Filipinas plotting solid SEAG buildup

The national women’s football team will be setting up a pair of training camps in a bid to come up with a solid performance in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand from 9 to 20 December.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said they are aiming at setting up two camps in October and November after getting dethroned in the ASEAN Women’s Championship last week in Vietnam.

The Philippines suffered an early exit after finishing Group B in third place with a 1-1-1 win-draw-loss record.

“There will be a couple of really interesting camps coming up which are going to be good for us and we're just planning October at the moment,” Torcaso said.

“November will be a lead into our SEA Games preparation so we'll have a really tough camp leading into a maximum five-game tournament that we want.”

The Philippines will be parading an almost complete cast when the SEA Games get underway.

Save for Sarina Bolden, who is currently recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury since May, FIFA Women’s World Cup veterans Hali Long, Olivia McDaniel, Quinley Quezada, Sara Eggesvik, Meryll and Sofia Wunch are expected to see action the prestigious biennial meet.

Torcaso vows they will do everything to make sure that they will assemble the best possible squad.

The Filipinas are also using the tournament to gauge their readiness for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March.

“That's our goal and I believe that we will have almost every player available for the SEA Games which, for me, that's telling us that we need to win,” said Torcaso, whose wards are looking to surpass their bronze-medal finish in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

“We are going to go into that tournament with an absolute focus on winning so we will prepare in November leading into that.”