Returning Philippine national men’s football team head coach Hans Michael Weiss wants to bring in more Filipino-foreign players into the team.
The 58-year-old coach Germany strategist said two players in the Bundesliga who he didn’t identify, are on his radar screen.
“So these players that we can bring in from the Bundesliga. I have two players in the pipeline,” Weiss said.
The addition of these two would shore up the Azkals roster, whose core Weiss wants to stay intact.
“The core needs to remain the same but we need top additions who can come in and immediately make an impact in order to go to the next one. So, this is the format for the next four-five months until the end of November and then we will see how far we can go,” Weiss said.
While waiting for the arrival of the two prized recruits, the Azkals will be playing two friendly matches this month with the first outing taking place Thursday and Chinese Taipei on Monday.
‘So these players that we can bring in from the Bundesliga. I have two players in the pipeline.’
Both matches will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Field at 7 p.m.
The Bundesliga is Germany’s premier league and those who have shown their wares there include German national team goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandoski of Poland, Jude Bellingham of England and David Alaba, a Filipino-Austrian football player who is currently at Real Madrid.
In the past, two Filipinos with German lineage have seen action in the Bundesliga: Stephan Shrock and Gerrit Holtmann.
The midfielder Shrock saw action from 2012 until 2014, bouncing from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Eintracht Frankfurt.
During the 2013 UEFA, Shrock became the first of Filipino descent to have scored in the league.
Holtmann remains active in the Bundesliga with VfL Bochum.
In the meantime, the Azkals will have to make do with the current lineup for the first window of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers that will run from 12 to 17 October.
“We already talked about systems, small things that we can change in a short period of time. But I don’t think it’s not wise to to change many, many things. It is better to build up on what we have and to build up on the match window,” Weiss added.
