Neil Leonard Dula Etheridge is the name of the Philippine national team, AZKALS, Goal keeper. Neil is a 6’2”, 161 pound English – Filipino Goal keeper for the AZKALS. He is born from a Filipina mother from Tarlac but he was raised in the UK where his father is from. Neil started playing at the early age of nine and has continued to play ever since. Born on February 7, 1990, this young and promising athlete played for the Philippine AZKALS in 2008 after being convinced by one of the team’s players, Phil Younghusband.
Why is Neil an important member of the AZKALS? This is because he is a Goal keeper with a very good wing span and reflex. This means he can guard our goal well against the other team’s attackers. He is also a very good team player as he sees the field well and recognizes the deficiency in the team’s defenses. The Goal keeper, GK, acts somewhat like a defensive playing coach as he directs part of the defense especially inside the 8 yard box.
Neil has a very good reputation for the AZKALS. He had 4 consecutive clean sheets for his first 4 outings with the team, which means in his four matches with the AZKALS, the opposing teams never had the chance to score. He is a very skilled GK with an eye for the ball and the span for the goal. Neil Etheridge plays a good solid game every time the AZKALS call up.
Neil Etheridge was not raised in the Philippines. He was raised in a football crazy UK. He started playing at 9 years of age and has continued to do well in his craft. Neil Etheridge has been connected with top European football clubs Chelsea and Fulham. He attended Chelsea academy early in his career, thus meeting up with fellow patriots Phil and James Younghusband. Neil Etheridge formerly played forward in soccer but switched to Goal Keeper after seeing his talent and potential in defense. Neil transferred to Fulham and became their second choice Goal keeper keeping his dreams alive on playing for the English Premier league.
Neil Etheridge has two dreams in Football, from his own words “I have two dreams which are very close to my heart and I will do all I can to try and pursue them over my career and my life. It’s really my dream, personally, to play football in the English Premier League [EPL] but it is also my vision for the Philippines to be recognized on a world scale and play against larger nations.” Those are the Valiant words of dreams for the AZKALS Goal keeper. That is the attitude that brings in success for the Philippine National Team.
From the point of world’s point of view, Neil is but a tiny spec in soccer. There so many strong Goal keepers playing in the professional level but Neil is still very young and has the whole world ahead of him. Neil is only 21 years of age yet he is becoming a top class Athlete. He will be a man to watch. With his vision and mindset, there will be no stopping the “BUS” for his glory.
Neil is known for not only for his talent in defending but also for his heart. Testimonies to his “will” are both his knees. By the way his playing now, you would not be able to tell that this young stud had surgeries on both knees. This’ll make you ask, “Really?”, and yes he did. He had cases of tendinitis and had to undergo surgery to negate his case. He was able to recuperate before the estimated time of recovery. This impressed Fulham, and that is part of why he is there.
His stead in Fulham may be accredited, somehow to his fast recovery to surgery. Somehow, that is. But the main reason for him able to play for Fulham is that: HE is GOOD! Neil played for the U-16 English national team in 2005. So he is really good. Plus, you’ve read above that this guy is not a natural GK, he just shifted after knowing that he has the skills. He used to play forward. This means that he has a pretty good handle for the ball too. He is a multi-dimensional Football player that has a very good understanding of the game.
Will you be able to see him play more of Philippine football? Yes you will continue to see that #1 Jersey with an Etheridge written above. He has given a vision for the AZKALS and I am sure he will be doing what he can to meet his dreams. Though Neil has to put Fulham first because it’s his mother club, he will continue to find time to play for the Philippines.
We’ll be seeing more of this young guy on the international stage. He will have to tackle with the tops in ASIA before conquering the world. Te road for the AZKALS is still far ahead and we need a top caliber goal keeper which is being played by Neil. You have to watch more of the AZKALS matches to see how good this guy is. You’ll have to see how he makes saves for our team. I mean it, this guy is good!
