The Philippine Azkals hope to get their campaign in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers off to a winning start against Yemen Wednesday, June 7 at the MFF Football Centre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Coach Thomas Dooley steers the national side at 12:30 p.m. Philippine time in his match since being brought back by the Philippine Football Federation a few weeks ago.
Preparations for the final phase of the qualifiers didn’t come without controversy after long-time mainstay Stephan Schrock expressed his disappointment over his non-inclusion in the training squad.
Schrock’s absence raised speculations if the two have revived their feud that marred Dooley’s tenure.
Dooley has chosen 24 players — a mixture of veterans and youngsters — as he hopes to replicate what he did in 2018 when the Philippines clinched an Asian Cup berth for the first time.
Veteran goalkeeper Neil Etheridge headlines the squad list, but the Azkals will be missing Gerrit Holtmann, who won’t be available until Saturday, June 11 against host Mongolia.
The Azkals need to top Group B or emerge as one of five second placers to reach next year’s Asian Cup.
Also in the group is Palestine, which the Philippines will face on June 14.