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Football: Azkals' Schwarzer motivated to match level of fellow keepers

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Levi Joshua Verora Jr.

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Azkals goal keeper Julian Schwarzer. RM Chua/PFF" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/06/21/20230621-julian-schwarzer.jpg"/><figcaption>Azkals goal keeper Julian Schwarzer. RM Chua/PFF</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA – Philippine Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge first met Julian Schwarzer as a kid many years ago, when Etheridge was still attached to Fulham.Julian&#x27;s father, the legendary Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer, played for the English Premier League for five years, appearing in 172 matches from 2008 to 2013.More than a decade later, Julian is driven not only to follow the footsteps of his father, but also to be on the same level his teammates Etheridge and Patrick Deyto are at.“I’m already motivated in them and it’s an extra push, it’s great. I love coming here and I love training with them. It’s my favorite time in football for sure,” the Fil-Aussie keeper said.“It’s very easy to motivate myself, for sure, especially because you’re here and you’re representing your nation, I’m always going to feel very motivated, then you will come across two both very talented goalkeepers, very mature guys, it’s like an extra push.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/20/23/weiss-laments-azkals-fitness-woes-in-loss-to-chinese-taipei">Football: Weiss laments Azkals&#x27; fitness woes in loss to Chinese-Taipei</a></li></ul>Etheridge saw time for Fulham from 2008 to 2014, albeit going on multiple loans, when Mark was already an established superstar in the latter stages of his remarkable football career.“Me and Mark, we played together for many years, trained together, and obviously now, knowing his son, I met his son when he was very, very young, and now he’s a lot older,” Etheridge, who now plays for Birmingham City, shared.“I speak to Julian and I still speak to Mark on a regular basis, we’re very, very good friends. It’s nice to see the rotation has happened.”The Azkals’ FIFA international window over the past week was the first time Schwarzer, Etheridge, and Deyto all crossed paths in the same training camp, transcending eras of men’s football national team iterations.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/19/23/football-azkals-endure-heartbreaker-vs-chinese-taipei">Football: Azkals endure heartbreaker vs. Chinese Taipei</a></li></ul>Deyto was the starter against Nepal last Thursday, notching a clean sheet in a 1-nil win, while Etheridge was activated by head coach Michael Weiss last Monday versus Chinese Taipei, which held on late for a 3-2 comeback victory.The newly-signed Chonburi shot-stopper said he is impressed by what he is seeing so far from the 23-year-old Schwarzer.“Julian, he’s a young and super talented goalkeeper. I’m super impressed because this camp is the first time I’ve met him, I’ve been with him,” Deyto said.Though Schwarzer did not earn a cap in this window, he embraced sharing the field with his two seniors in practice sessions, where he would receive invaluable advice from the two – both technical and not.“Neil and Pat always help me out with that. They’re the people who go out and I’m very happy for them to say things to me, to give me some criticism, because I know their level and I want to show that I can be at that level as well, which I believe I can be, for sure,” Schwarzer shared.“It was really good. No one wants to mess up. We all want to stay in the highest level possible. It just drives us forward. I see Neil, I see Patrick do something really good, and I want to replicate the same level, the same quality that they had. We all feel the same for each other.”Such a deep pool of keepers to choose from makes Deyto believe the Azkals have an edge in the position.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/16/23/why-azkals-coach-weiss-re-activated-schrock">Why Azkals coach Weiss re-activated Schrock</a></li></ul>“I think ever since, the Philippines, the goalkeepers are always of quality. We’ve always had two or three really good goalkeepers in the squad. It’s so difficult to stay no. 1 for long,” Deyto said.Keeping each other sharp is also vital for the national squad as it gears up for future competitions, such as the joint FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers later this year, and the next AFF championship in 2024.“I think the rest of the players need to have competition as well. The goalkeeper department is extremely strong,” Etheridge said.“It’s great to have Julian, and obviously Deyto back with us. They push me, I push them, and obviously, I’m very happy with the work we’ve done this week, and obviously over the last camps and hopefully for many camps moving forward.”Aside from the three, recent names who’ve seen action for the Azkals in the past two years include Kuala Lumpur City’s Kevin Ray Hansen, Forward Madison’s Bernd Schipmann, and PSS Sleman’s Anthony Pinthus.“It’s important because of injuries, of unavailability, because of all of these reasons to always have a good goalkeeper around, it’s really important,” Deyto added.As for Schwarzer, seeing his kuyas still playing in top form inspires him to be the next great Azkals keeper.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/20/23/football-etheridge-challenges-young-azkals-to-step-up">Football: Etheridge tells young Azkals to step up during team’s ‘transition period’</a></li></ul>“I like to see myself as someone who can challenge them. I feel like, with my presence, and Patrick’s presence behind Neil, it’s really good for him to stay sharp. I know he’ll stay sharp anyway, but you know, it’s an extra push,” he said.“And security as well, because if Neil can never come, hopefully the nation knows they’re safe in our hands even if Neil can’t come, so overall, it’s very positive that we get along really well, it’s already good for the team.”<div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xxtez9mwgQc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Philippine Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge first met Julian Schwarzer as a kid many years ago, when Etheridge was still attached to Fulham.