(CNN Philippines) — New faces and notable absences.
The World Cup Qualifiers lineup selected by national team coach Thomas Dooley was released by the Philippine Football Federation on Monday (May 25).
The lineup features four new foreign based players, former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Luke Woodland, former Melbourne FC winger Iain Ramsay, Wolfsberger AC defender Stephen Palla, and VfR Neumünster midfielder Kevin Ingreso.
Related: PFF releases national team lineups for World Cup Qualifiers, SEA Games
The Azkals will start training for the first time on June 1 in preparation for the opening of their World Cup campaign against Bahrain on June 11.
In an interview on CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk, Azkals regular Phil Younghusband admits that he is a bit clueless about the newcomers.
“I don’t know a lot about the new players coming in,” said Younghusband. “(June 1) will be the first time I’ll see them in training and the first time I’ll meet them.”
Despite not knowing much about the players, Younghusband doesn’t doubt their skills and abilities.
“They wouldn’t be there if they weren’t good players, and they wouldn’t be there if they wouldn’t give us a chance of winning the game against Bahrain,” said Younghusband.
Notable omissions
The biggest names absent from the squad are goalkeeper Roland Müller and winger James Younghusband.
Upon seeing that only one Younghusband made the list, it was a bittersweet moment for Phil.
“It’s a good thing it’s a P and not a J,” joked Younghusband. “Obviously, I’m sad because James is always my roommate and he’s my brother and he’s someone I’ve grown up playing football with since I was a kid.”
According to Phil, playing for the Azkals without his brother would be something new to him but trusts that the coach has his reasons for making the cut.
“It will feel different (without James), but you’ll have to ask coach… I’m sure he has his reasons.”
Related: Azkals grouped with Uzbekistan, Bahrain, DPR Korea, Yemen in FIFA World Cup qualifiers
