FROM close to 200 aspirants from local and overseas who took part in the rigid tryouts, a pool of 25 players made it to the national women’s futsal pool from which the 14-player Filipina5 will be picked to see action in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup set May 6 to 17 in Hohhot, China.
Majority of the players were chosen in talent identification camps held from Feb. 15 to 27 in the key cities of Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte, Cebu, Davao and the National Capitol Region, according to the story posted on the Philippine Football Federation website.
The tryouts were supervised by PFF Football director Vince Santos, Filipina5 Spanish head coach Rafa Rodriguez and deputy Aris Bocalan, who drew the national team hopefuls from 20 regional football associations.
“This pool represents the PFF’s nationwide effort to discover and develop the best women’s futsal talent,” said PFF president John Gutierrez in a statement.
“We are confident that under coach Rodriguez’s guidance, we will build a team capable of strong performances at the AFC Asian Cup and beyond,” Gutierrez stressed.
“We’ve identified significant talent throughout these camps,” Rodriguez said. “This pool, with focused development, has the potential to compete strongly against our Asian rivals.
“While challenging, we’ve seen players with excellent technical skills and game understanding, and we’re now focused on molding them into a cohesive, competitive team.”
Filipina5 linchpins Samantha Hughes, Dionesa Tolentin, Katrina Guillou, Isabella Flanigan, and Judy Connoly, who played pivotal roles in the Nationals’ successful stint in the Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last February, banner the pool.
Also named were Sheen Borres, Alisha del Campo, Catherine Graversen, Rocelle Mendaño, Vrendelle Nuera, Regine Rebosura, Kayla Santiago, Mykaella Abeto, Trisha Advincula, Princess Amilhamja, Joyce Gemberva, Charisa Lemoran, Alyssa Lucero, Hazel Luztan, Lanie Ortillo, Camille Rodriguez, Althea Rebosura, and Isabella Bandoja.
Notable is the inclusion of Fil-Danish defender-midfielder Graversen, who plays for Turkish Women’s Super League club Asya Spor and former UST and UAAP standout Lemoran, a midfielder of Kaya-Iloilo FC.
They are set to undergo intensive training so that a competitive side can be formed for the Women’s Futsal Asian Cup where the Philippines is bracketed in tough Group B with defending champion Iran, Southeast Asian titleholder Vietnam and Hong Kong.
