The Philippine women's football team, led by coach Mark Torcaso, will use the Pink Ladies Cup in Turkiye to implement a new playing style as part of their long-term goals.
The Philippine women’s national football team is set to embark on its next international challenge, the Pink Ladies Cup in Turkiye.
Head coach Mark Torcaso has outlined the team’s objectives for the tournament, which include competing and implementing a new playing style that will shape the Filipinas' journey in future major tournaments.
“We’ve got an opportunity to obviously play in Turkiye against some good opposition,” Torcaso said during the Philippine Football Federation’s press conference on Friday, October 4.
“We had a strategy to play some really tough opponents at the start of the year, and the plan now is to face teams that are probably closer to us or a little bit less. This gives us the chance to focus more on the way we want to play,” he added.
The 39th-ranked Filipinas are set to face Jordan and Congo, two new opponents that present a unique challenge.
Torcaso sees these matches as the perfect environment to introduce and fine-tune the style of play that aligns with former head coach Alen Stajcic’s vision, now carried forward by Torcaso.
“We’ll start implementing a style that is very much in the line of how Freddy [Gonzalez] would like us to play, and it also fits with the timing of the plans we have for the future,” he added.
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Beyond this tournament, the focus remains on long-term goals.
For Torcaso and the Filipinas, the work begins now as they set their sights on the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and another run at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.
“The main objective of Turkiye is to bring in a style and a game model that we want, which is going to get us to that Asian Cup in 2026, and then push us to another World Cup in 2027,” Torcaso explained. “That work begins now for us, and we’re really excited by that.”
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The Filipinas’ roster for the Turkiye tournament will feature a mix of new faces and strong local talent. This combination of players is key to Torcaso’s plan, as it provides opportunities for emerging players while ensuring the team's core remains solid.
“There will be a couple of new faces coming into Turkiye, but there will also be some strong local talent that have done really well in the last couple of weeks too,” said Torcaso.
As they head into the Pink Ladies Cup, the Filipinas are hoping to use this competition as a stepping stone towards their ultimate goals.
(With reports from Xander Cipriano/One Sports Digital)