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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Friday, December 30, 2016
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MANILA â The Philippine Azkals is set to end the year as the No. 1 seed team in Southeast Asia (SEA) based on the latest FIFA/Coca Cola world rankings released on Wednesday.
In the latest rankings released by FIFA, the Thomas Dooley-mentored Azkals is at 120th place, three places lower than its 117th rank in Novemberâs world rankings.
The feat was surprising for the Azkals as it failed to enter the semifinals of the 2016 Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup following its 1-0 defeat to the Thailand War Elephants.
The War Elephants, the back-to-back AFF Suzuki Cup champions, moved up three spots to 126th but remained behind the Azkals. Vietnam and Myanmar are at third and fourth with its 134 and 159 rankings, respectively.
At fifth place is Malaysia at 161 followed by Singapore (165th) and Laos (167th). Indonesia, which marked its return from FIFA suspension with a runner-up finish in the Suzuki Cup, jumped to 171st.
Cambodia (173rd), Brunei Darussalam (190th) and Timor-Leste (191st) rounded out the Asean roster.
The Azkals opened the year at No. 135 and even reached its highest record at 115th in May. It slipped to the 130s again after months of inactivity and surged ahead anew after playing friendlies and competing in the Suzuki Cup./PN
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