The national men’s football team is wasting no time dwelling on its forgettable ASEAN Championship campaign.

After failing to reach the semifinals following a 0-1 loss to Malaysia last Saturday, the Nationals are already turning their attention to the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia in September.

Head coach Carles Cuadrat said the regional tournament served as an important learning experience for a young Philippine side that finished fourth in Group B with one win and three losses.

“The last two games against Thailand and Malaysia have been challenging tests for the players involved, and they showed that they can be competitive against strong teams. We have been taking advantage of these four games, plus the two games in June, to see new players, and I’m positive because we have discovered new soldiers for the future,” Cuadrat said.

“The tournament has been exhausting, with so much travel and games played every three days, but we have to see the good things because although we didn’t qualify, players learned a lot from these games.”

For Cuadrat, however, the FIFA ASEAN Cup from 24 September to 4 October will provide a much clearer picture of where the Nationals stand.

Unlike the ASEAN Championship, the Philippines is expected to have access to several key players who were unavailable because their respective clubs did not release them.

Striker Bjorn Kristensen and defenders Paul Tabinas and Jefferson Tabinas were among the notable absentees from the squad.

“Our real test will be in the FIFA tournament, when we can bring all the players, and I’m happy that we have been able to test new faces for the national team,” Cuadrat said.

The last time the Philippines fielded a full-strength squad was during the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, where it finished with a 4-2-0 win-draw-loss record.

Kristensen was particularly valuable during that campaign, scoring eight goals to emerge as the Philippines’ leading scorer in the qualifiers.

While the ASEAN Championship ended in disappointment, Cuadrat believes the campaign produced several players who could become important pieces of the national team in the future.

Kenji Nishioka and Cole Mrowka made their international debuts, while veteran goalkeeper Patrick Deyto was given one final appearance for the country.

“Kenji was fantastic today and is a player for the future, while Cole is a U19 midfielder who is helping us a lot. I’m also happy that we could say goodbye to Patrick Deyto in this way; it was his last game for the country, and it was a nice way for him to leave football, defending the national team shirt in front of a full stadium,” Cuadrat said, adding that experience could prove valuable once they finally deploy their best players.