3 Reasons Why You Should Not Miss the PMNFT’s Upcoming Friendlies

The Philippines will square off against Guam and Myanmar in June at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Here’s why these football friendlies are must-watch games.

The Philippine men’s national football team (PMNFT) will be back in action soon, with a game against Guam on Wednesday, June 3 and versus Myanmar on Tuesday, June 9. Kickoffs are at 7:30 pm at Rizal Memorial. 

Guam is ranked 201st in the world, while Myanmar is 158. The Philippines is currently 135th so we will be favored in both contests, especially in the first one.

But you have to be there for the two matches, for the following reasons. 

The boys are finally back in Rizal Memorial

RMS is our Wembley. There is a ton of football that gets played there year-round, but for me the value of the stadium is all the history. The unforgettable Pinoy football moments that occurred there over the years, seared into our memories. The 1-0 win over Malaysia in the 1991 SEA Games. Schrocky’s golazo against Kuwait in World Cup qualifying. The 2-1 win over Tajikistan that got us in our first-ever AFC Asian Cup. The countless UAAP finals I watched or covered. 

You may have noticed that the Men’s national team has not played in RMS in a while. To be precise, since December 27, 2024, when the Pinoys beat Thailand in the first leg of the AFF Cup semi, 2-1. Our next three home games, AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, were all in the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Tarlac. The Asian Football Confederation mandated that all matches at this level had to be on natural grass, and the Tarlac stadium was the best we had. Rizal Memorial has a relatively new artificial surface. 

I can understand why the AFC made the ruling because players really prefer a well-maintained grass pitch. It arguably also creates a better spectacle with less bounce, and it is considered by some to be safer. But it has been a dreadful move for the Philippines, a country that has almost exclusively moved to plastic pitches. Our harsh weather, and the high demand for pitches make grass economically unfavorable. 

The New Clark City facility is new, modern, and clean, but the spectators are extremely far away from the field, and although the games did bring the national team close to Central Luzon football fans, many Manila-based fans could not be bothered to make the trip. 

Thankfully the AFC does not mind if you play non-competitive friendlies on artificial surfaces, which is why football fans from the big city can once again see the team without travelling more than a hundred kilometers north.  Hopefully we can get a good crowd of around 10,000 fans and create the atmosphere we used to have during the Azkals era. 

These two matches are precious because we may not see the team play again in the capital for a while after.  

The ASEAN Championship, the biennial tournament for Southeast Asian national sides, has been moved earlier to right after the World Cup instead of December. I have just learned that the ASEAN Football Federation will adhere to AFC guidelines and therefore the PFF will have our two home games in Tarlac. Bummer. Once again, Metro Manila fans will get the short end of the stick. 

That is one reason why we must cherish these two matches. But there is another. The Rizal Memorial complex will be totally redeveloped and modernized by the Philippine Sports Commission. I have heard the football stadium will be trackless, have a capacity of 25,000, and feature a natural grass surface. This is all great news, especially since SM Harrison across the street will become a modern residential and commercial area, making watching matches a more pleasant and convenient experience.  But once work on that begins, national team matches will once again have to move elsewhere. I gather this will be a multi-year project. 

Let’s enjoy the national team in our capital city while we can. 

There are some interesting new and returning players to watch

Kenji Nishioka is an attacking midfielder for the PFL’s Manila Digger FC.  Born in Quezon City and raised in Japan, Nishioka speaks very decent Filipino. Let’s see if he can show his patriotism on the pitch as well.

Cole Mrowka is another new face. The 20-year old Chicagoan has MLS experience with the Columbus Crew and plays for the Colorado Switchbacks in the USL Championship, the American second tier. This is what he is capable of. 

We also welcome back Pocholo Bugas, who is believed to be the first ever homegrown Filipino to play in the top tier of a major European nation. The Comvaleño from FEU plays for Vukovar 1991 in Croatia. Let’s see how his European adventure has sharpened a game based on raw speed in the flanks. 

Goalie Michael Faalkesgard is back, and defenders Noah Leddel and Jaime Rosquillo, who starred in the SEA Games, are also solid inclusions. 

When you include these guys along with established stars like Seb Rasmussen, Manny Ott, Sandro Reyes and Jarvey Gayoso, you have a recipe for an exciting pair of games. 

These matches are the best way to catch World Cup fever

The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins on June 12. This will be the biggest edition of this event, with 48 teams and more than a hundred matches. Catching our own national squad the PMNFT will be a fantastic appetizer for the monthlong football bender that is the World Cup. 

Let’s hope that watching our national team can spark more interest for the World Cup and in the sport in general. 

Buy your tickets here.

Banner images from PSC-POC

Bob Guerrero

Contributor

Bob Guerrero has covered a variety of sports for over 20 years, both on-camera as an anchor and online as a writer and columnist. His voice has been heard on football, billiards and golf broadcasts, while his articles have appeared on Yahoo! Philippines, Rappler and Inquirer Golf. Bob is passionate about Philippine sports, international football, and the PGA and LPGA Tours. He can be seen on most days checking out the latest pool hall or sampling another golf course.

See more stories by Bob Guerrero