Interview with Philippine Women's National Football Team defender, Jessika Cowart.

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Jessika is a defender for the Philippine Women's National Team, she has been a part of the program since 2013 joining multiple ID camps in California but only started playing for the country just back in June 2022 and is now with 7 appearances and a goal. 

Jessika Cowart - https://www.instagram.com/jess_cowart/

03:40 - Transition from Attacking Mid to Center Back 

05:12 - Playing in the PAC-12 Conference

07:30 - Playing for the Philippines

13:27 - First International Goal in the AFF Final

16:30 - Most Memorable thing about Playing for the National Team

17:20 - Answering Questions from Social Media

- Sharing Experiences with other FilAms

- Modeling after Ronaldinho

- Playing against Regional Powerhouses vs US Style of Player 

- Experience with US College Soccer System

- Club Football

- Narrow Escape in the Final

- Hangover 

- Abante Babae

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LINK TO SOCIALS - 

https://www.facebook.com/FutbolBrew

http://www.instagram.com/FutbolBrew

https://twitter.com/FutbolBrew

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The photo used for Album Cover is owned by https://www.instagram.com/chua.rom/

CONGRATULATIONS TO US! CHAMPIONS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA! Such a sweet, sweet win. Maraming Salamat, Filipinas. 

I recorded this episode with good friends of the pod - Ivan and Kent. Ivan is a football commentator during the tournament. He called the battle for 3rd game between Vietnam and Myanmar. Kent, we all know him as a member of ESBF but in this episode, he talked about his involvement in Ultras Filipinas. I also invited my friend, Pam. She's the official photographer of the tournament for the RMS  matches. This episode was recorded in both English and Filipino as all of my guests well, myself included were still high from the championship and we were all still very emotional. 

3:40 - Broadcast Rights

6:56 - Battle for Third

08:05 - Pam's Fave Shots

11:10 - How Kent started with Ultras Filipinas

12:05 - Ultras Filipinas

13:50 - Flares and Fines

18:07 - New Midfield Magic and Defense 

23:27 - Do we need another forward?

30:03 - Favorite Moments

37:20 - Do we need more quality players?

39:02 - New Fans - Looks over Skillset 

44:45 - Post-Match Meal

46:32 - What's Next for the Filipinas?

47:25 - Ivan's Favorite Players

49:05 - Pam's Favorite Players

53:19 - Kent's Favorite Players

1:00:41 - Ven's Favorite Players

1:03:18 - Bayanihan - Getting More People to watch the games (PFLFU, PWFA)

1:07:26 - Kent's Message - Dreams do Come True

1:13:04 - Pam's Message - A Win in My Lifetime

1:18:03 - It All Makes Sense Now. 

GUEST SOCIALS - 

Pam Puri Sports Photography - 

https://www.instagram.com/pam.spofoto/

Ivan Gayares- 

https://twitter.com/ivangeoffrey

Kent Garcia - 

https://twitter.com/kentgrc_

Ultras Filipinas - 

https://www.facebook.com/UltrasFilipinas

ESBF - 

https://www.facebook.com/eatsleepbreathefootballPH

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED - 

PINAY FUTBOL

https://www.instagram.com/pinayfutbol/

Philippine Women’s FA

https://www.instagram.com/philippinewomensfa/

AFF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

https://www.facebook.com/affwomenschampionship

https://www.instagram.com/affwomenschampionship/

Futbol Brew Socials -

http://www.instagram.com/FutbolBrew

https://www.facebook.com/FutbolBrew

https://twitter.com/FutbolBrew

Here's an AFF Championship Preview! Thank you so much Kent and Ivan! Like in the previous episodes, both provided their insights about the campaign. In a nutshell, we're all expecting a podium finish with myself personally expecting our team to top the group. I know that's bold to say considering we'll be playing against Australia and Thailand and they will make it very tough for us but I guess that's just how confident I am with this team. I still expect a tight encounter but I know that they will do very well especially playing in front of a home crowd and I can't wait! See you in Rizal! #LabanFilipinas

SOCIALS MENTIONED:

