MANILA, Philippines – The man at the helm may have moved on to a different path, but the lessons he imparted to the Philippine women’s football team remain.

Sarina Bolden said the squad will continue to build on the culture Alen Stajcic helped built as the Filipinas move forward without their former head coach after a historic run in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Together with deputy Nahuel Arrate, Stajcic parted ways with the national team after their contracts expired following the Philippines’ World Cup exit and will now call the shots for the Perth Glory FC in his native Australia.

“[W]e have a lot of values and things that were taught to us from Staj… we can’t lose that, it’s impossible for us to lose it,” Bolden told ANC’s Headstart program.

“But we’re happy for him making the move to Perth. It’s well-deserved and it’s just another thing he can add on to his beautiful, amazing resume and it’s amazing that we even get to be a part of that resume in a small way.”

Stajcic, who coached the Australia Matildas from 2014 to 2019, joined the Filipinas in October 2021 and immediately made an impact.

Under his tutelage, the Philippines qualified for the World Cup after reaching the last four of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in January 2022 when it beat Chinese Taipei on penalties following a 1-1 draw in their quarterfinal duel.

The Filipinas then captured their first AFF Women’s Championship crown by stunning Thailand in the final at home soil in July 2022.

In the World Cup, the Philippines exceeded expectations when numerous international scribes and pundits believed it will end its campaign without a win.

Pitted against host New Zealand in the group stage, the Filipinas hacked out a landmark 1-0 victory, with Bolden providing the winning header – the Philippines’ first goal in its World Cup debut.

“He’s given this team and individually, for me, the best experience of my life and so many learning points that are just invaluable, and I am just so forever grateful for him,” said Bolden.

“I wish him all the best.”

Despite the uncertainty brought by Stajcic’s departure, Boden said the team is up for the challenge.

“We’ve got it very much unknown what’s ahead of us, obviously we’re looking for new staff, but we have a lot of core principles that we will take with us in the future and it will make us successful no matter what.” – Rappler.com