THE Philippines set history after securing its best group stage finish in the U23 Asean Championships in Indonesia on July 21, 2025.
The Philippines beat Brunei, 2-0, on a Javier Mariona penalty in the first half and a Noti Nunez late strike to finish with six points after a similar 2-0 win against Malaysia on opening day.
However, the Philippines will have to wait for the results of the July 22 matches between Vietnam and Cambodia in Group B and the Thailand vs. Myanmar game to find out if it did enough to make the semifinal round.
We have achieved all of this with only a one week training camp leading in.
PHL U23 coach Garrath McPherson
With three groups–and only three teams in Groups B and C–the semifinal round will feature the group winners and the best second-ranked team.
As the game against Brunei isn’t counted in determining the best second-ranked team, the Philippines currently leads the battle with three points with both Cambodia and Myanmar having a point each.
Should Cambodia and Myanmar fail to win their matches, the Philippines would be in the semifinal, a remarkable feat considering the short window of preparation.
“Momentum is crucial in tournament football and we’ve successfully ridden the wave of emotions the past seven days. The team has grown in confidence with every game, winning tonight provides more confidence. We have achieved all of this with only a one week training camp leading in,” said head coach Garrath McPherson.
After beating Malaysia in its debut, the PHL U23, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes, battled Indonesia to a 1-0 loss.
“We have been able to provide more young men with exposure on the international stage while securing our highest ever points finish in the history of this tournament. I said coming into this tournament that we are here to provide opportunity for our players to showcase their quality, we have consistently rotated our roster to maximize opportunities for the players to be seen prior to the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and the SEA Games,” said McPherson.