By: Gil Moriones
MANILA -- The 22-man squad for the Philippine Men's National Football Team has been released ahead of their crucial 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers match against the Maldives on November 18.
In an announcement posted on their official social media pages Wednesday night, the Nationals revealed the players who will feature in their second away game of the qualifiers. However, key players such as Javier Mariona and Gerrit Holtmann were absent, reportedly due to club commitments or injuries.
Despite their absence, Noah Leddel, who has been a solid defender for the under-23 squad, has been promoted to the senior team and is expected to make his debut in next week’s match.
Meanwhile, his fellow defenders include Amani Aguinaldo, Josep Baccay, Enrique Linares, Paul and Jeff Tabinas, and Scott Woods. Oskari Kekkonen, John Lucero, Gavin Muens, Manny Ott, Sandro Reyes, and Randy Schneider compose the midfield unit.
Up front, Dylan Demuynck, Jarvey Gayoso, qualifiers’ leading scorer Bjorn Kristensen, Andre Leipold, Alex Monis, and Sebastian Rasmussen have been called up in the forward position.
Finally, Kevin Ray Mendoza, Quincy Kammeraad, and Nicholas Guimaraes were named to the goalkeeper lineup.
The current Group A leaders will aim to conclude their two-match series against the already-eliminated Red Snappers at the National Football Stadium in Malé. The Nationals previously defeated them in their home fixture in Capas last March 25, 4–1.
This will be the final fixture for the PMNFT this year.