Women's Footie Indonesia - linktr.ee/womensfootie.id

- https://twitter.com/theMiniNino

Kent on Twitter - https://twitter.com/kentgrc_

Ivan on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ivangeoffrey

PINAY FUTBOL

https://www.instagram.com/pinayfutbol/

Philippine Women’s FA

https://www.instagram.com/philippinewomensfa/

AFF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

https://www.facebook.com/affwomenschampionship

https://www.instagram.com/affwomenschampionship/

Futbol Brew Socials -

http://www.instagram.com/FutbolBrew

https://www.facebook.com/FutbolBrew

https://twitter.com/FutbolBrew

Dominique Randle-Harris is a defender for the Philippine Women's National Football Team. She talked about her preparations for her football comeback, her motivations and her mentality. She only started playing for the national team in this year's Asian Cup and now has 13 apps and a goal. She also shared her experience training with Angel City FC during the NWSL preseason.

Dom ended her collegiate career in 2018 as a defender for the University of Southern California. Like most of us, COVID-19 provided a time for reflection and with big support from her loving husband, Da'John Harris and her coach, Dido she joined the PWNT training camp in California last year. Fast forward, Dom has formed a formidable partnership with Hali Long and truly has become a tower of defence for the National Team. She made her international debut during the Asian Cup vs Thailand this year and played all the games in the same tournament and THE SEA Games. She was brilliant and a solid defender throughout.

I'm a big fan of defenders, and I've always said that Dom is lowkey my MVP during the Asian Cup so to have the opportunity to talk to her for about an hour was special to me.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS - 

3:35 - Preparing for the AFF Women's Championship

3:15 - Football Comeback

10:30 - Motivations for Playing for the Philippines

12:!3 - Fitness and staying in shape after "Retiring"

16:20 - Relationship with PWNT Defenders

20:05 - Mindset coming into the Asian Cup

22:28 - Post-SEA Games Thoughts

25:30 - Being Raised by s b  trong, independent Filipinas

28:53 - Secret to PWNT's cohesiveness

32:00 - Dream for Philippine Women's Football

34:08 - Questions for Dom from Social Media 

- Who is her favourite defensive player and who does she model her game from?

- What was your experience like trying out for Angel City FC? What were your learnings from it? Do you plan to try for other clubs/teams in the NWSL or other USA leagues? What about leagues outside the USA?

- Favorite Filipino food? And is she game for a Balut Challenge? 

- Which is the toughest foe she faced as a national team player and which defeat was hardest to swallow for her?

- What's your boot?

- You have ₱1,000,000,0000 or approx US $50,000,000, what will you do to help football grow in the Philippines?

Follow Dominique Randle on Socials - 

https://www.instagram.com/domirandle/

https://twitter.com/domrandle

Futbol Brew on Socials - https://linktr.ee/futbolbrew

The photo used in the Episode Art is owned by PWNT/Raymond Braganza

Here's a post-SEA Games episode! Thank you so much to my guests, Kent and Ivan! Like the preview, both men provided their insights and how they felt about the campaign. Overall, there's a lot of room for improvement but we're all proud of our team's accomplishment. The goal was a medal and we got the bronze! 

Excited for our #PWNT! See you in the AFF Women's Championship! 

#LabanFilipinas

Chandler McDaniel is a forward for the Philippine Women's National Team, she started playing for the country just last year (2021), and now with 7 caps and 2 goals. For those who just recently followed the team, Chandler has been part of the program since 2012. She joined multiple ID camps in California and in the Philippines as well. So, it's been quite a journey for her and her family. Her dad Clint has been involved in the camps, and her brother Finn and sister, Olivia are all playing for the National Team as well. 

