Azkals turn hoopsters into football believers

Count multi-titled Philippine Basketball Association coaches Yeng Guiao, Tim Cone, Chot Reyes, Ryan Gregorio, Pilipinas-Smart Gilas team captain and Kapuso star Chris Tiu, and pro league commissioner Atty. Chito Salud as the new believers in the Philippine Azkals. "I’ve always been a believer of the Azkals," said Guiao, the fiery mentor who now calls the shots for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. “I think the Azkals played well, but we should look forward to beating the established football powers in the region. That would be more exciting than just beating Mongolia." The Azkals whipped the Mongolians, 2-0, in the first game of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match at the packed Panaad Stadium in Bacolod Wednesday. The Filipinos will travel to Mongolia next month for their second game against the same squad, following the home-and-away format. Should the Philippines win over Mongolia in their two-game cumulative encounter, the Azkals will make it to the four-nation group stage level of the AFC. Already in the group stage are Myanmar, Palestine and Bangladesh. But to get there, Reyes, a former varsity football player during his days in Ateneo, thinks the Azkals should play better than what they showed on Wednesday. "I don’t think they played well," said Reyes, champion coach of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. I’m still a diehard fan, though. I’ve been an Azkals believer from the start, and not just last Wednesday, because I was a varsity football player before I became a varsity basketball player." Whereas football is Reyes’ first love, Gregorio admits he’s never been a fan of the sport, until the Azkals caught his attention.

"I must admit I have never been a football fan. I find it dragging and slow," said Gregorio, mentor of the Meralco Bolts. “But just to tickle my curiosity over why the Azkals are the newest toast in town, I intentionally watched the game live on television. I planned to watch it just for a few minutes, but I got so engrossed that I finished the entire game, including the fireworks display." "When Chieffy Calindog made that incredible first goal, I started shouting, and when Phil Younghusband made it 2-0, all of a sudden I became an instant football fan and quickly turned into a true-blooded Azkals believer. With the way the Azkals represented the country, it made me forget the problems hounding our country at the moment. For that shining moment, I was truly proud to be a Filipino. Make the country proud, Azkals, bow wow wow!" added Gregorio. Cone, whose Team Alaska is a strong supporter of youth football, believes football is a sport suited for Filipinos. "I’ve always felt football would be a good sport for us. It’s nice to see it getting some attention now," said the Grand Slam mentor and winningest coach among active mentors. "I didn’t see it," admitted Salud when asked if he watched the Azkals’ match against the Mongolians on Wednesday. “But I am a strong supporter of our national football team. We just have to make sure expectations are managed. I don’t want our fans’ fervor dampened because of overhype. Patience and methodical planning should be observed." Tiu, easily the most popular cager outside of the PBA, is convinced the Azkals’ victory have somehow united a nation divided by politics and facing heavy problems. "Congrats to the Azkals. It’s amazing how they're able to foster a sense of national pride and unity. How I wish we can do the same through basketball," said Tiu in his Twitter account. - GMA News