GIVEN his success with the Filipinas in their campaign in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, it is was only matter of time when — not if — Australian coach Alen Stajcic would land a job somewhere else.
Two days after it was announced by the Philippine Football Federation that his services and contract with the Filipinas were over, the Australian news website abc.net net.au reported yesterday that Stajcic has been tapped as the head coach of the “A-League soccer club Perth Glory.”
Now a three-time World Cup coach, Stajcic, who also piloted the Australian Matildas in the 2014 and 2019 editions of the premier women’s football showcase, appears to have taken on another “reclamation” project, based on the report.
“Stajcic’s appointment comes after a tumultuous period for Perth Glory, a club that has endured a lack of consistent coaching since 2018,” the report said.
While grateful for the contributions of Stajcic and his staff, wishing them all well, majority of the Filipinas yesterday said they are remained committed to the national cause, especially with the Hangzhou Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers looming over the horizon.
“It’s kinda sad because he (Stajcic) has brought us so much success so we wish him all the best, we wish them all success wherever they go,” midfielder Quinley Quezada said during a meet-and-greet session organized by adidas at its Glorietta 3 store in Makati.
“He (Stajcic)and and the rest of the coaching staff helped us tremendously – qualifying for the World Cup, getting to this point and winning a game. So, we are grateful and appreciative of everything he’s done for us,” said defender Sofia Harrison. “We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
“Alen has been such a tremendous part of what we have done for the last 18 months. We wish him the best of luck in everything in the future but we just need to regroup ourselves and move forward as a team,” echoed goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
