Philippine soccer team prepares for World Qualifiers
On May 24 in Doha, Qatar, a tense atmosphere prevailed. The Philippine soccer team is preparing for the upcoming World Qualifier Asian Zone 40 tournament, however, as of the evening of the 23rd local time, only 13 players in the team reported for duty, and the return of the other players is still an unanswered question.
Late in the evening of May 20, the Philippine team departed Manila for Doha. Aside from head coach Cooper and his assistants and administrative staff, the team was accompanied by only six players, including captain Schrock and forward Hartman (both of Union City). The remaining four players are from the "Philippine Development Team", namely Mar Diano, Weinhoff, Gayoso and De Vera. It is worth noting that Gayoso and Mar Diano briefly played for Thailand's Muangthong United in January.
The Philippine team arrived in Doha early in the morning of May 21 and was only able to warm up briefly. Over the next few days, seven players arrived in Doha to join the team. They were midfielder Baldissimo from Canadian Pacific, center forward Giraldo who plays for St. Joseph's Gibraltar, goalkeeper Schipmann from Germany's fourth tier, left back Kempter from Switzerland's second tier, defenders Silva and Woodland from the Thai Premier League, and midfielder Reichert.
However, there are still 12 players from the Philippine team who have not yet arrived in Doha. Among them, midfielder Obermahl, who plays in Germany's third tier, also played for Magdeburg on the 22nd; while two midfielders playing in the German Bundesliga (Bundesliga 2), Strauss and first-time selection Holtmann, also played in the Bundesliga 2 on the 23rd.
In addition, Etheridge, the famous goalkeeper who plays for England, has not yet arrived in Doha due to his new marriage.
