Camille Naredo

Article (news)

football

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Philippine under-16 and under-23 men&#x27;s national football teams were honored by the national federation on Saturday after their recent standout performances in international tournaments.The under-16 team is coming off a triumphant campaign in the 2025 Lion City Cup in Singapore, in what was their first championship in the tournament since its revival in 2013.&quot;I actually learned many things (in the championship journey),&quot; said U16&#x27;s Leo Garcia.&quot;One thing that&#x27;s my takeaway from this tournament is this is not the end. It&#x27;s just the beginning of something new. There&#x27;s always room to grow and just stay hungry and disciplined always,&quot; he explained.Teamwork was clearly a central theme for the young squad.Reflecting on their quick bond, Aaran Long shared: &quot;We built that chemistry so fast.&quot;&quot;As a team, from now on to whenever there&#x27;s a tournament day, we build on chemistry a lot better,&quot; Long added.Meanwhile in Indonesia, the U23 team earned the Philippines&#x27; best-ever finish in the ASEAN U-23 Championship Mandiri Cup, securing fourth place.Despite falling short in the third place match against Thailand (3–1), the team walked away with pride, growth, and a mindset shaped by unity.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/7/29/football-ph-u23-finish-fourth-in-mandiri-cup-after-loss-to-thailand-1821">READ: PH U23 finish fourth in Mandiri Cup after loss to Thailand</a></div>&quot;Ang tumatak po sa amin ay &#x27;yung pagsama-sama namin as a team at &#x27;yung focus namin,&quot; said midfielder Harry Nuñez.&quot;Mentality po talaga namin na gusto namin manalo at maka-make ng history,&quot; Nuñez shared.For Ziggy Taningco, it was about courage and resilience in the face of external doubt.&quot;There&#x27;s a quote that I like which is &#x27;True courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it&#x27;,&quot; he recalled.&quot;As a team we were able to overcome lots of the limitations and sort of low expectations that people had on us,&quot; he added. &quot;That was a big moment not only for me but also for the team to go through that hurdle and come out stronger.&quot;

The Philippine under-16 and under-23 men's national football teams were honored by the national federation on Saturday after their recent standout performances in international tournaments.

The Philippine under-16 and under-23 men's national football teams were honored by the national federation on Saturday after their recent standout performances in international tournaments.

PH football celebrates U16 and U23 squads' strides in global stage

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PH football celebrates U16 and U23 squads' strides in global stage

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 03, 2025 04:08 PM PHT

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