Members of the Philippine national football team called on Ilonggos to rally behind the RP booters when it sees action in the Group B qualifying stage of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup from May 13-17 at the Iloilo Sports Complex in Iloilo City and the Barotac Nuevo Football Plaza.

"We need all the support we can get from the crowd so I am inviting everyone to watch the games," RP team captain Emelio Caligdong, who hails from Barotac Nuevo town, Iloilo, said in a press conference Saturday.

Also present at the press conference were Filipino internationals based in England, like Phil and James Younghusband, Chad Gould and newcomer Neil Etheridge, a 6-3 goalkeeper, and US-based players Aly Borromeo and Arman del Rosario.

The Philippines will battle defending champion Tajikistan, Brunei Darussalam and Bhutan in the Challenge Cup with only the top team advancing in the main tournament in India in July. 

Pablito Araneta, the Philippine Football Federation general-secretary who also hails from Iloilo, said the support of the home-crowd will help motivate the players just like in Bacolod City where the nationals played in the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 and the Asean Football Championship Qualifiers in 2006.

"Iloilo, being a football-loving province, is an ideal venue" Araneta said. "We appeal for everyone's support".

The RP booters battle Brunei Darussalam in the opener at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at the ISC, simultaneous with the Tajikistan-Bhutan match at the Barotac Nuevo football pitch. Admission is free in the games.  

Araneta and PFF technical director Juan Cutillas also expressed optimism on the chances of the team making the next round.

"I am very positive on the chances of this team. They (the players) have sacrificed a lot for the country," Araneta said.

Cutillas pointed out that the poor pitch conditions, the weather and the crowd support will be significant factors in the Philippines' campaign.

"Our pitch is not very good. Tajikistan, for example, is used to playing in well-kept fields. The humid weather and the time of the matches at 3:30 p.m. are also factors because the other teams usually play at night," Cutillas, a former national team coach, said.         

Lloyd Lim, a member of the RP coaching staff, headed by former national team striker Norman Fegidero, pointed to Tajikistan as the team to beat in the qualifiers.

"Tajikistan is strong. They are the highest-ranked among the teams here and we expect a tough game against them," Lim said.

The Tajik booters hit town Friday, the earliest among the three visiting teams.    

Araneta said the nationals have a good record in the previous Challenge Cup, where they drew with Afghanistan (1-1) and India (1-1) but bowed to Chinese-Taipei.*

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