THE national men’s football team is talented no doubt, but chemistry is always integral to a team’s success. Since the arrival of the Filipino-foreigners in 2004, the problem is many of them arrive days before the match. That means missing valuable time at training camp and to know the tendencies of teammates. Given now that there are many first-timers on the team, that becomes a bigger problem.

Speaking of first-timers, Wednesday’s game in Colombo, which was drawn, 1-1, was the first cap where Angel Guirado and Phil Younghusband played up-front together. They connected well on one occasion, where one touch passing led to a very good chance by Younghusband to score—except it went straight to Manjula Fernando. Now consider that. Recognition. If they play longer and if Guirado is a little more match-fit, that’s a great combo up-front.

What does this mean for Ian Araneta? It could be that Ian will start once in a while, if not come off the bench. He’s too talented to be left off. He does know how to get into scoring position. It’s the finishing that bugs him, and he knows that all too well. And that is why he is on the bench.

Good account for Nate Burkey in his Azkals debut. The former Virginia Commonwealth University Ram played out of position (he’s a midfielder)—in a questionable move because it seemed logical to see Araneta come in for the hobbled Younghusband. But it worked, didn’t it?

Just the same when Michael Weiss lifted Anton del Rosario for Jason Sabio in the Mongolia-Azkals (Panaad) match late in the second half in a move that paid dividends when Sabio assisted Younghusband for a goal.

And in the away game in Mongolia and the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup Qualifiers in Myanmar, Yanti Bersales, criticized as too old for the team, came off the bench to provide some aggression in the forward position. He nearly scored, too, on a couple of occasions.

While some moves may have not worked, it looks obvious Weiss is still fine-tuning the Azkals’ gears. He still has done a good job.

Once more speaking of playing out of position, Fil-Dutchman Paul Mulders, a natural-attacking mid, played at left back in his Azkals’ debut. Without Ray Jonsson and Roel Gener, he had to play the spot. Now that seemed like Liverpool’s Glen Johnson playing in the left back slot without Fabio Aurelio and he struggled. Maybe that contributed to the shakiness of the defense. But there’s room for growth. The coaches were raving about his talent and maybe a return to his more natural position is best.

But Stephan Schrock occupied that position in Colombo.

The midfield looked chaotic on Wednesday night. But for the first time since Chris Greatwich played the middle during last year’s Suzuki Cup, we had someone who could bring that ball up field in Schrock. He had a couple of nice runs where he slalomed through defenders. Connecting with the attacking third is now something he has to work on.

Think about playing out of position and how big a deal it is.

Looking back at recent history, Ray Jonsson was moved up to the midfield where he has not played in a while. In practice sessions, it worked, but against Mongolia, it did not. The link-up between the midfield is important, because it sets up a proper attack and the long ball play they showed in the first half got them nowhere.  Once they settled down and Schrock, Caligdong, James Younghusband and Manny Ott were able to step up the pressure. However, it was Ott holding midfield on Wednesday, and it’s unsure that worked too well.

What about James Younghusband? Behind that floppy Harry Potter mane is a tough competitor. He was fighting for the ball and with the Sri Lankans. Although he dispossessed a Brave Reds defender of the ball in scoring position (the opportunity never materialized, though), many missed those crosses of his. But talk about ferocity. He was just as responsible for that goal by Burkey (as was Chieffy Caligdong).

Much has been made about Neil Etheridge’s goaltending in recent games (including the friendlies). You get the feeling that there’s a lot on his mind. Some like to point to Etheridge’s youth as a cause for recklessness. Maybe so. But many feel that is really his style of play—rushing out and straying from his line. However, that save in the 90th minute from a heater by Nimal was brilliant. The defense had their backs turned on that play and the Fulham reserve keeper came away with a game saver.

One question comes to mind—was it good or was it misplaced.

It was good because unlike before, the Azkals headed into a match knowing they had no chance. Now they have talented players on the squad. The quality of players is so much better. It is more of a chemistry concern than anything. The team knows it has good players and that better training, better support and a massive following push them. That would be better on any day than the old days when business ends in mauling. Now? The Azkals are not an easy foil for anyone.

Whenever a team plays an away game, the best result that it can hope for is obviously a win. But if it can walk away with a draw and the team’s going back home, that’s a good feeling.

Now whether it’s Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila or Panaad in Bacolod, it would be much better to have one home field so the players could get used to the field, the conditions and the atmosphere. Home-field advantage isn’t just the field but also home. Home is where you go home and can settle into your regular routine. It might sound ridiculous but for athletes, focus is also a product of comfort.

And the game demands 90 minutes of focus. It was evident the Azkals almost got nailed in the game’s dying minutes. Too many teams know that, even the great ones. Bayern Munich rues that Champions League loss to Manchester United. Ditto with Germany during the 2006 World Cup, when Italy piped them. The Philippines also dealt that kind of heartbreak, too, most recently against Singapore.

Onto the friendly confines of that good ole home cooking.