Azkals gearing up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Sports Desk - video Dailymotion

CNN Philippines

From the hardcourt to the pitch.  The Philippine Azkals making strides as they chase a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.   Joining us to go all out on this story are Azkals Head Coach Michael Weiss and Christian Rontini.  Coach Michael join us live via Zoom from Alabang, while Christian is with us live via Zoom from Bali, Indonesia.   Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

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00:00 hardcore let's head to the pitch the Philippine Ascots making strides as

00:03 they chase a spot in a 2026 FIFA World Cup joining us tonight to go all out on

00:08 this story are Ascots head coach Hans Michael Weiss and Christian Rontini

00:13 coach Michael is joining us live via zoom from Alabama while Christian is also

00:18 joining us via zoom but from Bali Indonesia good evening to both coach

00:23 Michael good an oven danke for joy for joining the show again thank you coach

00:30 thanks very much for inviting us giving us the chance to speak about the Ascots

00:36 and Christian Italian grazie mille when I say that when I say that good evening

00:44 to everyone thank you so much for inviting us it's a pleasure for me to be

00:49 here thank you for being on the show for the first time Christian coach

00:53 congratulations on that big win Tuesday against Afghanistan in a friendly match

00:57 talk to us about the heart and the character that the team displayed in

01:02 that match because you guys managed to turn things around and eventually walk

01:06 away with the win absolutely since I came in in June it was one of my my

01:15 biggest targets to to have the team not relying too much on passing football and

01:22 I think in the past when when I had the calling the shots when I was calling the

01:30 shots we were always relying on a good team spirit on a good fighting spirit

01:34 and on the mix between the technically nice play and fighting spirit with the

01:38 heart and I don't want to say it's been lost a little bit in the last few years

01:43 but the feedback that I get from all of the players and the staff and the

01:47 president and the Dan Palami the team is that things have changed already in a

01:51 short period of time and then I'm very happy about that and we get results this

01:57 is the most important thing in football because you can play nice football and

02:01 keep the ball a hundred times in your own with your own team but if you don't

02:07 move ten meters forward it's meaningless so I prefer a more direct and straight

02:12 football and and and I want to score I want to create chances.

02:16 Well Christian you scored your first goal with the national team in that

02:20 match you had your Cristiano Ronaldo moment how special was that moment for

02:25 you Christian? Unique for me was like a total adrenaline because you know

02:35 played for the national team and had the chance to have the team against

02:41 Afghanistan and score the winning goal it was simply magical for me but as I

02:48 always say football is not about the nation, it's not about race or whatever is the

02:56 important is the national team in Philippines and I'm so happy and very

03:02 proud that the team even if the result was down 1-0 we still believe that we

03:10 can make it and with personality and with character we come back stronger we

03:15 don't give up and we we collect the win so I'm very proud of my team I'm very

03:21 proud of the performance and I'm very confident in the upcoming games. Well

03:26 coach last June you said that you wanted to bring back the glory days of the

03:31 Ascals let's face it nowadays it's been the women's football team that's been

03:36 getting the spotlight and why not they deserve it they were in the World Cup

03:39 they even beat host country New Zealand after your last match everyone is saying

03:43 that the future is bright for this squad Christian Rantini and the rest of the

03:49 Ascals this generation of Ascals I want to get your thoughts on that and where

03:54 are we are we on the right track after that match are we on the right track and

03:59 how far are we from that goal to bring back the glory days of the Ascals and

04:04 hopefully you know surpass or even match the success that the Filipinas are

04:09 getting at this point. Well it's hard to say you know when you when you actually

04:17 have only like two weeks a little bit more than two weeks with the team of

04:21 course in between we are looking for new recruitments new possibilities new

04:26 players coming in but all this process takes a little bit time and the thing

04:31 that I think is a little bit which people sometimes don't understand is

04:35 that with all the respect to the women I mean it was an amazing fantastic

04:42 accomplishment what they what they have achieved over the last years there is

04:46 really no doubt about it at all but with the men's side we don't have the

04:52 periods of training time that we had in the past because when I had my first

04:58 assignment with the Ascals we had a lot of training time together and then you

