Pakistan is always citing the Philippines as a role model for their federation when it comes to recruiting players from their diaspora. It makes sense for the Philippines to key on our diaspora in the US because our population there come close to or outnumber those from many smaller European countries or even that of New Zealand.
Some of our few remaining unattached players are apparently heading to or are in Australia already including Eva Madarang who previously played pro in Spain and Italy, local Anicka Castañeda(De La Salle U), Kaya Hawkinson(Cal State Fullterton) both of whom graduated from college last year and youngsters 20 y.o. Carleigh Frilles and 19 y.o. Malea Cesar both of whom were still in college (which might affect their scholarships) to join pros Sarina Bolden, Jaclyn Sawicki and recent transferee Angela Beard in Australia. Coach Staj told his players to join pro clubs to help them get ready for the Women's World Cup and it looks like he is helping those who can't find positions in Europe or want to turn pro by recommending them to clubs in Australia. So far they have announced Anicka Castañeda at Mount Druitt Town Rangers and Malea Cesar at Blacktown City FC.
Western Sydney Wanderers were in last place in the A League with a 0-0-5 record, all losses before they signed Sarina Bolden. Since Sarina arrived, they have won 2 games in a row with her in the lineup with no losses including a 2-1 win over the league leader Western United today where she scored a goal dealing them their first loss of the season and a 2-0 win over the 2nd ranked team in the league Melbourne City last week. Western United won 7 straight games before losing to WSW. They are saying that Bolden is the key to their success as A league defenders have a hard time keeping up with her aggressive play and speed drawing most of their attention and leaving other players more time to execute plays. Winning 2 straight games over the 2 top teams in the league is a quite a statement to make for the former cellar dwellers. Coach Smith also praised her for her positive attitude which has helped motivate her teammates. Smith also hailed the impact of Sarina Bolden, who arrived at the club earlier this month. The Filipina forward has experience in Japan and the US and has made an instant impact for the Wanderers. “She has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” Smith said. “There’s endless positivity and that’s something that when you’re scouting players, their highlight clips won’t show. “To bring that into a group that’s not had the results they wanted, that can have a really good effect on your training environment.”
The opposing losing team league leaders Western United also had 2 Philippine national team players(Sawicki and Beard) who both played well in the 2nd half while 4 other Philippine national team players who have recently signed or are awaiting news on contract signings for Australian clubs were watching in the stands along with Coach Staj.
Sarina Bolden with her very first goal for the Red & Black! 🔥#WSW #WSWvWUN pic.twitter.com/emzxgHN2GO— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) January 14, 2023
Coach Staj and the Dub Zone comments on Bolden's performance in the A League and the progress of the PWNT on their way to the Women's World Cup. He pointed out that only 3 of the 23 roster players were playing professionally before the Asian Cup last year and now most of the team have signed or about to sign pro contracts soon. Aside from those who are in Australia, there are rumors of new signings for other Filipinas in Europe soon including one in the Fraulein Bundesliga.
Another member of the US national youth team pool Grace Thao has decided to join the Philippine U20 national team tryouts next week in California. She has committed to Div I US NCAA team U of Colorado in the PAC 12. Soccer Honors U.S. Soccer Training Invite Team Captain US National Futsal Team U15, U16 US National Futsal Team MVP U15 USYNT Training Center U14, U15, U16, U17 USYNT Regional Camp U16, U17 USL Academy Cup Golden Ball 2021 USL Academy Cup Golden Boot 2021 Colorado Press Release
The PWNT U20 and U17 tryouts in the US and the Philippines are about to start. They are important for the future of the PWNT. Many of the current senior national team members were first identified thru them nearly a decade ago. Here are pics of current PWNT players when they first tried out back in 2013 when they were still in their teens. Jessica Cowart, Chandler McDaniel, Kaya Hawkinson, Jessica Miclat Eva Madarang, Jessica Cowart, Chandler McDaneil, Reina Bonta. Some who participated in the PWNT trials back then like Sam Hiatt(OL Reign) when she was still 15 y.o. were called up by the US for their U17 and U20 national teams but have so far not been capped at the senior level for the US.
Many of the players attending the PWNT U20 tryouts in California are youth standouts that have verbally committed to US NCAA Division 1 schools. I am sure the fact that the Philippines has qualified for the FIFA World Cup this year has inspired many of them to tryout for the U17/U20 teams as well. Aside from age group AFC tournaments, it is possible that some of them might even be called up by the senior women's team for tournaments outside the FIFA calendar(like the SEA Games in May) as the professional clubs our players are part of are under no obligation to release them.
