The Filipinas defender pointed out a hard truth after a winless campaign.
The Philippine women's national football team had a sobering experience in Spain after absorbing three straight losses in the Pinatar Cup, defender Hali Long admitted on Thursday.
"I definitely think it's a very humbling experience," Long said. "It was a very eye-opening experience."
The world number 53 Filipinas went up against the 16th-ranked Iceland, 25th-ranked Scotland, and 32nd-ranked Wales last month. Meryll Serrano was the lone scorer for the Philippines in the match against Scotland.
Long clarified, however, that it was a good thing going up to their debut in the FIFA World Cup later this July. And she pointed out a hard truth.
"It definitely wasn't a waste. It was a really big learning experience for us against the teams who aren't going to the World Cup," she said.
"There was definitely a lot of reflection—physical, emotional, mental reflection because those aren't the teams we're going to be playing against in the World Cup. We're going to be playing harder teams."
She's not putting that lightly. The Philippines was drawn in Group A, along with world number 24 New Zealand. Then there's world number 21 Switzerland, who made it to the round of 16 in 2015. Oh, and there's world number 13 Norway, who won the tournament in 1995.
Long though said there's still a lot going on for the Filipinas, such as the fact that they were able to get international exposure such as the Pinatar Cup.
"We just need to mature a little bit more on and off the field," she said. "Just develop that little bit more professionalism to compete in those high levels."
The Filipinas also got a strong reminder of what they were fighting for, as the FIFA World Cup trophy made a stop in Manila.