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| Alas Pilipinas put up a fight against South Korea amid the challenges they faced before the Asian Games. POC Media Pool |
NAGOYA—The Alas Pilipinas Men opened their Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games campaign with a 25-16, 27-25, 25-22 loss to South Korea on Sunday at the Park Arena Komaki.
But the defeat, according to team captain Bryan Bagunas, was only part of the challenges facing the team.
“Medyo madami kaming errors talaga, kailangan namin manage errors namin,” Bagunas said.
The Philippines struggled to close out sets, with South Korea pulling away when it mattered most.
“Nandun na e. Siguro yung finishing lang eh, doon kami nagkakamali pagpatapos na yung set. Need namin manage yung errors,” he said.
Bagunas also pointed to their limited preparation as the team had only been training with Joshua Retamar for two days for the Asian Games.
“Siguro isa yung serving namin… two days pa lang kami training with Owa [Retamar],” Bagunas said.
Bagunas said he has been reminding the younger players to use the Asian Games as an opportunity to gain exposure, particularly with the possibility of playing overseas in the future.
“Sabi namin, itong Asian Games ay malaking tulong para sa amin, lalo na para sa mga bata; exposure na rin nila,” he said.
“Kung makakapaglaro overseas as an import, makikita sila dito. So yun na lang sinasabi ko sa kanila, mimino-motivate na lang sila na lalabanan natin ito, and sana in the future mas okay yung susuporta na darating sa amin. Tuloy-tuloy lang.”
Despite the difficult situation, Bagunas made sure to acknowledge the fans who traveled to Japan to support the team.
“Talagang nagpapasalamat talaga kami sa lahat ng fans na pumunta pa dito sa Japan para suportahan kami. Talagang di na-feel yung walang suporta from the fans. Nandiyan kayo, manalo o matalo,” he said.
