I made a mistake,” he said of Gonzales’ fantastic header where Etheridge strayed off the line to try and grab the ball over the box scrum. Although Gonzales scored another goal in the second leg of the series, Etheridge turned back many more shots. “I am young (he will be only 21 this February) and will learn from this.”

His performance drew rave reviews not just in the region but also with his manager in Fulham FC, Mark Hughes. Said the manager who about Neil’s promotion to second keeper behind Mark Schwarzer, “We’ve got Neil Etheridge who picked up some really good experience while on international duty, so we’re comfortable with the situation and that we have adequate cover.”

As much as Neil would dearly love to start for his beloved Fulham, he is also happy to learn behind Schwarzer, the Australian international who has the distinction of being the foreign-born player to have played the most number of games in the Premier League that currently stands at 459 matches. And Etheridge has only praises: “He is an inspirational man and an amazing person to work with.”

Ironically, Neil nearly did not play for the Philippine National Team when he was first invited. “I wasn’t comfortable with the situation. I didn’t know the Filipino language, the team, and everything else.”

Etheridge went through the Chelsea youth system alongside James and Phil Younghusband and the two (along with former Philippine Football Federation President Jose Mari Martinez) prodded him to give it a try.

Phil laughed at the recollection of trying to entice Etheridge to play for the Philippines. “I told him, ‘what do you have to lose’? You’ll love it. Fortunately for all, it turned out to be good because it has also boosted his profile.”

“It’s funny how we all grew up in the same system even if we didn’t know each other well. But I guess I should thank Phil for the invite because now there are more opportunities, more incredible experience, and I have made so many new friends.”

To date, Etheridge has earned 15 international caps with the Azkals and he is certainly looking forward to play more matches and lead the Philippines to respectability.

“Playing for Fulham is amazing,” gushed Etheridge. “I have really enjoyed my time there and I hope to come to an agreement with a new contract with the team in the next couple of months. Playing in the Premier League is an experience I have worked hard for and the rewards and benefits are beyond belief at times. Things are beginning to work out well for me. Getting to the Europa League final last year with the team is one of my most memorable achievements and then we’ve had that incredible Suzuki Cup run. Playing in front of the Bung Karno -- that was an awesome adrenaline rush moment before the game and I couldn’t wait for the starter’s whistle to blow”.

“The last minute goals against Laos and Singapore that put us in the position to advance in the Suzuki Cup – the feeling is out of this world! Hopefully, we can continue this run in the AFC Challenge Cup (this February 9 and March 15 against Mongolia).”

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* In the newspaper version, I used a photo from Fulham with their permission. Unfortunately, I cannot put that in this blog. So had to put something else.