Chandler's debut during the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Uzbekistan could not have come at a better time as she played a major role in their come-from-behind win over Nepal. She was also the lone goal scorer for the Philippines in their 1-0 upset of Thailand in the 2022 Asian Cup. She, unfortunately, suffered an ACL tear in her right knee and will be out for about 8 months. It's a hard blow but I'm confident that she can come back stronger. It was nice to have a bit of a chat with her and she was also in high spirits and currently receiving pro-level rehab so let's all continue to pray for her, send her words of encouragement and really just support her throughout this challenging time. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS - 

2:16 - Chandler's Surgeries and Recovery

6:14 - Missing Olivia and following the SEA Games

7:57 - Journey to Representing the Philippines

20:43 - Choosing to Represent The Philippines

22:21 - Coach Transition

23:45 - Playing under Coach Alen Stajcic

28:37 - Mentally preparing for the World Cup

30:02 - 'McDaniel Playing Style'

34:34 - Post Asian Cup

37:35 - Message to Younger Players

38:02 - Plans after the World Cup

41:03 - Answering Questions from Supporters

47:39 - Football Heroines and Playing in the World Cup

51:55 - Message to Supporters

Follow Chandler on Instagram - 

https://www.instagram.com/chandlerblue/

Futbol Brew on Socials - https://linktr.ee/futbolbrew

The photo used in Episode Art is from The AFC.

In this episode, we talked about the upcoming SEA Games that will be held in Vietnam next month and our first game is on May 9th! In the Asian Cup, our goal was to qualify for the World Cup which we did and the ladies did very well, which made us all very proud. Not only is this Southeast Asian Games serving as a preparation for The World Cup but in my opinion would be a great opportunity to prove to our neighbours that what happened in India was not just luck.

We will be in group A with the reigning SEA Games Champion, Vietnam. They're the powerhouse, they're the host nation. They've won gold since 2017 and many times before that if not silver. Originally, Indonesia was in our group as well but they withdrew and the 3rd team in the group is Cambodia. In Group B, the other 2 powerhouses are Thailand and Myanmar together with Laos and Singapore. Singapore has been doing quite a preparation recently with some friendlies and they are currently in Thailand for camp. We've only recently won against Thailand in the Asian Cup after more than a decade but we haven't defeated Myanmar. Historically, our record against Myanmar included a thrashing of 6-0, 5-1 until we started closing that gap in 2018 in the AFF, 0-4 and in 2019, we played against them 3x in the AFF Championship, we lost 3-0, in the SEA Games group stage, 0-0 and in that heartbreaking 3rd place match in Rizal, 2-1. We'll have Ivan and Kent in this episode. Ivan Gayares is a Philippine Football Commentator and he used to be the Head of Media and Marketing of the former Ceres-Negros FC. Kent Garcia is also a football commentator and writer from the guys at ESBF and Huddle PH! 

Kent on Twitter - https://twitter.com/kentgrc_

Ivan on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ivangeoffrey

HIGHLIGHTS 

3:41 - Additional Info on Myanmar (Post-Recording)

6:20 - Singapore 

9:47 - Myanmar (Ivan)

11:00 - Thailand (Ivan)

13:21 - Myanmar (Kent)

13:57 - Thailand (Kent)

15:44 - Thai Women's League

18:12 - Vietnam (Kent)

20:07 - Indonesia (Ivan)

21:33 - Cambodia (Ivan)

22:47 - Vietnam (Ivan)

24:56 - On Winning Group A and Playing against Vietnam

30:28 - Indonesia

36:15 - Philippines

39:15 - Kat Guillou (Kent)

39:43 - Carleigh Frilles (Kent)

40:09 - PWNT Preparation and Camp

42:37 - Shai del Campo

43:30 - Playing against Cambodia (Ivan)

42:33 - Bella Flanigan and Carleigh Frilles (Ivan)

46:43 - PWNT Defense 

48:12 - Hali Long x Dom Randle Partnership

51:39 - Predictions and Messages

LINKS MENTIONED:

FA Singapore - https://www.instagram.com/fasingapore/

Women's Footie Indonesia - linktr.ee/womensfootie.id

- https://twitter.com/theMiniNino

ESBF - https://www.facebook.com/eatsleepbreathefootballPH/

Futbol Brew on Socials - https://linktr.ee/futbolbrew 

In this episode, we'll have 2 amazing ladies from The Philippine Women's Football Association (PWFA). Ceres Lina is one of the incorporators of PWFA, she's also a known figure in Philippine football media and she's also worked with media and marketing for the Azkals. PWFA co-founder, Natasha Alquiros is a former national team player turned Sports Analyst.

