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NEW FACE AGAIN. Philippine men's football team's Gerrit Holtman (left) poses for a photo with new interim head coach Carles Cuadrat.
John Michael Mauricio
New interim head coach Carles Cuadrat, the latest in a dizzying carousel of staff changes, makes his Philippine men's football debut in a crucial home match in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying tournament
MANILA, Philippines – The dizzying coaching carousel continues to spin rapidly for the Philippine men’s football team, with Carles Cuadrat now featuring as the latest head coach in a recurring pattern of brief tenures.
Cuadrat, who will lead the national team in an interim capacity, steps into the role ahead of the resumption of the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying tournament.
His first match will be against Tajikistan on Tuesday, June 10, at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
“We are very excited about the match, we know that it’s a very important match for the team and for the country,” said Cuadrat.
“We know that we have to try to win that kind of matches, we want to be playing in the cup competition in Asia so we are very focused on the game,” he added.
Since the start of the decade, the 56-year-old Spaniard becomes the latest to lead the men’s team, following predecessors Albert Capellas, Norman Fegidero (interim), Tom Saintfiet, Hans Michael Weiss, Barae Jrondi, Josep Ferre, Thomas Dooley, and Scott Cooper.
Cuadrat, who previously served as an assistant coach under the former regime, inherits a squad that showed flashes of brilliance during Capellas’ tenure.
The Filipinos bagged the bronze in the 50th King’s Cup, reached the semifinals of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024, and demolished the Maldives, 4-1, to begin the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers with a statement win.
Cuadrat’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment as the men’s national team looks to build on recent successes and secure a coveted spot in the Asian Cup.
The Philippines, ranked 146th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, currently tops Group A, which includes world No. 104 Tajikistan, 164th-ranked Maldives, and world No. 197 Timor Leste.
Only six of the 24 teams left in the Asian Cup qualifiers will earn a spot in the prestigious continental football tournament — meaning the Philippines must finish first in Group A, as only group winners will advance.
Headlining Cuadrat’s first squad are goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza, veteran defender Amani Aguinaldo, midfield starlet Sandro Reyes, and hotshot forward Gerrit Holtmann, who will be making his first appearance on home soil.
“I’m not nervous, I’m really proud to play the game here — it’s my first game — and I hope we are successful,” said the 30-year-old Holtmann.
The Philippines met Tajikistan twice last year — suffering a penalty shootout loss in the Merdeka Cup, before securing a victory in the 50th King’s Cup.
Both teams also met twice in 2018, with the Philippines booking a historic Asian Cup ticket in March, only to fall to Tajikistan in the Bangabandhu Cup later that October.
Full 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: K. Mendoza, Q. Kammeraad, N. Guimaraes
Defenders: P. Tabinas, J. Tabinas, A. Aguinaldo, J. Nyholm, A. Ugelvik, J. Baccay, S. Woods, C. Rontini
Midfielders: S. Reyes, Ma. Ott, Z. Bailey, R. Schneider, J. Lucero, O. Kekkonen
Forwards: A. Leipold, D. Cariño, S. Rublico, G. Holtmann, D. Demuynck, B. Kristensen, J. Gayoso
– Rappler.com
