I hope this is not true. Not only is he the Philippine's best player but the younger players looks up to him and he really is committed to developing football in the Philippines. Dooley's ego issues is one of the reasons he got fired in the first place.
I haven't seen the list of players in the training pool in the usual places. Can anyone post the list? If this is true, as one of Coach Dooley's first actions it sends a message. The wrong message. The coach is of course the final word on who makes it to the list of players, but excluding Shrock before even having a single session doesn't seem right.
The Philippines has some friendlies lined up in June in Europe including against Turkey and Bosnia-Herzgovina. Ireland also wants to play them there. Ireland WNT 🇮🇪 set for training camp in TurkeyInternational Friendly also lined up against Philippines 🇵🇭All part of preparations for @FIFAWorldCup qualifier against Georgia on June 27 💪Read More 👉 https://t.co/gz2aqsGbIi#GEOIRL | #COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/GfiYvDK4PK— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) May 31, 2022 https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/wnt-set-for-training-camp-in-turkey Vera Pauw's squad will spend nine days in Antalya and take on the Philippines in an international friendly game on Sunday, June 19th. That means that the Philippines (ranked #68 FIFA) will be playing 4 friendlies in 2 weeks. June 16th Turkey (ranked #69 FIFA) June 19th Ireland (ranked #33 FIFA) June 24th and 26th Bosnia and Herzogovina (ranked #58 FIFA) This is good preparation for the AFF Women's Championships in July where they will be facing WC veterans Australia (ranked #11 FIFA) and Thailand (ranked #39 FIFA) in their group and possibly WC bound Vietnam (ranked #32 FIFA) if they make it past the group stage.
I was wrong about the rankings. The Filipinas have moved up to #54 now in the latest FIFA world rankings(Mar 25) as well as the teams they will be facing in the next 2 months: Ireland is now #30, Vietnam #32, Thailand #43, Turkey #69, Bosnia Herzogvina #68 and Australia #12.
Dooley, Schrock explain sides amid preparations for Azkals’ crunch Asian Cup qualis Just when there was hope that two of the biggest figures in Philippine football will be able to set aside their past differences and help the country seal a place in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, things went south pretty quickly. Unless a miracle happens, it is certain that Philippine Azkals veteran Stephan Schrock will not participate in the final Asian Cup qualifiers this June in Mongolia in what is coach Thomas Dooley’s first major pronouncement since his return to his post. Dooley puts his foot down “He is not a part of this 25 or 24 roster that we’re going to take over to Mongolia,” said Dooley in an interview with host Andrei Felix in the May 30, 2022, edition of CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk. “That’s a decision that I made when I said: ‘You know we bring everybody in we can have. We train a little bit and then I make a decision.’” The former United States Men’s National Football Team defender then probed Felix if the latter felt that Schrock deserved a place in the team for its upcoming mini-tournament. For his part, Felix pointed out Schrock’s stature in the Azkals and the “surprise” when the former Ceres-Negros star did not make the cut this time around. For Dooley, this was simply his right as a coach to select who he thinks will win matches for the team. Anything else is simply immaterial at this point. “I always want to be honest and thus I don’t have a problem with Schrock at all,” insisted the 61-year-old mentor. “I’m looking for my team. I’m looking at what’s best for my team and I’m looking at the statistics and I could ask you more questions. I would ask you why he should be there because he is the captain or because he was there before? “It’s about performance and then I can ask a question when I’m looking back, 2014 to 2018 with me, we had a lot of success – How many games we played great and we were successful when he was there? “Then I can ask, he was a leader of the team since I left – How much success they add since that time until now? That’s what I’m analyzing. I had to deal with him. Again, it’s not about the person. It’s about, again I have to say it, he is a football-specific fitness. In football-specific fitness, he’s maybe the best player in the Philippines,” he continued. “That doesn’t mean you can do the right thing on the field and with all that stuff, I make a decision on what’s best for my team. When he wasn’t there with the team, we had the biggest success and we played beautiful football. That’s why I make a decision. I need to build a team again who can be successful and that’s my decision.” Dooley then shared that the reason why Schrock was inserted in the initial pool of players was at the behest of the Philippine Football Federation despite his reservations. After the initial training session, though, Dooley made up his mind and simply felt that Schrock did not fit his plans for the team. “I would like to form the team like I had before and there are certain types of