Can Azkals go farther in 2013?

MANILA, Philippines - Following their repeat semifinal finish in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the challenge for the Azkals for 2013 and beyond is to sustain the momentum and surpass their achievements, according to Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta.

“Prior to the Suzuki Cup the pressure was to qualify for the Suzuki Cup semifinals once more. By qualifying again, I think they have shown that our semifinals stint in the 2010 Suzuki Cup was not a fluke. Right now with the set of players we have, the question for us is: ‘can we go farther?’” said Araneta.

Stronger and better equipped than the unheralded side that surprised Southeast Asia in 2010, the Azkals duplicated their Last-4 appearance and even went tantalizingly close to a historic finals berth, if not for a 0-1 setback to eventual titlist Singapore in the semis.

“How can we go farther? That should be our challenge after 2012,” Araneta said.

The Azkals are anticipating another busy year in 2013.

In March, they will see action in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers that Phl will be hosting at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. The Pinoy booters will be bracketed with Turkmenistan, Brunei and Cambodia in Group E, seeking to top the group to seize a berth in the Challenge Cup’s final stages in 2014 in Maldives.

“If we top the group, we’ll automatically qualify for the Top 8 (final round), composed of the winners of the five group qualifiers, host Maldives and the two best second-placers. The winner (Challenge Cup champion) will then go to the Asian Cup (2015). That’s what we’ll be preparing for,” said Araneta.

The PFF chief also said they plan to organize an Independence Cup by June.

“Hopefully, we can hold a tournament coinciding with our Independence Day.  June 6-12 are Fifa calendar days so we hope we can invite teams to come over and play against our national team during that period,” said Araneta.

There’s also the possibility that Phl will stage a second edition of the Philippine Football Peace Cup – the four-nation meet that the Azkals won on home soil last year – by September.

After the holidays, the Azkals are slated to return to training on Sunday to start their buildup for the Challenge Cup qualifiers. A training camp in the Middle East is also being eyed by February.