The Philippine women’s national football team will be leaning on their depth in the forward position as Sarina Bolden misses time due to injury.
The Filipinas will look a little bit different as they engage in battle at the MSIG Serenity Cup in Vietnam, with leading goal scorer Sarina Bolden out of commission after suffering an ACL injury earlier this year.
But head coach Mark Torcaso isn’t fretting too much, especially as the squad flaunts tremendous depth in the forward position.
Sending a youthful team to Vietnam because the competition is outside of a FIFA window means that experience, more than talent, will be key to successfully defend their title. Plus, Torcaso’s most reliable forwards will be ready at his beck and call.
After nursing her own injury when the Filipinas won the AFF tournament back in 2022, Chandler McDaniel will now have the chance to add ASEAN champion to her resume, especially as the circumstances call for a bigger role for her.
[READ: Filipinas to rely on experience of 2022 holdovers for MSIG Serenity Cup title defense]
“Chandler’s done really well since we’ve obviously lost Sarina the last couple of camps. Chandler’s really stepped up. She scored some really good goals and she did really well in the backend of the tournament in the Asian Cup qualifiers, scored a critical goal there that got us qualification,” Torcaso said of McDaniel’s lone goal in the Filipinas’ 1-0 win over Hong Kong during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in July.
She also scored the sixth and final goal in the Philippines’ 6-nil drubbing of Cambodia the game before that.
For Torcaso, McDaniel’s resurgent play, which also included her stint with her PFF Women’s League club Stallion Laguna FC, helps ease a burden off of the coaching staff’s shoulders.
With expectations raising as defending champions, and having to deal without their star striker, McDaniel’s steady presence is hopefully what the team needs to roll to victory when the tournament gets going. She will also be aided by six holdovers from the 2022 champion squad.
While McDaniel wasn’t able to lift the trophy along with her teammates, her seasoned experience which includes a stint in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will be enough to hopefully boost the Filipinas to the victory.
“Chandler’s been fantastic, she’s worked really hard, she’s working really hard for her club, and she’s extremely passionate for the country and we know that she’ll be really really good for us in the AFF tournament.” said Torcaso.
McDaniel’s sister Olivia is one of the six holdovers, which also includes skipper Hali Long, Inna Palacios, Kaya Hawkinson, Malea Cesar, and Quinley Quezada.
The Filipinas begin their quest in the MSIG Serenity Cup on Thursday, August 7, against Timor Leste.