05:01 could see you can you could see more you know the outcome you could see it quicker

05:09 now I have ten days I have maximum ten days and I have players coming to the

05:14 camp from the from their duties with it with the club teams so it's a different

05:18 thing and the women's had a lot of time to train with each other and and they

05:22 did a really an incredible job I can say but we we come from a different

05:28 you know from a from a different situation so what I can do is I can I

05:35 can play a different kind of football we can play a different kind of football we

05:39 can try to win games which obviously the predecessors also wanted to win games

05:43 but I think our approach is more like offensive oriented and then that takes

05:49 time yeah we have to see the age the age group is now there's a lot of veterans

05:55 who's been there even in my first and and they are still there they are still

06:00 keeping strong but the players like Rontini Rasmussen and Rubico for

06:06 instance this this is now the time for them to shine also going together with

06:12 the veterans that will be the players for the World Cup qualification now for

06:16 the next five six months mm-hmm well coach you know I know that you know it's

06:22 different now from the time that you first handled the Philippines back many

06:27 many years ago 2011 to 2014 if I'm not mistaken Christian what is it like

06:33 playing for a veteran coach for someone who has been through a lot in coach

06:37 hands Michael Weiss and coach honestly how confident are you guys that we can

06:43 qualify for the World Cup and also the Asian Cup answer those questions when we

06:49 return stay where you are you're watching sports ask only here on CNN

06:53 Philippines where we go all out for the day stop sports stories we'll be right

06:57 back take it over that sports s only here on CNN Philippines and our guests

07:01 tonight Philippine Astros head coach Hans Michael Weiss and Christian Rontini

07:05 fresh off that friendly and the the deadbeat their opponents last last time

07:12 out and now of course you have Christian joining us from Bali Indonesia and Hans

07:17 Michael Weiss joining us from Alabama coach what makes this current Ascos

07:22 lineup different from the one you handled back in 2011 to 2014 in that

07:28 first run with the Ascos you can see that now we have professional players we

07:37 have players who come from Europe and showcasing themselves in Southeast Asia

07:44 they train with big clubs in Indonesia in Thailand and in Malaysia more mainly

07:50 we have a few young players also like Rubico who plays for the youth team of

07:55 Atletico Madrid we have professional players from Europe Neil Etheridge and

08:00 Gary Tuchman who unfortunately couldn't make it this time everything is more

08:05 professional the players earn their money with football on a professional

08:11 level and it's a very talented group a very good mix of players and I'm very

08:19 positive and happy to work with them yeah I think we can we can accomplish

08:26 some good things together hopefully yes I also feel that you can accomplish

08:30 something special this particular group Christian what's it like playing for

08:33 coach Michael yeah for me is absolutely fantastic because since I joined the

08:41 team I have a very good insight from him I have a lot of I receive a lot of

08:47 advice and I find a coach where he creates he creates a very good

08:55 connection with the players he knows all the details about each player personally

09:00 and he creates inside the inside our locker room a very harmonious situation

09:07 you know where we look like a family more like a family and not only football

09:13 players so he creates this environment that help us to how can I say inside the

09:21 pitch be ready to fight be ready to die for the national team and for each other

09:25 and for me it's so special to be to be part of this group because I'm very

09:32 confident that with the program and with the mindset that coach creates of

09:39 winning mentality that we have to win at all costs we have to be willing to put

09:46 our life on the line I think we will have a very great future in front of us

09:50 and I think the game against Afghanistan was only the beginning and I'm very

09:57 confident and very positive that with this team with the mix of leaders and

10:03 experienced players like Neil Aitrich like Rachel with Carly De Mourga and the

10:10 rest of them with the young players yeah we can like Rubio like Sebastian we can

10:17 be a very very beautiful environment and bright future coach the second round of

10:24 the World Cup Asian Cup qualifiers is almost here how far or how ready are we

10:30 out of 100% how ready is the team for the second round of the World Cup Asian

10:36 qualifiers the team is now at 72% and after the next window in October we will

10:45 be 89 and in November we will be 100% I like that I like that there's a

10:50 timetable so right now 72% and then by 89 89 in October we have a camp we have a

