Metro Manila has a brand new FIFA-standard football field and this time around, the pitch is more accessible to the public.
Situated at the top of SM Mall of Asia, the newly inaugurated MOA Football Pitch will also give fans a multitude of food options, as those who attended the Philippine Women’s National team’s intra-squad exhibition match could attest to.
The Filipinas had the honor of being the first team to officially play a match in the new pitch. Against the backdrop of fireworks and a spectacular drone show last Tuesday, a veteran-laden Team White drew with a young Team Blue, 1-1, to the delight of the fans who came to watch their heroines play at home for the first time in a while.
The World Cup veterans and the familiar faces in the squad drew the loudest cheers, specifically crowd favorites Sara Eggesvik, Katrina Guillou, Hali Long, and even the injured Sarina Bolden.
But make no mistake, if the Filipinas hope to recapture the heady heights of 2022 and 2023, culminating in the participation to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, this squad need a fresh infusion of young talent.
If the squad on show is anything to go by, the team is in good shape.
A common recurring theme among the fans in attendance was: Who are the new faces in the squad? However, eagle-eyed Filipinas fans who have been following the U17 team will have recognized two faces in the squad, former team captain Ari Markey, and talisman Alexa Pino.
Both were integral parts of the squad that came short in the 2024 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in Bali, Indonesia and while Filipinas fans are waiting for them to play in the seniors team, no one is more excited than the two 17-year-olds themselves.
“I think it’s so amazing to watch the game develop from the youth stage to the senior stage and I just love seeing it all come together, like you can kind of see it progress from one level to another. And it’s really exciting to see”, said Markey.
Pino added, “It’s definitely a different experience relatively speaking, from the U17s coming from there and now playing with the seniors. It’s a great change coming from that environment to this environment, being around great players, amazing coaching staff and I’m just very grateful to be here.”
Both credit the veterans in the team with their smooth transition to the seniors team.
“Everybody has been so welcoming here from all the players and at the same time, we are all challenging each other which is also really important but also keeping it at a level where we guide each other at the same time”, said Markey.
“It’s really important that we can challenge each other but also at a stage where we can better each other.”
Pino added, “The veterans definitely have been as supportive as possible. I mean it’s obviously a little nerve-wracking coming into this big stage.”
“I wasn’t expecting nearly as many people that came tonight and there’s no better feeling than walking into a stadium with people that just love the game and who love to watch you play.”
“The older girls kind of helped prepare us for that and they just give you a pat on the back, whatever you need and they’re very supportive of us and I appreciate that from them.”
Alexa Pino, who is the 2023-24 Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year set some high goals coming into the Filipinas camp.
“Obviously, we’re younger and we have to have a chip on our shoulder if we want to do well. That’s the mentality, at least I can say, and I’m pretty sure Ari can say that we both had to come in with that [mentality.]”
For Markey, one of the goals was ‘to get and build chemistry with the team.’
“Because I’m coming into the senior team and I want to make my place here, I think that I was able to challenge everybody considering that we’re probably part of the younger players here.”
“I think the really important thing for me was to challenge the older girls and I think that I accomplished that well and even getting to see some time on the field is really important too.”
And how do they feel, being regarded by many as the future of the Filipinas?
“It definitely (gives me motivation). That is a very big honor to hold up to and I would love to support my country and the people who support me, I would love to be able to give it back to them,” Pino said.
Markey concluded, “It’s definitely an honor. Pressure is a privilege and as scary as it can be it can also be exciting as this is the new generation.”
“This is the future of the game – the Filipinas game and I’m just really excited to be a part of that.”
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
Content Source: www.gmanetwork.com