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| Philippine Women's National Football Team's Facebook page |
by Drew Malihan
MANILA - The Philippine Women's National Football Team unveiled their final 23-woman lineup that will partake in the country's debut campaign in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup this Sunday.
Tahnai Annis and Hali Long were named co-captains by Australian coach Alen Stajcic for the 46th-ranked Filipinas squad, along with several holdovers and returnees from past squads.
The PWNFT's social media pages revealed their final lineup with a video of a team of young girls playing football and taping names of the players on white shirts.
The final 23 are as follows:
Goalkeepers: Olivia McDaniel (Stallion Laguna), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University), Kiara Fontanilla (Central Coast Mariners).
Defenders: Alicia Barker (Pacific Northwest), Angela Beard (Western United), Reina Bonta (Santos), Malea Cesar (Blacktown City), Jessika Cowart (Kalmar), Sofia Harrison (free agent), Hali Long (Kaya-Iloilo), Dominique Randle (Þór/KA).
Midfielders: Tahnai Annis (Þór/KA), Ryley Bugay (free agent), Anicka Castañeda (Mt. Druitt Town Rangers), Sara Eggesvik (KIL/Hemne), Quinley Quezada (Red Star Belgrade), Jacklyn Sawicki (Western United).
Forwards: Sarina Bolden (Western Sydney Wanderers), Isabella Flanigan (West Virginia University), Carleigh Frilles (Blacktown Spartans), Katrina Guillou (Piteå), Chandler McDaniel (Stallion Laguna), Meryll Serrano (Stabæk).
Goalkeeper Inna Palacios (Kaya-Iloilo), defender Maya Alcantara (Georgetown University), and midfielder Isabella Pasion (Lebanon Trail High School) were included in the reserves list.
“We congratulate the 23 players who were selected for the Philippines in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and express our gratitude to the players who have committed and sacrificed to make themselves available throughout the selection process,” said Philippine Football President Mariano Araneta in a statement released by the federation.
“The next weeks will be the culmination of a year and a half of hard work, dedication and sacrifice by every member of our Team,” team manager Jefferson Cheng quipped in the same PFF statement.
“This group of 23 represents the best of us, the best of the indomitable Filipino spirit, and I am excited to see them make all of us even prouder,” he added
The team, who concluded their four-week training camp in Sydney, Australia, will head to Auckland, New Zealand to prepare further, including an unofficial match with third-ranked Sweden, before heading 1,430 miles south to meet Switzerland in Dunedin on July 21.
Then they will head back to North Island to take on host New Zealand in Wellington on July 25, and powerhouse Norway on July 30th in Auckland.
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