CARMONA, CAVITE – Fans will get a glimpse of the future stars of Philippine Football with the participation of the Azkals Development Team in the 2020 Philippines Football League (PFL) brought to you by Qatar Airways this October 25 at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) National Training Center. The newcomers are set to match skills with battle-tested veterans from the five other squads while they prepare for big tournaments next year.
To be handled by Coach Scott Cooper, the ADT is built around members of the national to the 2019 Southeast Asian Games led by UAAP Most Valuable Player Jarvey Gayoso of Ateneo de Manila University. He will be joined by Christian Rontini, Yrick Gallantes, Mar Vincent Diano, Troy Limbo and Jerome Marzan who are all aged 23 the under.
Rounding out the list are Kainoa Bailey, Jethro Borlongan, Fritz Brigoli, Matthew Custodio, Carlo Dorin, Dean Ebarle, Simen Lyngbo, Lance Ocampo, Marcel Ouano, Nico Quintana, Kennedy Uzoka and Marvin Angeles and goalkeepers Quincy Kammeraad and Anton Yared. The squad is a good mix of UAAP and NCAA standouts plus overseas-based Pinoys.
PFL regulations allow up to four foreign players per squad and one must come from Asia. The ADT will not avail of the privilege in line with their main purpose of preparing the national team.
ADT will have the honor of opening the new season when they take the pitch versus Mendiola 1991 in first match at 9:00 AM. Their succeeding fixtures are against Kaya Iloilo (October 28), United City (October 31), Maharlika Manila (November 3) and Stallion Laguna (November 6).
The ADT standouts are expected to be elevated to the Senior Azkals once the current superstars retire. For 2021, the Azkals’ calendar is already checked for the resumption of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in March, the postponed 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup in April and the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in November for the Under-23 players.
Aside from the six in ADT, seven other SEA Games veterans are seeing action with the other PFL squads led by team captain Stephan Schrock, Anthony Pinthus, Pocholo Bugas and Jordan Jarvis of United City. Stallion has enlisted Griffin McDaniel while Marco Casambre and Dylan de Bruycker are with Kaya Iloilo.
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