By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

The Philippine national under-23 (U-23) squad failed to qualify for the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship after losing all three of their matches in the recently-concluded qualification stage held in Cambodia.
The Philippines opened their campaign with an 8-0 thumping by Japan, followed by a 2-0 loss to China and a 1-0 loss to host country Cambodia.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is currently looking towards the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, set to take place next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Meanwhile, despite the recent performance of the national team, University of St. La Salle (USLS) men’s football team coach Norman Fegidero, Jr., who used to coach the Philippine national team, said he hopes to see his players wearing the national uniform in the future.
Last year, Fegidero’s squad represented the Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA) in the 2017 PFF Smart Under-22 Amateur Football Championship./WDJ