Their one-week team bonding here in Cebu City already over, the Philippine Azkals will immediately embark on a more intensive training in preparation for their first round match of the 2014 Asian World Cup (WC) Qualifier against Sri Lanka on June 29 in Sri Lanka and July 3 in Manila.
The team will leave for a training in Germany on June 12 and will stay there until the 26th.
Azkals team manager Dan Palami said the team’s coaching staff headed by German Michael Hans Weiss will have to come up with a lineup of 25 players soon who will join the training in Germany.
Palami said Europe and US-based players who will be joining them in Germany are Angel Aldeguer, Stephen Shrock, Rob Gier and Ray Johnson.
Palami revealed that none of the Azkals is yet assured of a slot in the team that will play with Sri Lanka even those who played in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup.
He said that each Azkal has to fight for their position which he believes is good.
The team manager also said that they are in the process of finalizing the players’ positions and they need a backup for team captain Aly Borromeo and Gier.
Palami also confirmed that the inclusion of Cebuano-British Chad Gould to the lineup for the Sri Lanka match is slim. Gould’s return has been derailed by an infected mosquito bite that needed surgery.
But Palami said they can still get Gould in the Azkals’ future matches. However, that is not the only problem as Palami said there are already many strikers, a position that Gould plays in.
“If maybe we could change him into an attacking midfielder, then we will see,” Palami said.