So there I was, standing in the middle of a crowd of 13,000 people in the Rizal Memorial Stadium. We have spent the better part of 90 minutes cheering for the boys in blue. They are called the Azkals, the new face of Philippine sports and pride. It was a surreal experience which left me asking myself "Is this real? Is this all really happening?". To understand why I ask things like this, we have to look back on where we were a few years ago.
2005 Philippines
The Philippines is all abuzz as it completes its preparations to host the SEA Games. My dad, who is a sports broadcaster among other things, shuffles through the notes of the sports he is assigned to cover. He comes up to me and asks "Is Chelsea a good team?" I reply with a "Yes, but I really don't like them". He then goes on to explain that two reserves, the now famous Younghusband brothers, are flying in from England to reinforce the RP XI. This sparked a curiosity, Chelsea players? Playing for the Philippines? Could this be the start of something big for football?
Sadly, no. Though it did plant the seeds for something greater. After a failed SEA Games campaign (in terms of football), Philippine football had another set of disappointments it had to deal with. There was the very controversial presidency of Mari Martinez, the failure to qualify for the Suzuki Cup on goal difference, the depressing fact that the Younghusbands left Chelsea and flew back to the Philippines to seemingly concentrate on show business, and fact that National championships weren't being played anymore.
Local Football
Despite the sad state of Philippine football, it did not stop the local football scene from kicking the ball. In the area that I lived, there would be regular football played midweek and during the weekends. Lo and behold, from time to time the Younghusband brothers would join the pick up games. I thought if the best in the country are here playing on an obscure field in Alabang against players who just have football as a hobby, what hope does the Philippines have for football?
Suzuki Cup Qualifiers
I was over the moon with the qualification. I remember congratulating the Younghusband brothers, who had become friends of mine, over facebook and personally when we would run into each other in town. I was thinking that in a few more years, maybe we can make a splash in South East Asia. A big enough win against top opposition that would make the country stand up and take notice. For now, it was a silent party for the Philippine football fans.
Vietnam
Unto the group stages, the Philippines were grouped with powerhouses Singapore, hosts Vietnam, and Myanmar. I looked at the opposition and I said... "Ok, we can beat Myanmar and pray that we don't get embarrassed by Vietnam and Singapore". Little did I know I was going to get the shock of my life.
1-1 Against Singapore
2-0 Against Vietnam
0-0 Against Myanmar
2-0 against Vietnam!?!?!?!
I was at a party when the game was going on, and we flipped on the telly to check by how much we were losing. I flipped it to the channel and we were up 1-0, we were all gobsmacked at the party and couldn't be bothered with anything else. Then Phil Younghusband gets the ball in the box... fakes out two defenders... and makes it 2-0. The Philippines explodes with a newfound love for football.
World Cup Qualifiers
Before I knew it.. There I was.. Soaked in the rain.. With 13,000 screaming Filipinos at my side.. It was beautiful, the game was coming to life at long last. The Azkals have just made it 4-0 to get past the first round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time ever. I never thought I would see the day that football would be this loved in the country. I never thought that I would walk towards a stadium in the Philippines clad in the colors of the Azkals with thousands by my side screaming for the love of football and the country.
Some may say that this is just a game, but I tell you this. If you were there amongst the 13,000 that rainy day. You would understand, that it is something much more than that.
