Momentum was a buzz word for both Filipinas players and coaching staff as they gear up for arguably their biggest challenge yet.
Fresh off a historic campaign at the Southeast Asian Games, the regional gold medalists are looking to take their act on a more global platform once again.
A return trip to the FIFA Women’s World Cup is on the line for the Filipinas, but the route this time is more treacherous than the last.
To make it to Brazil for the World Cup, the Filipinas must go through the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Once again, only the semifinalists for this tournament will get their advance ticket to the World Cup next year.
But just in case, two additional slots will be at stake as the four teams who will lose in the quarterfinals will duke it out.
Standing in the Filipinas way in the preliminaries are host nation Australia, South Korea, and Iran. Not exactly the easiest of groups.
The Filipinas have never beaten or drawn Australia and South Korea before, meaning they would have to manufacture a first-ever result against them for things to go their way.
This makes the matchup against Iran all the more important as well, with the two best third-placed teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
Fortunately, the Filipinas have a habit of making history.
In a campaign fueled by youthful exuberance — the gold-medal winning Filipinas shook up the regional landscape by dethroning Vietnam as SEA Games champions.
A team bannered by a large contingent of players who still qualify for the U23 level led the charge, showcasing a rosy outlook for the program.
Every conversation with Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso about this group brings a smile to his face. Torcaso typically lights up and proclaims this is the future.
Apart from the youth, veterans Jackie Sawicki, Hali Long, Olivia McDaniel, and Sophia Harrison-Wunsch all provide World Cup-level experience to help guide the way.
This experience is crucial, as the Filipinas look to bridge the gap between eras in this World Cup cycle.
“I believe that we've got a talented group mixed with experience mixed with young players like to SEA Games,” Torcaso said. “I truly believe that we've got an opportunity to go to another World Cup.”
The 26-woman lineup for the Asian Cup campaign shows the management’s belief in the youth movement.
Jael Guy (18), Alexa Pino (18), Mallie Ramirez (21), and Bella Pasion (19) are just some of the youthful standouts to watch out for in Australia as they look to break through to the next level.
It helps that their development was supercharged with a taste of hard-earned gold still fresh on their lips.
“I think I can speak for our whole team when I can say we have a lot of momentum right now and we're all very excited,” Pino said.
“Making history, like in general, was just very important for us in this country, being able to bring back a gold medal,” Ramirez added.
“Something that was never brought back home to the Philippines from this team was just an honor.”
But even with the excitement of what the youth could bring, we have to take a step back and recognize what the Filipinas won’t have going into Australia.
Not included in the roster are leading goal scorers Sarina Bolden, who is still on the mend after a lengthy injury, and Quinley Quezada, who is pregnant.
Bolden and Quezada are a lethal forward duo, with over 56 goals between them throughout their time on the team.
Apart from Bolden and Quezada, veteran Meryl Serrano also isn’t on the lineup due to health concerns.
Serrano is arguably one of the most technical footballers and better dead ball specialists the team has in its arsenal.
Their absence is somewhat made more bearable by the return of Carleigh Frilles and Katrina Guillou to the lineup.
Frilles and Guillou are forward options who have racked up a combined 26 goals throughout their career on the national squad.
Meanwhile, Chandler McDaniel is also back healthy and she has scored for the Philippines more than 12 times.
These options should give an insight into how Torcaso aims to lead this squad now that there are more veterans in this lineup compared to the SEA Games.
Torcaso himself admitted that while coming up with the 26-player roster was fairly straightforward, selecting the actual 11 on the field would be much more difficult.
The Asian Cup, which is a few levels above in terms of competition compared to the SEA Games, will be a great litmus test as to how much the coaching staff is willing to lean into the team’s youthful promise compared to having the veteran know-how of the returning regulars.
However, a stable unit appears to be the defense and central midfield, with a more familiar look unless someone shakes things up during training camp.
The backline will be composed of tried-and-tested veterans, with captain Hali Long and Jessika Cowart manning the middle.
Angie Beard and Sophia Harrison Wunsch will be the veterans on the wings, with Ari Markey (18) and Malea Cesar (22) providing coverage as wing backs.
Central midfielder Jackie Sawicki is expected to have an integral role in the squad, sitting on top of the defenders and helping hold on to the ball.
Bella Passion was already part of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad despite being just 19 then, and has become a reliable option as an alternate or partner for Sawicki as shown in the SEA Games.
Sara Eggesvik has typically played the role of the more forward central midfielder, but the most recent SEA Games has shown us that Torcaso trusts her as one of the most versatile on the team.
When there are holes to fill in the lineup, Torcaso employed Eggesvik as a wingback and wide midfielder, among other things.
While Eggesvik is capable of a game-changing assist as a central midfielder, Torcaso’s trust in her as a utility player could see her secure more minutes wherever it may be on the pitch.
Olivia McDaniel will man the posts once again and will have very young backups under her guidance as Nina Meollo (21) and Leah Bradley (16) fill up the spots long held by the recently-retired Inna Palacios and Kiara Fontanilla, who missed the cut.
A familiar setup at the back could be the backbone of a hopefully successful campaign, allowing a more youthful forward line to take risks and venture more courageously moving forward.
The young girls have shown in the SEA Games that they are tough enough to win in a tournament setup, but now have to prove they can jump up another level alongside their veteran ates in the squad.
Still, the high of the recent gold could be the springboard to elevate them back to the World Cup.
“I think that we have a lot more to prove with the momentum that we have and just how hard we've been working during camp leading up to this tournament,” Guy added.
“I think that there's a lot of good things coming our way and we're going to do our best to make the Philippines proud and hopefully bring home a lot of wins.”
The Filipinas open their FIFA Asian Women’s Cup campaign against Australia on March 1, before tackling South Korea on March 5, and Iran on March 8.