Significant time has passed since Filipino-German midfielder Stephan Schrock last suited up for the Philippine national men’s football team that it’s starting to feel like it didn’t really happen. So it’s understandable that Filipino fans, many of whom are only taking up football for the first time, kind of forget the impact that Schrock brought to the Azkals this year.
Simply put: When Schrock suited up for the Azkals, he was often the best player on the pitch for the Philippine side.
In his debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo last June, Schrock was murder in the midfield, hooking up time and again with homegrown Pinoy dynamo Chieffy Caligdong for opportunity after opportunity. In the second leg in Manila, Schrock anchored the Azkals’ 4-0 trashing of the Sri Lankans despite not scoring a goal himself.
Apart from quality, Schrock also displayed a combustible personality on the field, and he was penalized with a yellow card in each of the three games against Sri Lanka. That cost the Azkals dearly in the next round, which saw the Philippines yield to Kuwait, 3-0.
The Azkals showed more bite in the second leg in Manila, and it was Schrock leading the charge. After Caligdong battled two defenders to keep possession of the ball late in stoppage time in the first half, Schrock blasted a 25-foot bomb that hit the back of the net, bringing the house down.
For a moment, Filipino fans dreamt about a major upset, against no less than powerhouse Kuwait, the Gulf Cup and West Asian Cup.
Check out the other nominees for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
In the second half, however, reality set in, and the Azkals ran out of miracles. Kuwait scored two goals to end the Philippines’ World Cup journey.
Still, fans saw just how good Filipino football could be, and Schrock plays a big part in the Philippines’ chances to advance in the international stage. As the anchor in the midfield, Schrock would be key in the counterattack, turning defense into offense in a snap.
And with a world-class player like him, Team Philippines might just have a shot at bringing down more goliaths in the future too.
Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV · image by InterAKTV/Markku Seguerra
0 comments:
Post a Comment