Head coach Mark Torcaso had no tolerance for doubts about the Filipinas’ citizenship as new players see action for the national team in the MSIG Serenity Cup.
Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso was straight to the point when he was posed a question regarding the team’s foreign-based players seeing action in the ongoing MSIG Serenity Cup in Vietnam.
Torcaso was asked about the presence of “naturalized” players in the team, which has been a growing trend in ASEAN football.
However, Torcaso was adamant about the Filipinas’ heritage and that all of the players, whether based locally or with a local league, have Filipino roots through their parents, making them eligible to play for the national team.
“Every one of our players is Filipino, that’s it. It doesn’t matter where they are, where they were born. Everyone has a connection to the country, that’s the most important thing. They represent the country with passion and pride, and they’ve shown that for many years,” Torcaso said after their 7-0 win over Timor Leste last Thursday.
“I’m privileged as a coach of this national team and proud that I can say that every one of these girls is from the Philippines, the girls are really born [Filipino] and I’ll say that honestly,” he added.
[READ: Filipinas dismantle Timor-Leste with 7-0 start at ASEAN Women's MSIG Serenity Cup 2025]
Even during the tenure of Torcaso’s compatriot Alen Stajcic, much has been said about the makeup of the team.
But as the years went by, the Filipinas continued to stand by their own — especially since all players do have genuine connection with the Philippines, and are not in any way shape or form “naturalized” to play for the country.
Just like they’ve done before, the Filipinas are now eager to focus on what’s ahead of them.
As defending champions, the Filipinas are chasing a repeat in ASEAN football, but are also aware of the threats of their opponents.
At the end of the day, the Filipinas are set on working on everything that they can control to finish strong.
“Every game is extremely important for all of us… We don’t focus on the other opponents. We focus on us, we focus on what we need to do,” Torcaso said.
The Filipinas face off against the Australia U23 team on Sunday evening for their second match in Group B.