Askals fall to Kuwait, 2-1

Our Askals suffered their first humiliating defeat in the hands of the Kuwaitis last night. That 2-1 score ended the campaign of our boys to reach the World Cup in 2014. No worries, they say, we have 2017. By that time, we have improved tremendously and have gained so much strength to even say that hey, China or Britain are no match to the askals.


We are hungry for recognition in the football universe, and rightly so. This is the hardest team sport in the world today. To be number one, that team has to literally squeeze itself out of tightest spots, make tremendous personal sacrifices, spend millions of pesos and improve both the mind and physique.


Unlike basketball, where, as current NBA MVP Derrick Rose says that anyone can shoot a basket, in football, it needs great sacrifice for the rest of the team for one member to take that shot at the net. Taking that shot is not as easy as it looks. It takes great courage to even strike the ball, while two or three defenders try to steal it from you. 


The hardest part of football is kicking that ball to great distances, without using your hands, only your feet. I tried it and it hurts every single time. Even with the most modern sport shoes, the pain of every kick is still there. You need to develop speed, agility, tenacity and lower body and upper body strength to be competitive in this sport. You have to learn how to kick, jump, run as fast as possible, post, while thinking of being part of the whole instead of thinking as just one player. 


Teamwork, yep, that is the key towards attaining football superstardom, not advertisements, or television commercials or being linked to a sexy young actress.


By the next World Cup (not this one in 2014), we would have discovered other tremendous talents all around. We would have, probably even discover our Peles or our Beckenbauers. I believe that there is one such Filipino out there, with the natural ability to kick that ball when it counts, and defend when needed. 


Tenacity is one such character that every Filipino has. I believe there is one individual out there playing in one dry rice field and aspiring to become an Askal. 


He wants to be an askal not because he wants to become rich but because he wants nothing more than get that world cup in the name of the Filipino Nation. 


Askals, our modern mongrels, may be perennially hungry, and rightly so. That is the spirit of football. That hungre should be felt not just by our football team, but by the rest of the Nation.


Every Filipino should be an Askal, always striving for greatness and always working for excellence in their field. 


Every Filipino should be passionate in what he is doing, always doing what is right because it is right.


Askals, we believe in you. See you in the World Cup by 2017.