players that you have to or people that you have to be in there. And what happened in the time when I was there, I don’t want to have the same thing happen again in the future games,” Dooley stressed. Schrock answers back A day later on the same show with the same host, it was Schrock’s turn to air his side of the story. The 35-year-old midfielder shared that he got the big news by receiving a message from Dooley via a text message that he was cut from the team “without any further explanations, which confuses me”. Beforehand, the erstwhile United City skipper was training with the team for six days with some of its local-based players. He claims that he essentially gave 100 percent during the sessions, his work ethic was high up there and that there were no problems on the pitch. Dooley’s call then left him very disappointed. “Coach Dooley and I, we had history seven years ago,” Schrock said. “I matured during this time. I hoped he would also not let the decision-making not get into the personal side of him. But well, it is what it is. I think he still holds a grudge. “I reached out to him asking for a sit-down to clear this up like adults and he refused. He would not let me speak to him and get this clearly out of the way, I think we have a common goal which is bigger than a personal pride, bigger than personal ego and unfortunately, I got denied this opportunity.” Felix then provided Schrock with a soundbite of Dooley’s interview that stated the coach’s reasoning as to why the four-time Philippines Football League champion was cut. While Schrock agreed when Dooley described him as the best Filipino player in “football-specific fitness”, he lamented that the latter cannot find a way to fit him into his program for the Azkals. In fact, Schrock insisted that he would accept the invitation to be a squad player rather than a member of the first 11 on the pitch. He would take the role of an impact player off the bench to help the Azkals gain a victory. “I don’t wanna burn bridges,” said Schrock. “I never wanted to. I think I made a mistake seven years ago. I can admit that. I grow up. I matured. Like I said, him… obviously couldn’t get over it. So, I make myself available if ever there is a need and every day is a demand. I’m always here for the country. I’m always trying to serve. You people have to understand, we play as we sacrifice a lot of things.” “We players, we sacrifice a lot of time, money, relationship with clubs, contracts with future clubs, and then managers – we sacrificed that for the country while he was or is being a manager that was desperate on the job,” he added. “I reached out to him. I tried to connect the dots for us to reach a common goal. Unfortunately, he denied.” Mentioning that he was part of the Azkals side that reached a record number of points, 11, in the country’s World Cup qualification history amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as well as past performances, Schrock tried to debunk Dooley’s claims that the numbers forced the latter to drop the former. Schrock then shared a personal anecdote about the sacrifices of suiting up as a member of the Azkals. “Not many people know, the last two camps, my wife was pregnant. I left her at home for the national team without any outcome for me. The last camp especially, my son was at home with a broken leg, and I arrived 15 hours before the whistle blew and my whole family got COVID and I still refused to go home because I love the country,” he said. “I love the country. I want to give back. I want to give it all out and sometimes it works out better than the other times but questioning the commitment or questioning my football abilities is purely not right and saying that I won’t fit in with the team is a lame excuse in my eyes.” For Schrock, his love of the Philippines and his mother is what always brought him back to suit up for the Azkals despite it not being financially rewarding as well as it taking time away from vacations. He said that he and his teammates are “not there for (a) paycheck, unlike him” and that they “want to make the country proud.” He insists that he can still perform at a high level and says that he has offers from top clubs around Southeast Asia to play for them and can sign a “seven-digit contract” when he so wishes. He also hopes that “personal grudges” will be pushed to the side for the country’s sake. “I know I can help the team. I know they might need me and even if it’s just for two minutes or five minutes, I’m ready to help. I’m ready to suit up,” said Schrock. The challenge on the horizon With the Azkals’ crunch matches against Yemen, Mongolia, and Palestine ahead of them as they seek to qualify anew for the Asian Cup, the last thing they needed was a bitter conflict between Dooley and Schrock. Only time will tell which side is vindicated but as of this moment – Philippine football is a better place when two of its biggest characters are working side-by-side to bring glory to the country rather than at odds with each other. https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/...ons-for-azkals-crunch-asian-cup-qualis/241601 The PFF should have seen this when they rehired Dooley as coach.
