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Filipinas figured in closed-door scrimmage vs. USWNT prior to World Cup: report

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Philippine women" s="" national="" football="" team="" ahead="" of="" their="" first-ever="" FIFA="" World="" Cup="" match.="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/07/23/07232023-the-philippine-women-s-national-football-team.jpg"/><figcaption>The Philippine women&#x27;s national football team ahead of their first-ever FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup match. <em>PFF-PWNFT</em>.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Before heading to the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup, the Philippine women&#x27;s national football team apparently had a closed door tune-up with the US women&#x27;s national football team.</p><p>Filipinas coach Alen Stajcic cited a &quot;high-profile&quot; friendly prior to their game against Switzerland and this was later mentioned in a <a href="https://www.espn.ph/football/story/_/page/uswntreport0722/uswnt-world-cup-line-vlatko-backfire">report</a> by Caitlin Murray of ESPN.</p><p>In her report, Murray said that Savannah DeMelo&#x27;s performance against the Philippines helped her earn a spot in the United States&#x27; starting XI against Vietnam in their first Women&#x27;s World Cup match yesterday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/21/23/football-filipinas-fall-to-swiss-in-first-ever-world-cup-match">Football: Filipinas fall to Swiss in first ever World Cup match</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Savannah DeMelo, a player who made the World Cup roster without having ever played for the U.S., was a surprise choice to start in the midfield, too. Before the match, (US coach Vlatko) Andonovski suggested the choice was based on her recent form, including a closed-door scrimmage against the Philippines here in New Zealand,&quot; she said in the report.</p><p>The Americans defeated Vietnam, 3-0, for a winning start to their bid for a third straight World Cup title.</p><p>Meanwhile, Stajcic is firm in his belief that the Filipinas remains unshaken despite their 2-0 defeat to the Swiss.</p><p>They will meet with New Zealand in three days at the Sky Stadium in Wellington. </p><p>“Despite the result, we have a lot of belief,” reiterated Stajcic on Sunday.</p><p>“We all knew that it was an amazing performance (by the Filipinas) for a debut in the World Cup,” stressed the Australian tactician, recalling how his players displayed their poise against the fancied Swiss early on in the match.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/21/23/rodriguez-expects-hungrier-filipinas-vs-new-zealand">Rodriguez expects &#x27;hungrier&#x27; Filipinas vs. New Zealand: &#x27;Sky is the limit&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>“There are so many people who may have questioned how nervous the team was going into the first game, and if they did belong and should be here,” he said, “but I think we showed that we belong at this level.</p><p>“For a first effort in the World Cup, I really thought our players were amazing. Everyone back home in the Philippines and all their fans should be really proud how they represented the country.”</p><p>Stajcic was particularly proud of the resolve that the Filipinas showed in the early minutes, when they went toe-to-toe against a squad 26 rungs higher than them in the FIFA women’s world rankings at No. 20. </p><p>“In the first 15 to 20 minutes, I thought we were exceptional and (these) probably were the best moments for us,” the Aussie mentor said. “It just shows how well we prepared as a team.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/23/23/next-game-will-be-different-says-filipinas-coach-stajcic">Next game will be different, says Filipinas coach Stajcic</a></li></ul><p>With the lessons learned from the last match against the Swiss, the Filipinas continued to refine their play at their base camp training facility at the Olympic Park on Sunday before heading for Wellington on Monday on the eve of their game against the hosts.</p><p>The last time the two sides met, the Ferns emerged with a come-from-behind 2-1 win in a friendly held on Sept. 6, 2023 at the Titans Stadium in Fullerton, California.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2714213" width="100%"></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>

Before heading to the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Filipinas apparently had a closed door tune-up with the US women's national football team.