PH Soccer Squads in Light Groups After SEAG Team Draws

Date: Oct 22, 2019

THE Philippines found itself in favorable brackets in the men’s and women’s football competition ons of the 30th Southeast Asian Games after the draws for the team events were held last Oct. 15 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

Avoiding Southeast Asian big guns, the PH Under-22 squad to be handled by Serbian coach Milan Milojevic wound up in Group A together with Timor Leste, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia in what most regional fans consider the sport that matters most.

Making up tough Group B is defending champion Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Singapore in the event attended by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and POC secretary general Atty. Edwin Gastanes.

In the women’s division, the Malditas, as the national women’s squad is known, was bracketed in Group A with Malaysia and Myanmar while reigning SEA Games women’s titlist Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

The top two squads in each of the groups will crossover semifinals, with the winners disputing the championship in both divisions.

Under coach Marlon Maro, the Pinoy Under-22 booters posted two wins against three losses in Group B during the 2017 SEA Games held in Malaysia, and are hoping to improve on the country’s best finish of fourth during the 1991 Manila edition more than 28 years ago.

That outing was highlighted by the Philippines’ 1-0 upset of Malaysia in the group stage.

On the hand, the charges of coach Marnelli Dimzon are coming off a strong fourth-place finish in the recent Asean Football Federation women’s football championships held in Chonburi, Thailand.

The Malditas were runners-up in Group A, picking up wins against Malaysia (3-0), Timor Leste (7-0) and Singapore (4-0), respectively, their only loss coming from Thailand (2-4), which went all the way to win the title.

In the popular sport of women’s volleyball with only five teams following the withdrawal of Malaysia, the Philippines will play Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore under a single-round format.

The Pinay volleybelles, bannered by the likes of Alyssa Valdez, Mika Reyes and Jaja Santiago, posted a 1-1 win-loss slate in group play in the 2017 SEAG held in Kuala Lumpur.

The PH men’s volleyball squad was drawn in Group B together with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia while Group A is composed of Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and Timor Leste.

Badminton, underwater hockey, sepak takraw and water polo also held their own draw to determine the groupings during the 11-nation sportsfest on Nov. 30-Dec. 11 in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac; Subic and Metro Manila.