It seems the Philippine Team is getting little attention a day before the Asean Football Championships kick off.

Even before the opening whistle has been blown, international football pundits have ruled out the possibility of the Filipino booters going past the group stage of the tournament formerly known as the Tiger Cup that starts today in Bangkok. While a mouthful had been said about three-time champions Thailand and 2004 semifinalists Malaysia and Myanmar, the primer on Group A of the eight-nation event aired over ESPN Star Sports Wednesday night bypassed discussion on the Philippines, which worked its way to Bangkok by placing second in the qualifying stage in Bacolod City last November.

But national coach Aris Caslib likes it that way. "It's a motivation for us to work harder," Caslib told the DAILY STAR in an overseas call on the eve of their opening match against Malaysia set at 5:30 p.m. today at the Suphchalasai Stadium. Thailand and Myanmar collide at 8 p.m. "My players have gone through a high level of play. But this competition will be tougher, that's why we need to maximize our chances," said Caslib, who guided the Filipinos to their first win in the Tiger Cup in Malaysia in 2004 when it nipped Timor Leste, 2-1, in a no-bearing match.

The Filipino booters played three friendly matches in Singapore, winning over Singapore's Olympic Team, 1-0, before absorbing a 4-1 beating at the hands of the defending Asean champions. The RP XI also lost, 0-1, to the Singapore Under-23 squad in a game where ace midfielder James Younghusband suffered a hamstring injury.

Caslib said the results of the Singapore games were very encouraging. "It was a positive result considering the fact that we were shuffling a lot of players," he said, adding that the 20-year-old Younghusband will be fit for the match against the Malaysians.

In their previous Tiger Cup meeting in 2004, Malaysia drubbed the Philippines, 4-1. The Filipinos are also out to avenge their 2-4 defeat to the Malays in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, a loss that dashed RP hopes of gaining a semis slot.

Without top striker Phil Younghusband, who has opted to focus on his career with Chelsea, Caslib is hoping to draw better performances from Christopher Greatwich and strikers Arnie Pasinabo of the University of St. La Salle and Alvin Valeroso. Aside from PAsinabo, there are four other Negrenses in theRP Team, led by veteran internationalist Ali Rojas-Go, Jerome Orcullo of Dumaguete, goalkeeper Archie Bayquin of USLS and defender Jan Michael Benedicto.

Greatwich, 23, scored two goals in the qualifiers, where the nationals beat Timor Leste (7-0), Cambodia (1-0) and Brunei (4-1). Captain Aly Borromeo is expected to anchor the defensive line that yielded only two goals in four matches in Bacolod.

For a change, the Filipinos won't be coming into the tournament as the worst ranked team. That distinction now belongs to Vietnam, which at 172 in the world rankings, is just one rung below the Philippines.

"We hope all opponents come overconfident when they play against us," Philippine Football Federation president Johnny Romualdez said. "A fighting team like ours will not just bend over backwards".*CPT

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