by Jonas Terrado
The Philippine Azkals and U-22 team suffered defeats to separate opponents in their overseas matches held Friday night.
The Azkals fell 2-0 to China in an international friendly in Guangzhou while the U-22 booters suffered a 3-0 setback to host Singapore U-22 in the Merlion Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Both squads used the matches to prepare for their upcoming competitions.
The Azkals are set to play in the second round of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in September while the U-22 side is gearing up for the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games in November.
Coach Scott Cooper and the Azkals are scheduled to face a Guangzhou-based club team before the players head back to the respective clubs.
The U-22s, on the other hand, were relegated in a playoff for third to fourth place against Indonesia U-22 on Sunday at the same venue.
Indonesia lost 2-1 to defending SEA Games champion Thailand U-22 in the other Merlion Cup match.