MANILA – Ilonggo Jovin Bedic is part of the 23-man Philippine Azkals team that will face Bahrain in an international friendly on Thursday night at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, Bahrain.
Bedic, a Kaya Iloilo standout from Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, is one of key returnees to the squad to be handled by new head coach Scott Cooper along with assistant coaches Chris Greatwich and Steve Marsella.
This will be Bedic’s third time to be called up for the national team after his Azkals stints on Sept. 6, 2016, when they defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1, and on April 27, 2014, when they had a scoreless draw with Malaysia.
Joining Bedic in the national team are Nathaniel Ace Villanueva, Amani Aguinaldo, Carli de Murga, Junior Muñoz, Paul Mulders, Manuel Ott, Mike Ott, Stephan Schrock, Patrick Reichelt, and John Dizon.
Also in the lineup are brothers Phil and James Younghusband, Adam Tull, Patrick Deyto, Dylan de Bruycker, Louie Michael Casas, and Fitch Arboleda.
Others called up are those playing overseas – Neil Etheridge, Daisuke Sato, Hikaru Minegishi, Luke Woodland, Stephen Palla, and Angel Guirado.
The Philippine men’s football team went to Bahrain for a training camp in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup later this year and the AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates next year./PN
