Azkals squad list for Myanmar friendly released

MANILA, Philippines – The Azkals will bank on youth and experience as they take on Myanmar in their February 6 friendly in Yangon.

The 19-man squad for the international friendly was released in the Azkals official website on Sunday, February 3.

Only a handful of foreign-based players will feature in the fixture, giving more exposure to local-based and young players as part of the preparations for the Southeast Asian Games this Decemer.

Veteran Azkals and Ascot United defender Rob Gier will join the team to marshall the defense, while Fulham’s reserve keeper and Azkals first choice Neil Etheridge will man the sticks for the national team.

Manny Ott will also make a comeback in the Azkals midfield and will be raring to make his presence felt as his last game with the team was in the friendly against Indonesia last June where he got sent off.

Also making the team are veteran local players including Boogie Margarse, Roel Gener and Ian Araneta, aside from the usual players including the Younghusbands and the players from Global FC.

The three were called up for the pool of players who went to Bangkok prior to the Suzuki Cup but were later dropped from the 22-man squad in the main regional tournament.

Here’s the full list of the 19-man squad for the Myanmar friendly:

• Marvin Angeles
• Marwin Angeles
• Ian Araneta
• Emelio Caligdong
• Jeffrey Christiaens
• Ref Cuaresma
• Jason De Jong
• Neil Etheridge
• Roel Gener
• Rob Gier
• Chris Greatwich
• Nestorio Margarse Jr.
• Manny Ott
• OJ Porteria
• Patrick Reichelt
• Eduard Sacapano
• Matthew Uy
• James Younghusband
• Phil Younghusband

The international friendly will be shown live on Studio 23 at 6pm (kick-off at 6:30 pm) and is part of the national team’s preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers that will be held in Rizal Memorial Stadium on March 22-26. – Rappler.com