The Philippine national women’s football squad apparently had a closed-door friendly against the US women’s national football team before heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Filipinas coach Alen Stajcic made mention of a “high-profile” tuneup prior to their game against Switzerland, and this was later cited in a report by Caitlin Murray of ESPN.
Caitlin was reporting on US’ midfielder Savannah DeMelo’s performance against the Philippines during the scrimmage.
“Savannah DeMelo, a player who made the World Cup roster without having ever played for the U.S., was a surprise choice to start in the midfield, too. Before the match, (US coach Vlatko) Andonovski suggested the choice was based on her recent form, including a closed-door scrimmage against the Philippines here in New Zealand,” she reported.
Meanwhile, Stajcic is optimistic that the Filipinas remain unshaken despite their 2-0 defeat to Switzerland.
They will meet with New Zealand in three days at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
“Despite the result, we have a lot of belief,” reiterated Stajcic on Sunday. “We all knew that it was an amazing performance (by the Filipinas) for a debut in the World Cup.”
“There are so many people who may have questioned how nervous the team was going into the first game and if they did belong and should be here,” he said, “but I think we showed that we belong at this level.”
“For a first effort in the World Cup, I really thought our players were amazing. Everyone back home in the Philippines and all their fans should be really proud of how they represented the country.”
He pointed to the early going when his wards showed great resolve and resiliency in hanging in there against a squad 20 rungs higher than them in the FIFA women’s world rankings at No. 26.
“In the first 15 to 20 minutes, I thought we were exceptional, and (these) probably were the best moments for us,” the Aussie mentor said. “It just shows how well we prepared as a team.”
With the lessons learned from the last match against the Swiss, the Filipinas continued to refine their play at their base camp training facility at the Olympic Park here on Sunday before heading for Wellington on Monday on the eve of their game against the hosts.
The last time the two sides met, the Ferns emerged with a come-from-behind 2-1 win in a friendly held on Sept. 6, 2022, at the Titans Stadium in Fullerton, California.
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