Azkals expect tougher time vs.

Taiwanese

CHINESE TAIPEI, with new coach Michael White, hopes to gain valuable experience when it meets the Philippine Azkals in a 7 p.m. friendly Monday night at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

White, who took over coaching chores for the Taiwanese last May, said he is aware of the Azkals being a formidable team, currently at no. 136 in the FIFA men’s rankings.

“The Azkals is a strong team, with players coming from all over. It will be a good experience for our team,” said White, reappointed as head coach of Taiwan’s national squad.

Azkals’ coach Hans Michael Weiss said he also expects their match with the Taiwanese to be tougher.

Weiss and White talked about their expectations following Sunday’s pre-game huddle on Zoom.

“My expectation is that this would be an even tougher match than the first match (against Nepal) because Chinese Taipei showcased in a very good manner in their recent game against Thailand. They already played Thailand last year in December in an unofficial friendly match in Thailand, I was there and I saw the match, and they could even beat Thailand on home soil,” said Weiss.

The Taiwanese, who are at no. 156 in the FIFA rankings, lost a friendly to Thailand, 0-3, last Friday at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.

Against the Philippines, White looks forward for Chinese Taipei to have a better result against the Philippine side.

The Azkals are coming into the match with confidence, having won over Nepal, 1-0, in a friendly three nights ago.

Weiss said he is getting the team in game shape and playing against the Taiwanese can help him understand his team better.

“This game is all about observation and seeing all the players, training with them, and seeing who can help us with the way how we want to play,” said Weiss.

Peter Atencio

THE six-year interval since he scored back-to-back victories at Forest Hills could be too big a gap to spur another title drive but Tony Lascuña still feels good about his chances in the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic, which gets going tomorrow (June 20) at the Nicklaus course.

The mere thought of heading back to one of the country’s top championship courses in Cogeo, Antipolo conjures up memories of his huge 11-shot romp over Zanieboy Gialon and Orlan Sumcad in 2016 and three, over Gialon again, the following year. And the multi-titled Lascuña is thrilled, like everybody else, over the return of Forest Hills in the Philippine Golf Tour calendar.

“Forest Hills has always been a tough course and the recent renovation on some holes only adds up to the challenge,” said Lascuña, who has racked up five victories since, including in the PGT Caliraya showed his exper- pet events are the floor exercises and the vault, also tise with a gold in the parallel bars.