Since Stajcic took over as coach, he said the team has “come a long way.” “A year and a half later, myself and all my coaching staff are still here,” he told CNN. “So I can imagine the word is spreading.”Ĭoach Stajcic took the helm of the Filipino team ahead of the World Cup qualifiers under a three month contract, with the goal of “trying to give them the best possible chance to qualify.” “I know people are talking, Filipino Americans especially, about how huge this is,” Bolden added. People are really trying to spread the word,” she said, sharing an anecdote in which her mother randomly approached a Filipino coworker to let them know that the women’s national team was playing in this year’s World Cup. “I think the excitement is really growing from grassroots. In 2022, she played a key role in the Philippine National team that progressed to the knockout stages of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time.īolden said she’s already seen awareness and interest grow in the Philippines following the team’s on field successes and historic qualification for the World Cup. Since turning professional, her career has taken her to Europe, the US and Asia, with stints in both Taiwan and Japan. “I think it’s really just gonna help with the growth of football in the Philippines and not just the Philippines, globally too, because Filipinos are everywhere,” Bolden said.īolden, who qualifies to represent both the US and the Philippines, attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where she earned a reputation as a standout talent for the LMU Lions, making more than 70 appearances. The 27-year-old is hopeful her country’s presence in the World Cup will promote soccer both in the Philippines – where other sports such as basketball and boxing remain more popular – and among the Filipino diaspora. “I know soccer isn’t the main sport in the Philippines… But I think by seeing us on the big screen on the big stage, I think more people are going to be really interested and want to get into soccer,” said Bolden, who plays for Australian A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers. “Everyone’s really excited for what’s to come and to really shock the world,” she told CNN. Now, she’s one of the team’s most recognizable stars. “They all play for the flag, they all play for the country, they all play for the people of the Philippines, wherever they reside.”īefore joining the national team, Bolden had never been to the Philippines. “I honestly couldn’t tell you where everyone was born and to me it’s irrelevant,” added Stajcic. More than half of the squad are Filipina-Americans, including California born Sarina Bolden, whose penalty kick clinched the island nation’s spot at the 2023 tournament “If they have Philippines in their heart and in their blood, and they’re a good footballer, then they’re eligible for our team,” Stajcic told reporters at a press conference Thursday ahead of the team’s first match. Led by coach Alen Stajcic, who formerly coached the Australian Women’s National Team, the young team has seen its fortunes transformed in recent years, thanks in large part to a global talent pipeline that has drawn on the skills of the country’s vast Filipino diaspora. When the Philippines faced off against Switzerland in the New Zealand city of Dunedin on Friday, they became the first team of any gender from the Southeast Asian nation to play at a World Cup.īoosted by a large contingent of dual US nationals, the squad made history despite the 2-0 defeat to the more experienced Swiss side.
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