Year-ender: 2010 was the year of the PHL Azkals

For Philippine sports in general, 2010 can be considered a banner year for the men’s national football team. The Year of the Tiger, it turns out, became generous for the Philippine Azkals. While Manny Pacquiao continues to be the country’s top draw in the international sporting arena ,the Azkals made a name for themselves by stirring things up in the Southeast Asian football scene – the ASEAN Football Federation-organized Suzuki Cup. Though their amazing Suzuki Cup run ended with twin setbacks against Indonesia in the semifinals, the team earned the respect of its ASEAN neighbors and the admiration of an entire nation.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The Philippines lost both legs of the semis match, with both matches ending at 1-0. Christian "El Loco" Gonzales scored the goals in the two games they played at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The win earned for Indonesia a finals date against Malaysia, which in turn won the crown based on aggregate scores. Malaysia won the first match, 3-0, but lost the second, 1-2. The Azkals, led by eight Filipino-foreign players, became overnight celebrities in the Philippines – known to be a basketball-crazy nation – when they qualified in the semifinal round of the biennial Suzuki Cup and went much further from there. The Philippines finished with five points in Group B behind a stunning 2-0 win over former champions Vietnam, a 1-1 draw against powerhouse Singapore, and a scoreless tie with Myanmar. That surprising upset against the Henrique Calisto-coached Vietnam side earned for the Philippines a spot in the Top 10 Football stories of Sports Illustrated's online edition, with the story placing 10th in the list. For a brief while, the team's success overshadowed the power struggle that plagued the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) in the last three months — with Mariano "Nonong" Araneta voted unanimously by the board to replace Jose Mari Martinez, who was ousted primarily on the basis of corruption allegations. Araneta’s election was later recognized by the International Football Association (or FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association), which provides at least US$250,000 in financial assistance to the PFF every year. The Azkals returned to a heroes' welcome and even paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang. The Fil-foreign players are brothers James and Phil Younghusband, goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, Rob Gier, Ray Anthony Jonsson, Christopher Greatwich, Jason De Jong and Mark Drinkuth. The other members of the Azkals are Ian Araneta, Jerry Barbaso, Yanti Barsales, David Mark Basa, Joebel Bermejo, Emelio Caligdong, Christopher Camcam, Mark Ferrer, Roel Gener, Peter Jaugan, Nestor Margarse, Reymark Palmes, Kristopher Relucio, and Eduard Sacapaño. Their successful run in the Suzuki Cup also drew calls from certain groups in the Philippines for football to receive more support, especially from the government. – KY, GMANews.TV