By Jonas Terrado
The two-year contract of Philippine Azkals American coach Thomas Dooley ends today but the management is yet to decide whether to rehire him or not two days after guiding the team to a historic berth in the 2019 Asian Cup.
The country’s football community rejoiced with gusto after the Azkals scored a 2-1 victory over Tajikistan Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“It would be unfair to judge him based on this game,” said team manager Dan Palami. “This is a big result for us and we have to take a holistic approach. It’s difficult to make movements when you’re really happy, so we have to approach that objectively and see where we want to go.”
The former United States captain was hired by the Azkals in 2014 and found immediate success with berths in the AFC Challenge Cup Final and the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup that same year.
But football observers have questioned Dooley’s ability to take the Azkals to victories in the games that mattered, citing the loss to Palestine in the Challenge Cup Final and the dismal exit in the 2016 Suzuki Cup on home soil.
He also had an ongoing dispute with Ceres midfielder Stephan Schrock, who was not part of the national team squad for the qualifiers.
Dooley expressed hope that the Asian Cup berth may be enough for him to get an extension so that he can start the ball rolling for the continental tournament which will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates in January.
