Football Easter. The Azkals on Resurrecting the Beautiful Game

Football Easter
The Azkals on Resurrecting the Beautiful Game

words and pictures by rick olivares

(top: Aris Caslib in the middle of an ongoing game, middle: James Younghusband surveying the attack, below, Anton Del Rosario on the counter-attack)


The old school is quiet.

Classes are out. If only for a few weeks before the summer term begins. But it's Holy Wednesday and the only ones about are campus security.

In one area that is just as much sacred ground in San Beda, there's noise that emanates for those who are about to embark on their own Holy Crusade.

There are 26 men on the field. Twenty-two of them are playing with four observing and coaching.

There are British accents. "C'mon, you lads now."

A lone American-tinged voice and lots of Visayan.

But one voice reigns supreme on the pitch.

It's of Head Coach Aris Caslib who is on his second tour of duty with the Men's National Football Team.

This is practically the entire line-up save for Fil-Brit Neil Etheridge who hasn't arrived yet as he hasn't been released by his mother club Fulham.

The team more or less is familiar with one another. But there are new faces on the squad from Far Eastern University's Jovanie Simpron, Glester Sobremisana and their rookie keeper Ronnie Aguisanda. There's Simon Greatwich, the youngest of the Greatwich brood on his first tour of duty with the team. Jason De Jong, the Fil-Dutch who was previously cut made it this time around.

Time is a luxury that the Azkals do not have. They've only began real practice the past week. The Fil-foreigners started to trickle in. They will be leaving for the Maldives on Sunday with the Asian Football Challenge Cup Qualifiers set to begin two days after their arrival (April 14-18).

"Our spirit is strong," declared Caslib who does well to hide his enthusiasm. But he makes no bones about the sheer pride and joy to represent the Philippines and lead a team that isn't only fighting to move on to the next level but to better the game in a country where every other sport is a distant second. "What we have is a basic understanding of the game but the specific demands of each match is something we will all have to work on."

Caslib who has played and coached San Beda for 20 years now -- he is quick to point out that he may be an old coach, but he is a young in actual age and in heart -- and nothing dampens his spirit. Even if faced with the daunting task of being grouped with Turkmenistan, Bhutan, and host Maldives and moving on.

"It can be done. And the boys believe."

There's no Holy Week vacation for the team. They'll all be practicing until the day they leave. No captain has been announced just yet. Previously it was Emelio "Chieffy" Caligdong. Before him, it was Aly Borromeo. "We'll find out in the next few days," said the coach.

In the meantime, the team just plays. They are rough on the edges, the short game sometimes works. But it is as Caslib says, the spirit is there. They egg each other on. When Chad Gould scores on a header after a brilliant cross by Caligdong, even those on the other eleven congratulate him. Borromeo discusses the spacing between him and Jason Cordova who is on his second tour with the Azkals.

" We're in the process of putting a lot of things together," said Caslib rather mildly of the the daunting task. The team doesn't even have tapes of opponents to view save for Bhutan which also played in a previous tournament in the country. "Hopefully, we can continue on what we've started."