Interestingly 2 of the Philippine national team players in California(Kiara Fontanilla and Dominic Randle) was helping out in the tryouts serving as an inspiration for the potential new hopefuls for the U17/U20 national team. It wasn't too long ago when Kiara was one of those 12 y.o. youth hopefuls watching the national team and dreaming of joining the national team someday in a journey that took nearly a decade to accomplish so I am sure she is just as excited to be the inspiration for the newer generation of youth players that will hopefully join the Filipinas someday. https://thefootballsack.com.au/.../just-started-crying...
PWNT Coaches Staj and Naz were also at the U17 and U20 tryouts scouting the players as shown in this pic with women's alternate goalkeeper 16 y.o. Kaiya Jota(ht 5'10") who is also age eligible for the U20 team. They are all bundled up so it must be pretty cold right now in California.
Interestingly Ava Harrison who was a consistent and productive starter for the US U15 girls team in last year's CONCACAF U15 Championship which the US won and provided 2 assists for the US in her very first cap against the U15 Netherlands girls team attended the Philippine U17 girl's national team tryouts. There is no commitment of course, but the fact that 2 younger sisters(Ava and Mia) tried out is very good news for the Philippine women's program. It also opens the door for their elder sister Stanford U's Nya Harrison to tryout for the senior women's side.
Sara Eggesvik has decided to sign with her former club KIL/Hemne which is close to her med school. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwESwrpZnu/ "Welcome home Sara, we look forward to seeing you in green and white again. After a year in Malvik, Sara Eggesvik has chosen to return to KIL/Hemne. We will most likely see Sara play in the Summer World Cup playoffs too, for her second homeland the Philippines" It is a compromise. She decided to sign with her former First Division(2nd highest level) club near her med school instead of a Toppserien club. This way she can continue her part time med studies while staying fit for the World Cup.
In a surprising development PFF Sec Gen Gastanes just announced that women's coach Alen Stajcic has taken over coaching the U17 girl's team and women's assistant coach Nahuel Arrarte is taking on the U20 WNT in addition to their PWNT duties. Both coaches must have liked the level of talent they saw during the tryouts in California (which I heard was pretty high) in order to accept those jobs in addition to the PWNT. Coach Allen Stajcic in particular has a very good reputation developing young players for the Australian girl's teams in the past before becoming the Australian head women's coach so this should benefit the Philippines too. He also has an easier job getting past the first round of the AFC qualifiers as the top seed and strongest team in their group. Coach Arrarte has the tougher job though getting past the first round of the AFC qualifiers in March. Because the Philippines did not participate in the previous edition of the AFC U20 qualifers they were unranked and were grouped with a traditionally strong team (China) in the first round this time around. Since only one team from the group gets to advance, the Philippine U20 team will have no choice but to win against China in their very first game in the group to advance to the 2nd round of the U20 AFC qualifiers. Both coaches will next head to the Philippines to administer the tryouts for U20 and U17 players there as well next week.
Tahnai Annis back in the ranks of Thor/KA Thor/KA has signed with former player Tahnai Annis. She is an offensive midfielder and first came to Thor/KA in 2012, the year the team became Icelandic champion for the first time. Tahnai has dual citizenship, born in Ohio, USA, and holds U.S. citizenship, but also Filipino. She has played for the Philippines national team since 2018, has 31 matches and is captain of the national team. The Philippines national team is among the teams going to the World Cup this summer. She played for Þór/KA between 2012 and 2014, a total of 72 matches in the top division, cup, league cup, championship and European competition. She scored 21 goals in those 72 games. She was a key player with Þór/KA in 2012-2014 and was named the best player in the team after the 2013 season. Jóhann Kristinn Gunnarsson, the coach of Thor/KA, knows Tahnai well because he was the coach of the team during the years she was at Þór/KA and was the one who joined us at the time. John said he is happy to have her back in our ranks. "Of course she's a quality player, we know that from when she was here in 2012-14, but the key thing for us now is to get experience into the squad, that's a big thing for us as the group is composed. She makes every player around her better. It's very good for our young and promising group. This is going to help our existing players very much. Of course she is also a great player and that certainly plays into our decision," says Jóhann. The Thor/KA and Tahnai agreement is valid throughout this year. In an electronic playbook that was released at the beginning of the 2019 season, Tahnai was interviewed about her stay in Iceland. Among other things, she talks about a visit to a farm, sheep farming in the dishes, sheep farming and more. The article also talks to Jóhann Kristin, who says, among other things, that she was an incredibly underrated player, has always and literally almost always flown under the radar. "Her contribution on the pitch was always 100 per cent and her hard work was immeasurable. Versatile, competitive and ambitious. She was always ready to leave everything behind and risk everything to make the team go well," says Jóhann in a chat from 2019. https://www.thorka.is/is/moya/news/tahnai-annis-aftur-i-radir-thorska?fbclid=IwAR00eiuhjqXO8hN0hNzjnAT7enXQBOpigd-pomAdDRPeyh5ycLhmiV5umw8
