News is coming out of Doha that the Philippine national team's preparations for the World Preliminary 40 are in full swing. As of the 23rd, 13 players have finished signing in with head coach Cooper, but the whereabouts of the remaining players are a mystery. They either failed to arrive in time due to league commitments, or remained stranded for various reasons, leaving the assembly time a mystery.
On the night of May 20, a handful of members of the Philippine national team departed Manila for Doha. Aside from Cooper and his assistants, only six players traveled with them, including captain Schrock and striker Hartmann, while the other four came from the "Philippine Development Squad," the post-2019 Southeast Asian Games team made up of mostly U23 players. Cooper is the coach and they are practicing in the domestic league. The four include Diano, Winhoff, Gayoso and De Vera, with Gayoso and Diano briefly joining Thailand's Muang Thong United during the winter transfer window.
The Philippine national team arrived in Doha on May 21, albeit only for a brief training session. Seven more players followed, including midfielder Baldissimo from Canadian Pacific, center forward Giraldo from St. Joseph of Gibraltar, goalkeeper Schipmann from Germany's fourth division team, left back Kempter from Switzerland's second division team Kersamakos, and three players from the Thai Premier League, Silva, Woodland, and Reichert.
There are still 12 players who have not yet arrived in Doha. Among them, midfielder Obermahl of Germany's third division team was still playing in the league yesterday, and two midfielders from Bundesliga 2, Strauss and Holtmann, will continue the Bundesliga 2 today. England goalkeeper Etheridge has not yet departed due to his new marriage. Malaysia's two players, Demuga and Mondosar, failed to find flights, Japan's Tabinas was unable to leave the country due to epidemic restrictions, and Thailand's players also failed to travel to Doha. Newly called-up Swedish defender Nyholm missed the league due to an injury, and there is still no word on whether he will be able to join the national team.
The biggest problem facing the Philippine team is the lack of personnel. It is still unknown when the players will gather in Doha.
