Patrick Deyto & Coach Albert Capellas

by Kevin Estrada

MANILA — An impressive start is what the Philippines wants to open at the latest edition of the ASEAN Championship, on the eve of their tournament opener against Myanmar.

Ahead of his maiden home match, manager Albert Capellas stressed the desire to get all three points in tomorrow’s Group B tie at the Rizal Memorial.

“I hope we are surrounded with a lot of people to come to watch the game. And it’s very exciting for me to play in the Mitsubishi Cup,” said the Spaniard.

The said fixture was the first in the tournament since their goalless standoff in Nam Dinh, Vietnam 14 years ago, resulting in the then-Azkals’ historic trip to the semifinals.

Also, the Filipinos came into the match after taking the opening bye last December 9, in which the visitors fell to their own goal in their opener in Yangon against Indonesia to begin theitournament. Playing in his fourth ASEAN tilt, goalkeeper Patrick Deyto echoed his gaffer’s words as they have to leave no stone unturned in aiming for a semifinal return in six years.

“We want to set the tone in a positive way,” said the Kaya shot-stopper, who first made his name in the 2014 tournament. “It’s a good opportunity for us to showcase how we have developed in the last few camps.”

The former De La Salle standout also aims to maximize his experience in the Southeast Asian game to lead the team back to relevance after consecutive group stage exits in the 2020 and 2022 editions.

“It will be something that it’s not gonna be my first time,” Deyto added.

The December 12, 2024 match will be the first game on local ground of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team since March 2024.