The team's lineup looks as strong as ever.
The lineup of the Philippine women's football team for the second round of the AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Australia was announced on Wednesday.
There were not many surprises, with Filipinas mainstays like Sarina Bolden, Olivia McDaniel, Quinley Quezada, Hali Long, Sara Eggesvik, Jaclyn Sawicki, and Katrina Guillou once again leading the pack.
Angela Beard, who missed the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China due to club commitments in Sweden, will make his return. Jessica Miclat, who has been cut from the roster in the past few tournaments, will also make her comeback.
Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso, who made his debut with the squad in the Asian Games and steered it to the quarterfinals in its maiden stint in the continental contest, said they've looked "really, really good" in their training camp in Melbourne and Perth.
"We're able to put together a really strong (group of) 22 players for this campaign. There are a lot of good qualities that we probably just didn't have during the Asian Games. But pending everyone's fitness and obviously, the travel commitments and time, it's a really good opportunity for the players," said Torcaso in an online media conference.
The 44th-ranked Filipinas will enter the second phase of the OQT with a strong 3-0 record after beating Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Hong Kong in the opening round. They also did not concede a single goal.
It won't be cherry-picking, however, in the second round against higher-ranked teams in host Australia (11th), Chinese Taipei (38th), and Iran (63rd).
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But with the way the Filipinas have been exceeding expectations, highlighted by their watershed win in the FIFA Women's World Cup against New Zealand, don't be surprised if they pull off shockers in the OQT.
"I don't think it takes much motivation for these players to play the opponents we're going up against. The only difficulty we have is that some players just finished a (league) season or are in the middle of a season, while some are just starting. So there's a little bit of variance in everyone's fitness levels. But from an injury perspective, everyone looks like they're available to play," said Torcaso. "It's a really good headache for me to have and the (coaching) staff to have."
The top teams in each group and the best second-placer will advance to the final round in February. Only the top two finishers in the tournament will earn tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Philippines, in both men's and women's, has yet to qualify for football in the Summer Games.
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The Filipinas will open their campaign against Chinese Taipei this Thursday at 4 p.m. followed by the matches against Australia on Sunday and against Iran on Wednesday.
"I have no doubt that the players will be up and about and ready to play in all of our three games," said Torcaso.
Catch all of the Filipinas' matches live on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.