Filipinas Rising (The Philippines Women's Football Thread)

The Philippine women's national U17 youth team is also preparing for the Asian Women's U17 Cup where they will be facing strong teams in Grp C including defending World U17 champion N Korea, S Korea and Chinese Taipei.

In addition to the roster that qualified for the AFC U17 Asian Cup, they also set tryouts last January in the US(150 players joined the tryouts in the US some of whom have been invited to US youth training camps as well) and the Philippines to add depth to their roster for potential callups in the future(and not just for the Asian Cup).

27 players(presumably those who already have or close to getting Philippine passports) were then called up for a training camp in California this month (Mar 1-7) in the US in preparation for the Asian Cup in May.

 

The Philippines had multiple(nearly 15 I think) chances to score and finished with only 2 goals. They need to be more clinical with their finishing. I guess they are still missing their primary striker Sarina Bolden who is still recovering from her ACL injury. Nevertheless they still have a decent chance of advancing to the quarter finals as one of 2 best third place teams. Goals from Sara Eggesvik and Chandler McDaniel.

“We pushed a little higher today and tried to score early, and we created many good chances,” Torcaso said. “Our front three were very young players like Alexa Pino, Mallie Ramirez, and Jael Guy, and having someone experienced like Sara behind them helps them grow. These opportunities will only make them better and I believe we have a very strong future ahead.”

The Filipinas will now await the matches between Bangladesh and Uzbekistan tomorrow, and Vietnam versus Japan on Tuesday, to determine the top two group third place finishers. For the Filipinas to qualify, Vietnam has to lose to Japan by three goals, or Bangladesh and Uzbekistan will end up in a draw or either side win over the other by less than four goals.

 

Chardonnay Matauaga Curran is a professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Portuguese Campeonato Nacional Feminino club Rio Ave. She previously played in the NWSL with Kansas City Current and Chicago Redstars. She has committed to play for the Philippines national team.
https://knowledge.fifa.com/change-of-association-platform



Good addition for the WWC if the Philippines qualifies.

 

Starting lineup for the match against Uzbekistan. Winner qualifies to the Women's World Cup.

 

Livestream

OneFootball TV

HT 0-0

Philippines dominated most of the play in the first half but couldn't finish. Beard needed to be more clinical with some of those chances.

 

Philippines scores 2 quick goals from Beard and Sawicki both assists from the teenager Jael Guy who has played outstanding at right mid.

 

FT Philippines 2-0 Uzbekistan



Philippines qualifies to the Women's World Cup for a 2nd straight time .

18 y.o. Jael Marie Guy awarded Player of the Match.

 

Congratulations, Pilipinas! This is a huge effing deal.

 

Jael Marie Guy is a revelation. She is only 18 y.o. and was already awarded Player of the Match in a world cup clinching qualifying match. She was the only non WC veteran in the starting roster.

Uzbekistan was sending 2 or 3 players to defend against her and she still managed to keep possession, dribble herself away from her defenders and send crosses that lead to goals.

She is one of many teenagers in the team. The Philippines fielded the 2nd youngest roster in the tournament.

 

Post match interviews from Coach Torcaso and Player of the Match Jael Guy

(1) Facebook

Highlights

PHILIPPINES SHINE & REACH WORLD CUP! | Uzbekistan - Philippines | Highlights AFC Women's Asian Cup™

 

Not as much drama though as the last WC clinching WC qualifier where they had to go to PK against Taiwan to determine who advances to the WWC .

I wish you can convince Seattle native and former Reign veteran(now plays for the Portland Thorns) and US U20 captain Fil Am Sam Hiatt to switch side and play for the Philippines instead. She has very little chance of making the USWNT and now has a chance of playing in the Women's World Cup with the Philippines.

 

The Philippines U15 girls national team is having a training camp in Japan and had a friendly with Japan's national champions Urawa Red Diamond's U15 team where they lost a close game 3-4. Most of the players are from the local Makati FC club.

 

Kirland, Washington.

 

Aside from their 3-4 loss in their 2nd game of their tour to Japan's national champions Urawa Red Diamonds, I was told the U15 Philippine girl's national team also played 2 other friendly matches in Japan, a 7-0 win over an unnamed team in their first match and a 2-0 victory over Jeff Chiba United U15 girls teams. It was a productive training camp for the girls in a country known for it's highly rated and competitive women's and girl's teams.

 

Tough group for Philippine U17 team in Grp C(Group of Death) with defending U17 Women's World Cup champion N Korea, S Korea and Chinese Taipei but I think the Philippines is very deep too and had a training camp in the US in February.

I think they have an outside chance of finishing 2nd and a good chance of at least making 3rd which will give them a place in the knockout stage if they are 2 best 3rd placed teams.

One of the players from the U15 training squad in Japan Savannah Chheng made the U17 team due to her stellar performance there.

They are currently in Thailand for their final training camp before going to China for the tournament proper.

 

Filipinas U17 lost in their friendly match against New Zealand Secondary Schools Football U19 with 0-2 score in Thailand.

"The format was a little different with 3 x 35min 3rds allowing the Philippines to cycle through their 28 player squad. Acc. to the NZSSF site, the game was tight and physical with some quality football."