Azkals mentor Thomas Dooley announced through a Facebook post this evening that as many as eight players will miss the team’s first game in the mini-tournament but one of them will be available for the next two fixtures. “Raphael Obermaier, Patrick Strauss, Michael Kempter, Carli de Murga, Kevin Ingreso, Amani Aguinaldo, Diego Bardanca; seven defensive players; and forward Gerrit Holtmann,” read the 61-year-old’s post. “At least Gerrit will join the team after the game against Yemen. Seven defensive players will be missed in our qualification tournament. What a bummer!!!” There is still no word as to why the players stated will miss out on the action. It remains to be seen as well if new players will be called up to become replacements for those unavailable. Daisuke Sato and Jefferson Tabinas are some of the guys expected to be handed more responsibility in the backline while Jesse Curran has played as a full-back throughout his career. Dooley’s men take on Yemen next Wednesday, Mongolia the following Saturday, and cap off their campaign against Palestine on Tuesday as they seek to book a ticket in next year’s Asian Cup. https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/...defenders-to-miss-asian-cup-qualifiers/241611
Let's see how things will work. Doley already started to find excuses. The group is winnable after all.
They can still qualify for the Asian Cup if they are among 5 out of 6 best runner ups on the 6 groups.
Aguinaldo is in after all. Is he without a club right now? I don't like the midfield. Don't see too much quality there.
How do you even watch Philippines v Yemen and the rest of their Asian Cup Qualifiers in the United States? I’m fine staying up late but I can’t seem to find a source to watch it legally
With all their troubles and lack of training time together, I am not confident they can make it this time. Holtmann will not play the first game and he has also never practiced with the team before even if he joins the final 2 games. Schrock probably would have been a good addition at midfield but Dooley just doesn't like him which hurts the team.
FT Philippines 0-0 Yemen The Philippines had most of the possession at 63% but the shot total was relatively even.
Dooley ‘pleased’ with Azkals despite missing honeymooning Holtmann Thomas Dooley guided the Philippine Azkals to a scoreless draw versus Yemen in his first game back, and he sees it as a triumphant return after parting ways with the team four years ago. The 61-year-old mentor said he saw “a lot of good things” in the Azkals’ opening game against Yemen in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers in Mongolia on Wednesday, June 8. Dooley noted that the national men’s football team still has a strong chance to qualify in the prestigious continental tournament, even with the Azkals missing Bundesliga’s left-footed winger Gerrit Holtmann in the first game. “We know he got married on Saturday so he has a honeymoon with his wife for a couple of days and he will join us tomorrow. So he will be here tomorrow,” Dooley said of Holtmann, who’s playing for VfL Bochum. The 27-year-old Holtmann has been playing scintillating club football recently so his highly anticipated Azkals debut will absolutely be a massive boost for the team. “He is maybe our strongest player in the offense. He plays in the Bundesliga. Scored beautiful goals against Dortmund, against Bayern Munich,” said Dooley. “Obviously we haven’t played with him, the players haven’t played with him, we hadn’t worked together so it’s difficult to say if he would’ve been there, maybe we would’ve scored. I would say, if we would have everybody together, we would’ve won the game.” With the draw against Yemen, the Azkals now have a crucial point as they vie for the top spot in Group B. Palestine leads the group with 3 points after notching a 1-0 win over Mongolia in its opening game. The Philippines can secure a slot in the 18th edition of the quadrennial tournament if it tops the group or becomes one of the five best second-placed teams. “We saw a lot of good things in the game, how we played,” said Dooley, noting that he was “pleased.” “We rushed a little bit in the end, we should’ve played more like we did in the first half, so we didn’t do that… but overall, there’s nothing lost yet.” – https://www.rappler.com/sports/foot...despite-missing-honeymooning-gerrit-holtmann/
This ended up being the only match in Matchday 1 that ended in a draw; with Philippines technically 2nd in Group B because of fewer cards against Yemen, they are the worst of the six second-place teams, and out of qualification.
Yes they are but they are going to add their best player in the next 2 games Bundesliga star Gerrit Holtmann so I think they still have a chance. Yemen played defensiveliy and very deep particularly in the first half which is why you sometimes see the Philippine goalie moving nearly all the way to the halfline to help the offence. Unfortunately the Philippines didn't really have anybody who could finish. Gerrit Holtmann who was missing in the first game(as he just got married) is scheduled to play in the final 2 group games and has proven that he can do that even winning the 2021 Bundesliga Goal of the Year in that top tier league and has also scored another fantastic goal against Bayern Munich. https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bunde...e-2122-haaland-nkunku-bellingham-gnabry-20075 However that comes with an asterisk. He has never practiced with the Philippine team before so there is a question of how that as well as jetlag will affect his game.