To further push for a streamlined program from the youth to the senior national team, Stajcic and Arrarte will be able to introduce their coaching style early on for Philippine women's football's next stars. "It's very exciting, I think it's an opportunity to align the senior national team along with young players coming through and it's a similar process as we did with the senior team in regards to looking for the best Filipinas players possible," said Arrarte. “We are not a flash in the pan. We are not a qualify-to-the-World Cup-once, and we are happy with that. Hopefully, this team will be able to qualify in the World Cup and the Olympic Games for the next five to 10 years,” Coach Alen Stajcic "I love the fact of going to a park tomorrow morning, for example, and seeing 10 or 20 or 30 kids and seeing something new and different and exciting and seeing what freshness can come to a football pitch because you never know what you're going to get. You know, I love the opportunity of working with new players," said Stajcic. "And in this case, it's not really a job I wanna do for myself, it's not really a job I need to do or have to do for myself as when you're a little bit younger, it's a job where you know, I'm hopefully gonna provide something for the players but more importantly the staff(Filipino assistants) around for them to be able to carry the torch," he added.
I did find it strange that Eggesvik signed with a second division club. I think she has enough quality to find a spot on a roster in some of the big first division leagues in Europe. I didn't realize she was in medical school and signed just for the commute.
She mentioned that she had an arrangement with her med school allowing her to cut down on her med classes and study part time so she can join the national team during their weeks long training camps almost every month. It also allows her time to play on a pro club near her. In one article she mentioned thinking of giving up playing football to concentrate on med school but she had so much fun playing for the PWNT with the opportunity of fufilling her dream of going to the World Cup that she postponed those plans. Denmark women's national team player Nadia Nadim also played pro top flight football while studying medicine and she didn't finish medical school until last year when she was 34 years old. I think Sara would finish medical school earlier as she is only 25 years old. She is really good and would be a big loss to the PWNT if she retired early so hopefully she continues to be motivated to continue playing.
Playing for the Philippine women's teams is really becoming popular among our diaspora. Apparently players from all over the world including as far away as Australia, Canada and Hongkong as well as all over the US flew to California at their own(or at least their family's expense) just to attend the U17 and U20 national team tryouts. And from what I have read from social media there would have been even more participants except they didn't register in time or didn't hear about the tryouts until it was too late.
I'm also a bit disappointed by Eggesvik's choice of club. The big problem is that she seems rooted to the Trondheim region where there is only one Toppserien club: Rosenborg. They finished third in the league last year, and the competition to play is quite tough. I suppose Rosenborg have at least scouted her. It's likely they don't consider her good enough to strengthen their team. Eggesvik as central midfielder in Rosenborg would have competed for a starting spot with Icelandic international Selma Sól Magnusdottir and the rising local star Emilie Joramo, who is a very likely member of Norway's World Cup squad next summer. Chances are Eggesvik would be benched in that competition. With that in mind, she is certainly guaranteed more game time at KIL Hemne. A move to Oslo would have given her better club options with teams of various strength. Speaking from strictly a footballing point of view, I think some of the Oslo clubs like Røa, Lyn or Stabæk would have been better choices than KIL Hemne.
The local girls from the ongoing Philippine U17/U20 WNT trials look good too. https://fb.watch/ijFCbozXSR/ However I am quite impressed that current members of the US youth national team pools have joined the Philippine U17/U20 tryouts in California, one of whom(Ava Harrison) last year played and started for the US in the U15 Concacaf Championship which the US won as well as in the Euro tour where she scored a goal against the Germany girls U15NT and provided 2 assists against the Netherlands girls U15NT. Another(Grace Thao) was captain of the US U15 and U16 National Futsal teams and has been part of USNT soccer youth training camps for the past 4 years winning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball Awards at the USL Academy Cup in 2021.