You've seen much of the association during the Asian Cup, but what exactly is the PWFA? In a nutshell, the PWFA wants to be at the forefront of Philippine Women's Football and actively educate, support, provide opportunities, and empower women. The PWFA and the Women’s Department of the PFF share similar objectives in uplifting the Women’s Game. The association also aims to increase the number of women in football by raising awareness, fostering development, and providing reliable information to create more pathways for women in football.

02:01 - What is the Philippine Women's Football Association

05:00 - Creating the PWFA Blueprint

07:35 - Who Can Join? What's in it for Me?

10:36 - PWFX x PFF

14:20 - Women taking up Space

18:12 - People behind the Association

23:53 - Upcoming SEA Games

30:50 - Comments about the PWNT Moniker Change

41:35 - Future of Women's Football in the Philippines

LINKS

Philippine Women's Football Association

https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineWomensFA

https://www.instagram.com/philippinewomensfa/

Pinay Futbol Grow Her Game Series >

https://www.facebook.com/watch/160598930705685/1058010768041820

Sarina Bolden is a forward for the Philippine Women's National Team. She started playing for the Philippines in 2018 and now with 12 appearances and 5 goals. She played collegiate football with Loyola Marymount University in the US with 71 appearances and 18 goals. Her career highlights include ranking 5th in total career goals and also 5th in LMU’s football program history with 135 shot attempts! She currently plays club football with Chifure AS Elfen Saitama in Japan's WE League. You may know her for scoring the game-winning penalty kick against Chinese Taipei that secured our qualification to the biggest party of all, THE FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP! 

This episode was recorded early in the morning. We talked about how she's doing in Japan, finding her balance, and what she's currently working on in preparation for the World Cup. I've uploaded a video clip of her showing what's inside her bag on the Facebook page and maybe upload it on youtube as well. I'm currently working on the videos and I'm a one-man show so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it!  

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS:

02:40 - Life in Japan

06:18 - College Playing Career, attending the U23 USWNT and PWNT Camp

08:40 - Choosing the Philippines

10:22 - Securing the Passport

12:39 - Asian Cup 2018

15:37 - Playing for the Philippines

18:20 - Meeting Coach Allen

22:20 - Collegiate Soccer vs National Team Training

23:50 - Communication

25:45 - Asian Cup 2022

28:35 - Mindset

33:35 - Future Plans

35:00 - Preparing for the World Cup

37:00 - Questions from Listeners - What's Inside your Bag?

40:36 - Questions from Listeners - Special Bond with Q

41:50 - Questions from Listeners - Why she's not in the PWNT - AU Camp

44:18 - Female Football Player Inspirations

46:20 - Possibility of Playing against World #1, USA.

49:30 - Message to Stakeholders and Players

INTRO CLIP and Photo owned by AFC - Asian Cup 2022

Patrice Impelido or "Pimp" as she is fondly called is the former captain of the Philippine Women's National Team. She played from 2005 to 2019 with a total of 61 caps. She played her last game in SEA Games 2019 and was an Assistant Coach for the recently successful Asian Cup campaign that qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup. This episode was fun to record, I've spent more time editing it than usual as we were laughing and giggling too much. We talked about what she's doing now and her learnings working with Coach Allen and assistant coach Nahuel Arrarte and strength and conditioning coach Luca Tonetti. 

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS:

06:20 Moving to the Philippines from the US

09:20 Practically local, her relationship with local players

12:12 Retirement

15:05 Rebuilding with the National Team

17:58 Becoming an Assistant Coach

20:00 Working with Coach Allen Stajcic, Asst Coaches Nahuel Arrarte and strength and conditioning coach Luca Tonetti 

24:33 New Learnings - Coding, Analytics and flying drones

35:00 Future Plans

45:53 World Cup Wishes

Album Cover Photo: Mia Montayre