Filipinas co-captain Hali Long: It's time to finally show what we're made of
Published Jul 15, 2023 06:20 am
It’s now less than a week before the Philippine women’s national football team makes its debut in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and co-captain Hali Long is excited to “prove and show what the Filipinas are made of.”
*The Filipinas during their ongoing training camp in New Zealand for their FIFA Women's World Cup debut. (PWNFT)*
The 46th-ranked Filipinas arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday, July 10, where they set up camp for the tournament which kicks off on July 20. The Nationals held their month-long training camp in Sydney, Australia to get themselves acclimatized and also where the 23-member lineup was revealed. Landing in Group A, Long bannered the roster that is set to make its maiden appearance in the global football showpiece against powerhouses in Norway (No. 12), Switzerland (No. 20) and host nation New Zealand (No. 25). “It’s about to be game time. So we really have to remember all the little details we’ve been taught along this 18-month journey we’ve had together. So it’s all about the little details now. We have done all of our fine-tuning but it’s finally time to prove and show what we’re made of,” Long said. The Philippines, though, is due for an unofficial friendly match against world No. 3 Sweden a few days before the competition begins. “We worked hard to get to this moment. And I mean, the hard work is not gonna stop. We still have a lot to do still with our upcoming friendly which we’re all excited for, just to see where we’re at,” Long said. “The pitch is really nice. It is slick and wet like we expected. I’m seeing a lot more sun than I expected which is really nice. Just to acclimate to this weather a little bit. It’s a little bit different here, a little bit more wet compared to Sydney,” she added. The Philippines will face Switzerland first on July 21 at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. While the probability is against the Filipinas, Long doesn’t want to leave empty-handed and instead will make the most of their debut.
*The Filipinas during their ongoing training camp in New Zealand for their FIFA Women's World Cup debut. (PWNFT)*
The 46th-ranked Filipinas arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday, July 10, where they set up camp for the tournament which kicks off on July 20. The Nationals held their month-long training camp in Sydney, Australia to get themselves acclimatized and also where the 23-member lineup was revealed. Landing in Group A, Long bannered the roster that is set to make its maiden appearance in the global football showpiece against powerhouses in Norway (No. 12), Switzerland (No. 20) and host nation New Zealand (No. 25). “It’s about to be game time. So we really have to remember all the little details we’ve been taught along this 18-month journey we’ve had together. So it’s all about the little details now. We have done all of our fine-tuning but it’s finally time to prove and show what we’re made of,” Long said. The Philippines, though, is due for an unofficial friendly match against world No. 3 Sweden a few days before the competition begins. “We worked hard to get to this moment. And I mean, the hard work is not gonna stop. We still have a lot to do still with our upcoming friendly which we’re all excited for, just to see where we’re at,” Long said. “The pitch is really nice. It is slick and wet like we expected. I’m seeing a lot more sun than I expected which is really nice. Just to acclimate to this weather a little bit. It’s a little bit different here, a little bit more wet compared to Sydney,” she added. The Philippines will face Switzerland first on July 21 at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. While the probability is against the Filipinas, Long doesn’t want to leave empty-handed and instead will make the most of their debut.