10:58 camp in Bahrain we play Bahrain which does which is a strong team in the

11:02 Middle East and then we are now discussing with two three other teams to

11:05 have another match in the Middle East on the 13th or on the 14th of October and

11:11 that will be our last two matches and I want to try to bring the group together

11:15 the best possible group which will represent us then in the in the November

11:20 games against Vietnam on 16th in Memorial Resort Memorial Stadium and then

11:25 on 21 most likely in Jakarta in front of a of a partisan crowd of a big crowd in

11:32 Jakarta against them coach in your opinion what's the biggest development

11:37 the team has made so far well the team is clever you know the team has

11:44 experience and young players they look up to the to the older ones and then as

11:48 Christian already mentioned it's not about me I play my part for sure

11:53 Stefan Schreck is my right-hand man the staff in general Dan Palamis is close

11:57 with the team president Araneta is behind it they support us good they

12:02 support us very well and we click together you know we we chill very well

12:09 together it is important for me also unlike in old times you know as a

12:15 coaches the coaches just speak like monologue style but I try to involve the

12:20 players we have the group works we work together we discuss tactics we we see

12:25 what is the best for us I I learn from the players also because players they

12:29 are on the pitch I'm almost 60 years old unfortunately but they are running they

12:33 are doing these things they they come with a new generation and it's very very

12:39 interesting and a lot of fun to be with these guys they are very reflective and

12:44 very positive so so far it's been it's been really nice but at the end of the

12:49 day we have to get results we have to we have to beat either Vietnam or

12:53 Indonesia and get another point of these two games so the target is four points

12:57 in November that will be a tough task and we do everything to accomplish

13:01 Christian how confident are you that you guys will hopefully qualify for the

13:06 World Cup and the Asia Cup I have very big confidence about it a very big

13:14 confidence because as the coach mentioned all the players are involved

13:19 and all the players are ready mentally physically and we are like a unit and I

13:26 think football is very important and all the players have a connection all the

13:31 players they feel that are important as you've seen the last games against China

13:37 against Afghanistan even the players that were in the bench they were full

13:41 speed full power yes they look at the they look at the match they analyze

13:46 they study and then they come inside and they give 110% and that's the spirit

13:52 that we have that we we need to we need to put in inside the game because that

13:57 it makes the difference and so I have totally respect I full respect we have

14:03 full respect of Indonesia Vietnam and Iran but we don't fear anybody we don't

14:08 fear anybody because we we know our value we know where we want to go we and

14:12 so we are very we don't have any insecurities or uncertainty we just go

14:19 there and give what we have and try to do our best for for us and for the

14:25 country great I really like that mindset and I'm very very positive hopeful of

14:30 this particular team and especially with coach Hank Hans Michael Weiss at the helm

14:34 coach Christian your message to the Filipino football fans quickly I'll

14:39 start with you coach well first of all first I have to say thanks to the fans

14:46 that came into the stadium obviously we want we want the stadium to be more full

14:52 the stadium was was in the years when I was there well we shouldn't go always

14:58 back in into this past but it was it was a different thing but we have to get

15:03 credit back we have to get credibility back of course and we have to show I

15:06 have to win games we have to show something first before we can demand

15:10 people to cheer us yeah but overall I'm I'm happy to be back in the Philippines

15:19 the mood is joyful and I think we can we can accomplish good things today

15:25 Christian you want to add anything yeah just like I want to thank all the fans

15:33 that watch us on on the live and who come to resolve and support us from the

15:38 first minute until the 90th and I think that is fundamental like really our

15:44 thoughts can be the 12th playing in the pitch and I really asked out loud to all

15:50 the Filipino supporters to come and support us in November against Vietnam

15:56 and that's it thank you so much the best of luck to you guys and I can't wait to

16:01 meet you here in person Christian and coach Hans you still owe me a visit here

16:05 in the studio danke coach Hans and also got Cmilla Christian thank you so much

16:11 that was Philippine Ascots head coach German Hans Michael Weiss and very

16:15 promising standout Filipino Italian Christian Rontini

Azkals gearing up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Sports Desk

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