Philippines call up high school goalkeeper to play Vietnam at AFF Cup

Guimaraes, born in Japan in 2006, is studying at Funabashi Municipal High School. He is one of the youngest players in the tournament, joined by three other 18-year-olds: Sultan Zaky (Indonesia), Kop Lokphathip and Peter Phanthavong (Laos). There are only two younger players, Phousomboun Panyavong (Laos) and Arkhan Kaka (Indonesia), who were born in 2007.

Out of the 26 players in the Philippines squad for AFF Cup, 20 were born after 1999. The majority of these players were born in 2000 (4), followed by 1999, 2001, and 2003 (3 players each), 2002, 2004 and 2005 (2 players each), and 2006 (1 player). The oldest player on the roster is striker Patrick Reichelt, 36. With 90 international caps, Reichelt is also the most experienced player on the team. He is followed by center-back Amani Aguinaldo, 29, who has played 63 matches for the national team.

Patrick Reichelt, the most experienced player on the Philippines national football team. Photo by PFF

The Philippines are the ninth team to finalize their 26-player squad for the 2024 AFF Cup. Timor Leste remain the only team yet to announce their roster.

The squad feature a strong mix of players of diverse ethnic backgrounds, with seven players playing domestically. The rest of the squad are spread across various countries, including the U.S., Thailand, Norway, Cambodia, Germany, Spain, Indonesia, Switzerland, Japan, Croatia, and Malaysia.

Philippines will also miss several key players, including goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who used to play in the Premier League for Cardiff City, striker Gerrit Holtmann, who plays for VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga and Dylan Demuynck, who is sidelined due to injury and plays for Zulte Waregem in the Belgian Pro League.

During the 2018-2019 period, Philippines fielded a strong squad of mixed players under the late coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, reaching the semifinals of the 2018 AFF Cup and qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup. However, the team have struggled for consistency since, changing coaches seven times over the past three years.

In November 2023, the Philippines, coached by Germany’s Michael Weiss, lost 0-2 to Vietnam in the first leg of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers second round. In the return leg seven months later, under Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, they lost 2-3 to Vietnam. For the upcoming AFF Cup, the team will be led by Spanish coach Albert Capellas.

Philippines will host Vietnam in the AFF Cup at their home ground Rizal Memorial in Manila on Dec. 18.