The Philippine Women’s National Football Team is going to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and one reason the Filipinas will do so is veteran Angela Beard.
An integral part of the team that notched the country’s first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup win back in 2023, Beard scored the Philippines’ first goal against Uzbekistan in their do-or-die match a few minutes after intermission. That seemed to galvanize the Filipinas, who scored another goal five minutes later to put the pressure on the Uzbeks.
Mark Torcaso’s Adjustment Pays Off
That Angela Beard scored that go-ahead goal was in part a credit to Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso, who continued moving the veteran up the field even if she is known as a defender. Then again, Torcaso knew it wouldn’t be a problem for Beard—in part because he has been coaching Beard at both the club and national levels.
“Angie’s very aggressive in the front third and she starts our defense from the front. And she creates a little bit of quality in our front third when we want to win the ball high,” Torcaso explained of his decision to move Angela Beard up. “But I’m lucky enough that I’ve had a long journey with Angie both at Calder United and now here. And I know the quality she’s got as a player. She can play anywhere on the park. She’d probably say she could play as a goalkeeper as well, to be honest.”
Trust Between Angela Beard and Filipinas Coaching Staff
Torcaso doubled down, pointing out his experience coaching Beard allowed him to make those adjustments in that pivotal matchup against Uzbekistan.
“To be able to have Angie go high and score and be on the end of it, I said to her before the game, I said, this is your game to score. Having that opportunity of working with Angie for so long enabled me to make those decisions along with our coaching staff,” Torcaso added. “We know Angie’s qualities, and I think we took full advantage of that today…”
Indeed, Filipino fans also know the quality of Angela Beard. She’s shown it before, and she showed it again against Uzbekistan. Best believe she’ll keep showing it in the future.