Gerrit Holtmann practicing with the Philippine team in Mongolia. We finally get to see him with the team after years of anticipation.
Gerrit Holtmann ahead of Azkals debut Holtmann is scheduled to make his Azkals debut on Saturday against Mongolia, days after the team started their campaign in the qualifiers where they settled for a scoreless draw. Holtmann only arrived on Thursday after his recent wedding. The Philippine football community is abuzz with the much-anticipated debut of Holtmann, who plays for VfL Bochum in the German Bundesliga. But Azkals coach Thomas Dooley is tempering expectations about the arrival of Holtmann to the team and its chances to advance into the tournament proper next year. “Obviously, it is difficult when you have the last game played three weeks ago and you get married, couldn’t train that much the last couple of weeks. But he still wants to be a part of it and help as much as he can,” said Dooley, during media availability with Filipino reporters via Zoom on Thursday. Dooley said Holtmann trained with the team on Thursday just hours after arrival, but admitted he still needs more time to recover from jetlag and be accustomed with his teammates. “It is difficult. Maybe he never played on a turf field like we have here. The turf we have here is different than the ones that we also have in the Philippines… In Germany, nobody plays in fields especially the professionals. They play on grass. It’s a totally different game for him.” “Anybody expecting to join the team and now, we are fine, we will be scoring a lot of goals because he is a Bundesliga player is wrong. He needs time like everybody else. Players don’t know him. He doesn’t know the other players. There’s still a time change that he has. He just arrived after like 14, 15-hour flight. The last training session that he had was days ago,” said Dooley. Dooley said the 27-year-old Holtmann is excited to help the team. “I had a conversation with him this morning. We had breakfast together and we were talking a little bit. He is very excited to be here,” said Dooley. Holtmann’s Azkals debut was delayed after he missed the last international window due to COVID-19. “Now, he really wanted to come over and play with us. He is really very excited to be part of this team,” said Dooley. “But to expect from him that we will be going to win games because he is there, obviously, that’s too much. We have to be realistic,” said Dooley. https://www.spin.ph/football/dooley...ls-for-afc-asian-cup-qualifiers-a795-20220609
I saw the highlights of the game and it seemed like Yemen actually had the best chance to score. They could've definitely used Schrock. This format is much less forgiving than the last Asian Cup qualifiers, so while the Philippines were able to get away with two draws against Yemen last time out, this game probably sealed their fate. I don't see the Philippines beating Palestine, so they'll probably end up with 5 points at best. After Matchday 1, the top two teams in every other group look like they'll get at least 6 points, except maybe in Group A. Kuwait losing at home to Indonesia was a huge surprise and Nepal played better than expected against Jordan. So possibly Nepal can hold Indonesia to a draw in that group and the Philippines might slip through as one of the runner-up teams if they manage five points.
Holtmann just had an interview with the Philippine media where he mentioned he made the decision to play for the Philippines 6 years ago with the encouragement of his mother but he wanted to establish himself first as a regular Bundesliga player and didn't want to travel. He was ready to play 2 years ago but COVID made it impossible. This is too bad. The Philippines was close to qualifying to the next stage of the WC qualifiers last year but missed a lot of their starters due to COVID travel restrictions including Holtmann handicapping them at the final hurdle. One thing I noticed during the interview is that Holtmann doesn't speak English very well so he needed a translator. That is one advantage that Dooley has as a coach in that he like many of the Philippine national team players can relate as a German national who chose to play for the US and didn't speak a word of English when he played for the US national team. Dooley can communicate directly with many of the German born players in the Philippine national football team without needing a translator. He did mention that it is too bad they are missing Strauss and Obermair as well as Swiss top tier player Michael Kempter who also speaks German. Kempter played outstanding during the last WC qualifiers but broke his nose in the game against China after some rough tactics from a Chinese player which the referee did not penalize. That might have played a decision in his not showing up this time.