The draw for the Men’s Under-23 Football tournament of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam has placed the Philippines in a very difficult group, to say the least. The Azkals Development Team will have to face host Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste in Group A.
The country needs to finish at least in the top of the group to advance to the knockout stage and hopefully win a medal for the first time in the games. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
One thing is sure for now: The path to the knockout stage will be difficult.
Team manager Dan Palami, as always, is optimistic the U-23 team will play their hearts out in the pitch to make a strong performance in the biennial games.
He said Enrique Linares will be flying to Manila within the next two weeks to join the ADT as they prepare for the SEA Games. Despite the Azkals losing both friendlies in the 2022 TriNations Cup in Singapore, Linares’ overall performance has earned him a spot in the ADT.
“He’s young, he’s got lots to learn but yeah, he’ll be part of the SEA Games squad. It will be good for him to go to the Philippines after his games with his club and train with the ADT already,” Palami said.
Linares currently plays for San Pedro in the Spanish Tercera Division RFEF. The fixtures in the league are still ongoing but Palami says they are trying to bring Linares as soon as possible.
“He will ask permission if he can go after the second last game of his club. I’m asking him to fly out early but he has to ask his club because they still have another game on the 24th. Hopefully, he can fly to Manila on the 18th.
Palami says he wants Linares to play for the ADT for a couple of games in the ongoing 2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara.
Regarding the Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia qualifiers of the 2023 Asian Cup, the much anticipated debut of Gerrit Holtmann in an Azkals’ jersey remains unknown.
Palami revealed that Holtmann will attend to a very personal matter on June 6.
“He is getting married on June 6 and we don’t want to get in the way. He is committed to play for the team. In fact, he wanted to fly out (for the TriNations Cup) except for the COVID protocols in Singapore,” Palami added.
The Malditas, or the Filipinas, if you prefer to follow the latest announcement of the Philippine Football Federation regarding the moniker of the national women’s football team, are in Australia for a month-long training as part of the build-up for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year. They will face Fiji for a two game “friendlies.”
Just hoping that the fans’ uproar on the moniker change will not disrupt the team’s preparations.
The Malditas are also set to compete in the SEA Games and are in Group A with Cambodia, Indonesia, and host Vietnam. Despite the tough draw, the Malditas are still riding the momentum of qualifying to the World Cup and this will come in handy in May.
Speaking of handy, I recently bumped into former tennis standout Maia Balce. Balce is back in the country after finishing her studies at Fordham University in New York. She said tennis had a great impact on her life and her pursuit of education. It allowed her not only to gain a scholarship to a prestigious university in the United States but also gave her opportunities to go to different places. Moreover, tennis also gave her the discipline and the fortitude to overcome challenges on her way to earning a degree and more.
“My major is Journalism, minor Political Science and Communication Culture. And then I took my Master’s Degree in Public Media with a concentration in multi-platform journalism,” she revealed.
As a junior player, Balce had a career-best 304 ranking the International Tennis Federation in January 2016.
The last time she played in a local tournament was during the 34th Philippine Columbian Association in 2015 where she lost to Clarice Patrimonio in the finals. Her last competitive game was in April 2021 during the NCAA tournament in the United States.
Unlike the typical athlete, Balce is more on the success story side even if her career in tennis appears to be over now because she knew then that she has to think beyond the sport and prioritize her education at the same time for her future.
“I would definitely advise them to pursue both, not just tennis. Even if you are good in tennis but you don’t have good grades or if hindi mo kayang mag-oral ng maayos, balewala rin galing mo sa tennis because hindi ka rin makakapasok sa schools or colleges. Or if you get injured, tapos hindi ka nakapag-aral. There should be a balance, because education is very important,” she explained.
Right now, Balce is ready to explore other opportunities in life and moving away from tennis where she had been playing for the last 16 years of her life.
“I think I would rather do something else than this. Really. It was just, I think from the beginning even with my parents. It was so I can get a good education. I feel like, so far I don’t really miss it. Maybe sometimes,” she added.
Balce says she is hoping to start a career in Journalism here in the country. With her educational attainment, right attitude and experience in going through adversities, she can obviously do so.
Which brings us to the reality that when it comes to work, nothing beats having the right education, real-life experiences, the motivation to do well, the sincerity of giving your best and having the good character to prepare anyone for a higher calling.
Choose wisely.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat