Are we back at the drawing board?

So we end our campaign in the Southeast Asian Games in the sport of men's football. What was thought to be a promising opportunity turned into something quite different. Very very different.

The anthem snafu in the opener versus Vietnam probably signaled the woes that our national team had to face. In that match, we managed to snatch a 1-0 lead, only to lose 3-1, with captain Matthew Hartmann having a hand thanks to a own goal. After a narrow 2-1 defeat against Timor Leste, the next thing we knew was that Matthew is back home, getting into an argument against Green Archer players whilst playing for club team Loyola Meralco.

Then, Joshua Beloya against Laos happened.

It buoyed optimism that we can still make it past the so-called "Group of Hope." Raised fervor and enthusiasm. And then reality smashed our dreams and visions. Myanmar and Brunei ended that for us.

So, two losses sandwich a come-from-behind win. Not really what we had in mind. Hey, they thought they could pull off ten points. So did we. And we are reminded that we are miles away from it. We are reminded that band-aid-esque measures ain't gonna work. This ain't basketball where our collegiate studs would get the job done in the region.

Now what? What lies ahead? The same rhetoric is still echoing. The same issues still remain and prevailing. Divisions and controversies and yet it is just there, waiting for a solution. A sincere fix. A permanent one. Maybe when the PFF elections come later this month. The leadership needs to step up to the plate.

The success opened the eyes of the larger populace. It is expected that we are to make upgrades our well.