The NZSSF is the home version of the NZ U20 team (most likely excluding any players based abroad and pros) which has been playnig together for quite some time. Their match against the Philippine U17 team is their 5th game of their tour in Thailand (all previous victories) while this is the Philippines first friendly since the start of training camp. From the lineup I have seen on their website, most of their players already play in college already and were taller and more physical than the Philippine U17 team which were entirely made up of players in high school.

 

"Fresh off a successful campaign in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where the team secured its second consecutive World Cup berth, Torcaso emphasized that the Filipinas are not content with participation alone. Instead, the program is firmly focused on competing at the highest level and advancing beyond the group stage in Brazil.

“Our objective is very clear: we are going to the World Cup to compete and not just participate. We will do what we can to get out of the group. That means our preparation has to be deliberate and aligned with that ambition,” Torcaso said.

“From June onwards, we will maximize every FIFA window, expose the team to different styles across continents, and continuously raise our standards in both training and competition,” he added.

At the same time, the Australian gaffer stressed that elite preparation extends beyond match volume. A key pillar of the Filipinas’ approach is ensuring that players remain in peak physical and mental condition through sustained performance in their respective club environments.

He further noted that recent achievements—including the team’s SEA Games success and World Cup qualification—are clear indicators of a system that is beginning to deliver results through aligned leadership and sustained investment.

As the Filipinas continue their buildup, the integration of emerging young talents alongside experienced internationals remains a defining feature of the program. Players such as Jael Guy, Nina Meollo, Alexa Pino, and Ari Markey have demonstrated their readiness on the continental stage, signaling depth and continuity heading into 2027."

They are also awaiting on the issuance of passports(takes a longer time in the Philippines for foreign born Filipino prospects even with Filipino parents) of a few pros that can contribute to the team.

 

No results mentioned for the other friendlies but aside from New Zealand U19, the Philippine U17 girls team had friendlies against the U17 girl's team of Thailand, Myanmar and China before their first group match in the AFC U17 women's championship starts on May 2.

 

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national..._cup.html/news/wacu17-know-your-teams-group-c

The 10th edition of the tournament features an expanded roster of 12 teams—four more than each of the preceding four editions—and will be staged in the elegant city of Suzhou, as China PR plays host for a fourth time after 2011, 2013 and 2015.

DPR Korea
Previous appearances: 8
Best finish: Champions (4)
2024 record: Champions
How they qualified: 2024 winners
Fixtures - May 2 v Chinese Taipei; May 5 v Philippines; May 8 v Korea Republic
Fun fact: DPR Korea have never failed to advance to the final in each of their previous appearances.
DPR Korea will be determined to maintain their grip on the trophy, with the East Asian side looking for a successful run ahead of their defence of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup title later this year.

Korea Republic
Previous appearances: 9
Best finish: Champions (2009)
2024 record: Semi-finalists
How they qualified: 2024 Semi-finalists
Fixtures - May 2 v Philippines; May 5 v Chinese Taipei; May 8 v DPR Korea
Fun fact: Korea Republic are the only other teams besides DPR Korea and Japan to have emerged champions.
The trophy has eluded Korea Republic since their only triumph in 2009 and the East Asian side will feel this is their chance to end the wait after an extensive preparation.

Philippines
Previous appearances: 1
Best finish: Group Stage
2024 record: Group Stage
How they qualified: Group A winners
Fixtures - May 2 v Korea Republic; May 5 v DPR Korea; May 8 v Chinese Taipei
Fun fact: Philippines were also drawn with DPR Korea and Korea Republic in their tournament debut in 2024.
With the senior Philippines team turning heads, the next generation will be aiming to also stamp their mark and will head into the tournament confident after finishing top of Group A of the Qualifiers.

The Philippines lost to N Korea and drew with S Korea in 2024 but did not advance beyond the group stage due to inferior GD.

Chinese Taipei
Previous appearances: 4
Best finish: Group Stage
2024 record: Did not qualify
How they qualified: Group H winners
Fixtures - May 2 v DPR Korea; May 5 v Korea Republic; May 8 v Philippines
Fun fact: Chinese Taipei are making a return to the Finals for the first time since 2015.
A successful qualifying campaign will give Chinese Taipei hope that they can advance to the knockout stage for the first time.

 

Calling all Filipina talents in America! We are heading to San Diego for a Talent ID Camp this May 26 to 29 as part of the road to the 2027 #FIFAWWC and the strengthening of our U20 pipeline.
Register now via the QR code or click bit.ly/4tEH2Rf and take your shot at representing the Filipinas on the global stage.

 

Unfortunately the Philippines got eliminated in the Grp Stage finishing in third place in Grp C's Group of Death with only one point in a tie with Chinese Taipei with N and S Korea advancing. Still a good experience for them.

 

The PWNT is having a camp in San Diego where they will be facing the San Diego Wave and Albion San Diego.





Chardonnay Curran an NWSL veteran who currently plays for the Rio Avo in Portugal's Liga BPI is making her debut along with US based college players Wagner, Penn and Murphy.

Pros Tovar, Harrison and Hansen are close to getting their citizenship so they will be available in future camps but were not part of this camp yet.

The Philippine U20 WNT is also having a training camp in San Diego where prospects can be evaluated.

 

I hope nobody’s been hurt. Take care of yourselves over there.

 

So far so good. I believe they lost 0-1 to the NSWL team San Diego Wave on June 4. Next up is Albion SC on June 9th.

 

I was thinking about earthquake in Philippines.. but all right.
Hope Dernhelm and her family are O.K