"It was a good match this evening. I thought the Philippine team played quite well in the first half, certainly it was a close match," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said in the post-match press conference.
The Azkals were able to keep in step with the LA Galaxy in the first half, with Angel Guirado, Chieffy Caligdong and Phil Younghusband able to threaten the Galaxy defense numerous times.
But Galaxy superstar David Beckham opened the scoring for his team with a 20th minute goal, and Mike Magee made the game 2-nil in the 38th minute.
All was not lost for the Azkals as Younghusband finally broke through late in the first half, putting the Azkals on the board, 2-1. The Azkals even had a chance to equalize late in the first half, but Carly de Murga's attempt was off-target.
The euphoria from Younghusband's goal quickly faded, however, as the Galaxy dominated the second half, starting with a 46th minute goal for Robbie Keane.
"The third goal early in the second half was a big goal for us," Arena said. 10, 12, 13 Nevertheless, Arena said he was impressed with the Azkals, which featured some very talented players.
"I thought number 12 (Guirado), 13 (Caligdong) and 10 (P. Younghusband) played well. I don't know their names and I apologize for that, but I thought they played well," he said.
"I thought they did quite well on the break and on the counterattack," Arena added. "We were a little sloppy at times and they threatened us."
He also said that the Azkals' defenders did a good job in the first half of the game.
"They were very well-organized defensively," Arena said. "They did a good job, that back line, of keeping us in front of them."
The Philippines' offense was also more effective in the first half than in the second half, Arena said, adding that Younghusband's goal "gave them a little bit of a lift as they went in at halftime."
Comparable to Indonesia
When asked to compare the Philippine national team to the Indonesian All-Star squad, Arena said that the two teams were "fairly comparable."
The LA Galaxy went to Indonesia for the first stop of their 2011 Asia Pacific Tour, where they defeated the All-Star selection 1-nil.
Although the Galaxy's game against Indonesia was seemingly closer, Arena said he feels that the Azkals "were a little bit better than the Indonesia team."
Beckham and team captain Landon Donovan agreed with their coach, as both star players came away impressed with the Azkals' talent.
"In the first half, the way they played was more organized," Donovan said of the Azkals. "They threatened us more than the Indonesian team did."
"There are many players in the team that has ability," Beckham said. "There was a moment in the first half where a number of their players had some good chances. And when it was 2-1, they could have equalized. It was difficult at times."
Beckham added that the 6-1 score "does not tell how close the game was at times."
Azkals coach Michael Weiss said he was extremely happy with the team's effort in the first half.
"It is the way I want to see the team: sharp, aggressive, concentrated, alert," he said.
Poor second half
Although the Azkals started the game well, they fell apart in the second half. They surrendered four goals against the Galaxy and failed to organize their offense as efficiently as they did in the first half. Arena and Donovan attributed the big change to the Galaxy's better conditioning.
"In the second half, I think we just wore them down. Our fitness level is perhaps a little bit better," Arena said.
The coach added that it was not as hot in Manila as it was in Jakarta, and the Galaxy also had more time to rest before the game, which contributed to their better play.
"We got our fitness in over a little bit in the last three or four days," Donovan said.
The star forward added that the fast pace of the game wore out the Filipino players, while the Galaxy were able to substitute new players in.
"(The substitutions) give you fresh legs and fresh energy, and that helps a lot," Donovan said.
Weiss said the team needed to work on their conditioning. "Physically, we could see that many players after 60 minutes, dropped extremely," he said.
Hard work, dedication
Although the Azkals clearly had fun playing against their idols, the exhibition game showed that the national team still has a long way to go before they can compete at the highest level of the sport, something that skipper Chieffy Caligdong admitted.
"Yung exposure nila sa game, kumbaga, napakalayo pa natin," he said.
But Arena advised the players and the Philippine Football Federation to continue "chasing their dream" of making it to the World Cup, saying that the United States had to go through the same process.
"The US, for many years, struggled," he said, adding that they were known as a "small country" in the international level, but now they are able to qualify for the World Cup regularly.
"With good support from the federation and with good support from the fan base, a lot of hard work and dedication, you can chase your dream and one day, qualify for the World Cup," Arena said.
by Camille B. Naredo
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