Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 3) – Seven players will miss the Philippine Azkals’ last push to earn their second straight berth in the AFC Asian Cup set next year.
Returning Azkals head coach Thomas Dooley announced on Wednesday that seven defenders will not join the team in Mongolia for the final round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on June 8-14.
Players who will sit out are Patrick Strauss, Carli De Murga, Kevin Ingreso, Amani Aguinaldo, Raphael Obermaier, Michael Kempter, and Diego Bardanca.
“I guess we must move the goal post a little. Going from a real competitor to an underdog,” Dooley said in his social media post.
The Azkals are currently training in the country before leaving for Mongolia for their first game on June 8 against Yemen. The Filipino booters will face the host nation on June 11, and Palestine on June 14.
Dooley added that Filipino German striker Gerrit Holtmann is expected to play in their last two fixtures, but will not be around in their first match against Yemen.
The absence of the seven Azkals defenders was confirmed days after Dooley excluded team captain Stephan Schrock from the lineup in the Mongolia tiff.
The Azkals need to top Group B or finish among the five best second placers in the final round of the qualifiers to secure a slot in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
