Neil Etheridge wasted no time as he immediately limbered up and joined his teammates for a quick kickabout after lacing up to join the final training camp practice a day before the Philippine national football squad faced the Australia U-23 Olyroos at the Al Maktoum stadium earlier this month.
Etheridge, the second choice goalkeeper at Fulham, was firing on all cylinders as he launched a solid goal kick towards Paolo Pascual, who dove for the ball as fellow reserve goalkeeper, Eduardo Sacapaño, and one of the team's assistant coaches watched intently.
"They are learning from the master," said one journalist on the sidelines of the team's practice who has closely followed the transformation of the Azkals from a wet-nosed puppy into a ferocious mutt, whose exploits in the 2010 Suzuki Cup triggered an overnight resurgence of football in the basketball-crazed south-east Asian nation.
Etheridge, who jetted in the night before from London after getting a three-day clearance from Fulham to join his country's team for the training camp in Dubai, told Gulf News that he was "fit and ready" to take on his role as the Philippines first choice goalkeeper, taking over from Roland Muller, who had to rejoin his Bundesliga second division club, MSV Duisburg.
Strong defence
"I'm pretty fit. I've been training and playing and I only had one day off for I don't know how long. I'm looking forward to training with the team today and playing the game on Thursday evening," the 21-year-old footballer, who was born in Enfield, told Gulf News.
The Azkals may have lost the friendly against the Olyroos, but the 1-0 result did not reflect the true nature of the match. "We played a very strong defensive game and we nearly held them to a draw and who knows, we could have even beaten them 4-0 had we fielded our full team," said Azkals manager Dan Palami.
The Azkals, who completed a ten-day training camp in Dubai in preparation for next month's AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal, missed the services of their star striker Phil Younghusband, who had to return to Manila with his brother and the team's central midfielder James, as well as vice-captain Chieffy Caligdong, who was recovering from a knee injury.
The Azkals also missed their Bundesliga reinforcements, German-Filipino midfielder Stephan Schrock, who plays for Greuther Fürth, and Danish-Filipino left-back Dennis Cagara of Frankfurt.
With their stars out, Etheridge stepped up and provided the leadership on the field as he directed the Azkals' back line formation and effectively held the Aussies at bay in the second half and prevented them from getting a clear shot of the goal.
"We have to give it to Neil. He is the Azkals' tower of power," said Kyrie Villaluz, a Dubai resident who comes from a football-loving region in southern Philippines.
Nicknamed the ‘Bus', the star goalkeeper was born to a Filipina mother, Merlinda Dula of Tarlac province in northern Philippines, and to a British father, Martin Etheridge. He started playing football at the age of nine and went on to become a member of the England Under-16 team.
Playing for his mum's home country was not an easy decision to make for the promising teenager from Enfield.
Etheridge was initially recruited by the Philippine Football Federation to play for the souped up national team in 2007, but he declined the offer citing his unfamiliarity with the local language.
"It took me a long time to decide [to play for the Philippines]. Obviously, every boy's dream is to play for England at the highest level, but I thought why not play for the Philippines and [give honour] to my family as well… [my mum] was very pleased," he said.
According to Fifa rules, players with dual citizenship — like Etheridge and a host of other members of the Azkals — who have played for a national team in their youth can be allowed to switch to another country at senior level.
International debut
Finally deciding to forfeit the possibility of representing his native England, Etheridge made his full international debut for the Philippines in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers where he kept three clean sheets.
The team however, failed to qualify due to an inferior goal difference to group winners, Tajikistan.
He was called up again later that year to play in the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches, but the Philippines got eliminated.
His next call up came for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup where his superb performance towed the Philippines all the way to the semi-finals, beating regional powerhouse Vietnam along the way.
Despite losing to Indonesia, their exploits suddenly made the Filipinos take interest in football and Etheridge and the rest of the Azkals — or "stray dogs" in Filipino street lingo — were homeless no more.
"We're not used to have all these publicity all around us. It's a great experience and we actually wanted it to last — not the stardom — but the power of football finally coming to the Philippines.
"Hopefully, we can carry on in the next few years," Etheridge said.
Profile
- Name: Neil Leonard Dula Etheridge
- Birth date: February 7, 1990
- Birthplace: Enfield, England
- Position: Goalkeeper
Career highlights
- Attended Chelsea Academy in 2003.
- Played for England Under-16 in the 2005 Victory Shield in which England and Wales shared the trophy.
- Moved to Fulham in 2006.
- Declined an offer to play for the Philippines in 2007 citing unfamiliarity with the language and the players. He was again invited the following year and eventually accepted the offer.
