Alen Stajcic and the meteoric rise of the Philippines women's national football team | The former Matildas boss and his dreams for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™

Football in Australia was shocked with the sacking of Alen Stajcic as the Matildas coach, at the eleventh hour ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019™.Following a stint at the Central Coast Mariners and amidst COVID lockdowns, Alen found himself with a new challenge at his feet: that of guiding the Philippines women's national team through the qualification process for a World Cup. And. they made it - for the first time ever.Hear a fascinating, candid chat with Alen as Isobel Cootes quizzes him on motivation, appreciation...and how it feels to be the coach on the sideline as your team heads into a penalty shootout!Watch every match of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ live and on-demand on Optus Sport.Listen to Optus Sport's award-winning limited series: Football Belongs, charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches:Acast: https://play.acast.com/s/football-belongsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AzBek8ub2oEsWLYHWetg7Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/football-belongs-australias-football-identity-by-optus/id1543067162 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.