Pinoy booters kick off Suzuki Cup campaign vs Singapore

The Philippines begins its uphill battle in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup when they face fancied Singapore on Thursday at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Filipino booters, who finished last in their group three years ago in Bangkok, are aiming for a better finish this time. They face Singapore in a 5 p.m. showdown to start Group B action in the eight-nation tournament. Three-time champion Singapore boasts of a tall and strong roster, which includes several naturalized Serbians and Nigerians. The Philippines advanced as the No. 2 team in the qualifying tournament in Vientiane, Laos, where it beat Timor Leste, 5-0, before drawing against Cambodia and Laos. National team manager and Leyte Football Association (LFA) president Dan Palami remains undaunted by the odds against the Philippine team. "Our team is capable of pulling off a surprise," Palami said. “We know Singapore is a very strong team, but our team has also shown great character in our previous games. Even though we were trailing, we never gave up." Singapore recently placed second in the Vietnam Football Federation Cup. They forced Vietnam to a 1-1 tie, then scored a 2-0 win over South Korea’s Under-23 squad and a 4-0 drubbing of Laos in their final warm-up match for the Suzuki Cup. Next up for the Filipino booters is host and defending champion Vietnam on Sunday (December 5) before it wraps up its campaign against Myanmar on December 8. – JVP/KY, GMANews.TV