MANILA (26 Feb 2012) – Neil Etheridge is eager to suit up for the friendly match against Malaysia in three days where he feels that the game will be an important gauge to see how much of a progress they have made since making the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup two years ago.
The Philippines will play AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 champions Malaysia on 29 February 2012 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
“It will be a massive test for us to see where we stand at the moment. Obviously getting to the semi-finals two years ago was a massive achievement for us and we want to continue progressing and making steps in the right direction,” said Philippines custodian Etheridge.
“In football, I’ve said it many times before, that anything is possible. We didn’t expect to get to the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup two years ago. We were the biggest underdogs there, the lowest ranked team, and lost over two legs, one zero, one zero, against Indonesia, which is a very strong team. In all honesty, it was unexpected, but we believe we can take steps forward and become a much stronger force in football.”
The match against Malaysia is the final tune-up game for the Azkals ahead of this year’s AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal where they are in the same group as India, Tajikistan and defending Challenge Cup champions DPR Korea.
The AFC Challenge Cup will be on 8-13 March 2012.
