The Philippine women’s football team will put emphasis on giving its young talents the chance to shine, especially with some key players for the defense out of the Asean Women’s Championship that starts this week in Vietnam.

Coach Mark Torcaso listed seven debutants, including three from the youth squad, for the competition the Filipinas are also going to use as preparation for next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

The Asian Cup is a qualifier for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

“This coming tournament is a chance for us to see a lot of our young youth players play,” said Torcaso going into the regional competition commercially known as the Serenity Cup.

Youth members Isabella Alamo, Tea Pidding and Lyka Cuenco plus Jaycee DeFazio, Azumi Oka, Aaliyah Schinaman and Adelaide Wyrzynski were among the 23 players chosen to suit up for the tournament that will see the Filipinas in Group B with the Australia U-23 team, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.

The Filipinas will be without Sarina Bolden, Sara Eggesvik and Meryll Serrano, leaving Hali Long, Olivia McDaniel, Quinley Quezada, Bella Pasion, Chandler McDaniel and Jane DeFazio as among the key players.

Bolden, the biggest star of the first Philippine team that saw World Cup action, is still recovering from an ACL injury while Eggesvik and Serrano were not released by their clubs due to the tournament not scheduled during Fifa windows.

“Obviously, with a closed Fifa window, we will give a lot of opportunity to our young players and see where they’re at in the level that they’re going to be hopefully ready for opportunities that come their way for the Asian Cup,” said Torcaso.

The top two teams will advance to the semifinals along with their counterparts from Group A, composed of host Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. INQ