Filipinas kick o AFF stint vs young Australian squad

AYOUNG Australian squad looking for experience will face the Philippines at the start of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championships on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Malate, Manila.

The team known as the Commbankk Young Matildas is led by head coach Melissa Andreatta, who said that their encounters with Group A teams, including the Philippines, will allow their players to gain valuable experience.

“We focus on continuing to build and bank on tournament experiences with the players, and get those match minutes in international football,” said

Andreatta as she discussed their coming games.

Andreatta said her players will be tested during the competition and this will help them identify those who can see action in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

The Young Matildas will have Charlotte Grant as the only holdover from their recent stint in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup qualifiers last January.

Most of the Aussies are aged below 23, except for two veterans, Larissa Crummer and Matilda McNamara.

Former Matildas and now Philippine national women’s head coach Allen Stajcic, also discussed the status of the Filipinas’ preparation, along with coaches from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Andreatta’s squad will be a 28-player team that will face the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in Group A.

Stajcic said the Filipinas are continuously improving their game and hopes it will show when they meet the Commbank Young Malditas.

The Philippines’ bronze-medal finish in the recent Southeast Asian Games is lifting up the team’s spirits, according to Stajcic, going into their 7 p.m. match with the Matildas.

“We’ve had a good seven months now and it’s already been a meteoric rise in a lot of different areas and we got a bronze medal in the SEA Games for the first time,” said Stajcic.

The Philippines is also riding high on their qualification to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Vietnam during their stint in the AFC’s WAC qualifiers.

The Filipinas will be bannered by the likes of Quinley Quezada, Sarina Bolden, Sofia Harrision, Malea Cesar and Tara Shelton.

Earlier today, Singapore clashes with Malaysia at 4 p.m., also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Over in Binan, Laguna, Indonesia battles Thailand at 7 p.m.