Returning to action for the first time since last August’s AFF Women’s Championship, the Filipinas are set to face Uzbekistan on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium as part of its preparations for the upcoming SEA Games and AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaigns.
Playing on home soil always adds extra motivation for any national team.
However, the last time the Filipinas played at Rizal Memorial, they suffered a 1-0 loss to Chinese Taipei on June 3.
For defender Angie Beard, it is crucial to fight with pride and ensure the home side secures the win this time.
“I definitely believe that any time we put on the Philippines jersey, we want to be successful,” said Beard.
“We want to fight not only for each other and the coaching staff, but for the country. When we come here to the Philippines, it’s our home, and we want to protect and defend our home.”
Uzbekistan, ranked 52nd in the latest FIFA World Rankings, comes in as two-time CAFA Women’s Championship winners and a participant in the upcoming Asian Cup in Australia.
For Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso, the opposition presents a stern test, and he urged his team to be mentally prepared from kick-off.
“We respect Uzbekistan highly,” said Torcaso. “We have a fantastic relationship with their federation. We respect them as a country and their football. We got to experience a game or two against them during the Asian Cup futsal qualifiers. It was a fantastic experience for me, getting to know the coaches and people there.
“The team is very physical. They are growing and improving constantly. We need to be 100% focused.”
Torcaso added that the Filipinas will aim to execute an attacking, ball-dominant style to maximize the friendly as preparation for bigger matches. He hopes the team will take the game to the Uzbeks and put on a show for the supporters making the trip to Rizal Memorial.
Mutual respect doesn’t mean the match will be a casual scrimmage — the goal remains to win and take positives forward.
“That’s why it was an easy decision to accept this invitation from Uzbekistan. We’re both on a similar path regarding the Asian Cup. We both want to be competitive and strong in that campaign. It worked perfectly to play them during this FIFA window,” he said.
“We expect a really tough, physical opponent, but we want to control the game. We want to be a better, more attacking team with the ball, and hopefully, you’ll see that on display tomorrow. We respect Uzbekistan 100% and very much look forward to playing them.”
Beard echoed her coach’s sentiment, emphasizing that fighting for the ball is no longer enough. The team must take control of the tempo and turn their fighting spirit into tangible results on the pitch.
Moreover, the Filipinas aim to develop a consistent, winning culture that allows them to face nations in upcoming tournaments fearlessly while imposing their own style of play.
“Ultimately, we want that winning mentality. We want the habit of not just being involved and fighting in games, but controlling games, being comfortable with the ball, and displaying the fight we have in the Philippines for sure,” she said.
